The Dog Whisperer
 

I JUST started watching this show, and it is my new favorite show. I love seeing how the guy can transform these dog's behaviour. I've seen maybe 8 episodes in the last week...by recording reruns. Anyone else watch it?

Cara

I don't know if I saw that one or not - but I really like some videos i got at the library called "Woof Woof" by Uncle Matty??

shows how to test a puppy so you will know how firm you need to be.
if it is timid or independent you adjust your techniques to fit the dog.

He really breaks it down so it is simple to to it.
But consistency is a key - can't be wishy washy and you can't be mean.


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Fabulous...
 

I absolutely LOVE that show. It is so humane, fun, educational, interesting.

It never ceases to amaze me how complex pets can be!

Did you see the one of the "country"dog who was afraid of walking in the
city? How Cesear changed him in 10 minutes? From cringing, fear, to proud dog?

Or the one of the poor pooche who became snarly and vicious at medicine time?
How Cesear transformed him to a quiet accepting state and the dog didn't bite anymore?

Did you see the one of the pink maltese, with the eccentric owner? How he calmed the overexcited behaviors instantly? I know a jillion people whose dogs do that!

Now all we need to have is a "cat whisperer" ! LOLOLOLOL meow!

It is on Nat Geo channel for us. I don't think everyone gets that in most
packages on cable.

I am glad you like the show... it IS rather addicting, is it not?

I think it is amazing, how dogs read us and mirror our own feelings. That seems to be the heart of the matter!

I'll look for "woof woof"... thanks for the recommendation, Jo. My husband makes regular trips to the library which makes that easy!

The Dog Whisperer IS rather addictive. I LOVE it, and I am no longer worried at all about a new puppy! Ginger was a very good dog, and I can see we did a lot of things right, but there were a few things we did wrong. And NOW I know what they were....lol. Yep, it's on the National Geographic channel for us, too.

Cesar is amazing, and just a really nice guy, but I do believe he has a special gift to see exactly what each dog needs. Yes, they are mostly basic principles, but they respond so quickly to him! MrsD... has he ever done a show on new puppies? He shows us how to correct problem dogs, but I'd love to see him to a basic puppy training show. I was looking on Amazon.com for any videos, but only found season 1 and 2 of his show on DVD. We plan on attending puppy classes, of course, but last time they taught us some things that screwed Ginger up...course that was 13 years ago..BEFORE the Dog Whisperer.

I was at our friend's house last weekend who have two dogs. For kicks I stepped forward towards one to see what she would do...and she immediately backed up and sat. I thought ..... WOW... it does work...lol!

Cara

Just found this in Healthline news forum thanks to the similiar thread feature~

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Can you imagine anyone calling his techniques "inhumane"? Not anything I've seen!


Cara

the only pups I saw
 

Were 5-6 month old Rottweilers...a pair who were rescued by two sisters.

At 5-6 months they became destructive, and were starting to attack children, fighting over food, and tearing up the house.

Cesear fixed them, but it was a longer fix, not 10 minutes like some.

The sisters had to do certain things, daily, for a while.

I think it is fascinating stuff. And he explains that this is NOT training, but
dog psychology. Dogs inherently think a certain way, and we must match
our behaviors to that task. We cannot make or expect them to UNDERSTAND US. There was a very funny episode with a Bassett hound that a the female owner spoiled like a child. He woudn't walk...she had to carry him. One funny sequence was her DRAGGING him on a leash. LOL Cesear fixed that PRONTO!
All she had to do was become ALPHA dog.

On one of the older shows, he used to give updates at the end of the program, and he did have one failure--and the vicious dog had to be put down eventually. He specializes in violent dogs..pit bulls, rotties, etc. I think the newer shows are now venturing into the other behaviors.

I think with puppies, there is alot more training. But for squelching irritating habits/behaviors, you use Cesear's point of view. I think firmness, with understanding, and love and patience, most pets do not become problems.
And above all, the humans have to remain calm, centered, and grounded.
Remember he says to only give praise, when the dog is calm, and centered. Do not praise when excited or agitated! To me that is a BIGGIE!

