Cesar Milan and Merial

Starting in Mid July the drug company Merial will be launching an advertising campaign endorsing celebrity dog trainer Cesar Milan. You will be seeing his image purported to be the face of the veterinary community. Let me say emphatically that he is not!

We at Morris Hospital will have no part in this marketing gimmick. Morris Hospital strives to provide the best care, services, medications, and support to both our clients and their pets. Our goal is to offer quality, compassionate medical care, and when necessary to align with credible, quality industry professionals. 
 
We have voiced our great displeasure at this campaign and are doing everything in our power to prevent this poorly designed campaign to ever air. We have signed the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/AVSABCMX/petition.html. We have contacted Merial Veterinary Technical Support 1-888-637-4251 option 3 or Merial, Attn: Corporate Communications, 3239 Satellite Boulevard, Building 500, Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30096. However, when we voiced our disgust to Merial we were told that many people, clients and vets alike, have not been properly educated why his methods are so outdated, harmful, and that he sells. So far they have not seemed to care about the dissent from the veterinary community, choosing instead to support financial gain. So in that vein, let us take a moment to educate you.
  
Behavior is like medicine. There are good doctors who are great healers, and there are bad doctors who have no right to ever touch patients. It is also like parenting. There must be rules; there must be rewards; there must be consequences, but there MUST be a meeting of the minds for learning to take place. After decades of study, scientists constantly have to re-evaluate what we know to be true about the canine mind. Despite what science teaches us about learning behavior there are some dog trainers who cling to the same old myths and fallacies.  

At one time we thought that we had to be tough and use physical muscle to "keep our dogs in line". We were all misinformed about what aggression meant and how to handle it. We were labeled irresponsible owners if we weren't harsh and unforgiving with growling. If a dog didn't drop the second we said down, in our most stern, take no prisoners demeanor, the dog was defying and trying to dominate us. If I had a nickel for ever time I heard the word "dominance" incorrectly tied to canine behavior we would not be having this little conversation. I would be on my own island in Tahiti.  

Folks, it is no wonder that trainers like Cesar Milan are respected. He gets results. Let me make this clear: his methods work! But, I ask you, at what cost? Crime rates are very high in financially depressed areas. Gang violence is rampant. Gangs rule by fear and intimidation. If you fight back you are beaten, your property damaged or stolen, or you are killed. Wow, if fear and intimation is such a powerful tool why not let our country be ruled by this method? It works. If I am strong and powerful, I make the rules, I control all of the resources-what you can own, how you can use it- I will create consequences when you mess up, shouldn't I be in control? No, absolutely not!

This misguided campaign has dredged up a beautiful example of Milan’s poor understanding of canine behavior. Under the aggression tab “Working with a Wolf” at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=39678 highlights just how little Milan knows about dogs. He throws around jargon and explanations about how his abusive behavior is necessary and is actually helping the dog. Whether you believe in his style of training or not, he has set this dog up to fail. He puts the dog in an impossible situation where the dog reacts, then kicks and chokes the dog until it nearly passes out from lack of oxygen. In case you don’t understand what you are watching, it is much like the same last moments of David Carradine’s life before he “accidentally” died. Milan is lucky to have the dog live through his abuse. He inappropriately labels the dog as expending energy - wouldn’t you if you felt your life was in danger? He pins the nearly asphyxiated dog to the ground so it can calm itself. He then reasserts his expertise and excuses the rough handling by telling the owner that their dog is now “submissively calm” when other dog professionals would instead call it 'emotional shutdown' through such a heightened level of fear or distress.

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Director of Animal Behaviour Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine said: “Cesar Milan’s methods are based on flooding and punishment. The results, though immediate, will only be transitory. His methods are misguided, outmoded, in some cases dangerous and often inhumane. You would not want to be a dog under his sphere of influence. The sad thing is the public does not recognize the error of his ways"  

Smoke and mirrors make for good entertainment. They don’t make for correct, humane dog training. Training a few celebrity dogs doesn’t make someone an expert. Celebs often pass of their children to nannies and caregivers. Do you really want their recommendation? Cesar Milan is to canine behavior what Jerry Springer is to legitimate journalism. He offers a fast food approach to dog training: quick, now, and eventually destructive. Mr. Milan is very charismatic and very charming. He may be a good person, and what he is trying to accomplish is admirable. However, his methods are out of date, out of touch, and out of place in today’s world.  

If you have any questions about proper dog training or are seeking an ethical, effective trainer please contact Morris Hospital for Veterinary Services at WWW.MORRISVET.COM/. We can point you in the direction of a behaviorist or trainer that will meet your needs, and solidify the bond between your family and your dog.