01 March 2013

CAESAR MILAN - I'M NOT IMPRESSED

I'm doing a lot of research on dog training now that I am raising Molly Montana . I remember when I was raising Lakota Sunrise it was not so easy, the research.  Encarta  was still a phenom, especially for those of us raised on the Encyclopedia Britannica. I think my internet browser was Netscape. It took a week and a half to load pages. A lot has changed. Information is at your finger tips at the speed of light.

What I'm about to write will be considered heresy by some I am sure. I have always been very skeptical of so-called "experts". It so often turns out that the only thing they are expert at is parting me  from my money. It can be true in any field where people are holding themselves out as "experts" for hire. Seems like so many are out for the buck.

With National Geographic validating him, Caesar Milan has become a media darling who no doubt has profited greatly. But, watch these videos and decide for yourself if his brand of training is really cutting edge or more of the old archaic way of dominating animals into submission. He plays on the "Horse Whisperer" but I think that's hype. Watch Robert Redford's movie "The Horse Whisperer" to see the difference. Or watch the movie "Buck" the real life whisperer.

Read this article and watch the videos regarding dominance or simply unruly behavior.  If you're like me you will come away thinking that Caesar Milan is out of date and out of touch. I believe in respect not dominance. As a kid I was stubborn and hard headed. I haven't really changed. Those who tried to bend me to their will through fear and domination were able to get me to do things but I had neither love nor respect for them and it made me even more stubborn. We humans are not so different from our pets on an emotional level.

One of the videos shows a scientist who admits to preaching the Alpha dog doctrine but now believes that doctrine is no longer valid. Thank goodness for people who are willing to admit their theories, although seemingly correct at the time, are no longer valid based on new scientific evidence.

I am disappointed in National Geographic for promoting Milan. But so many of my childhood icons have proven to be empty suits manipulating former integrity for monetary gain. Everyone and everything needs to be questioned these days. We aren't in Kansas anymore Dorothy.

©Kinsey Barnard