I just want everyone to know that Cesar Millan is the reason I started frequenting this site. I saw his show and his philosophy and the way he handles dogs just made a lot of sense to me. It got me more interested in dog behavior and training. That's when I found this site. I read Ed's dog training philosophy and other articles and it seemed very similar to the things Cesar says, but with more examples of practical application. Since then I've ordered 4 Leerburg DVD's and several pieces of training equipment.

It amazes me at how much Cesar is bashed on other dog training discussion boards. Certain people are just really pissed off by this guy. Could you imagine the uproar if Ed Frawley had his own nationwide, National Geographic show?

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I just want everyone to know that Cesar Millan is the reason I started frequenting this site......

Me too.

It came about a little differently, but not much. About a year ago, I was Googling CM for old articles about him in Latino periodicals, and one of the returns was a thread on Leerburg's forum about him.

And P.S., having listened to all the new "EdCasts" available here, I'll betcha that a radio or TV program produced by Leerburg would be great! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> And yep........... the uproar would *at least* equal the one CM generates among the furkid crowd. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I'd watch Ed's show daily if he had one. Then I'd show it to certain dog owners I know.

An interesting article about him in the New Yorker this month. An interview with the author of the piece is here

http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/?060522on_onlineonly01

One of my problems with Cesar is that he makes it seem so easy - he walks in and 30 minutes later its all fixed. Having had a problem dog (who is no longer a problem dog thanks to Ed's advice), it takes alot longer than 30 minutes.

This is true, however, he usually does a sort of follow up at the end of the show and talks about the dog and owners progress. He seems to be pretty straight up and honest about this. On a recent show he even announced (regretfully) that one of his clients decided to put one of their dogs down, without consulting with him first.

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This is true, however, he usually does a sort of follow up at the end of the show and talks about the dog and owners progress. He seems to be pretty straight up and honest about this. On a recent show he even announced (regretfully) that one of his clients decided to put one of their dogs down, without consulting with him first.

That was the episode with the two psychotic miniature pinschers, right? That was pretty unfortunate as many people are more willing to kill their dog than to work extensively with it.

I'm one of the more senior members on the about.com dog forums with my expertise (which pales in comparison to many of you all!!), but even though there is still a lot of hugginess, I've gotten a number of people converted to thinking "hey, maybe a prong collar might not be so bad afterall when my dog pulls so hard that he could qualify for the Iditarod..." thanks to numerous links I post to Ed's articles. I did a behavioral consultation over e-mail on the forums with a lady who adopted a young Rottweiler from a really bad situation with her boss. The dog at 10 months old and 110 lbs was literally beating her black and blue because it was taken from its litter at 4 weeks, undersocialized, and she felt sorry for it and treated it like her spoiled furkid. It bit her constantly, tore her clothes when it got "upset," and it would pitch a fit with a Gentle Leader and bite her to tell her it wasn't done going for its walk when she turned back home. I told her that her dog was literally 6-12 months away from being put to sleep for biting someone, but I still got the usual "but I love Spikey, I couldn't bear to use that kind of collar on him!" I told her she needed to start watching Cesar Millan, read the Leerburg articles front to back, order the dominant/aggressive dog and basic dog obedience DVD, or I told her I would bet money the dog would be killed in a year or less. She finally did and she says she can't believe the improvement. Yay! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

for what it's worth, I just started his book and so far it's a great read.

*nods* I read the whole book the day it was released. It's not so much a how to guide, but more of an overall training philosophy book like Patricia McConnell's The Other End of the Leash or Suzanne Clothier's Bones Would Rain From the Sky.

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That was the episode with the two psychotic miniature pinschers, right? That was pretty unfortunate as many people are more willing to kill their dog than to work extensively with it.

That's the one. Man, that lady pissed me off! These were little dogs we're talking about here. I mean I would have been upset even if it were an out of control Pitbull, but the fact that it was just a miniature pinscher made her look really bad.

Congratulations on your help with your friend and her Rottweiler! That's great to hear.

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One of my problems with Cesar is that he makes it seem so easy - he walks in and 30 minutes later its all fixed. Having had a problem dog (who is no longer a problem dog thanks to Ed's advice), it takes alot longer than 30 minutes.

Cesar has that effect because he exudes confidence, power, sureity, and leadership. Dogs, and all animals really, can read humans like a book and can easily tell the difference from someone that knows what he's doing and is secure in it versus someone who's unsure and questioning every single motion. Watch an episode next time and compare Cesar's body language to that of the clients'. It's no wonder the majority of dogs fall into line!