Funny story--
This summer our cousin down the way brought a friend who had TWO huge dogs (Great Pyrennese -sp?) and he had two chocolate lab pups almost grown. The largest GP came down our way with one of the labs. They didn't expect people, since we had just arrived. (this is an open area, a family owned island). They were investigating the cat smells. Our Oreo flew in the cat door, so I knew something was up. I watched them from the kitchen window silently. The chocolate lab was rolling in the cat toilet LOL like dogs do to take the smell back to the pack---peeeuuuuu
.
and the 160lb GP looked up and saw me watching. We stood there for about 30 seconds sizing each other up. The heavy casement window was closed, but I just quietly said "What do you think you are doing?" She heard it thru the walls, and slowly rolled her eyes up and around, and then made these funny woof woof sounds (not really a bark) sort of like she was talking. So then she gestured to the lab who was rolling in the cat poo...wufff.. she threw her head with the wuff.. and they both took off. Now that I have seen the Dog Whisperer, I know I must have done the "right thing" !! LOL And that long eye contact...was perceived as dominance? I guess. At the time I thought they were just nice dogs...who respected people. :p When they all left a week later we watched them give the dogs a bath in the lake... I guess maybe all of them had sampled our cat toilet:p

inhumane?
 

You know the humane society gets a little extreme at times!
IMO. While it performs a great function, it has its "moments". :rolleyes:

That was an interesting article, Cara. I enjoyed it.

What I think is inhumane is "spoiling" a dog so it is in constant turmoil, anxiety states. Cesar seems to be able to remove that suffering very quickly. ;)

I even use some the uncle Matty techniques on my horse - shes' a cranky mare- and it really helps.
But I'm still to chicken to try to ride her- all I need is to get bucked off on my noggin'!

I just saw a show on a puppy dalmation that a fire station rescued... and THEY were doing EVERYTHING wrong...lol. They had the dog running on a treadmill~ and stop, drop, and rolling for the fire safety education trips~ in no time :D.

He said puppies come ready to follow the pack leader...it is their nature. It is only when the owners don't show leadership that problems arise.

Cara

P.S. Editing to say that puppies don't come to follow the pack leader! Mine is learning....but yeesh! He is a full time job!

Chalk me up as one of the Dog Whisperer fans. I am almost done reading his book. We have applied his techniques to our dogs and have seen improvement in them. My younger dog is part choc lab/ part pit and I was worried about the pit in her but we fell in love with her so I figured that we needed to know what is the best way to train her to always have control over her. She is a very gentle dog and I have met quite a few smaller dogs who are much more apt to bite.

So while looking for books to learn about dog training I came across Cesar and when we upgraded the cable we found him on the National Geographic channel. I watch as often as I can and now the kids are watching too. My son has a natural talent when it comes to animals, they seem to migrate to him and the he can walk up to any stray dog and read the tag so we can find their home. Of course this means that I have had my share of lost dogs at my house. We will even stop and pick up a dog that is loose by a busy street. One time I had a great dane in my back seat, now that was fun. He is leaning towards a career that involves working with animals. He has wanted to be a marine biologist since the third grade so we have always encouraged him with trips to aquariums and such. Anyway, I think that Cesar is very talented and to those who think he is inhumane, I say find some other tree to bark up...Sue

I don't have cable but rented his DVD. Ceaser Milan has a book out too. I saw his book in the store and looked it over. That is why I decided to rent his DVD.

I like how he uses that expression calm and assertive energy. Dogs do pick up on some basic cues, like our type of energy and the level it is at. (your dog knows when you are anxious.) Some people can use a tone of voice with their dogs that may be high-pitched and make the dog more hyper, I think.

