Vet News Cesar Millan, Frontline, veterinarians and YOU

At the risk of raising another firestorm on Dolittler (remember my last post on Mr. Millan?), here’s a topic that’s got vets hopping mad.

Seems vaccine, drug and flea product manufacturer Merial (the behemoth behind Frontline) and celebrity dog trainer Cesar Millan (of Dog Whisperer fame) hosted a wedding––theirs––to which none of us were invited.

I, for one, wish they’d at least sent a simple text informing me in advance of the festivities. Instead, I found out only when Merial faxed me a little promotional letter telling me they really hope I’ll be happy about how many more pet owners will be bashing down my door to buy Frontline now that they can get a Cesar Millan DVD for FREE when they purchase this product from me.

I mean, if Cesar says it’s good stuff then I should be expecting the flood of customers right...about...now.

Darn. No good. I’m thinking maybe that’s because Merial allowed over $200 million of this EPA alert-worthy stuff to get diverted into the gray market instead of to vets...and because most of my clients would rather buy it at Costco for 20% less––sans FREE DVD.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Frontline is a solid product that helps LOTS of pets. I also use some Merial drugs (Heartgard, for one) and vaccines with great success. But that’s not the issue.

At issue is that Merial believes I, as a veteriarian, will be uber-tickled to have Cesar Millan as a spokesperson for their product line. That I will somehow accept this exciting union of science and...whatever...as a targeted marketing tactic devised to benefit me.

And no, it’s not just the gimmick factor that irks. It’s that Merial says it’s researched veterinarians and found an overwhelming 90% approval of Cesar Millan among us. Which is... Just. Not. So. Smacks of, “3 out of 5 dentists use this product.” (Yeah, and all five are its brand managers.)

Anyhoo, this issue raised a ruckus over on VIN (the Veterinary Information Network) where veterinarians like to congregate to discuss issues and ideas––not all of them scientific. Let me summarize: Disgust. Annoyance. Anger. And the rare, “What's the fuss?” sentiment.

On the surface, the Cesar Millan factor is troubling because ANY celebrity endorsement of a veterinary product is a cheesy, trivializing ploy that risks devaluing the good done by the products we recommend. If they’d had Rachel Rae star in DVD showing us how to apply Frontline to her gorgeous pitty, Isaboo, we’d think it was obnoxious, too.

But when you add a dog training video to the mix, some of us who might otherwise shrug off another straight-to-consumer marketing tactic (think Bob Dole selling Viagra) can get really up in arms. After all, Cesar’s approach is the bane of most veterinary behaviorists' existence––and in no way well loved by my the majority of my colleagues.

Here’s the official line from my board-certified veterinary behaviorist colleagues:

“AVSAB ACTION ALERT: AVSAB SPEAKS OUT AGAINST MILLAN-MERIAL PARTNERSHIP

Dear Veterinarian:

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) wants to call your attention to the controversial promotion program featuring a partnership of Merial with Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer. Merial has included Millan display cases and DVDs with their Heartgard and Frontline products, as well as free coupons for clients to download videos by Millan on dog behavior and training.

AVSAB and the veterinary behavior community are deeply disappointed that a veterinary healthcare company has chosen to endorse Mr. Millan and his out-dated and potentially dangerous training techniques in spite of the recommendation against such partnership by behaviorists .

Mr. Millan's philosophy runs counter to the standard of care promoted by veterinary behaviorists and taught at veterinary schools. We find it disturbing that a major pharmaceutical company would ignore the recommendations of veterinarians in their field of expertise.

The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB), the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the Society of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (SVBT) have uniformly spoken out against the punishment-based techniques employed by Mr. Millan on his television show "The Dog Whisperer". (Read the position statements at www.AVSABonline. org). At best, the show is entertaining, but misleading to pet owners. At worst, Mr. Millan's techniques and misinformation have contributed to increased aggression and anxiety or resulted in physical injury to the pet and/or pet owner.”

So there you have it. The problem in a nutshell. Veterinarians don’t want to be associated with Cesar Millan. Merial is clueless enough not to know––or cynical enough not to care. Either way, Cesar gains more cred. And Merial? Who knows. At the moment, they have this to say:

“Merial is committed to the principle that encouraging pet owners to take their pets to a veterinary clinic for checkups and other essential veterinary services is critical to maintaining their health and well being.

Each year we devote a significant portion of our resources to do just that, including the use of experts and celebrities to promote the many benefits of veterinary care. The company’s association with Cesar Millan, who is well known to millions of pet owners, is based on his stated philosophy that pets need regular veterinary attention.

While Merial believes that proper training enhances the lives of dogs and their owners, we do not endorse any specific training regimen. We encourage pet owners to speak to their veterinarian about the appropriate training options for their pet.”

