Some scary stuff!

Hacía un tiempo quería leer este libro ya que me resultaba muy interesante cómo César resuelve los casos de perros conflictivos en su programa de televisión.
Debo decir que al principio de la lectura me molestaron algunas cuestiones, pero por suerte, cuando se adentra en la trama real del libro, la sensación se pasó. Empiezo por lo que no me convence: El libro está claramente enfocado a un público estadounidense, y siento que Millán ha adoptado ese patriotismo exaservado que tienen en dicho país, a pesar de no haber nacido allí. Es interesante que hable de su pasado para comprender cómo fue su formación, pero debo decir que me chocó mucho leer "Estados Unidos es el país más grande del mundo". Incluso cuando relata su travesía ilegal por la frontera culpa al gobierno mexicano. Por otro lado, las comparaciones que hace sobre cómo tratan los dueños a sus perros en ambos países son interesantes y crueles a la vez: en eeuu los problemas que surgen en los perros se basa en el profundo amor y atención que los dueños les prestan a sus mascotas (al contrario que en méxico, parecería). Parece algo tirado de los pelos contrastar así ambas sociedades.
Pero saliendo del tono político, el hecho de que el afecto en abundancia termine siendo perjudicial a las mascotas es lo que más destaco de la lectura y el error más común en el que caemos los dueños de perros. Y eso es universal, aunque haya culturas en que esto se da en mayor o menor grado. Es lo más difícil de identificar y revertir. Comparto la visión del autor sobre la vida animal, siempre respetando su verdadera naturaleza e intentando revertir las situaciones que son negativas. Hay mucho para aprender y aplicar a partir de la lectura. Actualmente no tengo perro en mi casa, pero quisiera poder poner en práctica alguno de los consejos con los perros de mis papás, a los que les encuentro algunas conductas indeseadas.
Respecto a la escritura hay dos cosas que me hacen ruido. Por un lado que repite las mismas ideas constantemente. A veces es necesario remarcar una idea para que quede bien clara, pero lo hace demasiadas veces y resulta cansador. Y por otro, que al principio me resultó curioso, es su decisión de intercalar el género en la narración, incluyendo momentos en que habla de "perras" y "humanas" como términos genéricos (curiosamente si menciona otros animales vuelve al genérico masculino). Me considero feminista y defensora de los derechos de las mujeres (y la búsqueda de una igualdad de género) y no creo que la "lucha" pase por estas cuestiones. Yo no me siento ofendida cuando me incluyen como mujer con un término masculino, porque entiendo que es inclusivo. Y puede resultar un poco extraño en la lectura. Tampoco es que me molestó, pero no me pareció que sumara. Podría haber hablado de vez en cuando de "perros y perras" o "humanos y humanas", por ejemplo. Y de todas formas, en su narración, queda claro que el tipo tiene respeto por las mujeres. Primero, por admitir su machismo juvenil y revertirlo en acciones concretas. Y después, al incluir en su historia a tantas mujeres destacando su importancia. Si fuera un machista acérrimo, probablemente en su vida profesional hubiera preferido trabajar con hombres y está claro que no es así.

Informative! Good tips for quickly establishing yourself as pack leader. Because of this book, I can confidently say my dog is way better on a leash! Also, Cesar's story as a Mexican immigrant coming to the US speaking no English, with no money, then working his way up to being the most famous dog trainer in the world, just through word of mouth -- pretty incredible!

I love dogs!

Is your dog developing strange issues, or perhaps your rescue dog arrived with some baggage?

I think Cesar's a Dog deity, and he has cracked the code for giving your dog what he/she needs for doggy happiness and fulfillment.

This book saved us when we rescued a dog with a bag of issues- with a substantial investment of time, patience and energy, we got a beautiful peaceful dog, like magic!

His clear, blunt, no-nonsense instructions might not be what you want to hear, but he's almost certainly right.

*Especially fun to read if you've seen the Dog Whisperer so you can hear his energetic, "firm" voice in your head the whole time.

Would love suggestions on top dog books because this ain't it.

Lately I've been educating myself on positive reinforcement theory and reading books by dog behavior experts such as Karen Pryor and Patricia McConnell, in the hopes of training my dog to do some new tricks and to better understand him. (He also loves my husband best, so I wanted to bond with him a little more!)

As I researched these books, I remembered that I had read this one a few years back. I feel that it's important for me to say DO NOT READ THIS. Dominance theory in dogs has been out for decades, but sadly popular media hasn't caught up and people still think Millan's style is the way to go. It's not. It's ineffective and just plain wrong. I wish I had known it sooner, but that's why we read, right? To learn.

