Animal Organisation Labels Cesar Milan’s Dog Whisperer Style Training ‘Inhumane’
The training tactics featured on Cesar Millan’s “Dog Whisperer” program are inhumane, outdated and improper, according to a letter sent yesterday to the National Geographic Channel by American Humane, the oldest national organization protecting children and animals.
In the letter, American Humane, which works to raise public awareness about responsible pet ownership and reduce the euthanasia of unwanted pets, expressed dismay over the “numerous inhumane training techniques” advocated by Cesar Millan on “Dog Whisperer.”
Several instances which the society considered to be ‘cruel and dangerous treatment’ – promoted by Millan as acceptable training methods – were documented by American Humane, including one in which a dog was partially asphyxiated in an episode.
In this instance, the fractious dog was pinned to the ground by its neck after first being “hung” by a collar incrementally tightened by Millan. Millan’s goal – of subduing a fractious animal – was accomplished by partially cutting off the blood supply to its brain.
The letter requests that National Geographic stop airing the program immediately and issue a statement explaining that the tactics featured on the program are inhumane, and it encourages National Geographic to begin developing programming that sets a positive example by featuring proper, humane animal training. In its letter, American Humane said: “We believe that achieving the goal of improving the way people interact with their pets would be far more successful and beneficial for the National Geographic Channel if it ceased sending the contradictory message that violent treatment of animals is acceptable.”
“As a forerunner in the movement towards humane dog training, we find the excessively rough handling of animals on the show and inhumane training methods to be potentially harmful for the animals and the people on the show,” said the letter’s author, Bill Torgerson, DVM, MBA, who is vice president of Animal Protection Services for American Humane. “It also does a disservice to all the show’s viewers by espousing an inaccurate message about what constitutes effective training and appropriate treatment of animals.”
Torgerson noted that the safety of a woman and her German shepherd were jeopardized in one episode by the use of an electric shock collar, which forced the tormented dog to redirect its aggression at its owner, biting her arm. “Furthermore, the television audience was never told that Mr. Millan was attempting to modify the dog’s behavior by causing pain with the shock collar,” he said.
Cesar Milan has enjoyed widespread commercial success with his TV and media career and is currently the most well known animal behaviour expert in the United States.
In Britain, Jan Fennel is known as ‘the dog whisperer’. The Humane Society attack on Milan does not draw comparison or reference to Britain’s dog whisperer style dog trainers.
Anyone that says cesar is inhumane or cruel doesent have a clue whatthey are talking about. He is very successful.
Cesar millan is the best dog person and i have read all of his books
Cesar is not cruel inhumane or evil! He is my faavourie animal person along with david attenborough! If you watched his programme with at least degree of intelligence you would realise that he is not.
To be truthful I dont like and wouldent use any prong collar. However, he is not cruel. If you dont believe me ask him yourself if he thinks he is cruel. He loves animals, its obvious.
Is this American Humane Society who critisize Caesar a democratic organisation? Did the membership vote for this attack on him.?.Or is it just some tiny cabal that has taken control?. Is this organisation made up of reward trainers? I think if a hundred people watched The Dog Whisperer you'd only get 2 or 3 consider his methods cruel(apart from the choke collar which I think looks worse than it is and is used on red zone dogs). Maybe American readers can speak to the politics of the AHS. I think Caesar is a wonderful human being who has helped many dogs and people. His training has made me and my dog very happy together.
I am a lifelong owner of ZBorder Collies. Do not call me cruel, but I do use electric collars to prevent my dogs from leaving my property, as we live on a busy road. They have plenty of space, and I love them to bits, but our property is too big to completely fence. We have recently started training our 6 month old puppy for the collars, he has been 'zapped' about 5 times, but now knows his boundaries, and I doubt that he will ever test them again, I would rather him get a couple of shocks, than escape into th road and be killed. We live on a blind corner that people go around at 100km/h, and have had numerous cats kkilled on the road (which is why we now just stick with dogs). Anyway, the point is, it is not considered inhumane to use electric fences on cows and horses, dogs are no different, it is NOT inhumane if the collar is rarely needed/worn. I think Cesar is brilliant, and every dog he trains changes for the better.
What have you got against the APDT? I think you will find that the fanatics are the Cesar people who won't here a word said against him.
Would you rather the aggressive dogs needing the higher end treatment that Milan administers be put down because they can not fit into any household? I know I'd rather have a dog be straightened out for maybe a week so that it could live a good life for many years.
I agree, even if the dog is in distress, as long as something is being achieved that lets the dog live a long happy life then I think it is acceptable.
Aaron, I suggest you look at the clinical research that the University of Bristol has just released. They have scientific evidence to show that methods based on a dominance reduction programme are based on flawed logic, at best leave your dog damaged and at worst only encourage aggression.
Why do people think that the only way to straighten out high end aggressives is Cesar's way? There are loads of people doing just that every day without using his techniques.