Yet veterinarians protest: How can a company so publicly committed to science (at least when it comes to their declarations to veterinarians) partner with a celebrity dog trainer in wanton disregard of the folks they rely on to recommend their products to the masses? How can they ignore us when we obviously feel so strongly about this?

So what’s my take?

With marketing tactics like this, one can only wonder how much careful consideration actually goes into the rest of their business strategies...or into their products, for that matter. Ouch!

June 20th, 2009

Add Comment53 Comments

Cesar Millan is such a parasite, maybe they should the Frontline on him and he would go away!

Debi June 20th, 2009 07:59:47 AM

Oh, man, and it's not like I don't already have to keep telling people that National Geographic edits out most of the actual training (if you want to call it that) so only the 'exciting' stuff gets shown - and they also edit out a lot of the bites -and that there are disclaimers saying "don't try this at home" and that all those things make the show a LOT less helpful than the public thinks.......hasn't Cesar had his 15 minutes already?!?!?!

KateH June 20th, 2009 08:24:43 AM

Sorry Patty, I actually trust Merial's market research more than AVSAB's pronouncements from the mount on this one.

I'm guessing it will be a successful promotion for them.

Not successful enough to stem the tide of price-shopping -- because, duh, EXPENSIVE. But successful in selling some more product through vets.

Have you viewed the video before airing your disgust? Is your disgust over the content of the marketing video, or over Merial's gray-market antics?

From time to time I get tossed DVDs or CDs about training, puppy-care, etc. that were freebies at the vet's office, sponsored by some drug company or one specific food company. When I bother to look at them, they tend to be crap. Why no disgust about these?

I haven't polled my referring vets, but highly unscientific research reveals that 100% of them (and their techs, managers, etc.) who bring it up in casual conversation think the guy is just fine.

H. Houlahan June 20th, 2009 08:50:49 AM

Thanks "Dr. Doolittler" Patty for speaking out. I appreciate knowing that some veterinarians can recognize the differences between some dog trainers and others because it does diminish what some us have accomplished as dog trainers and behavior specialists, including those veterinarians who have actually added additional work to their resume and are board certifieds and belong to the few organization who recognize them. I've had comments recently suggest how poor behavior advice coming from veterinarians has caused dogs behavior problems.

I and many others don't expect general practice veterinarians to understand nor treat behavior issues, so simply to place blame on veterinarians for behavior problems doesn't fly with me. Rather we'd prefer they understand and recognize there are differences, more appropriate and not means of addresssing behavior issues and stick to what they know and were trained best to do, deal with medical issues. However, they should recognize that often medical issues and behavior issues are inexplicably tied. That's why they need to be more receptive to utilizing us rather than ignoring the problem and continue down this path of so many dogs being relinquished because of unsolved or poorly addressed behavior problems.

This entire issue was addressed in the first issue of JVB (Journal Veterinary Behavior). See partial excerpts following. If anyone would like a copy i'd be more than happy to accomdate you.

Journal of Veterinary Behavior (2006) 1, 47-52

IN BRIEF: PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

Good trainers: How to identify one and why this is important to your practice of veterinary medicine

Produced by the Advanced Behavior Course at the North American Veterinary

Conference, Post Graduate Institute (NAVC PGI), 20041

Purpose

The purpose of this brief article is to demonstrate the value of identifying “good trainers” and incorporating this knowledge into your practice. The following recommendations represent a consensus document compiled by the authors as one of the final projects in the Advanced Applied Clinical Behavioral Medicine course at the 2004 NAVC PGI. Many of the authors are now using these recommendations in their practices in ways that have increased their productivity and altered the way they now practice medicine.

Win-win-win situation for pets, clients, and veterinary staff

Behavior exhibited by patients affects all aspects of the veterinary experience. Pets who exhibit good, basic manners can be encouraged to use those manners to have a more comfortable veterinary experience. The enhanced comfort of any patient affects the care that they receive, the efficiency with which the staff can do their jobs, the stress and distress levels of other patients, and practice economics. The recommendations in this article are equally applicable to cats and dogs, but most people still do not think about training cats and engaging in early social exposure that will make cats less fractious (Seksel, 2001).

Training is a quality of life issue for pets, and it affects your bottom line

1. Calm, well-behaved patients are a pleasure to see. Whether these pets are at your practice for a wellness check-up or because they are ill, cats and dogs who have good manners and who are comfortable in a veterinary setting are those whom you look forward to seeing.

2. Examination of a cat or a dog who sits and looks at you when requested saves time and decreases the stress of the veterinary experience for all staff, patients, and clients.

3. Patients who are well mannered are easy to take to the vet and so will be brought in for evaluation more often. In addition to the obvious economic benefits for the practice, the health benefits to the pet are clear: any illness will be recognized and treated earlier, with a better prognosis.