I will say that Millan had two great points in his book that I still remember:

1) Don't treat your dog like a tiny human. Respect it as the animal that it is.
2) Exercise. Exercise. Exercise your dog.

Other than that, this book is outdated with methods that can be dangerous depending on your dog's personality. Research positive reinforcement, don't listen to Millan just because he had a TV show.

I'm giving this book five stars (something I don't often do) not because I agree with everything Cesar Millan says (I don't, I can't honestly say I'll do everything he says either) but because any book that causes you to stop, to think this much about your behavior, your lifestyle, your connection with your dog is important. And important books should be recognized and recommended. We need people whose ideas challenge our own if for no other reason than to bring into light what we believe in the first place.

I'm going to blog/review Merle's Door very soon I hope. At first I kept contrasting the two, thinking they were at odds. In some points they are (for instance Cesar doesn't agree with letting a dog stop and smell everything he wants on a walk because you need to be in charge. Walk him and at the end decide and designate where he'll stop and smell) but then I realized that in a lot of ways they are in more congruence than conflict. Kerasote (Merle's owner and author of the book) advocates for unleashed free willed dogs who can be natural and do what they want. Cesar also advocates for dogs who can be in a natural state and can do what they were born and bred to do but emphasizes our dominance and pack leadership. Kerasote who lives in the middle of a wilderness can take his dog on long uninterrupted all day trips. The dog is tired and well behaved. He is worn out and therefore exhibits few if any behavior problems. There is no reason for a leash. Cesar is dealing with city and suburban dogs who are not allowed much exposure to exercise or the outside world. The dogs have issues that have to be worked out Thru Exercise. Which is exactly what Kerasote unintentionally uses that creates this harmonious environment for his dog. This is just one example where reflection revealed that despite different ways they got to it (unleashed mountain hiking or skiing, vs. inner city strict exercise routines or walking) gives them the same result.

I encourage dog owners to have an open mind and read Cesar's book to expose themselves to a lifestyle, a philosophy of how to interact with and understand your dog. I definitely won't be walking my dog every morning for an hour and a half, but I will be taking away with me a lot of new terminology and ideas that will help me be a better dog owner.

Here are some of the ideas I really liked:
Calm submissive leader and energy. Something for all of us to strive for definitely.

Exercise discipline and affection, in that order.

Fight, flight, avoidance and submission, are the ways dogs deals and his discussion of these behaviors and how they help or hurt a dogs socialization has helped me understand my dogs behavior around other dogs.

Nose, eyes, ears- in that order- are the order in which they perceive the world, far different than us. We should remember this in order to help develop trust with our dog, and to communicate with him.

Humanizing a dog. Bad mistake.

It's the people who need to be trained in most instances, not their dog.

The end of the book is beautiful. Here is a quote to take with you that I can relate to from all of Whiskey's hikes with me. It was a fabulous way to end the book...
"For a moment I’m feeling what they’re feeling: the cool salty sea on my skin, the thousands of coastal scents in my nostrils, the soothing rush of the surf in my ears. I’m feeling all the pure joy of this one fleeting moment and I owe them for that. I owe them everything."
And of course he adds "We’re all exhausted but happy." which is such a great and true statement of being with your dog in outdoor activity. If you haven't ever been to that point of exhaustion with your canine then you should. There's something primal and incredibly bonding about being in the wild with your dog, facing the elements and the wilderness together with your senses and communicating, bonding, and sharing your emotions and time with your dog in this place.

Feel free to read more about Whiskey's and my adventures together at our blog: www.awhiskeyontherocks.wordpress.com

I have never seen an episode of the Dog Whisperer, but I had heard about Cesar. As he writes in the first sentence of chapter 7, "This book isn't a 'how-to' manual," which is really more of what I was wanting. It is really more of 272 pages of Cesar telling his philosophy.

Book is okay for a light read. Talks a little bit about the author's decision to illegally emigrate to the US and accidentally become a dog behaviorist. Some of the suggestions are pretty good, others I find to be iffy. More a book to read for the novelty than to take the suggestions at face value over veterinarians.

4.25 ⭐

I'm not saying this was poorly written or anything like that. Cesar's life story is pretty incredible, and there's no denying that he has a unique understanding of dog behavior. This was an interesting book to read. That said, his approach to dog training stems from an outdated understanding of wolf packs, not to mention that it's probably difficult for the average person to achieve. Train your dog with positive reinforcement instead.