Did you ever watch Cesar Millan’s TV show called “The Dog Whisperer”?

I used to LOVE it. Probably watched every single episode. It might’ve even been one of my earliest inspirations for wanting a career in the pet industry.

But here’s why I stopped watching and no longer endorse Cesar Millan as a reputable dog trainer:

In my professional and personal opinion, the training methodology he used on the show was downright dangerous and unethical.

I can’t speak for what he uses now, or if he’s even still training dogs, but the premise of the show I watched years ago was on the Dominance Theory.

As it applies to dog training, this theory was adopted from studies conducted in the 1930s on the behavior of wolf packs. It’s the notion that dogs will show aggression and assert themselves in order to gain a higher social status and achieve “dominance” relative to other dogs (or people) in their “pack.” In short, they are always competing for the “alpha” position.

Modern scientific research has since debunked this theory, stating that “dominance” refers to breeding rights, a “pack” is simply a family, and “alpha” is the primary male and female that bond and breed. When their pups mature, they will leave to form their own packs and become the “alpha” through breeding.

I encourage you to watch this video of scientist David L Mech debunking his own term “alpha wolf” in the late 1990s.

And here’s a New Yorker article on how “the model of aggression and dominance has infected human society.”

Here’s why I consider Cesar’s (and other similar trainer’s) method dangerous and unethical.

Unfortunately, because of the popularity and large following Cesar Millan gained, he has contributed greatly to spreading misinformation to pet parents and guardians. More importantly, our pets have needlessly suffered.

Based on the dominance theory, in order for pet parents to gain control of their pets, they had to become the “alpha” and did so by use of punishment-based methods.

Any tool or method that imposes any level of fear or force on a dog is directly derived from this theory. They are all punishment-based, which in short is anything the dog will work to avoid. Some examples include:

• a stern look
• verbal corrections
• leash corrections
• electric shock
• pinning the dog to the ground
• swatting
• yelling
• spray with water bottle
• aversive sound (e.g. shaking a can of pennies)

Absolutely ZERO judgement if you previously or currently use any of the above tools or methods. At one point, I’ve even fallen victim to using a few. We all have our moments but it’s important to understand the negative and long lasting effects they have on our pets:

• learner can become desensitized to it
• can create aggression and reactivity
• is difficult to do well
• stops working if the punisher is not present

BUT…I’m here to share with you some really great news: there are safer (and more effective) ways that will leave your pets happy, healthy, and comfy! The one I’m currently studying and will be using when I graduate as a Certified Dog Trainer is called the clicker training method. I can’t wait to show you the “magic” of this method in the coming months and years!

Stay Comfy,

Tanya