4. Pets who are well behaved are those with whom clients do not have to struggle. If clients must struggle with their pets, or if pets struggle during veterinary exams, clients worry that the struggle is hurting their pets. If clients fear that a veterinary visit physically or psychologically damages their pet, they will wait to have the pet seen. This wait may be injurious to the pet’s physical health. Well-behaved pets will be brought in as a first choice, not a last.

5. If pets are seen earlier, they are diagnosed earlier, which saves lives. Clients are also less willing to forgo

E. What training tools—in addition to their brains—do the trainers use?

1. Good tools promote calm and relaxed behavior, and efficient learning that is in the best interests of the

dog and the dog-human team. Good tools include:

a) small, bite-sized treats (check for food allergies first!!!)

b) leashes

c) head collars

d) flat collars

e) harnesses

f) praise

g) toys (as a reinforcer of good behavior)

2. Tools that should be avoided because they increase fear and anxiety:

a) shock collars / electric collars / e-collars / static collars

b) prong collars

c) “correction” collars

d) choke collars, choke chains (sometimes euphemistically referred to as training collars)

3. Some tools can be problematic or become problematic when used incorrectly, but you might not think so at the outset. Examples include:

a) Flexi leads: Flexi leads are not training tools. If the dog does not know how to walk nicely on a lead, he will not learn using a Flexi lead alone. Also, Flexi leads allow dogs to explore without overt supervision and without the attention of the client. Thus, the dog can become a victim of another dog, a bicycle, or a car, or the dog may injure someone that he or she trips with the lead when turning a corner or lunging through crowds. Finally, the handle of these flexible leashes is difficult to impossible to use well if you are elderly, young, have small hands, or have arthritis. If this handle is pulled from the clients hands it can become an airborne weapon and do damage to the dog or to another individual.

joyce kesling, CDBC June 20th, 2009 09:45:19 AM

Celebrity endorsements are part of a marketing strategy that is more and more common. Like it or not, Millan does have a huge tribe of loyalists which mean that brand awareness attached to Millan will probably be successful.

Millan also has a great business manager and his empire is a finely oiled marchine.

Just because someone becomes a public figure does not mean that they are the "be all, end all." Unfortunately people seem to grab onto a guru and hang on every word.

The same thing happened with Steve Irwin.

Both public figures became showmen with huge followings but if you look with a discerning eye or know anything about animals or training it is disappointing--because they were not good examples.

My point here is that most people don't know better--and neither do most veterinarians.

Imagine my shock to find that veterinarians still give poor advice when it comes to animal training advice or referrals. As professionals we all have our areas of expertise but it would be great if we could branch out and widen that scope to make sure we are giving out the best referrals possible--ultimately that would make pets happier, healthier, and better behaved.

Ark Lady June 20th, 2009 11:12:36 AM

My husband and Iadopted a Rottweiler who had been severely abused(starved,hit witha 2x4,etc.)about a year ago.My vet performed his neuter about a month after we got him.Last month,after his wellness visit he remarked on the huge change in him.I told him that we had been in training with him for 10 months and he had just passed all his temperment and obedience tests.He was very impressed and asked for the name of our trainers so that he could recommend them to his clients.I have fostered many "bully"breeds and I have never been bitten,but if I had followed Cesar's advice I am sure it would have been a different story.Positive reinforcement really works.

Susan H June 20th, 2009 12:17:43 PM

I can not believe Merial is actually going thru with this. To those that "love" him, have they looked at the fear in the dog's eyes? Including his beloved "Daddy". Have they seen the dogs turn blue as they are pinned down or worse hung by a choker chain? I am a vet tech, and also have been in "dog training" for 8 yrs. I started out with the correctional type training. One of my dogs began with fear aggression to other dogs as he was moving towards Open level AKC obedience competition. The corrections he received as I was instructed to give was not only taking away any warning signs he gave, but also making his reactions more severe and more easily triggered. I have spent the past year working with positive methods and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (associate). I will tell you- my dog is now relaxed around dogs, meeting & greeting and has not aggressively lunged at a dog in the past year! I have seen people explain to me the reason they are kicking and jerking on their dog is - they are using "Cesar's Way". There is a much more humane and fun approach in training available. Why would we want to use fear, intimidation and pain to "train" our best friends? Why would a company that is suppose to help our pets/clients want to promote such horrible tactics? Merial's lack of concern for the pet/owner bond, and well being and/or safety - hugely makes me question wether the info we receive about the safety and research of their products is correct. Or did that not care- because the dollar was more important than me and my pet...???? Either way, I have to question my ability to use and recommend their products in the future.

Lisa T, vet tech June 20th, 2009 02:15:08 PM

Hm. My package of Frontline is almost out, and it's time to get more anti-flea & -tick product. I think I'll see what other options are out there.

