Graeme Hall

[blubberball]

Can anyone please explain to me why this man gets so much hate online? I've watched his shows and read his book, and I genuinely don't see what the issue is? I see people piling on saying how awful he is, but they never seem to say why. Does any one know what the problem is? 🤷‍♀️

Personally, I think some of the ways he treats dogs are beyond repugnant - in most cases, he uses physical force and/or aversive methods to train. If you have to rely on scaring your dog into submission for it to listen to you, you're not fit to own a dog. Go buy a hamster.

Cesar Milan is even worse than the Twat in the Cravat - absolutely vile methods.

Victoria Stillwell is vastly better - she genuinely loves and understands dogs, and although the Dog Academy is heavily edited so that her methods look like a quick fix, if you read her materials online, her knowledge and understanding of dogs' emotions and psychology are evident. She trains without painful physical aversives and speaks out against their use.

I've not seen this. How do these animal's minds work? They are pack animals, and they need a pack leader? How does the dog pack leader keep the pack in line? Should we be observing their behaviours and learning from that?

I can't think I've ever seen him use force.

Oh ok that's interesting. So Victoria Stilwell is the way to go? I've watched all of them on and off over the years. I don't even have a dog, I just want to learn as much as I can. I would never agree with or use anything like shock collars or prong collars, and I've seen her destroy them

Cesar Milan's dogs look to me like the happiest, most balanced dogs in the world. I don't see the issue there either

It does seem like people are sometimes a bit snooty about him not being qualified, but then if he is recognised by a guild of dog trainers, then we're falling for something

Cesar Milan uses flooding, alpha rolls, and all sorts of horribly outdated and cruel techniques. Dominance theory was utterly debunked decades ago - even the person who first developed it went on to refute it. It was based on short-term studies of captive wolves, for a start. Look at the work of Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar, Patricia McConnell, Sarah Fisher, Jean Donaldson, Gwen Bailey...there are so many enlightened trainers and behaviourists out there working to dismantle the damage done by the 'pack leader' approach. Lots of excellent peer-reviewed references at the end of this article: https://readypupgo.biz/why-dominance-theory-fails-in-dog-training/

I like him, the shows are heavily edited and most are ‘quick fixes’. Watched one show with a very reactive Frenchie, he sorted it and at the end of the show you saw the Frenchie on the update looking really really agitated and reactive….

I have a reactive rescue (she’d been used for baiting). Took advice from a local trainer who spent an hour with us. He assessed the situation and told us what to do and what not to do. He also told us that it wasn’t going to be a quick fix and would probably take a year or more. Three months in, we are slowly getting there but it will take time.

Obviously, had we been on the show, it wouldnt have been good viewing. No one wants to wait a year for the outcome. I don’t think the shows producers and editors do any favours.

I suggest you go on YouTube and watch the many many clips of Cesar Milan punching and kicking dogs in the name of training.

@blubberball that's very outdated thinking - there's no 'pack leader' to keep the dogs in line.

I have five. They do what I tell them because they love and respect me and because I have food. I can call them from 50 meters and they come back and they are actually happy to do so - not terrified. I have no special skills, no 'qualifications'...I just dedicated time, effort and love into my dogs and they give me that in return.

I have to be honest, in the dog world the more someone talks up their 'qualifications' or the 'snazzier' their website etc is, the more wary you should be of them. Just as the best breeders don't have snazzy websites advertising litters, the best trainers don't have to bleat on about their qualifications because they get their custom from word of mouth and being excellent.

Cesar Milan kicks and punches dogs, pins them to the floor and uses shock collars on them…

The guild of dog trainers isn’t a genuine thing - anyone can pay to join it 🤣

This

Your poor rescue!! Baiting 😭 I wouldnt be able to stop myself from utterly spoiling him the rest of his day turning him into a little fatty 😭

She does get a lot of fuss. She only has one eye as a result of what she went through. She gets lots of love and cuddles. She’s having her best life now.