I think dog training is great to learn because it simpilifies some concepts like discipline and leadership. Some people don't train their dogs properly, giving them too much affection. And, if you can't keep your dog under control you might not want to consider having kids. I mean, learn dog training first, to get somewhat of an idea what it will be like to be a parent. Of course being a parent is a lot harder, but if keeping a dog under control is a challenge then you will certainly need help with being a parent. (It's a tough job being a parent; take baby steps and start with a pet first.)

Ceasar makes it seem so instinctive and simple. I think his approach is great.

:o Is that where I went wrong??? LOL

Oh, Cara...
 

The pooch is so cute..

Do you have him now? Or is it this weekend?

Please keep us up to date.:)

Benny came home last night (Friday. It was about 9pm by the time we got back. He's a sweetheart, but... he requires a lot of attention of course! My son and fiance are "home" for a wedding this weekend, and my daughter is home from college, too~ she is staying through Thanksgiving... so the house if really full :). And busy!

We love him already :).

Cara

Lucky Dog!
 

LOLOL...

How old is he now?

It is so exciting to get a new puppy/kitten. So I bet you will have alot of fun.

Oreo really missed her family the first days. She went all over the house calling
her littermates, then got "depressed"...but that might have been her shots.
She ended up in one of the cat trees ALOT...and I was worried for a while.
She perked up in a couple of weeks. But I was worried, that we had a
problematic kitten. She was 12 wks old then. She went thru dairy withdrawals too, since we don't give dairy. I learned that at Thanksgiving..when she tried to steal my pumpkin pie with whipped cream! (it was the whipped cream!)

I for one will be waiting for "stories"... so please provide as they come up!;)

I can't get The Dog Whisperer on tv so need to rent the DVD or read some books. I am trying to get an older dog use to staying in the house some at least. He still thinks he's a puppy and will run around nabbing pillows and stuffed toys and chewing on them. He's hyper acting and doesn't get to stay in long as I tire out to easily. So back out he goes. Anyone have any tips to get me started that might help?

Hi Zayne, one of the things that Cesar always recommends is walks. His advice is to take your dogs for long walks then to work with them to end the behavior. Yes I know easier said than done. If you can't always walk him like that maybe a neighborhood kid could do it for you. I am still trying some of these techniques with my dog so I am in no way an expert. I do give my dogs rawhide bones to chew on and that helps with them chewing on anything else. Also we saw on of his DVD's at Biglots for $5.00. Good luck with your doggie. ...Sue

Sue is right!
 

What I have observed on the Dog Whisperer show, is that one must take into
consideration what type of dog you have. A hunting dog? A racer? A water lover? etc.

And then you need to exercise that "need" to defuse it.

It seems to me that a predominately outside dog would find things to do to
occupy itself..outdoors. So those behaviors may be unacceptable indoors.

Perhaps, keeping him on a leash for a while indoors may help. Then he would learn what indoor behavior is acceptable if he is leashed to you. If you find long walks too difficult (say you have physical limitations due to health), you could do frisbee, fetch outside to wear him out a bit. (Of course, you may train him to be good while you are there, but he may still go behind your back, and revert. Some smart dogs do this;) )

Thanks for the suggestions. I will look at our store to see if they have the video. Also will try and exercise together more with him. I'll ride the golf cart and he can walk some. He loves to ride the cart too but maybe I can get him to walk sometimes. We are just on the edge of the city limits so he needs to be penned or chained all the time when he is outside. All his friends live just up the road outside the limits.

I also bought him his very own toy. My husband gave it to him outside already not knowing that I was going to give it to him for inside. I was hoping that would solve the inside chewing. If he keeps it in his doghouse outside I'll buy him another one.

Zayne,

I wish you could watch his shows, although I am convinced that Cesar has a special gift and that he being present on the scene makes a big difference. I swear he communicates on some spiritual plane with those dogs!

The leash on in the house does sound like a very good idea and may be necessary to teach him what is not allowed. Cesar gives a quick pull on the leash with a "chsh" sound to let the dogs know of unacceptable behaviour. What he would do is put the pillow in front of the dog, wait for the dog to go for it, and 'correct' him at the first sign of a lunge for it. Then he would repeat the lesson until the dog understood it was off limits, and made no attempt to go for it. Of course, underlying is that your dog needs to know YOU are the pack leader, and he gives some lessons on that as well.