Julie in OH June 20th, 2009 03:07:40 PM

poor cesar really takes a beating here....but it's the pharmaceutical that's to blame. And anyone who thinks that Merial or any other pharmaceutical ever puts ANTHING before the almighty dollar is delusional. just look at orphan drugs for a prime example.

LorriM June 20th, 2009 04:34:13 PM

I'm not the big Cesar fan, although I get really tired of all the Cesar bashing, too - I just don't think the guy is "The Great Satan" so many make him out to be. That's not the point, though - the bigger issues as already stated here are the disconnect between the company and veterinarians, and, more importantly, celebrity endorsements in general.

What's kinda funny to me is that the people who dislike Cesar so much don't ever seem to key on the much bigger celebrity who played such a huge role in making him so popular - Oprah. Because, to me, her record in the dog world is, to put it nicely, not so hot, and I'm a lot more concerned about the millions who will take her advice on dogs as gospel like they do with so many other things.

First, she endorsed Cesar, then her much publicized recent adoption of those two shelter dogs didn't go so well (again, I'm trying to be nice), and now she's doing the same thing in the service dog world by pushing a non-ADI-accredited organization training "PTSD dogs". The common denominator in each of those three dog-related areas (training, rescue/adoption, and service dogs) is an apparent lack of knowledge, i.e., seems that if she really knew what she was talking about, she would'nt have done things the way she has.

Oh, I don't have any doubt that Oprah means well and I'm not interested in slamming her, but that's all the more striking given the incredible power, money, staff, etc., that's available to her. If the regular ol' "person on the street" can get it right with a little research, why does someone with the resources she has available seem to have so much trouble when it comes to dogs? You got me... (You can see more of my thoughts specifically on the subject of celebrities and service dogs here if you care to: "How To Be Smarter Than Celebrities Are About Service Dog Programs" )

At the opposite end, I'm not for automatically letting an endorsement you don't like get in the way of a great product, either. Just like with Cesar, for example - I love Castor & Pollux dog food, the company is tremendous, and I would really hope the agreement that was made for them to produce the Dog Whisperer brand food doesn't keep anyone from buying C&P's food. (Ultramix or Organix cost less, anyway, and you won't have to look at his picture, either. :-D )

Al Brittain June 20th, 2009 04:36:19 PM

Interesting that Merial is the same company that sponsors the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award for books or other written materials, presented to the entry that best reflects and promotes the strengthening of the human-animal bond, highlighting the bond between a pet and its owner, as well as their relationship with their veterinarian as another direct caregiver.

A bit of a disconnect there, perhaps?

Ingrid King June 20th, 2009 04:45:03 PM

Well this is a bit disturbing - I haven't heard anything from Merial as far as this partnership has been concerned. I thank you for your post so some client doesn't surprise me.

That being said I use Frontline for my dogs; we go hiking in an area with LOTS of tick and I have rarely found one on them or if I did it was dead. So I think it does a great job and will continue to use it. But I can't say that I will be behind the whole partnership thing if a client asks.

J.C. June 20th, 2009 04:59:59 PM

H. Houlahan: I tend to eschew all of these promo-products. They just take up space--and you're right, they usually suck, anyway. Moreover, I don't have the time to be screening all this stuff to see if it meshes with my practice philosophy. In fact, now that I mention it, none of these promotions will ever meet my professional standards because I absolutely detest all the paper and the plastic and the 'freebies' and the gimmicks--one more reason not to watch Cesar's video. (And do I really have to if I've seen even one episode of his show?)

As to Merial's marketing: Sure, the association may bear fruit. But this promotion is only a smart marketing move if veterinarians offer the videos. And based on the lengthy thread on VIN, I don't see that many will be doing so. It just makes basic business sense to ask your distributor how they feel about a campaign they'll have to participate in...before launching it.

Dr. Patty Khuly June 20th, 2009 05:10:21 PM

The reason you wern't invited is because the truth makes posturing demagogue's look foolish.

Evet June 20th, 2009 07:37:30 PM

Merill and Millan obviously wanted to dance without interference. (All the way to the bank)

Evet June 20th, 2009 07:51:48 PM

I meant Merial

Evet June 20th, 2009 07:52:33 PM

"With marketing tactics like this, one can only wonder how much careful consideration actually goes into the rest of their business strategies...or into their products, for that matter." So glad I'm not the only one who goes there! "detest all the paper and the plastic and the 'freebies' and the gimmicks" I'm with you and the only thing such tactics tell me is that they jacked up what I pay for this additional crap and that makes me more likely to avoid their products.

Dr. K, love it when you get righteously snarky against the big boys!

PJBoosinger June 20th, 2009 07:52:39 PM

Thanks for the in depth post on the subject Dr. K.

