This changed my way of thinking about my dogs
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I liked to train dogs and did well but I had problems and they were my lack of insisting on my being a good leader. I did not realize I was not being seen as a good leader by my dogs. I was a good owner but not the best leader. Though one dog was naturally submissive the other took over the lead especially outside when I had the most problem.
Now I am a good leader both outside and inside the home.
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Excellent and Okay
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This is an excellent book if:
- you want to spend the first 100-odd pages reading about Cesar's biography. Since I did not know anything about him, I found it very interesting.
- you did not understand the pack theroy as Cesar explains it very well
- if you are already following along his series on TV and the book helps as a reminder and guide.
I only rated this book a 3 because I do not have access to the TV show as I live in Canada. I purchased to book to learn how to tweak my dog owning skills. Luckily for me (or should I say my dogs) I understand the pack theory.
I was actually quite disappointed with the book. I guess I had other expectations which I should not have had before picking the book up. Cesar spends a lot of time explaining WHAT you should do and he does this well with many examples. What he is vague on and doesn't go into much details are the HOW. I purchased this book because I wanted to know more about HOW I can always been seen as the pack leader; HOW to overcome two dogs that sometimes see me as a leader and sometimes not; HOW to train a subborn puppy not to pull on a leash and how to come on command. Cesar did cover all of these topics but more so on WHAT is important and WHY but not too much on the HOW.
This is just my personal opinion and I still feel it was an excellent book and one I could not put down as it was written in a novel form. It will be hard to use as reference as it isn't broken down like a text book. Again, my own expectations.
But I have never seen Cesar in action so I may still purchase his DVD's.
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Old Debunked Ideas - Little practical advice
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In this book Cesar Millan waxes authoritatively about all he learned in a farm about wolf social hierarchies and dog packs. Unfortunately nearly all of it is wrong, and we've known it was wrong for at least 30 years. There is little practical advice in this book, instead we get some name dropping and Millan's philosophy about how dog's behave.
For far better explanations on dog social hierarchies Behavioral Biology of Dogs by P Jensen, On Talking Terms with Dogs by Turid Rugaas, and Evolution of Canine Social Behavior by Roger Abrantes. For training advice the work of Karen Pryor, Sheila Booth, and Ian Dunbar.
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Cesar is truly the Dog Whisperer
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I think Cesar is the first one who ever used "energy" as a major tool in communicating with your dog. It really does work and explain why dogs behave in certain ways.
Yes, there's a bit of name-dropping in the book, but at the same time, we can't discredit how great he is with dogs. So to look at it from a different perspective, we all face the similar problems when raising our dogs, whether we are celebs or not. Moreover, it's just a matter of fact that he had had those celebrity clients, whom the public have heard of or know a little about, making it easier for people to relate to.
You just have to admit that he has a genuine concern and love for dogs unlike the dude in "Under the Leash." I personally really like Cesar's approach. I think it's a breakthrough for humans, in terms of knowing more about our dogs.
I was really touched by the introduction. It was just a beautiful biography of Cesar. This is a book everyone will enjoy......
~Eva
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Good but over-rated
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Cesar has some great ideas and I managed to pick up some tips. The last two chapters where he finally "gets down to it" and stops "name dropping" gets to his point. I found the book interesting and useful, but over rated. I bought my copy at full retail and it wasn't worth it. At Amazon's discount, it might be worth it. Better yet, borrow a copy from the library or a friend.
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