You may need to spend some inside time with him, training him on leash, correcting him as he does wrong things...even if you have to tempt him a bit to be naughty... like throw the pillow in front of him. And I agree that you need to have some of his own toys/chewies in the house. Our vet is pretty much against rawhides and pig ears and such because they've done to many surgeries to remove obstructions... and our Golden would accept a few Nylabone type toys.

I hope you can find the video of Cesar. I wonder if you can get them at the local library? There are a few short clips available on the Internet. I haven't tried these yet, but hopefully there may be one or two of some substance.

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I also have to share this. My twenty something kids hadn't seen the Dog Whisperer, but they had seen the SouthPark version of it. SouthPark is not so much my thing, but I couldn't help but be a little bit amused by this episode where they called in The Dog Whisperer to train a child when Super Nanny failed. Before they found the clip, they could only describe it...and we just had a good laugh. This is just a clip. Only view it if you can 'handle' SouthPark humor. You can find the entire episode on the Internet somewhere...but this clip shows enough.

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Cara

Puppy stories? He was nine weeks on Nov 18th.

Heck. I should start a blog, but I don't have time! This little guy keeps me BUSY. First of all, I keep calling him her/she. Thirteen years of Ginger is hard to break. I guess you can't teach this old dog new tricks.

Today was a much better day. This dog came home a peeing machine. I was actually worried he might have a bladder infection because he peed so frequently! He is very good at peeing every time we take him out, but he also pees five or ten minutes later INSIDE. He was used to being kept in a puppy room that was lined with papers, and they all ran around and peed at will. So NO training yet. The good news is he sleeps through the night... last night midnight to seven, and has only peed in his crate once during the day, and that was my fault because I didn't believe him when he whined that he needed to "go".

Anyway, today was A LOT better over all. I think he just realized we were people and not his litter mates...lol. We have had him out a little less for play...maybe 30 minutes out of every two hours...and while he is out he gets our focused attention. I mean...our eyes never come off him. We have learned to discourage the indoor sniffing because it leads to him peeing. It is much easier to catch the poops, and the vast majority of these have been outside. Tonight he stayed in the kitchen with us for over an hour and is much calmer and not so focused on just peeing. He's learning there is more to do in life than pee (I hope!).

We also just partitioned off a small part of the yard for "toileting". We never bothered to do that with our last dog, but we now realize this also makes for easier training for them. They get to figure out exactly where they are supposed to go, so it isn't "anywhere" outside and "anywhere" inside... but "over here in this small area". I have hope. Only three spills inside today, and a near miss on the poop...but we got it all outside. He poops about 4-5 times a day.

He is very mouthy because he is cutting teeth, but this isn't so much a problem other than constant watching and encouraging the use of his toys. That is actually going pretty well.

We are also trying to transition his food, and this isn't going so well :(. He doesn't like the new food, and isn't eating much. The first two days, when we were to expect decreased appetite..he ate like there was no tomorrow. Not sure what I will do because he only has a little bit left of the food that he came home for the transition (we were mixing half and half, then 3/4), and I can't find it locally. "Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul". It has barley, so is not gluten free, and since these dogs are predisposed to gluten sensitivity, I figure we want gluten free food not just wheat free food (well, for our handling sake as well). I bought Natural Balance sweet potato and salmon, but she either doesn't like it or it is too hard to chew. I cut all the pieces smaller, and he doesn't like it. I tried moistening it, and he didn't like it.

He is so cute, though. He really wants to please us. It is cute to see that.