When my clinic asked for a copy of the DVD to watch and see if it would be something we would want to pass on to clients they told us no. Sorry but we aren't promoting anything we can't see first no matter who it is.

What ever happened to his line of "I'm not a dog trainer, I am a dog psychologist" ?? I don't disagree with his message, just his methodology.

http://k-9solutionsdogtraininginc.blogspot.com

Marie June 20th, 2009 08:53:57 PM

Please sign this petition if you agree Cesar was a bad choice.

It might be too late to halt the campaign,but at least we can still have some influence.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?AVSABCMX

We have almost 300 signatures and would love to see many many more

Marsha Wallace

Marsha June 21st, 2009 03:21:11 PM

I've watched "The Dog Whisperer" once and wasn't impressed/ entertained enough to watch it again. I will admit that I'm an avid fan of "It's Me or the Dog," and feel that it does a good job of demonstrating positive reinforcement. But, I consider these shows entertainment, not education, and while the hosts may be "experts" of a sort, a celebrity endorsement isn't going to influence me to buy a product like Frontline. Silly corporations.

Posey June 21st, 2009 04:11:23 PM

Thanks Marsha, for starting the petition! I am so glad that there is some way to let Merial know how upset we are about this. I will be letting our clinic Merial rep know about it as well. I feel like it is an uphill battle - even some of my coworkers think he is great, and we should not let our animals 'walk all over us.' My animals don't walk all over me, and they are very well behaved (well, except for the barking my schnauzer does when he is in a cage at the clinic - if I could get the kennel help to stop 'comforting' him when he barks, I might make some progress!). I heartily endorse positive reinforcement, and have shown clients how it can eliminate a behavior in just a few minutes. Well, except for cage barking! I'm working on it!

Sassy June 21st, 2009 08:02:21 PM

It is amazing to me that people (anyone, but especially the ASVB) believes that watching tv is the equivalent of direct personal experience. Have any of the board-certified vet behaviorists been out to the Dog Psychology center? Had a sit down conversation with CM?

Wait -- is there a member of the ASVB who has ever -- in a documented, peer-reviewed, systematic and scientific way -- trained a dog to DO something useful?

PrairiePup June 21st, 2009 09:50:32 PM

PrairiePup: You make a good point. But it lacks some understanding of what veterinary behaviorists actually do. They're trained to heal...and often to repair the errors of others' training methods. From this perspective, I think you might be persuaded to agree that their unique perspective lends their stance some credence...if not some actual sympathy.

Dr. Patty Khuly June 21st, 2009 11:07:30 PM

Dr K:

My difficulty stems from the fact that behavior problems aren't medical problems. In veterinary medicine, as in human medicine, the predominant psychological approach to behavior problems has been remediation. Remedial technique in the form of behavior modification involving the systematic application of laws of behavior, principles of learning and the individualized modification of contingencies to reduce and, it is hoped, eliminate undesirable behavior...where the definition of 'undesireable' is whatever the client says it is.

This notion -- that ordinary dog behaviors need to be pathologized and 'cured' -- is relatively new. It wasn't until1993 thatthe American Veterinary Medical Association approved a specialty discipline in veterinary behavior. Nick Dodman DVM: “Behavior [is] no longer fringe medicine; it was accepted by the veterinary governing body to be part of veterinary medicine.” But long before the AVMA granted official recognition of the field "behavior" and before the invention of the board-certified veterinary behaviorist, there was the dog trainer. While certainly not the first writing on the subject, Mary Elizabeth Hurston cites an 1865 treatise in which dogs were acknowledged as trainable, that is capable of “being induced to serve or amuse mankind,” where dogs with jobs in service to humanity placed “a simple emphasis on endurance and obedience” (Hurston 121-122).

*How* does someone who has never trained a dog 'repair' the errors of others' training methods? Especially when that effort (just like this debate) has very little, if anything, to do with actual dogs at all?

PrairiePup June 22nd, 2009 07:44:03 AM

This notion -- that ordinary dog behaviors need to be pathologized and 'cured' -- is relatively new.

But how many veterinary behaviorists are working with dogs (or cats, birds, horses, etc) exhibiting normal behaviors? I wouldn't call phobias, obsessive behavior, or inappropriate urination/defecation "ordinary".

Megan June 22nd, 2009 08:05:11 AM

PrairiePup: I see where you're coming from now--and it's a valid perspective, of course. It's akin to the arguments made for human psychiatry when it comes to the "pathologizing" and "curing" of "normal" human behaviors--prominent and reasonable criticisms made especially with respect to pediatric psychiatry.

Still, there are plenty of animal behaviors that are easily deemed pathological within the context of human society--and that's the trouble, of course, that final caveat. In this way, I see yours as more of a welfare argument. At least on this point.

