I have to admit, that while I'm not wild about his techniques (parts of
his philosophy are interesting, though I would think if you can control
dogs with calm assertive energy you wouldn't need so much physical
force) I have read the book. For one thing, I've found that many people
who come to me for training have watched the show, and I need to be
able to be able to address their perceptions and misperceptions in a
way that makes sense. And then again, I think you can learn from anyone
(even if most of it is what you WOULDN'T do) It's my memory of the book
that he's of the "no bad dogs" opinion that all undesired behaviors are
the fault of the owner. Good leadership can certainly cut down on
internal squabbles. Really good leadership can avoid having some of
those issues come up in the first place. And if the techniques used are
scary enough to a dog, they may decide that pursuing agendas isn't
worth it and inhibit their behavior around him. That's not something I
suggest, though I know many do. Because Cesar is very macho and very
scary, it's not unusual for dogs to defer to him (although there were
those two Akita housemates who were anything but peaceful when he was
showing how they could walk nicely together) And, not everyone has a
pack to scare the behavior plumb out of a spoiled little pet who has
never seen that many big, mean looking dogs. (although I do hear that
there are plenty of inner-pack spats that take place off-camera). Most
people don't have that kind of intimidation factor, and doesn't have
access to live with huge packs of dogs (nor want to)
The fact is, some breeds DO have hard-wired dog aggression as an
accepted breed trait. You can manage hardwired behaviors, but you can't
train them away. They are always there, just under the veneer of
training. And the fact is, some dogs have traits which make it
difficult fo them to be "best friends" with certain other dogs in the
family. In the wild, the higher status animal (and maybe others in the
pack) would drive the misfit individual away, and that individual would
be free to leave. But we bring animals into our fenced yards and our
homes and expect the animals WE choose (frequently for reasons other
than their compatibility) will be friends and live peacefully together.
That's not always realistic. I know I've met human individuals I would
truly hate to be expected to be able to live with. But we expect that
of our dogs. It can be a worse problem with bitches than dogs. I think
it was Shirley Chong who said "dogs fight for status, bitches fight for
breathing rights". So, if you train two incompatible dogs to live
together and don't manage, and get sloppy, eventually you are likely to
come home to a big vet bill or a dead dog.
I think the thing that bothers me most about CM isn't his methods, but
the fact that he leads people to believe that quick fixes, "patches" on
the behavior, have solved their problems. I'd like to see a follow-up
of some of these dogs six months, a year later. Sandy in OK