Greatcompanionkennels H Sexy Fi 1 Great Companion Kennels KOMO-TV interviews me about Cesar Millan

In our practice, we see MANY cases of dogs with severe aggression, and in performing our detailed background interviews and assessments, we find that the dog has gotten worse following treatment with behavior modification techniques similar to those of Millan’s, whether administered by the owner, based on what they think that they know of the methods, or administered by local trainers who use similar techniques. These cases elegantly support what we already know from the science of animal behavior, called ethology.

What are Millan’s techniques? They involve a combination of exhaustion, flooding, and a very traditional use of aversive learning, more commonly called punishment. What is lacking from his approaches is any sort of positive social interaction, rewarding of proper behavior, “positive affect” as it is called by the psychologists.

Exhaustion as a behavior modification technique is now being debated for its role in anti-terrorist torture techniques, and we know from decades of learning research that exhaustion actually decreases learning. Flooding as a useful technique in humans has lost its adherents due to its potentially negative side-effects and its ineffectiveness: a vaguely similar but much more useful technique is called desensitization. Flooding is basically the process of “breaking” an animal (or human), a technique now also rapidly losing favor in the horse training world. Finally, Millan makes heavy use of punishment, but which he, completely incorrectly, describes as being part of dog pack dominance behavior.

We know that the use of any one of these techniques will produce fear, anxiety, and a well-documented phenomenon known as “learned helplessness.” Learned helplessness is a psychological condition in which a human being or an animal has learned to act or behave helpless in a particular situation, even when it has the power to change its unpleasant or even harmful circumstance. Learned helplessness theory is the view that clinical depression and related mental illnesses result from a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a situation (Seligman, 1975). This condition has been heavily researched, originally by Seligman’s group at Cornell University. It is one of the conditions we see in post-traumatic stress disorder (a similar condition from which many of the “badly behaved” dogs that are brought to Millan, and to our practice, are suffering), and it is what we see in many of the animals that have been handled using Millan’s techniques.

It’s also interesting to note that we biologists, ethologists, studying the behavior of animals in the world around us would NEVER be allowed to apply the techniques that Millan uses to the crows, primates, killer whales, and other animals that we find so fascinating… and we wouldn’t want to: these techniques tell us nothing and do not help us learn any more about our fellow wildlife.

Given that we know that any of these techniques can produce horrible side-effects, one of the worst things about Millan’s approach is that he combines the use of all three. For these reasons, because we know so much more about dog behavior than Cesar Millan fans realize, because the use of these techniques, especially when we know better, is unethical, I was happy to speak to the KOMO reporter.

As always in the our world, everything is not black-and-white: will Millan’s techniques produce a change in the behavior of a dog, a decrease in aggression in the specific context in which he does the training and in the trainer’s presence? Yup… and we see that on the National Geographic Channel. But at the cost of what severe long-term and side-effect consequences, which we do not see on the National Geographic Channel?

Do I suggest in my own work that many a dog’s problems arise from boredom and lack of exercise, especially younger dogs and those bred for high energy, and do I therefore recommend a greatly expanded exercise program, even training your dog to (voluntarily) run on a treadmill? Yup… but note the voluntary part!

Do some breeds require a clear social structure and “get into trouble” without it, and do I therefore sometimes recommend affirming and clarifying a social structure, using proper social communication signals that dogs recognize? Yup, but notice the part about “some breeds” and proper social signals, which do not include shock collars, “helicoptering” a dog on a choke collar, alpha-rolling a dog (wolves don’t DO this!!!), or any other aversive techniques.

The approaches that we, and most of our colleagues, use are based on science, on a knowledge of animal behavior and psychology that has grown by leaps and bounds (little pun intended) in the past few decades. We no longer use concepts like fixed action patterns, instinctive drift, and nature vs nurture; we know that punishment doesn’t work in dogs… our view of the animals with which we share this planet, and with which we associate every day, has become far more complicated, and far more fascinating. I love my job!

We always love to hear from our readers, so feel free to let us know your thoughts on the KOMO piece. We know that this is an emotional topic for many people, so just a gentle reminder to be respectful when you post. You can also send email to Joel Moreno, KOMO-TV: jmoreno@komotv.com.

Comments

Janet says:

February 13, 2009 at 9:17 pm

As a pet dog owner that adopted a German Shepherd Dog from a rescue group that had multiple behavioral issues resulting in aggressive behavior towards people, I can attest that it is possible for the average pet dog owner to successfully rehabilitated a dog, including a so-called ‘tough breed dog’, by using techniques based in science, reward based training (food and treats are not a bribe).

Supported by veterinary behaviorists and knowledgeable, experienced behavior consultants I was able to successfully rehabilitate my dog. In the process I developed a strong bond with my dog built on trust and respect. My dog is relaxed and happy, not because he’s submitted to me as the leader but rather because he’s learned that the world is a good place and people are to be trusted.

By educating myself and developing an understanding of the realities of dog behavior and with patience, going at a pace that was comfortable for my dog, and consistency I was able to help my dog. And I know that many other people have successfully been able to help their dogs using methods advocated by veterinary behaviorists, certified applied animal behaviorists and trainer/behavior counselors that all advocate and experienced with the evaluation and modification of problem behaviors using humane techniques that change the dog’s internal motivation and improve the human-animal bond.

It’s amazing that National Geographic a non profit who’s stated mission is to promote scientific research and understanding, hasn’t promoted dog training and behavior modification methods that reflect the best practices as advocated by animal welfare organizations, veterinarians and animal provessionals.

Thank you Dr. Ha for speaking out in favor of up-to-date methods focused on changing our dog’s internal motivation.
Connie Price RVT, CPDT says:

February 15, 2009 at 8:10 pm

For all of the Cesar fans who point out over and over that he is not a “dog trainer” I would like to mention an article about him that appeared in People magazine (this was a couple of years before the show), what stood out to me was HIS statement that his goal was to be the “best dog trainer in the world”. When you modify a dog’s behavior you are “training” it to behave differently-regardless of the methods.

Semantics are not the issue here. The methods that he and other “results-based trainers” (to quote Heather Houlahan mentioned in the article that Ms. Hubbard was generous enough to provide -thank you) are. It seems they believe the end justifies the means.

To borrow a quote from Mortimer J. Adler, Ph.D. “You cannot use bad means for a good end any more than you can build a good house out of bad materials. It is only when we do not look too closely into the matter that we can be fooled by the statement that the end justifies the means. We fail to ask whether the end in view is really good, or we fail to examine carefully how the means will affect the end. This happens……where the only criterion is success and anything which contributes to success is thought to be justified. Success may be the standard by which we measure the expediency of the means, but expediency is one thing and moral justification is another.”

So for me “the end” doesn’t “justify the means”.
Kim G says:

February 17, 2009 at 3:09 pm

I think if you would listen to Millan in the interview, he says that his way is “one” method, and it is not the only technique. Not all dogs are going to respond to the same program of training. Cesar individualizes his techniques according to the dog/owner and situation in each case. As someone else stated above, “one size does not fit all.” You should take that to heart.
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