As to behaviorists not having been trained to train--and therefore being unsuited to correct pathologies that may or may not have arisen from training methods: I can absolutely refute the first half of that point as a blanket statement. Many are trainers first, veterinarians second and vet behaviorists only later on. Moreover, a huge percentage of the schooling of these docs deals in training methods.

As to whether correcting 'abnormal' behaviors born of training is the prerogative of any non-trainer: That's an argument akin to those made for a whole lot of disciplines (is a male gynecologist worthy of practicing OB/Gyn relative to his female counterpart? how can psychiatry treat dementia given that we have only a few clues as to how it affects the human psyche as a whole?). I'd agree that someone with an extensive background in training would probably make a better vet behaviorist...but that's no argument for not having vet behaviorists at all.

As to the larger point you're making, that there are no behavior pathologies, only normal dogs that need training (correct me if I'm wrong): that only works if you also believe in the futility/inadvisability of human psychiatry (since, by extension, you would hold that there are no psychiatric pathologies in humans, either).

Finally: Does this argument have little to do with dogs, as you propose? The one we're having now or the initial CM discussion? Both, for me, are ultimately about my practice and my clients and therefore, my patients. I may be wrong, but I'd like to think that how my clients perceive/interact with their pets is fundamental to what I do. Why would I ignore topics that trade on that basic premise?

Dr. Patty Khuly June 22nd, 2009 08:41:07 AM

There is a petition now!

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?AVSABCMX

Jen June 22nd, 2009 03:47:56 PM

Dr K I love your blog but truly am dismayed at the anti-Cesar sentiments I hear in your post and the comments.

As a rescuer I have total admiration for what he accomplishes. I do not, nor have I ever, see(n) "dogs turning blue" "fear in their eyes"... talk about reading your own emotions into what you are watching!

I am in rescue. I watch Cesar weekly and incorporate parts of his techniques into my own handling of dogs.... and just as he advocates its based on the dog itself. What it needs/how it reacts.

He preaches exercise, discipline, affection. How you can think he uses no praise I have yet to determine. Perhaps you don't watch his show? Praise does NOT have to be cookies, or kissys. Praise can be quiet time together. Calmness.

His relationship with Merial? Well if it gets more folks to talk to their vets about whether or not they need Heartgard (especially here in the South) then I say, bring it on!!

Beth Patterson June 22nd, 2009 05:38:06 PM

Look - if Cesar can sell bottled water for pets at Petco..... than chances are he can help you sell pack size quantities of Frontline and/or Heartgard to your clients.

It was an opt in - if you don't want to opt in and use it to help you sell more doses and increase client compliance - then nobody is making you.

RAV June 22nd, 2009 09:40:55 PM

Beth, Heather, RAV and others: I don't disagree with your take on the bigger picture here. But Merial has sold itself to us as being OURS. There's significant reason for the feeling of betrayal when a company discounts your professional opinions. Sure, there's some dissent among us, but not much on this particular issue. What can I say? As an advocate of exercise, discipline and affection I, personally and professionally, don't experience it when I see CM on the screen. Instead, I worry.

CM is one figure I strongly believe is capable of engendering different feelings--usually strong ones--in one of two directions. Better, I think, to have strong feelings about the welfare of our dogs--and to celebrate the strength of these POVs--than to let our disagreements get the better of us. In fact, I'm thinking most of us are roughly on the same page. But that doesn't mean I'm happy to host his mug in my practice by way of advancing (to my mind) his questionable tactics, much though I might agree with his larger message. And yes, I can (thankfully) opt out. Or choose not to carry Merial products at all (which I won't be doing).

Dr. Patty Khuly June 22nd, 2009 10:08:06 PM

Anyone who has watched only one - or less than one - of Cesar's shows and thinks s/he understands Cesar's Philosophy is just plain prejudiced against him. Is it too much to ask that you know what you're condemning BEFORE you condemn it? Sure, you'll see dogs being "alpha rolled" now and then. That's because "alpha rolling" is the ultimate punishment for a dog, and is applied when a dog attacks a human being or another dog. Sometimes there's no time to bribe a dog to behave itself. Sure, you'll sometimes see a dog who is not accustomed to discipline throw a temper tantrum at the end of the leash. Cesar doesn't try to stop the tantrum - he just holds the dog away at arm's length from him. And yes, you'll sometimes see Cesar "flooding" a fearful dog to get it past its terror. But those are dogs whom veterinarians have told owners to have euthanized. You don't seem to understand that people come to Cesar only AFTER treat-based training has failed. They come to Cesar when they don't think there's any hope for their dogs. And Cesar teaches them how to get along with their dogs, how to get their dogs to be willing companions. He rehabilitates their dogs through exercise, discipline, and affection. By "discipline," Cesar doesn't mean "punishment." He means rules, boundaries, and limitations. ENFORCED rules, boundaries, and limitations. Cesar teaches the dogs AND their owners that every action has a consequence. He teaches them both that dogs have needs that must be fulfilled or they WILL act up. It's not all about the dog, though. It's also about the owners. Calm, assertive energy from the owners helps to assure a calm, relaxed dog.

