Famous Dog Trainers

There are many popular and not so popular methods to train your furry best friend. TV personality and dog behaviorist Cesar Milan, made famous by The Dog Whisperer, Leader of the Pack and Cesar 911, was in the news recently when several concerned viewers contacted authorities in what they believed to be a case of animal cruelty. Although the case is still under investigation, it got me thinking about all the different methods of dog training available to pet parents.

As his books and television shows advocate, Cesar’s dog training methods are based on the notion that in order to have a well-behaved dog, the owner must establish dominance over the dog, creating a submissive animal, which thus makes it amenable to any behavior modification. The approach seems to work in theory. However, many concerned pet parents are against it because of the psychological trauma that may result in their fur baby’s mind. Most pet parents are not interested in dominating their best friend, and would rather find a more peaceful and humane way of eliciting a desired response.

Another TV personality and dog trainer, Victoria Stillwell is the host of the popular show It’s Me or the Dog. She promotes a force-free method of training where she encourages positive behavior using a reward system and blocks any negative behaviors by using what she calls “aversives.” For example, if your dog greets you at the door by jumping up on you and that is something you would like to discourage, Victoria recommends turning your back to the dog until it has settled down and stopped jumping. Once the dog sees that its not getting a response to its overexcitement and mellows, the pet parent can turn to face the dog as a reward for achieving the desired behavior of calmness.

Victoria is adamant about not using any negative reinforcement tools such as choke chains, shock collars, or even bottles with coins in them to avert a bad behavior, because the dog may simply become afraid of the tool and not make the connection of it to the unwanted behavior.

Many pet parents fear that this sort of training encourages bribery, however Victoria maintains that the reward, whether it’s affection, food, or playtime, is not given until after the desired behavior is achieved. Also, once the behavior is learned and acquired into everyday life, Victoria believes the dog will no longer require a reward for it every time.

What about a dog trainer who isn’t after television ratings? A Google search for a holistic dog training approach brought me to the website of Natural Dog Training, established by Kevin Behan. His dog training expertise hinges on the fact that dogs are emotionally complex animals that are not naturally made to follow the linear patterns and rules of the sort of training methods endorsed by the above trainers and their followers.

Kevin begins by stating that a dog’s main drive is to be a part of a pack, or a team. Social behavior and social skills are most important to the canine because it is in their nature to belong within a group or a family. Natural Dog Training teaches five core exercises so that a dog’s sense of its individual integrity is predicated on feeling integrated with his group. According to Kevin, rapport is how a dog responds positively to stress and can learn to listen no matter what. Natural Dog Training focuses on identifying what a dog wants, and figuring out ways to align and synchronize both dog and owner as a Team.

Training or teaching our furry best friend is one of the most rewarding and challenging aspects of having a dog. Unfortunately, most dogs are given up to shelters because their owners deem them un-trainable. However, if we look at our furry best friends as complex and intelligent creatures with hearts, souls, feelings and thoughts, we start to wonder if perhaps “training” is the wrong word for the delicate balance we are trying to achieve and maintain with them.

epetsure™ recognizes that there are many training techniques and countless trainers available for pet parents. Although we support the holistic methods of training, it is ultimately every pet parents privilege to decide on the best method and trainer for them and their dog. Because training often occurs in the early stages of a pet parent’s and pet’s relationship, we feel it is crucial for the bonding experience and therefore should be made as natural and pleasant as possible, for both the human and the dog.

For more information on dog training and behavior modification, please contact your veterinarian or consult a local humane society.