Oh... he is sleeping through the night. Last night he went from midnight to seven without waking up or messing in his crate. He loves his crate, and settles into it immediately. He really didn't cry his first night home. There has been one night he woke up at 3:30. I let him out, and then he cried when I put him in his crate. So, I laid about 4 feet from the crate with my back to him, and he fell right asleep. On the first day, he also cried/whined/barked a little bit, but only needed a tiny bit of reassurance. Now, we put him in, and he just settles into rest. It is just feet from my computer, and he is happy to be nearby even when awake in the crate. Good Boy! (Well, I'll let you know how the rest goes. My daughter read in a book at the pet store that Wheatens are on the harder than normal to housetrain list... and they may be 9 months old before being completely trained...YIKES!) I think he has shown great progess though just between yesterday and today, but the first year is tough for all pups... potty training, among other things (chewing, digging, etc).

That's about it. I haven't had much time to post on the forum since mr. pup arrived! Of course, I also have my daughter home from college, and my son and his fiance were visiting over the weekend. We'll have a full house again over Thanksgiving. I have some seasoned bread that just came out of the oven, to make my stuffing. It smells so good!

Cara

Thanks for the update, Cara!
 

I enjoy reading about puppy adventures, alot!

We are getting ready to leave for the day, travel, then eat.

I had some time to waste, so I found The Dog Whisperer on Nat Geo at 10am.

One of the segments had a Wheaten terrier in it! (this was not the problem dog however). It was Daisy Fuentes' house (TV personality). She has a bulldog, Alfie and the Wheaten, Rita. While the show focused on handling aggression and power of the bulldog, the Wheaten was in almost every shot. It was a cute, loving dog! Lots of energy too. It was almost white in color.

I think this was last season's show...it had a slightly different format.

Cesar is my inspiration!
 

Hi all, yes I'm a big fan of Cesar Milan. I don't often get to see his shows,especially the new ones,but believe I've seen all of the first season.

I adopted a big mutt last spring. He has alot of "issues". One day I decided to see if I could get him to lay down the way Cesar does it (poke into side of neck & make my "alpha dog sound". It worked! And I actually wanted to cry! Here I was being totally dominant to my 100# dog that I have very little control over! He even rolled over onto his back! No tail wagging! He was down....

I use the sounds Cesar makes to get his attention. He's a grown dog that the vet said to always think of as a 6mo old puppy. He was abused & even attacked while in the shelter. If I ever win the lotto I'll request a session with Cesar!

Keep in mind Cesar isn't training the dogs-he's teaching the owners!

My favorite show was the Bouvier (since I used to have one). Cesar took the dog to a sheep ranch & let him herd the sheep! What fun he had!

Zane, I would distract the dog from the pillows by trading it for a chew toy. If they have something "theirs" much less apt to takeover what is "yours".

I just found the post that Benny is home. They are great dogs, very bright. My guy was very easy to train. They do keep you busy. My guy loves to be out and is very social. They are very loyal dogs.

Funny, when I saw the name that you picked, Benny, that was my Dad's name. How he loved our wheaty, they were never apart.

Hope Benny is just as great as our little guy is to us. Good luck.

Gumby, I will remember that Benny has a special namesake!

Well, the housebreaking is going better. He had an accident free day on Thanksgiving and also on Saturday. He had one accident each on Friday and Sunday. But... we are running in and out about twenty (probably thirty) times a day! Can't wait until he can clearly communicate his need to go. We still need to watch for signs of sniffing and moving toward the gate...which sometimes means he is about to go and sometimes not. But, he does pee every time we take him out...even if it is just a dribble.

So, the next problem we are having is all the biting/teething! I remember this stage with our Golden, but OUCH! He is much better with me. I have clearly established my position, and I feel pretty good about that :). We are encouraging the use of his toys like crazy, but he wants to chew and bite everything! We broke down and bought some Chew-Eez. Our Golden used to love these until she started swallowing them whole, and I know in general rawhide isn't recommended due to potential for bowel obstruction. But... he can't really even chew these down, so they are working to give us a little break now and then. Whew!

He's had a couple of walks around the block, and does pretty well on leash so far. This is something I hope to keep up with so he learns to walk well on a lead. And he is up and unsupervised in the room next to me, and I don't trust him one bit with my kitchen table...so I am off!

Cara