One of the things people object to is Cesar's terminology. "Dominant," "submissive," and other such terms bring to mind the idea of master and slave. But that's no more the case between dog and owner than it is between husband and wife or between president and citizen. In this case, "dominant" simply means further up in the hierarchy, and "submissive" means further down in the hierarchy. Cesar doesn't think every dog desires to be the pack leader. Dogs don't, as a rule want anything to do with being the pack leader, but they instinctively know that EVERY organized group needs a leader. Someone has to make the final decision about anything. And if no human fills that position, a dog is willing to step forward and take on that role. THAT's when they get aggressive and fearful: because while they don't WANT to be the leaders and they don't know HOW to be the leaders, and once they get used to being the leaders, they don't want to give it up.

I'm really sorry you're not willing to watch the promo DVD - or more than one show - or read his books - or watch his "Mastering Leadership" DVD. You just might surprise yourself and actually learn something about Cesar Millan.

Kaelinda June 23rd, 2009 04:39:23 PM

Oh my... Are you really suggesting the husbands are higher up on a heirarchy than wives? I sure hope the relationship I have with my fiance is slightly more equal than the one I have with my dog...

The best discussion I've ever seen about dominance and how it factors into dog training is at Sophia Yin's website.

Megan June 23rd, 2009 06:32:49 PM

I probably shouldn't do this, but I feel a need to respond to some of Kaelinda's comments.

"That's because "alpha rolling" is the ultimate punishment for a dog, and is applied when a dog attacks a human being or another dog." Alpha rolling has no place in wolf packs or dog packs. In a wolf pack, a submissive dog rolls himself over, he is not rolled by an alpha wolf. See the research done by David Mech to find out more about what wolves are really like. Alpha rolling is a great way to get your face ripped off.

"Sometimes there's no time to bribe a dog to behave itself." "....people come to Cesar only AFTER treat-based training has failed." Positive training is NOT bribing, or just treat based. If a dog is trained positively (as my dogs are), there is not need for 'bribes' or 'treats'. The problem is so-called trainers who think that if you shove food in the dog's mouth, you will train it. I echo Megan's advice to go to Sophia Yin's website. By the way, one of my positively trained dogs doesn't care about food, and was trained with praise when he did right, and either lack of response or a short 'Ah, ah' when he didn't do right.

"you'll sometimes see Cesar "flooding" a fearful dog to get it past its terror." The point is, they aren't getting past their terror, they are sublimating it, and it will come back to bite the owner (maybe literally) on the a**. Flooding is not a good technique to use. Dogs can learn nothing when they are flooded - they shut down completely. You cannot teach the dog anything except to be afraid of you as well as whatever it was already terrified of.

"He means rules, boundaries, and limitations. ENFORCED rules, boundaries, and limitations. Cesar teaches the dogs AND their owners that every action has a consequence. He teaches them both that dogs have needs that must be fulfilled or they WILL act up. It's not all about the dog, though. It's also about the owners. Calm, assertive energy from the owners helps to assure a calm, relaxed dog." This is one of the things I like about Cesar. This is true of any relationship. I have a little problem with the term 'calm, assertive energy'. Cesar never really explains what that is. Being calm and assertive is key to a good relationship with your dog, but that word energy seems to confuse a lot of people. But anyway, I agree with this basic premise - setting boundries and enforcing them. Calmly and assertively!

"Cesar doesn't think every dog desires to be the pack leader. Dogs don't, as a rule want anything to do with being the pack leader, but they instinctively know that EVERY organized group needs a leader. Someone has to make the final decision about anything. And if no human fills that position, a dog is willing to step forward and take on that role." I totally agree with this statement. Owners need to fulfill their leadership role, not leave it vacant.

I HAVE watched his show many times, I HAVE read his books and seen his leadership DVD. I HAVE learned some good stuff from him. I've also been horrified at some of the abuse I have seen on the show. Anyone who knows how to read canine body language would know that what Cesar describes the dog as feeling is NOT what they are always feeling.

I haven't watched the promo DVD, because I can only see it if we start carrying it to hand out. Why is Merial so reluctant to let us see it? We have carried other DVDs on behavior and training, and I have always been able to get a review copy before we agree to make it available to our clients. It makes me wonder.

Sassy June 23rd, 2009 09:50:09 PM

Yeah, I thought the comment about bribing said it all.

The husband and wife was icing, though I don't think you meant it that way Kaelinda...right?

