Cesar Millan: The Dog Whisperer

If you're like our family, you borrowed or bought a number of different books on how to train your new puppy, perhaps went to puppy kindergarten (or some other organized socialization setting), and maybe even hired a trainer or attended a group class to train the dog (um, I mean, to train you).

After all of that, did you still have trouble with your dog's behavior? What next?

It was about this time we stumbled upon a show on the National Geographic Channel called The Dog Whisperer. We thought it was a gimmick, but after just two episodes it became clear that this was one clear way to understand dogs, and more importantly, understand dogs and humans.

The titular "dog whisperer," Cesar Millan, who has also been dubbed the "Dr. Phil for dogs," is not only gifted in "reading" dogs (he doesn't really whisper to them, he listens to them), he seems as if he can act like a dog -- more specifically, as the leader of the dog pack. Millan, a native of Culiacan, Mexico, who now calls Los Angeles home, has studied the dynamics of canine pack behavior for years, evolving his "Power of the Pack" owner-dominance training methodology with ultimate respect for dogs and a healthy dose of spiritual perspective. He holds that a positive, fulfilling relationship with your dog is best created and maintained by following the mantra: "Never work against Mother Nature."

The Dog Whisperer showcases the efficacy of his training methods -- his work with adult dogs, including some condemned to be destroyed because of their aggression, is so remarkable that you will suspect that it has been staged. Over and over again, dog behavior and attitude is transformed in minutes. While we struggle to train our dogs over weeks and months (years?).

There are two big pluses to watching 10 to 15 episodes of his show... First, you get to see video of techniques you may have read about in books, or seen in a series of photos. Watching the video (including slo-motion and repeats) is truly helpful. Second, you can get some perspective into what might be sabotaging your training techniques... don't be too surprised when you discover the culprit is you and your attitude. Truly inspiring!

Millan bundled the wisdom of his owner-training/dog-rehabilitation philosophy and technique into the training guide Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems, released in 2006.

Tactics inhumane?

Millan's training methodology is premised on achieving calm-assertive dominance over the dog, leveraging pack mentality and dynamics to create a natural social unit of order that places the human in the "alpha" role of pack leader. Some tactics he employs have come under fire (e.g. aversive techniques -- to name a few, leash jerks, kicks, snaps against the neck, restraint -- that result, detractors say, in an unnecessary state of learned helplessness) by professional animal trainers and behaviorists, who decry his dominance theory training tenets as "inhumane." (Read this entry on New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell's site for a shortcut delineation of the opposing viewpoints.)

As with all family choices, a dog owner must choose what training techniques to employ to get the kind of lasting behavioral results he or she desires.

• wikiFido exclusive! Read Cesar's tips for safely and successfully introducing your new baby to your "old baby," the dog.
  

• Learn more about Cesar Millan's dog rehabilitation practices at his Dog Psychology Center website.

• Check out video highlights at the National Geographic official site for The Dog Whisperer.

• Are you a proponent of Cesar's way? Add your comments or recommend a favorite segment of The Dog Whisperer.

• Watch and share Cesar videos
  

• For information about the concerns some professional dog trainers have raised about Millan's techniques, visit the 4Paws University Dog Training website.

• What do you think? Join the discussion.
  

Fans of the show will want to know that the new season of The Dog Whisperer begins Monday, October 23 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel.