- Joined
- Jan 11, 2005
- Messages
- 6,394
- Purraise
- 17
But that's the whole point of this thread. To say what we think. I don't think anybody has taken anything personally - but has rather approached the topic in the manner in which it was raised.
He's a public figure that has done very controversial things and to answer your claim about the APSCA etc - he HAS been charged and his show HAS been banned in places, and he HAS been taken to court and sued. If that's something people want to talk about, then so be it.
I have had this conversation with you before - so I'm not going to flog a dead horse. But people are as entitled to their opinions as you are, and if they are negative opinions so what? That is what adult life is all about.
You are free to use whatever methods you feel are appropriate with your dog as you please. Not everyone will agree with them. That's life.
People here are free to say whatever they think on a particular topic as they please. Not everyone will agree. That's life.
And I wanted to edit this to add: Saying that someone's methods aren't suitable for all dogs is unacceptable, I believe. There is no excuse to be using methods that are acceptable for some and not for others. In order to determine which is which you would need the most intimate understanding of the problems and history and entire life of each and every single dog you ever come across and that is not possible for any living person to achieve. Not Cesar Millan, not any everyday dog owner, not anyone.
There ARE methods that are suitable to use on ALL dogs without there being any potential for causing harm or lasting problems and if there is a way that you can reach any dog without possibly causing it further damage then that is the way to go. Not picking and choosing based on little or no knowledge, what might be suitable for your dog or not based on the actions of someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
There is no need - ever - for the kind of aggressive and domineering methods used by people such as Cesar Millan. For example, holding a dog down is the stupidest and most misinformed thing you can ever do and it does NOT teach them that you are boss. That kind of method has been outdated for about 20 years - and the sooner that idiotic mindset is eradicated from modern training the better. Dogs are far more subtle than this - and any observation of actual pack behaviour will lead to the realisation that if a dog ever does this - which is hardly ever - they know why and for what reasons and how it's done, and we don't. We are humans, not dogs, and all we see is their outward behaviour. We don't see all the body language that they do, we can't smell all the smells that they can - hormones and emotions and everything else - and all of these things are also essential in determining pack behaviour. For a human to try to emulate it is ignorant and dangerous, and it shouldn't ever be done.
The same results can be achieved in totally different ways and this is being proved by trainers day after day, all over the world. When there are better and less dangerous choices out there, it fails me completely to understand why anyone wouldn't use them - unless it's simple laziness. And sadly, that's often exactly what it is.
