Brad Pattison Vs Cesar Millán
Cesar Millan, the “Dog Whisperer” operates primarily under the philosophy of using calm and assertive energy, and that energy and body language can greatly influence a dog’s behavior. Its main concept, in order of importance, is that a dog needs 1. Exercise, 2. Discipline, 3. Affection, in exactly this order. Many problems can be solved by giving the dog more exercise in a structured environment. Not all problems, of course; and he’s right; many owners do not give their dogs enough exercise and mental stimulation. It will work with any dog, regardless of their level of aggression. Furthermore, he states in his book, Cesar’s Way, that many problems stem from the fact that people think of their dogs not as animals, dogs, breeds, and then names, but as humans, they humanize their dogs too much. Growing up in Mexico, he didn’t see the kinds of problems that dogs in America have, as Americans humanize their dogs when they should just let them be dogs and treat them as such.
Obviously, his methods work, as dogs rehabilitate and he has proven it over and over again, the same owners some years later; and the dog is still rehabilitated; Unlike what some will say, his methods create a time bomb; if this were so, he would have had many of his own dogs that he has rehabilitated and the clients’ dogs would revert to their old dangerous and aggressive states.
The concept of being the leader of the pack and remaining calm and assertive at all times are obviously excellent guidelines to follow. Also, and again, contrary to what some have said, their methods are to make a dog aggressive, then roll the dog and exercise your dominance over the dog; what it says is correcting behaviors at the slightest sign prior to they escalate into a “red zone” or more problematic behavior. If a dog is too reactive to a particular stimulus, for example, the case of the Rottweiler that reacts strongly to any sound, such as shopping carts, skateboards, etc., his methods are to desensitize the dog by exposing him to the particular stimulus for a longer time. over and over again, while giving light touch corrections (and it does emphasize light touch, not hitting), until the dog no longer reacts. The same goes for his leash training methods, to slightly correct the dog if he goes ahead; and to make sure that you are in the lead or that the dog is by your side on the walk, so that the dog does not overtake you, as it will then think you are the leader of the walk pack.
His methods seem to be right; but I will say that the alpha roll technique should not be used by anyone other than a very experienced person; and possibly not used at all; since (and he mentions it in his book) no one should make an alpha roll with an aggressive dog (although he does so with apparent success); or it could be hurt very easily, and this is a rule to be followed to the letter, since most dogs, if they are in an aggressive state, will not tolerate being rolled; and will attack; Some say that the only time a dog puts another on its back is just before it is killed. Dogs will voluntarily turn on their backs with another dog around, but it has to happen voluntarily.
The only other aspect of Cesar’s training is the use of “whatever tool the owner is using”; which is fine, except when the tool is a tooth collar. Tooth collars are not comfortable for a dog; and this is just my opinion; but it should not be used in most cases; since this masks your dog obeying you for the simple reason that it respects you as a leader; and instead he controls for discomfort. Apart from this, I would recommend any of Cesar’s books, videos, etc; But use common sense and when he says that a method should not be used without consulting a professional, then don’t use it. Just follow the main concepts.
That’s something I’ll give Brad Pattison; in one episode, when he was passing by the owner’s house as he usually does; he found a spiked necklace, taunted it, and threw it away. Good for him on that. It also does not recommend choke collars or shock collars.
Surprisingly, its main concept is that dogs learn through body language; which turns out to be the same concept as Cesar Millán, although their methods are not similar in all respects.
If a dog misbehaves, on the one hand, if he is not exercising enough, he will recommend more exercise, but he will use the umbilical technique. Tie a 6-foot leash to your waist and the other end attached to the dog. He will often recommend keeping the dog in this umbilical for 2 hours a day, which can be done while you do other things; like preparing dinner, feeding the baby, etc. This is an excellent method that works well for all dog owners; the only thing is that he gets carried away by the activities that you can still do with a dog in the umbilical; and once he proved to have a dog in the umbilical while mowing the lawn, he pushed a lawn mower with a dog tied to his droppings; not a good thing if there are kids watching who can try this on their own.
People comment that his personality is a bit brusque; And it is; But in many cases the owners don’t take the situation seriously and need rough handling to get their asses going, so to speak. Oddly enough, he is a bit unnecessarily rude, but there is usually a logical reason for his attitude towards the owners.
He focuses on fixing the family situation that is happening, which comes from his experience as a life coach, which is usually a nice touch. It seems very good at getting the owners’ dogs to obey them off-leash and learn to be in a situation where they won’t run away if they’re not fenced off, which is very important; I don’t know how many times I’ve been to a dog park with my own dogs and seen other people’s dogs run out onto the road, luckily they haven’t been run over, but the owner is behind them, yelling for the dog, which it is obviously not listening to them and disconnecting them. This is another method you use; tell owners not to talk to their dogs for 2 weeks; and instead uses body language and energy (similar to Cesar Millan); Since humans tend to talk too much to their dogs, when you need them, they will tune you out.
Furthermore, he condemns the use of food as a training tool and calls it a masking technique. It is true that the excessive use of food or food only as a training reward will create a dog that does not listen 100% of the time if it is not interested in food at that moment; or if you see something that attracts you more than food: another playful dog, toy, squirrel, etc. This appears to be a gray area. Many successful trainers use food. I think there may be situations where the use of food is acceptable, which Cesar has shown in some cases; for example, dogs that have excessive fear problems; or rewarding a dog for negative behavior (barking at a stimulus), and if it is used as a reward and not as a bribe, it works.
You run the risk that the dog will behave for the food and not you; so be very careful to wean the dog after a while. Some coaches overuse food and this is wrong. There may be a time when, for example, you forgot to bring food, etc. Reduce the reward to give food every second time, then every third time, etc. until the reward of food is replaced by affection.
Or you can use Brad’s advice and not use food at all; but I don’t think that using food as a training tool is 100% wrong in all situations. People go overboard with candy training, as I said, and use it as a bribery tool, not as a reward.
In one show, a family has problems with their dog running out the door; in this show, he grabbed the dog and raised his voice in various sentences to the dog; So these few cases in which you use this ‘training method’ of raising your voice in a long spiel to the dog, do not seem appropriate or too professional, it is these types of cases that make a person wonder; but in general, your other umbilical concepts: dogs learning body language, without talking excessively with your dog; seems to be fine.
So basically between the two; One of the main concepts that seems to be a common theme is the use of body language and energy to control your dog. Who has better methods? Well, it’s like comparing apples to oranges.
Personally, I will sometimes continue to use food to bond with my dog, not as training, but as an occasional treat. I tend to watch The Dog Whisperer more than End of My Leash, simply because it’s a bit more varied and seems softer. (Obviously except in cases of extreme aggression in which the dog rolls, etc;). And I will never agree with tooth collars, which Brad does not advocate for. Maybe I look at him more because Cesar has a more attractive personality and seems like a gentle soul. In either case, use common sense and whatever method works best for your dog. There are positive training tips and techniques that can be learned from both. No, as both advocate; let the dog rule the house, make sure you are the leader of the pack; but do it in a calm and assertive way.