National Geographic’s “The Dog Whisperer” has become quite a phenomenon. “What do you think about The Dog Whisperer?” has become my least favorite cocktail party question—Impossible to give a simple answer! So here’s a complex one.

What he gets right:

1. Positive Reinforcement for people. He’s nice! He smiles at people and praises their smallest effort. This is something all trainers should emulate.
2. Exercise, then Discipline, then Affection. Bingo! This is definitely the order in which to think of your dog’s needs. No, you can’t make up for lack of exercise and discipline with an extra helping of affection:)
3. Don’t share affection with an anxious or aggressive dog. This is important not because praising a growling dog will make him growl more (he isn’t growling to win your approval, but to make something go away), but because when people try to soothe an anxious dog, they often contribute to the anxiety. If you were waiting for surgery, would it make you feel better to have someone with you who was repeating over and over in a high pitched voice “It’s okay, It’s okay, It’s okay” and rapidly patting your arm?
4. Calm, Assertive. He teaches people to walk confidently, hold the leash confidently, etc. To be a successful trainer for your dog, you must act the part!

What he gets wrong:

1. Flooding. Flooding is putting an animal in a situation it is afraid of and forcing them to deal with it. Flooding can work, but it can has the potential to backfire big time and make the problem dramatically worse. Think twice before forcing your dog to deal with his fears. Systematic desensitization (think one snake in a jar the other side of the room rather than a room full of snakes) is the more accepted approach.
2. Calm, submissive body language. Cesar tends to describe a wide array of canine body language as calm, submissive. Some of the dogs he describes this way really are calm and submissive, but more of them are clearly anxious, afraid, and trying to avoid the situation. I wouldn’t ever want to see one of my dogs look like this.
3. The Alpha Roll. The Alpha roll was popularized by the Monk’s of New Skete’s 1978 book “How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend”. The lead author, Job Michael Evens, later expressed his regret at including this and the newer edition does not include an alpha roll. Yes, I believe we should teach puppies to tolerate being restrained, but this should be done gradually beginning at a young age. Forcefully pinning an adult dog to the ground by his neck is a great way to get yourself bitten.
4. Transfer to owners. Sure, Cesar can get any dog to listen to him. Like most dog trainers, he has a gift with dogs. But can he get the dog to listen to it’s owners? All too often, we don’t even see the owners try his techniques, let alone succeed with them. This is because his techniques rely on a great deal of confidence and physical strength, which are not things he can easily get owners to replicate. Be aware that much of Cesar’s success is due to who he is rather than what he does.
   
   So let’s treat the Dog Whisper as what it is–great reality TV entertainment. And as the warning says, please don’t try this at home!