Can anyone explain why some people are so anti Cesar Milan?

[NotMostPeople]

I'm honestly not wanting to stir things up, but as a new dog owner I'd like to understand.

Because he hurts dogs and then uses the excuse he is training them. A dog does not need to be hurt, praised but not hurt !

Ceasar Is a little like 1940s parenting outdated. Modern parenting and modern dog training are all about rewarding the good. If you wouldn't do it to your child you shouldn't do it to your dog.

Becasue he hung a Husky by its collar to make it obey him - Funnily enough, you can no longer find that episode online after the production company successfully managed to get it pulled from YouTube

MrsZoidberg - Really? that's absolutely awful.

I've watched a few of his programmes and I haven't seen him hurt any of the dogs, or am I missing something?

Dog training is a bit like parenting: there are many different styles, different people find different things work for them, everyone gets a bit worked up about it and takes criticisms of their training method very personally.

CM believes in dominancy theory which a lot of people find outdated, some of his techniques could get you bitten so be careful. Dominance techniques have more of a potential to go wrong if you meet the wrong dog or if the handler is not too sure what they were doing. Positive, reward-based methods have less dangerous repercussions if you get them wrong!

Because he is promoted by media companies (he is photogenic and makes good TV ratings) against professional opinions and latest scientific advice. And because it is easy to see quick results of his "training" (usually the result of fear) - but he does not tackle the real reasons for undesired behaviours, and they will eventually resurface and bite the poor dog owner in the arse (pun intended).

Stay well clear of him and seek proper research/advice if you would like to develop a long and healthy relationship with your dog.

Man's a twat. He wears dogs down and tires them out to make them give in, ignores all calming and stress signals and railroads them into doing what he wants. He's a bully.

Because he's a cruel little bastard that is a triumph of PR over dog training ability.

Also, explains why the Husky was reacting to him as it was...he kicked it just like he kicked dozens of other dogs in the clip.

As well as the physical cruelty, if you have even the faintest idea about dog body language you should watch an episode and then watch it again with the sound muted. You'll see that what he says about the dog's behaviour is completely at odds with what the behaviour the dog is actually displaying. Like when he says 'and now the dog is calm and submitting' you'll actually see that the dog has been throwing out calming signals left, right and centre (yawning, lip-licking, looking away etc) and then has shut down completely because nothing it's doing is working to get this dreadful little man to back the fuck off. It's not a calm dog...it's a dog that couldn't be any more stressed so retreats into itself as a defence mechanism. Even if you watch those Youtube clips back with no sound and really look at the dogs, you will see fright, shock, confusion and then the calming signals which go unheeded. It makes for disturbing viewing.

There's no way I can click on that link, just the idea of it is making me feel ill. I'm going to have a more sceptical look at his programmes.

Who do people rate?

Victoria Stillwell for TV shows but The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson gets rated on here a lot. As does The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey.

Victoria Stillwell's more recent TV shows (mostly for US TV) are much better than the early stuff she did in the UK. She wasn't afraid to admit that her way was't necessarily the only or best way and she has evolved for the better.

I personally rate Ian Dunbar. And Jean Donaldson's the Culture Clash is a good read. Also, if you're after an understanding of dog communication, I can highly recommend Turid Rugaas for an insight into calming signals or Dr Stanley Coren's books re: dog-dog and dog-human communication.

Second to The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey although it is a very basic text.

Labrador Forums is a great doggy related site and a source for advice not only labrador-related. Be careful, it is as addictive as MN, but people do not post anonymously and there are a lot of meet ups...

For more hands on solutions I would seek the advice of APBC behaviourist or classes that are run by experienced dog trainers who adopt kind methods of training. Sorry, don't watch much TV, so not much use on that front.

He's a cruel, evil little man and he destroys dogs' spirit and calls the resultant behavioural suppression 'obedience'. Here's a lovely compilation of him kicking dogs:

Prong collars, pinch collars, shock collars, kicking, hanging, choking....the man wants locking up and I'm disgusted that his programmes are still allowed to be shown.

I'd second the recommendations for Jean Donaldson, Victoria Stillwell and Gwen Bailey. Karen Pryor's 'don't Shoot the Dog' and Patricia McConnell's 'The Other End of the Leash' are excellent books as well. Avoid anything that talks about 'dominance'.

Brilliant I'll go and have a look via amazon. I've got Gwen Baileys puppy book but it's time for something for the next phase.