So has anyone heard to the dog whisperer aka cesar millan?
I hear many things how he's a bad trainer etc but his methods work. I use the little claw technique but not the alpha roll o.o
I also agree with his setting rules and exercising.
Any thoughts from you guys?
(and if his technique doesnt work why is it that he can work 50+ dogs without conflict, I mean his thoughts of dog psychology matches what I've read in ethology books)
It makes me cringe to think
It makes me cringe to think of the way that man does ANYTHING as "technique." He's training with aversives. Period. he makes up his own terminology so that it passes as some type of logical methodology. Most of what he does involves flooding or getting the animal too physically exhausted to put up resistance. It creates the illusion of behavior modification, but the majority of what is happening is the suppression of behavior. He even uses conditioned positive punishers (that little "sssst!" noise he's always making). It's like the anti-clicker.
Much like how Nostradamus could make thousands of predictions and a few came true, if Mr. Millan makes enough behavioral recommendations, sooner or later he'll get lucky and hit on some truth, like the setting rules and exercise. Consistency is key in training. You can call it setting rules, but mostly you're just creating a reliable way of predicting outcomes for your dog. If they can predict the outcome, then they can adjust their behavior accordingly. As for exercise, of course you should exercise your dog regularly, just like we as people should exercise regularly. It's good for your physical and mental health. So on those two points, I think he presents a good message.
And as for running around with a pack of 50 dogs, it's just the magic of television. Dogs naturally cluster up when you walk with them. If he stood still, I guarantee that they would begin to disperse. Also, it isn't a group of dogs chosen at random. Those are dogs he cares for and works with every day. My dog follows me around when we go places too. I'm sure if any dogs are known to cause trouble on a walk, they leave them at the kennel while filming for the show.
I would recommend reading this article about what dominance is and ISN'T by Aiden Bindoff:
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/2347
And this one by Emma Parsons about her work with aggression.
http://www.clickertraining.com/node/64
Between those two articles, they take most of the wind out of Mr. Millan's sails.