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Clearly all I need to do is alpha roll my dog and his anxiety will be cured (a CM vent)
I need to vent about Cesar Milan and his idiocy to a group who understands before my head explodes.
Chance had one of his freak-outs yesterday (first one in 8 months) and we ended up at the vet with Brewer with some deep puncture wounds. We had a very serious talk with the vet about what other steps we could take with Chance- other meds, another behaviorist, etc or if we had reached the end of the road. I've put so much time and energy into this dog and the thought of having to put him down is breaking my heart, but I cannot risk my other dogs' health and safety if he's never going to get better.
A girl I know posted on my wall that I should apply to have "The Dog Whisperer" take him and that Cesar will fix any problem. I replied that Cesar's barbaric physical dominance techniques make most dogs worse, not better.
And then my best friend jumped into the conversation. These were some of the genius quotes she posted
"Alpha rolling does nothing to harm a dog- it makes them a safer dog to be around..."
"Cesar's methods make total logical sense and they work because they're based in dog pack theory"
"They're just a bunch of educated idiots- if they knew what they were talking about they'd have their own show and their ideas would be the popular ones" (referring to several peer-reviewed studies I posted about why dominance theory is outdated)
"Who are you going to believe- a bunch of college idiots who probably don't even have a dog, or me- you've seen how well behaved my dog is, and you've seen Cesar transform dogs on TV" (referring to said peer-reviewed research authors... uh, I'll take "someone with a college degree for $800" Alex)
Her dog is incredibly fear-submissive. He pees if you walk into the door and hold your hand out to pet him. He freezes still if you put him in clothes, so she enjoys dressing him up and taking photos since he's so easy to photograph. Her excuse is "he came this way" (at 6 weeks from a BYB) and that Cesar Milan training ensures that he continues to be a "good dog"... she doesn't get that if she implemented NILIF he'd probably be a much more confident dog.
I needed to get that off my chest this morning. We're calling another behaviorist today to talk about what options we have left with Chance... and I'm hoping to God that she has a suggestion, because we've exhausted every other method/resource available.
Re: Clearly all I need to do is alpha roll my dog and his anxiety will be cured (a CM vent)
I know I already commented on this on FB, but I just wanted to show my continued support here for you.
Your friend subscribing to CM's "training" methods is a brainwashed idiot who has latched on to something simply because it's on TV and it's "popular." You know you're doing the right thing by choosing the path that promotes happy dogs who do things because they'll be rewarded, not because they're terrified of being punished. Haters will always try to sway you; don't let them get to you. You're working so hard for Chance, and he's so incredibly lucky to have found you as his human; I doubt anyone else would have been so patient and worked so hard.
I really hope the behaviorist can help you with further techniques to help him. Huge hugs and T&P to you.
B/w 1/8: betas 17,345, progesterone 25.6
Sorry that you're going through this with Chance. T&P that you and the new behaviorist can come up with a solution that works for everyone.
Sorry that your friends are being argumentative instead of supportive. That sucks.
"The hardest thing is to live richly in the present without letting it be tainted out of fear for the future or regret for the past." - Sylvia Plath