Customer Reviews

Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan - Aggression

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Having watched the DVD, and several of his shows, I was able to apply his principles to a 'rescue' dog, an Irish Wolfhound/Bouvier cross who was an abused dog before his rescue. He was fear-aggressive, especially with men. Being such a large dog [155 lbs], this was not a safe situation.

You might assume that Cesar's 'tricks' will not work with your dog, because he makes them seem so simple. But you would be wrong. They DO work. And the 'turn-around' is amazing. Yes, you have to be consistent. But the amazing thing is how fast the dog responds to the right sort of handling, and how happy they are to let go and let you be the 'pack leader', once you take on that role.

I strongly recommend this book and the DVD to anyone with a problem dog.

Being a fan of Cesar, I expected something new and informative.

This DVD is nothing more than a bunch of selected episodes from his series. So, if you already have his episodes on DVD, don't buy this, unless you want the aggression-specific episodes on one disk.

I have only watched half of this DVD and have already learned important tips and methods to dealing with our aggressive, 2-year old rescued Min-Pin. However, I do believe that some of the negative reviews may have been written by persons who have had no initial/formal training on dealing with aggressive dogs. There are obviously important owner skills that are needed for dealing with aggressive dogs that are not addressed directly in this DVD. This deficit is totally understandable considering the time-frame these shows have to fit the dog "rehabiliation" into. I feel that Cesar goes over the most crucial techniques required for dealing with aggressive dogs.

My advice for those who have aggressive dogs is this: Seek the advice of a proven professional dog trainer who specializes in aggression. Look for a trainer who aligns with the theory of the owner learning how to be alpha dog. After initializing a rehabilitation program, watch this video for additional pointers as well as a source of hope that one day your dog will be rehabilitated too!

In the end I give this video 4 stars. This is because the video is not and should not be the sole source of learning how to train aggressive dogs. However, this video has some very good and useful techniques, some of which I have already implemented on my own dog with great success.

If you have tried every possible trainer out there in your area, and they all offer silly advice like "clicker train", "praise the dog when it does this or that" and other nicey-nice responses or the extreme opposite - "smack the dogs head back when he looks at you for grabbing his tail" to control an extremely aggressive dog, then this is the DVD for you! Cesar Millan was recommended by an AKC trainer who said that sometimes you need a little more than what's out there in "humane training". She was right! What a difference it made in a Labradoodle who was a seriously abused rescue dog. Trying the "nice" way didn't do anything for him. He didn't need someone who was all sweet and happy with praise. He needed someone calm and assertive. If you watch the videos and really pay attention to the way Cesar handles himself, you'll note he really reacts the same way you see Alpha dogs react. I use his techniques now with every dog/puppy I work with. I am very thrilled to say I have had nothing but positive results. I have even been able to capture strays in our neighborhood using his techniques - which makes our neighborhood a safer place for our kids.
HOWEVER, I recommend going to the National Geographic website to view small snipits of some shows, or watching the shows on the National Geographic channel to make sure you are comfortable with trying his techniques. I believe you might even find his DVDs in a local library. Otherwise, if you are familiar with his techniques, I would recommend buying from Amazon as they are definitely the cheapest that I have found.

Cesar's techniques echoed what I was taught as a dog trainer in my youth. I had forgotten, or at least gotten a little lax in adherence to these principals. Cesar's tips in this video are easy and basic elements to successful training. Identify yourself as the pack leader, then training proceeds much more smoothly. We the people need to treat the dogs as dogs, not as people. With that, there is still plenty of time for love, hugs and kisses, after the work is done. This is an excellent resource for dog owners of any caliber.

I was not sold on some of the techniques, but I watched the show and rented a few of his dvd's after being super frustrated with our Siberian Husky. He's a wonderful dog, but very powerful and I didn't particularly enjoy being pushed and jumped on or when he did this to guest or knocked down children, walking him was not enjoyable, it was basically our dog dragging us. Often half way across the street. Once throwing my back out. I had enough. I pleaded with my husband to try something new. Basically our dog didn't respond to hardly any commands. We tried regular obedience training. We finally started to use some of his techniques and with consistency, we are so much less stressed and our home is more peaceful! We have taught him to stay and sit and to reward him when he is calm etc. He no longer rushes people, which is phenomenal to us. Even our kids love watching his shows, they understand why we are responding or not responding to our dog. I don't agree that Cesar is aggressive, rather he uses his energy and specific touch techniques, I think some people are oversensitive to correcting any behavior issues. Everyone needs to feel safe and secure, with specific boundaries and expectations, whether it be kids, people or pets. I think it helps keep us all balanced :-) Caesar shows immense patience and compassion. Hope this helps someone else.

I see what I consider an excessive amount of criticism being hurled in Cesar's direction, so much so that I had to say something. First off, I have yet to encounter any person who has had more success in training a cross-section of canines as Cesar has. Moreover, if Cesar's methods did not work, people would not listen, and he'd have no audience!

Bottom line: They are dogs, people!!! Hello! Moreover, give the man some credit for sharing his methods with the rest of the world. They seem to be working for some dogs and their owners. If you think you can do better, go out and get a TV show of your own and show the world your techniques. Otherwise, please show some courtesy and clam up. Cesar does a good job.

In sum, keep up the good work, Cesar!

I've been training dogs large and small as a hobby for as long as I can remember but every once in awhile there's one that is particularly difficult. Cesar gets to the heart of the problem without giving excuses for "that's just the breed" etc. We closed our restaurant and built a boarding kennel and work with dogs we don't know very well. (Much less stress with dogs then people). Cesar techniques of exercise first before handling has helped us immensley, epspecially with large more agressive dogs. Starbarks(TM)is a happier place because of Cesar. This DVD is a fun way to watch Cesar in action without having to pay $2,000 for him to come visit you.

I adopted a highly aggressive pointer/mix (not at all knowing the extent of his problems). I was the fourth owner after his rescue and was his "last chance". I had never dealt with such an aggressive animal. Although, I never imagined it would come to me being unable to help him and putting him down-that is what it was coming to after professional dog training and obedience training (done one-on-one and in groups). A family member recommended looking into "The Dog Whisperer". Cesar Millan saved my dog. It has been over two years and my life and my pointer's is better than I could have ever imagained. Through consistency and really following everything he recommends, changing any dog behavior is possible. I read a review that said Cesar's way was "dangerous" when dealing with aggressive dogs. I have to entirely disagree. When I freed myself from my own fearful feelings about what my pointer was going to do next and focused on how I could calmly and confidently control the situation-EVERYTHING changed. A stranger could roll my pointer on his back, stick their fingers in his mouth, or even be very excited around him and his reaction is calm-always looking at me. He is happy, fulfilled and calm knowing that I control the environment. (My family and I are still amazed!)

If you want to see Mr. Milan demonstrate his personal rapport with animals, this DVD will fill the bill. However, if you are seeking advice and instruction on how to overcome aggression in your pet, this DVD will not be of much help. The DVD is really nothing but an infommercial praising Mr. Milan's talents. I seriously doubt that the dogs he works with in the DVD maintain their non-aggressive behavior after he leaves. The strategies he uses, such as having the aggressive dog walk beside his non-aggressive pack dog, are not practical for the average dog owner. If someone were going to hire Mr. Milan as a personal dog trainer, this item would certainly serve as a recommendation, but it is woefully lacking as step-by-step instruction on how to overcome aggression in a dog.