Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Animal Groups Against Cesar Millan

Cesar Millan, the television celebrity dog trainer, teaches people how to be the leader of their canine "pack."

But when the famed "dog whisperer" makes an appearance at the Auditorium Theatre Sunday to share his views on dog behavior, he will be greeted by a small pack of protesters decrying his controversial dominance-based methods.

About a dozen dog trainers from western New York will distribute literature supported by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior that advocates "force-free" training rather than that based in "dominance hierarchy theory," said organizer Ada Simms.
Tickets remain for the 7 p.m. show.

"We won't be carrying signs or agitating people, just giving out information sheets that support a 20-year trend (that says) pain and intimidation and the use of force is not the way to train a dog and will in fact lead to many worse behavioral issues and pose a danger to the person and the dog," said Simms, a dog trainer and behavior consultant from Henrietta who has created a Facebook page to get the word out about Millan's appearance in Rochester.

There's no denying that the Mexican-born Millan, 42, is the top dog in the burgeoning training industry.

He's host of the hit show Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel that is seen in 80 countries. His books have sold more than 2 million copies, including the New York Times bestseller Cesar's Way. In addition to appearing on The Tonight Show and The View, his live multimedia show, where he shares insights into what he calls "dog psychology," have drawn large crowds across the country. His celebrity clients include Oprah Winfrey, Nicolas Cage and Will Smith.

Outdated methods

Despite his popularity, a growing list of animal behaviorists would like to see the self-taught Millan kept on a shorter leash. They say his dominance-based methods that teach owners to establish strong "pack leadership" are outdated and have set back the humane training movement by decades.

According to Millan, before giving love and affection to their dogs, owners should first provide exercise, clear direction and leadership. This creates a balanced dog.
What has critics shouting, but not whispering, is Millan's use of prong, choke and electro-shock collars to subdue aggressive dogs and his habit of striking dogs with a quick kick to the abdominal area as a correction method.

Millan's show, which premiered in 2004, depicts him working in the field of dog rehabilitation. Each episode contains repeated warnings that viewers should not try some of the behavior modification techniques Millan uses at home. There are clips of Millan being bitten.

"Cesar uses techniques that cause pain, fear and intimidation to dogs — that's how he gets them to comply," said Simms, a retired Rochester police officer who owns two golden retrievers, Simon and Lexi. "Of course he's a TV star, he's charming and it looks good on TV that he's this 'master' over dogs.

But then you see the credits: 'Don't try this at home.' Why? Because it's dangerous."

Literature Simms will hand out Sunday said the link between punishment and aggression in dogs, along with behavior problems like biting, house soiling and shutting down, is well proven in research and should be common sense.

Just ignore it

Modern dog-training methods use the principle of non-punishment, non-reinforcement, meaning owners should never react to a negative action with a negative response. Owners should instead ignore the behavior they don't want, reinforce the behavior they do, and manage what can't be ignored with as little anxiety as possible.

"What is rewarded will become behavior. What is ignored will become extinct," Simms said. "Behavior 101 for humans and dogs."

Rebecca Lohnes, training and behavior manager at Lollypop Farm, said clients "ask a lot" about Millan's methods.

"I think where we are the same is that we work hard to keep animals in the home and out of shelters and so does he," Lohnes said. "But our training methods are really different from his."

Even though Millan works with aggressive dogs for dramatic effect on his reality TV show, Lohnes said it's no reason to use force. She said force-free methods, such as clicker training, have proven extremely successful in many species of animals.

She noted that trainer Victoria Stilwell, host of It's Me Or The Dog on Animal Planet, uses a positive-reinforcement philosophy.

"We work with a lot of aggressive cases here at the shelter," Lohnes said. "The methods we use are based in learning theory and science and can be used to train any animal. If it's not working, you're not doing it right. There is never a need to resort to physical punishment to modify aggression."

Where Millan and his critics do agree is that many behavior issues in dogs can be resolved with increased exercise and mental stimulation, the setting of clear boundaries and being calm.

With his huge public platform, Millan also promotes things that all dog lovers applaud: encouraging spaying and neutering, shelter adoptions and daily walks that help owners and their dogs bond. Millan also has a national foundation to assist abused and abandoned dogs and social projects that help at-risk teens and prison inmates through canine pets.

LROTH@DemocratandChronicle.com

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