dog whisperer has a shiba
hey, does anyone else notice that Cesar has a shiba inu now
I watched an episode of the dog whisperer "Marley and Piper" where the family rescued a shiba inu from japan and in the 3 month time span working with Cesar they were unable to train their shiba to a point where they felt safe. So he traded them dogs, he gave them one of his pitbulls and he took the shiba.
Doesn't that seem crazy?
but man, if he didn't take that dog i know the family would have put the dog down.
I watched an episode of the dog whisperer "Marley and Piper" where the family rescued a shiba inu from japan and in the 3 month time span working with Cesar they were unable to train their shiba to a point where they felt safe. So he traded them dogs, he gave them one of his pitbulls and he took the shiba.
Doesn't that seem crazy?
but man, if he didn't take that dog i know the family would have put the dog down.
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If the family couldn't train their Shiba though and it wasn't working out...sounds this was an appropriate choice...for the Shiba (and the family, of course). I hope s/he finds a good home that will understand Shibaness and have lots of patience.
What was "wrong" with the dog?
the dog lived as pretty much a feral dog near the airport chained to a zip line in japan and it was brought to the US by a couple of flight attendants and the family was going to foster him.
Initially the family complained of his food aggression and that he bit once during feeding time and that it would lunge at dogs while walking on leash. They said they just felt like they were renting a room to the dog and he was not really giving anything back to them. (at this point they had the dog for 1 year)
So Cesar worked with them and then 3 months later although the food aggression and walking on leash had gotten better, the dog started to suddenly attack their cat and other dog and full on bite them so they felt bad for their other pets and didn't feel safe anymore so they confined him to the yard.
Cesar then offered to trade dogs and the family looked so happy and relieved they said they were in over their heads and even stated that they got the better end of the deal.
Cesar's advice was "never get the dog you want, get the dog you need"
Training techniques used on the dog was his famous "shh," blocking and a couple of leash jerks, other than that he never poked or alpha rolled the dog (I honestly don't think you can every alpha roll a shiba successfully, or maybe you never need to)
I personally think the "dog whisperer" is an idiot. I mean its good that he took the dog, but his theories about stuff are idiotic.
He says dogs do what he does(grab their neck, shhh at them...., alpha roll them, etc.) "naturally". If dogs did that naturally, then wouldnt they actually do it naturally? Why dont Cesar's own dogs do that to an unstable dog?
His methods are also based on wolves, not dogs, and his wolf theory is based on false information. Wolves do not alpha roll, they do not force eachother to the ground, like Cesar does. They roll on their backs voluntarily. Submissive wolves actually walk in front during travel. So the whole walking in front thing is a lie as well. Also, every little thing your dog does isnt either submissive or dominant. The "dominance theory" is a very complex system. Its not black and white(e.g. "submissive or dominant").
So his methods are not "what the mother would do" as he puts it. His methods are negative reinforcement, punishment training. And the dogs fear Cesar Milan, and from what I've read, they usually get back to their old selves' when he leaves.
Jess - in what ways are pit bulls easier to train? How about compared to Shikoku? I have a real test of patience whenever I try to train a terrier of any type, Shibas I find are much easier for me!
I watched his show for a long time while I was searching/researching for Shiba Inu, and even saw a couple episodes involving Shibas. While I agree that his methods/theories aren't for everyone, including myself as I hated his book Cesar's Way, I think he does wonderful things. His overall message of confidence and leadership is really what keeps me watching (besides the doggies
I'm pretty sure he doesn't have much formal education in the area of dogs, aside from his own experience/research. He even says himself that he is NOT a dog trainer, but a people trainer. I actually see him as more of a human psychologist than a dog psychologist; usually explaining to people how their energy is affecting the dog, about being confident and needing your dog to trust/respect you, etc. These human aspects are what I take away from his methods, instead of the tssst-poke and "alpha-roll".
If there's anyone on TV that has techniques I would, and have, attempted on my furbaby it's Victoria Stilwell. I love the positive reinforcement, and it seems to be the Shiba way to go.
If you look closely at recent episodes, you will see the shiba mix still in his dog center getting along with all the other dogs and co-existing. During that episode where he found and claimed her Cesar admitted that he had never had any experience dealing with a shiba breed (albeit mix) so he was fascinated on how he would be able to do to reach the dog. So far, no update yet. But the guy exudes confidence, yet a small amount of humility in that he still wants to learn. I think when he describes his passion for what he does, he said, "Some people like to read books. Dogs are like books to me. Each one is a wealth of information that I get to enjoy reading and learning from everyday." No matter what your views are on him as a person or his idealogoies, you'd be hard-pressed to disagree with that statement.
If you notice on some of the episodes he does with his colleague Cherry (a food agressive pit, I think was the episode), she has a pack and a team that includes Shiba owners.
I'm not trying to defend "everything" he does. But I watch him for both the things I agree and disagree with him on...and mostly to watch the dog. Cesar is much much gentler in his episodes these days.
Jesse
I have to agree that his shows are very 'hollywood' and gives people the false impression that dogs are easy to train and so on. But I think that goes with any show on TV. It is better to do your own research than copy some dood on the tube.
In regards to Cesar and those who may admire him, I would invite you to read this article by Jean Donaldson (one of my absolute favorite behaviorists and the head of what is basically the Harvard of training programs)
http://www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html
Jesse
I was going to say...she has a sister?!?!? lol ~