For years now, we have been fascinated by “The Dog Whisperer,” Cesar Millan, and his amazing touch with dogs. If you haven’t seen the show, I would suggest checking it out.
Be forewarned, however, that the disclaimer that comes up at the beginning of every show stating that people shouldn’t try his techniques themselves and should seek a professional has great merit. If his methods are applied incorrectly, it can cause your dog to become aggressive, fearful, or even more unstable.
So why do his techniques work for him and not always for the average dog owner? Is it the magic of television? Simple editing tricks that only show what the director wants us to see? Or is it Cesar himself?
Unless you have spent decades studying dog psychology and behavior, working diligently day in and day out with every kind of dog that exists, and unless you are very similar in personality to Cesar himself, please know that most of his techniques probably won’t work for you.
Dogs are essentially human lie detectors. Stay with me here, I’ll get back to Cesar Millan, but first it is important to understand how dogs see the world. In a wild pack of dogs, communication does not take place mostly through words and sound as it does with humans. Dogs read each other perfectly, taking every act of body language into account. They don’t lie. Everything from the nose, mouth, eyes, ears, body stance and tail come together to form a complete emotion, intention, and communication.
Over the hundreds of years that dogs have been integrated into human life, they have become incredibly adept at reading us, often times knowing our true intentions before we do, or despite our efforts to hide it. For instance, when you feel under the weather, how often has your dog cuddled up to you, even though you try to go about cleaning, yard work, and other daily tasks?
This is the secret to gaining your dog’s respect – Always be exactly who you are and act according to how you are feeling. They can spot a fake a mile away.
Now, this doesn’t mean that if you’re angry with your dog you should yell or physically punish them. We still need to speak to our dogs on their level. The best way to handle being angry with your dog is to turn on the silent treatment for a few minutes. This conveys to your dog that you will not associate with canines who act in the manner that he or she just did.
But, back to the point, the reason that Cesar’s techniques work for him, is because he is being no one but himself. He is a true, charismatic, diplomatic, fair, structured, and well studied in canine behavior, pack leader. That’s why he has his own show and why we tune in every week.
For those without his decades of knowledge, here are some techniques, taken from parts of Cesar’s methods that you can use to become a stronger pack leader while gaining your dog’s respect and keeping your integrity:
- Mean what you say – Don’t want your dog jumping on your furniture? Make sure you give the “Off” command and follow through!
- Be consistent – Don’t want your dog pulling on the leash? Never move forward when he pulls. Ever. Not even once.
- Reward behavior you want – Is your dog calmly laying in her bed while you watch tv? Go to your dog and reward with praise or treats to show her that is a desired behavior.
- Don’t over-correct – Upset with something your dog did, or for not listening? Be careful about yelling. If your dog dives to the floor, tail between his legs, and won’t make any kind of eye contact, your dog is afraid. Nothing can be learned in a state of fear.
- Use body language – Happy about your dog’s actions? Smile and relax. Want more personal space from a clingy, jumping dog? Step with authority towards him. Want to discourage a begging dog at dinner time? Ignore completely.
Luckily, there are many different ways to train and help your dog. You don’t have to be The Dog Whisperer in order to become your dog’s pack leader, or to gain respect, you just have to find a method that works with your personality, and be consistent, fair, and most importantly, yourself.
If you have any questions you would like to ask a Certified Dog Trainer, you can submit them right here at Naptown Buzz. Every week, Elizabeth Wilhelm, Certified Dog Trainer will tackle one of the submitted questions. For more information about Elizabeth, you may visit her website at www.TrainingKarma.com.
where can i find help with my do?. i adopted a 6 month old pup.. The human society did not indicate any problems with him. i was told he was given up by a family who found him too energetic. Cooper was very food agressive. I was not surprised by this as he was all skin and bones, he looked like he had been starved . I became worried when he started attacking my older dog over food. he never gives a warning, just suddenly attacks when he thought my older dog Connor either had food or was going to get food that he was not getting. I put him in his crate for a cool down after an attack and this seemed to be working. Cooper went from attacking on an almost daily basis to only 2 attacks in one month. The attacks never resulted in blood shed, but still seem very vicious. Just recently Cooper has bitten me twice. the first time was when i saw where he was bitting at his stomach and i though maybe he had a flea so i reached to check his belly and he bite me. the 2nd time Cooper growled for no reason that i could see. I reached for him and he bite me. i think his bitting me is fear related and i am very concerned about this. I am afraid that if i took him back to a human society that he would be put down. I do not want to have to do that. But i must get a handle on the biting problem. Cooper is also easily frightened. Cooper is now at full weight of 60 lbs and 1 and 1/2 years old. any advise will be greatly appreciated. thank you
p.s Cooper is a treeing walker coon hound.
It does indeed sound like you have a fear-biter on your hands. These dogs require a great deal of patience and understanding when working with them. I’m glad you’re looking to seek help for your dog, as fear-biting will often get worse over time if not taken care of in the early stages. Working with a professional, certified dog trainer who specializes in the area of aggression will be your best bet. During lessons with a trainer, you will learn how to help your dog, manage his environment, stop the attacks on your other dog, and gain leadership, trust, and respect from your fear-biter. I’ll send you an email with some more information. Thank you for your comment and for being so willing to help your dog!