DOG Training TOYS

Cesar’s Way: Definitely NOT a Whisper

By Kathy Meyer, VMD

Although the jacket claims that the book offers a “natural, everyday guide to understanding & correcting common dog problems,” Cesar’s Way, by Cesar Millan (aka the Dog Whisperer) delivers very little usable information for dog owners.  

The book is aptly named, as its main focus is Cesar, not the dogs. Instead of providing revolutionary insight into dog psyche, Cesar’s Way largely describes Cesar’s own interpretation of various problem dog behaviors and his methods of treating. The typical dog owner can’t use these methods, as they involve 4 or 5 hours of vigorous exercise a day, time with a pack of 40 to 50 dogs, and physical corrections and intimidation to achieve submission. Cesar’s various and sometimes peculiar philosophies and beliefs are woven throughout the book, making it more a treatise on his views of how dogs and owners (and even men and women) should construct their relationships rather than a useful guidebook to promote a harmonious life for dog and owner.

The most glaring faults of the book are not so much what is included, but what is not. First, there is no acknowledgement of the dog’s ability to quickly and easily learn dozens of words to create a common vocabulary between dog and owner. This is otherwise known as training…something that has been very helpful over the thousands of years of human/dog interactions. Communication in this way has allowed dogs to be trained for very complex, useful behaviors in their complex lives as 2

st century pets in a developed country. Cesar, however, strives for a “primal” relationship between dogs and their owners, epitomized in his view by homeless people and their dogs. In this primitive construct, Cesar uses no words to communicate with his dogs. Instead, the only sound he will issue…