TV Dog Training – Helping or Hurting?
Never before has there been more information and resources available to help pet parents live harmoniously with their canine companions. If you surf the net you will discover thousands of training Web sites; the dog training section in bookstores and libraries is inundated with new titles every month; and dog training is a regular weekly feature on some television channels. However, you know what they say about a little knowledge. It’s dangerous, and incomplete and inaccurate information is even worse.
Where has all this abundance of conflicting and misleading information taken us? On one hand it has prompted many people to make more out of things that are really just normal dog behavior in certain circumstances. I receive many calls from concerned puppy parents about their aggressive 12-week-old puppy, only to determine the puppy is just exhibiting normal puppy behavior on its way to learning bite inhibition. And then there are the pet parents who feel their dog is showing dominance by jumping up on them to greet them, and they want to show him they’re the pack leaders like Cesar says. Uggggh. If I had a nickel for every time that term is over or incorrectly used I’d be rich! Well, okay, at least these pet parents are trying to be proactive and prevent issues before they become serious problems, and that’s certainly a good thing.
Unfortunately I also get calls from people whose dogs are struggling with very serious behavior issues like severe aggression but have unrealistic expectations of fixing those problems. Why? Well, they saw a dog with the exact same issue on TV and that dog was fixed in one episode! Make no mistake about it, behavior modification takes time, patience and consistency. There is no quick fix or magic to it, only the magic of television. Having been on the boob tube myself, let me state unequivocally right here and now that you can’t always believe what you see on television, and reality television is anything but real, it’s meant to be entertainment. Even if the genre is supposed to be public education, make no mistake about it, the show still needs to be entertaining. After all, if no one is watching, the show won’t get any sponsors to pay for it! Additionally, everything you see may not have happened in exactly the way it’s been presented, or in the same sequence, or even on the same day!
And what about follow up? Did the owners continue with the behavior modification? Has the dog continued to improve or has he reverted back to old habits? Rarely, if ever, are any of those questions answered on any of the television training shows. We’re presented with quick glimpses that end with the trainer closing up his or her computer or getting in his or her car and driving away. Happy ending? Maybe. Hopefully. But those profound and quick changes we’re presented can be extinguished just as quickly if there is no consistency in the training and behavior modification to follow.
And then there’s the subject of dog training methods. Even if the show instructs the viewers “not to try this at home,” overzealous owners will do so anyway, which can have disastrous and downright dangerous results. I know more than a few people who’ve been bitten when attempting to physically overpower or dominate their dog, like they saw the trainer do on TV. I am always hopeful that most will listen to the part of the disclaimer that tells the viewer to “contact a professional” first.
That’s where I come in.
While I may not agree with or use the same methods a television dog trainer uses, if his or her show helps make people aware of their dog’s behavior and gets them interested in training, that’s a good thing. If it prompts someone to pick up the phone and call me, all the better! Once I get them in the door, I’ll get my chance to show them how real dog training and behavior modification works.
What do you think about TV dog training shows?
What’s your favorite or least favorite show?
Who’s your favorite or least favorite TV dog trainer and why?
What kind of TV dog training show would you like to see?
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I agree with you wholeheartedly! It would be nice to see a “real time” dog training venture on TV for a change instead of the edited “quick fix.” I’ve been training my Jack Russell for almost a year now for competition obedience and I’m only ready to show in one of the lower classes (Rally Novice). It’s certainly not feasible for an aggressive dog to go from biting a family member to becoming a well-mannered pet in one 15 minute segment! TV glorifies everything and I’m glad that you’ve posted a blog to shed some light on this issue. Thanks!
I agree with you. And, as a dog nanny, there are times when I just want to pull my hair out (not going to do that) when a client shows me what they (think) they’ve learned. Have to count to ten, praise them for paying attention to their dogs and wanting to learn, and then, more often than not, help show them a kinder, gentler way to accomplish their goal, or, explain that treats aren’t a bad motivation, or, a gentle physical correction isn’t abuse when administered appropriately (appropriate to the size and temperment of the individual dog and the circumstances). Sometimes I can be found shouting out as I walk around NYC “please don’t hang the dog.” Or ignore someone who tells me I praise my dog too much. Everyone’s an expert!
I would have to say the only dog training show on tv that has any great information, is Victoria Stilwell’s show “It’s Me or the Dog”. All of the others are stuck in the cycle of “domination, fear, and alpha” mentality. I have heard so many people declare their dog is dominant; from jumping, to even a dog begging! If only real, positive training was the advice people gave each other, rather than the “throw a choker on the dog”, and “alpha roll” them. I have a 4 year old Jack Russell Terrier, and people are always asking me “How did you become his pack leader?” “Is he the alpha?”, or “What did you do so that he didn’t get little dog syndrome?” I tell them that he is my best friend, and that we work together as a team, and that there is no making him do something, or dominating going on. He makes the choice to do something or not.
I would love to see a tv show with Laurie Williams as the trainer =o) I wish I lived closer to you, I would love to take some studio classes with Jesse.
I fully agree with this article with one exception…I don’t believe in paying for a dog trainer! Sorry. I’ve been around dogs all my life. My grandfather bred & trained dogs for various specialties.
Too many see things on tv and swear by that. Leaving common sense out of the equation.
For me, I really can’t stand that woman on Animal Planet. Don’t know her name, but all she does is throw food at the dogs. That’s not training, that’s teaching the dog that if you do this, you get that. WRONG.
I do like Cesar, just b/c of the way he takes the lead, not giving them something other than love for doing what is expected.
I’d like to see more shows on breeds and what they need to have a fulfilling life FOR A DOG. Too many get pets and try to make them into humans and that’s why there’s so many strays out here. It just does not work.
I partially agree with you. Any great books, or great TV shows, don’t fix problems. It is all up to the dog owner. If the dog owner really doesn’t understand what he/she reads or see on TV, they never execute the methods correctly. It doesn’t matter Victoria or Cesar, you can’t pick just a small portion of the method. You must understand the whole idea/approach of training — the common mistake people make is just mimicking the surface of it, and say “it didn’t work” For example, Ethel seems completely missed the point what Cesar is trying to teach. If you really watch both “It’s Me Or Dog” and “Dog Whisperer”, you’ll identify so many common messages from Victoria and Cesar, that you have to be the pack leader and you have to come up with the best unique solution according to the dog’s personality — no single method would work for all the dogs. And, I can’t stress more, both of them always say, “Do not hurt your dog, but you must be the leader!!” For me, if you fail to train your dog, the failure is on you, not TV personality or famous dog trainer who wrote the training book or produced training DVDs. If you didn’t get it, then get the help from local trainers. But, I have to tell you Cesar Millan actually takes cases that were given up by local trainers. If you save that many dogs lives, I would thank him. — so please stop hating him based on rumors and misunderstandings.
I tend to agree with Naja. In the end the training is the responsibility of the owner and different breeds do respond better to different training methods, as long as it is not abusive, which I have never seen on either Victoria or Ceasar, and results in more dogs remaining in a happy healthy home I am for It