Goodness, I have a lot to read now!
Brilliant, thanks!
I have to confess, I've never seen the Dog Whisperer on TV. I finally found his books in a charity shop so I read them to see what he had to say (didn't want to give him any of my money
) The books must be a far cry from the tv programme, as they don't say anything controversial that I could find; they didn't really say anything at all--meaning there was no real information there, and he kept saying he's not a dog trainer, he rehabilitates dogs (what does that mean? "I'm not a teacher, I'm a prison guard"??)
I have no quarrel at all with the basic messages of the books, and hope they don't get lost in the fray: that dogs are dogs and not little furry people, and need to be respected and treated as such; that dogs need excercise and good nutrition, and that some behavioural problems can be traced to a lack of one or both; that dogs respect and respond to calm assertive energy, and that they pick up on and respond to energy and emotion.
These are very valuable premises, and can';t be stressed enough, IMO. I think one of the reasons that some dog professionals, such as a trainer, groomer or vet, can get very good results with some dogs is that they project that calm, assertive, self assured energy and aren't carrying emotional baggage about any issues the dog may have. I know when I am having a bad day, am stressed or angry, that my grooming clients will act up a lot more, and my own dogs become anxious and hyper.
That is why most good training books stress training when you are feeling good, and to end the session if you start to feel negative emotions.
So I do feel that Cesar has a very good message as far as pointing out that dogs live in a world of energy and emotion and that a lot of their behaviour is based on that; it's just a shame that it is getting lost in all the controversy