I've seen the negative reviewers describe Cesar's work as "so out of date as to be archaic..." "Cesar's methods work. But they use force, fear, and pain" (CelticRaven7). "I think his methods are very old fashioned" (P. Smulders). "Cesar Millan's methods are old fashioned and psychologically violent." (Barbara Tosto "dog lover").
Old-fashioned techniques? Have dogs somehow evolved to a higher level in the past 20 years, and are no longer hard-wired pack animals w/an alpha leader?
Force, fear, and pain? While I've just recently discovered the "Dog Whisperer" TV show, I've watched every episode NGC puts on, taping the ones that air at odd hours and watching them later. I don't see how a quick jerk on the leash is "force", the standing foot-tap "pain", nor do I see him coming in and making the dogs "fear" him. I'm no expert, but I imagine a fearful dog would either try to attack Cesar, or run away w/tail between legs. I've seen neither occur.
As far as "psychologically violent"... well, I guess you'll have to hire a pet psychic to verify that one. [/sarcasm] What I see are dogs that have gotten out of control in one way or another, some quite violently, and Cesar coming in and adapting his methods to the dog's problem. The little Shih Tzu that wouldn't walk on its leash? He just took it out of sight of its house, put the leash on, and stood for a few minutes till the dog acclimated to the sensation, then started walking, calm and assertive.
At the other end of the scale, the episode with the snarling Korean Jindo, "JonBee", brought me to tears, as did the one w/the aggressive boxer that was a day away from being put down--Cesar's so-called "red zone" dogs. Psychologically violent? I don't know about "dog lover", but I think it would be far more psychologically violent to give a dog the death injection than a sharper tug on the leash (the boxer), or carefully but resolutely coaxing the dog into the submissive posture (the Jindo). Cesar saved those dogs' lives. I doubt gentle persuasion would have worked--and obviously hadn't.
And that's kind of the point. He usually visits owners who have already tried other methods (tho not all have), and have come up empty. They are usually at their wit's end. If the other techniques mentioned by the negative reviewers work, more power to them. If they don't, however, what are you going to do, let your dog run your house? Or kill it?
We have a 4-year old terrier that we got at 3 years old. He's a good dog, but becomes fearful on walks, pulling ahead of me no matter how hard I tightened up the leash, and he freaks out when any wheeled contraption--skateboard, bike, stroller--goes by. Also other dogs and strangers. The first walk I began applying Cesar's methods--the sharp "shh!" and the quick leash tug--as soon as we got out the door, while he was still at "level 1". Tho the walk wasn't perfect, by the end of it I had a dog who spent more time walking next to me w/a slack leash, than a dog who was choking himself pulling in front of me to get home. My lesson? I was letting a sweet little "beta" dog try to be an "alpha" outdoors, because I wasn't leading, and it freaked him out.
Now I will work w/him every day to make sure he knows I'm there, at the head of his little "pack", and that he doesn't have to worry about a thing, other than to just be a dog.
Thank you, Cesar.