That's a cute blog post. I dunno how serious you meant the question in the subject of this post, but I would say he is right some times, for sure. I mean he would not be where he is if he wasn't right sometimes. I also think, no matter how much you dislike his techniques, his hart is in the right place and his goal is to help dogs (and make a lot of money). You can't really hate him to much if he is only trying to help - ya know?
Does anyone really need a pet tho? You may need a quality a pet brings to your life, but you don't need a pet - right?
I don't hate Cesar, I can't judge him - he is much more talented and educated in his trade than I am. I thoroughly enjoy watching segments of his shows on youtube, very entertaining (after I get my daily dose of the anderson pack that is).
I think he validly explains to people that having a dog isn't just a fun whim because they are cute and fluffy , but that it is hard work and committment and sometimes requires us to retrain ourselves in our interaction with our dogs, certainly he has a point there. But I think if he has a top 5 ultimate goals list, making a ton of money is in the top 2.
I just thought it was an interesting tid bit regarding the shiba as a breed that even Cesar admits can be difficult!
I think there are times when we need a pet. For instance, my parents died in 2005 & 2007. I had been their caretaker since 1995. The main reason I began looking for a dog was the need to take care of something living/dependent on me. I had decided several years prior that if I ever got another dog it would be a shiba, but I didn't understand the need for a pet until that time. Being single, I didn't have a spouse to lean on during those times and there's only so much leaning I could do on my brothers. The lifestyle that I had prior to coming home to be with my parents no longer existed - while I still am in contact with many of my friends, my views and outlook on life is vastly different than what it was. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone other than myself, but I definitely can understand the need of a pet.
Ceasar was absolutely right in this instance. The Shiba was not the dog for that family. I think I watched that Dog Whisperer episode. Funny though, how many dogs/families has Ceasar said that to? My guess is very few. I'm glad he recognized the breed well enough to understand they aren't for everyone.
I agree on that - not everybody fits every dog. As I am sure many of you guys have experienced the exclamation of, "That dog is so cute - I'm going to have to get me a shiba - they are too pretty." No mention or question of personality or temperment, just because they are pretty. I am amazed when I hear somebody talking about the problems that they have with their type of dog - I'll ask about whether they did any research or if they belong to any groups about the dog - 90% of the time the answer is no.
LJ - That's interesting, my initial argument would be that you may have needed companinship and company, but you didn't need a pet. (???)
But then I re-read what you wrote and I see your point, the companionship was the need for the pet - the pet served that purpose... You only need something that serves a purpose.
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It is interesting that Cesar told that family to give up the Shiba, he is always preaching about "breed doesn't matter" and "a dog is a dog"... but in this case it seems the breed was all that mattered.
I have always been bothered by his attitude about the dog breed not mattering, but maybe that is because I live with 6 (err 7 now) breeds that are VERY different from your average dog breed - and even very different amongst each other.
Brad - you got it! I wasn't sure I was expressing my self clearly.
I believe breed matters very much - I personally couldn't handle a jack russell terrier - I would be insane. However, I know other people that mesh so well with the breed.
At the risk of defending Cesar, I don't think he's been preaching that breed doesn't matter. I think his message has always been that it is a dog first and all dogs have many needs in common. After that, you can think of it as a particular breed and then your individual pet. While you may not like the guy or his techniques, there is no arguing that he has raised awareness both for pit bulls and for taking the pack leader status very seriously. His specific approach to claiming that status may be disagreeable to some, but what he tries to accomplish with most of his clients makes a lot of sense. Be consistent and be the leader. I actually think he is correct in his diagnosis more often than not.
I'll admit I've never watched his show - I didn't even know his name until I joined the forum, so I can't offer thoughts on him, merely thoughts posted on this post.
I definitely think breed matters, but I think people often misjudge to what extent it matters. For instance, I took Tojo to a puppy socialization/obedience class when he was just a pup and the trainer kept telling people not to pick him up or try to pet him too much because he's a shiba and he'll bite. He was only a few months old, for one thing, and even now he's never bitten anyone besides puppy nibbling which he grew out of. Then she said I probably wouldn't be able to teach him any agility because shibas don't like to work with their masters. Well, Tojo loved the agility portion and was the only dog not instantly afraid of the equipment. So, it annoys me when people put limits on dogs based on their breeds because you'd be surprised by what some individuals can do. In Calgary, there's a shiba doing search and rescue. On the other hand, I get really irritated when people who have only ever owned labs or border collies say that the only reason Tojo doesn't have 100% recall is because I don't spend enough time training him. I think a shiba with 100% recall is the exception, not the rule.
As for Cesar Milan, I think hating him has become quite popular. I haven't seen much of his show, so I can't really say much about it, but from what I have seen, I'd say he has the basics right but I disagree with some of his techniques. Then again, I don't really like people who will never use some techniques or always use others. Different techniques work for different dogs and different handlers, in my opinion.
Comments
That's a cute blog post. I dunno how serious you meant the question in the subject of this post, but I would say he is right some times, for sure. I mean he would not be where he is if he wasn't right sometimes. I also think, no matter how much you dislike his techniques, his hart is in the right place and his goal is to help dogs (and make a lot of money). You can't really hate him to much if he is only trying to help - ya know?
Does anyone really need a pet tho? You may need a quality a pet brings to your life, but you don't need a pet - right?
I don't hate Cesar, I can't judge him - he is much more talented and
educated in his trade than I am. I thoroughly enjoy watching segments
of his shows on youtube, very entertaining (after I get my daily dose
of the anderson pack that is).
I think he validly explains
to people that having a dog isn't just a fun whim because they are cute
and fluffy , but that it is hard work and committment and sometimes
requires us to retrain ourselves in our interaction with our dogs,
certainly he has a point there. But I think if he has a top 5 ultimate
goals list, making a ton of money is in the top 2.
I just thought it was an interesting tid bit regarding the shiba as a breed that even Cesar admits can be difficult!
LJ - That's interesting, my initial argument would be that you may have needed companinship and company, but you didn't need a pet. (???)
But then I re-read what you wrote and I see your point, the companionship was the need for the pet - the pet served that purpose... You only need something that serves a purpose.
----
It is interesting that Cesar told that family to give up the Shiba, he is always preaching about "breed doesn't matter" and "a dog is a dog"... but in this case it seems the breed was all that mattered.
I have always been bothered by his attitude about the dog breed not mattering, but maybe that is because I live with 6 (err 7 now) breeds that are VERY different from your average dog breed - and even very different amongst each other.
Brad - you got it! I wasn't sure I was expressing my self clearly.
I believe breed matters very much - I personally couldn't handle a jack russell terrier - I would be insane. However, I know other people that mesh so well with the breed.
I totally agree with Dave. It's not the breed, it's who raises them and how.
As for Cesar Milan, I think hating him has become quite popular. I haven't seen much of his show, so I can't really say much about it, but from what I have seen, I'd say he has the basics right but I disagree with some of his techniques. Then again, I don't really like people who will never use some techniques or always use others. Different techniques work for different dogs and different handlers, in my opinion.