Paul Owens

by Anne Springer

Created on: October 29, 2011   Last Updated: November 01, 2011

Paul Owens first published "The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate Nonviolent Approach to Dog Training" in 1999, long before anyone was using that terminology to describe their abilities to communicate with dogs. Cesar didn't appear on the public stage until his appearance on Oprah in about 2005.

His methods are not new, nor are they magic, except through the magic of television, yet Cesar Millan (National Geographic Channel) seems to have captured the public’s attention since an appearance on Oprah propelled him to fame, and garnered him a TV show of his own.  Some very highly regarded experts suggest that the one good thing he has done is to get the public interested in dog behavior and training.  But, they also say he has helped to perpetuate a misguided “dominance theory” that scientists now admit is only somewhat applicable to wolves, and is not an accurate representation of how our modern dogs live  (The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior actually tells veterinarians NOT to refer clients to trainers who use dominance or pack theory).  More recent scientific methods of training make it unnecessary to coerce dogs into good behavior by means of punishments, like the “leash pop”, tapping them with the feet, or pinning them to the ground.  Despite the show’s disclaimer, and Cesar’s own suggestion that people seek out a local trainer to help their dogs, I am still seeing people “trying those methods at home” with no idea of the consequences that might occur. 

Unlike the methods that Paul Owens uses, which could really be characterized as whispering, Cesar's methods are often quite physical.  One blogger, Steve Dale, has said that Millan should, instead, call himself the "Dog Screamer" because his methods are anything but gentle and serene.   One episode clearly shows a German Shepherd being corrected by a shock collar - to trainers who accomplish the same results without using punishment, that's not exactly whispering. 

Contrast training techniques such as foot tapping, pinning, and "helicoptering" with the techniques on the videos that Paul Owens has made, in which the dogs are taught using positive reinforcement, and with other shows, such as "It's Me or the Dog" starring Victoria Stilwell, and you get an idea of the rift in dog training - the old school and the new, bolstered by science, and, frankly, ethics.  It boils down to how you want to treat your dog. 

 Cesar says, “Be a pack leader”, but what does that mean?  Is it "whispering" or does he "shout"?  If you really want to know, turn the sound off and watch the dogs - then read Turid Ruugas' book "On Talking Terms with Dogs" and you will see many of the "calming signals" and stress signals that dogs use to try to ward off that which they fear. 

Wolf models, long touted as the basis for the “alpha roll” or “dominance theory” don’t really apply to dogs.  They live in looser social groups and do not form linear hierarchies.  Dogs also know that human beings are not dogs – they “get” that we have a weird way of walking, and that we have those neat opposable thumbs that can open treat bags and the car door!  Perhaps more importantly, dogs understand fairness, as well as “who controls the resources.”  They even understand absence of a reward, thus are capable of making a better choice of behavior to garner a reward after they fail to get one on the first try.   Cesar thinks it’s necessary for you to always go out a door first or walk ahead of your dog.  Yet others have proven that it’s just as effective to ask that your dog to “sit” and “wait” and be given permission to go out the door, since that puts you (and your opposable thumbs) in charge of that resource (getting outdoors).  You need not make every walk a forced march!  Your dog can sniff interesting smells on your walks together, and still come back to you and do a nice “heel” if you train him properly. 

It’s hard to make a reasoned decision about how you want to train and manage your dog with only one point of view, and from an edited TV show at that.  I suggest you read “The Culture Clash” by Jean Donaldson, or watch “It’s Me or the Dog” on Animal Planet, watch a few videos by the original “Dog Whisperer”, Paul Owens, to get a different perspective on our relationships with dogs.  His videos are available inexpensively on Amazon Videos on Demand/

If I can leave you with one idea – don’t idolize or blindly defend anyone, and never stop learning.  That is how we came to understand that we could train dolphins, dogs, chickens and even goldfish, with a simple set of scientific principles, and it's also how many trainers evolved from using the old Cesar methods to newer methods based on sound scientific evidence, with plenty of respect and kindness thrown in for the dogs. 

My training philosophy is to use the most minimally invasive, and least aversive, techniques that I possibly can.  If a dog fails an exercise, I look to my own insufficiencies as a trainer first, rather than chastising the dog.  I try to remember that, while my dog wants to please me, he is still a dog, and his native tongue is Canine, not English.  In teaching dogs my language, I have come to know that what I reinforce (reward), even accidentally, is what the dog does.  What I allow, I teach.  I believe the Lakota proverb that says, “Force, no matter how concealed, produces resistance.”  So, I prefer to elicit and reward behavior, rather than force or punish it. 

It is when we succeed at communicating our wishes in ways that our dogs understand, and when we also succeed in perfecting our timing, reinforcement, and consistency, that we are successful at training.  That’s why I don’t “whisper” – I translate and motivate!  And, I keep reading, listening, and doing – with the dogs as my ultimate teachers.  I hope that you will, too.  By doing so, you can have a willing, obedient partner, and the same loving and rewarding relationship with your dog(s) as I have with mine.  And, when someone calls ME a dog whisperer, I tell them thank you for comparing me to Paul Owens!

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