I do see your point about last resorts, though. I've been known to declaw cats...as a last resort. Perhaps I'm just as guilty as CM.

Dr. Patty Khuly June 24th, 2009 07:53:10 AM

The problem is that the people who go to CM 'as a last resort' (and I don't believe they all tried to train their dogs much, if at all, before going to him) are NOT the ones watching him on TV. Many of those people are the ones who have little to no 'dog brains' - poeple who buy into his spiel 100% without any understanding that THEY aren't CM and can't read dogs and don't understand dog's behavior. What I'd like to see is two shows by him (if he has to continue past his 15 minutes of fame) - one which shows him doing regular training (sit, stay, come, down, etc.) to show people who like his personal charisma, that he has a basis in actual training that would be useful to others. Then, he could do a few specials about the dogs HE couldn't 'fix' - oh, wait, if he was a real trainer, there probably wouldn't be enough dogs to make an entertaining show. Yeah, he doesn't claim to be a trainer, he's a ' dog psychologist' - but the average TV watcher is using his techniques first - not as a last resort - and they often ruin the good relationship they could have had if they hadn't wanted to be like Cesar.

KateH June 24th, 2009 02:19:18 PM

That's an interesting partnership, I must say. While I can understand the business stradegy of Merial, it sure puts Milan in a poor light as a money-hungry guy.

I can definitely understand where many people are coming from. I can relate to both sides, but I would like a express my points. Because I like watch animal-related anything, I often watch Milan's show. I have watched several others, and I've had training that has varied from old-school to positive-reinforcement to new-age-training-games. I am not a trainer, just merely observing and learning as I go.

Caesar Milan HAS kicked dogs. Not 'boot-kicked', but the tap on side of the dog with his heel? A prime example was this past friday, there was a very dominant Malamute that would try to attack the handler on walks. Milan actually got nipped multiple times, and he put his heel into that dog pretty hard, even after they had edited it for airing, you could still hear a solid thump. He has also put dogs into a dominance roll, many times. He does it to dogs that don't respond or don't respect his 'touches'.

He does help many dogs. He educates people and helps people. He also does have techniques that are successful. Teaching a dog not to eat paper on the ground by giving him treats of banana for when he ignores the paper - it was successful and there was nothing negative about the experience for the dog. I must say, I do not see fear in Daddy's eyes, he just appears to wander around going 'la-di-da' and not having a care in the world. Helping the lady who was confined to a wheel chair and only had her dog as a companion. Helping the man overcome his fear of dogs.

There are many good and many bad things about Caesar Milan, he's not the perfect dog trainer, he's just the most aired trainer on TV at the moment.

Above and beyond that, however, every dog is different. They respond to different training techniques and the best trainers can understand that fact and apply that fact.

Incoming DVM July 13th, 2009 04:42:25 AM

I loved it when a lifesize cardboard cut-out of Cesar arrived at our hospital. It went right into the dumpster.

Jess July 13th, 2009 06:26:53 PM

So let me understand this correctly. A mega-million-dollar company that does tons of business thru veterinarians says that before spending gazillions of dollars on a co-marketing agreement that they did extensive research on how the agreement would fare amongst its veterinarian customers, got a 90% approval rating, and you guys think that because a couple of ding-dong editors at AVSAB have their underwear up their crack that the company is going to somehow stop moving forward? Not that 90% means that the vast majority is Necessarily right, but it's certainly about as close to it as you're going to get. The Millan-bashers need to drop their preposterous position and all their pseudo-psycho-babble objections and maybe they would learn to help rehabilitate some of the dogs they so zealously support killing instead. When the shelter 'behaviorists' and the veterinary 'behaviorists' can say they never met a dog they couldn't fix, then perhaps their opinion might be worth taking under advisement. Given that these 'professionals' kill hundreds of thousands of perfectly good dogs rather than rehabilitate them, and given that these 'professionals' are self-admittedly unable to help hundreds of thousands of owners who surrender their dogs to shelters because of simple behavior problems, it's really hard to understand how vociferous this same group is in their condemnation of the highest-profile example of how knowing what you're doing can fix virtually every one of these 'unfixable' problems. Millan does the dog world a great service, for which I and millions of viewers are grateful. Shame on those who hide behind author's names, book titles, obscure nomenclature and other academic silliness and fail to appreciate the opportunity we have to watch one of the great behaviorists in actual action. Sometimes name-dropping scientific-sounding credential-touting certified 'experts' are just close-minded academics who were good at classroom learning and test taking but never developed an appreciation for someone, like Millan, with street smarts.

calmassertiv July 17th, 2009 03:50:11 PM

That's funny. At the vet clinic where I work, everyone I asked about Cesar absolutely loves his show. I have to say that I agree 100% with Calmassetiv, above.

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