by Brian Fleming

Created on: January 21, 2009   Last Updated: December 29, 2009

Cesar Millan has revolutionized the way I train my dogs. Before I was training under the impression that those basic mannerisms (like whining when I left home and barking at other dogs) couldn't be trained out of a dog. But then I saw Cesar Millan's show and was blown away.

"What," I thought, sitting there in front of my television set, my dog, Fido, standing at the front room window, barking at the dogs across the street, "You can train a dog not to bark after you leave the house? Amazing!"

Now I am not trying to say that Victoria Stilwell is not an excellent trainer in her own right, but Cesar Millan deserves a league of his own when it comes to dogs. I have never seen an individual understand dogs so well; if he were raised by dogs in his childhood, I wouldn't be surprised! He understands the needs and wants of all dogs, like a trained psychologist can understand those of humans. This empathy with the dogs helps him to see the root of their unwanted behavior, something most trainers would not spend the time or effort doing.

Not only can Cesar Millan understand dogs' emotions, drives, and desires, but he is also successful at changing all unwanted behavior in dogs (like the annoying bark Fido does when he sees the neighbor's cat). Throughout all of the episodes of the Dog Whisperer (yes, I have seen them all), he has not failed a single time to get a dog under control.

An additional reason why I would call Cesar to help me control Fido, is that Cesar never uses physical pain to correct a dog's behaviors. Now, he does use a choke collar every once in a while, to train a dog to heel, but this is miles away from the swatting at butts and noses that I have seen other trainers implement to correct behavior. A simple "Shhhht!" is all that is needed from Cesar to correct any behavior. Maybe I should attempt to "Shhht!" my wife if she talks during the movie tonight. On second hand, I'll leaving the shhhing to Cesar and the dogs.

To wrap it up, I would call Cesar Millan over Victoria Stilwell any day of the week. Again, this is not because Victoria Stilwell is not a good trainer. I would choose Cesar because he has an empathy for canines unmatched by that in which I have seen in any other trainer. Not only can Cesar change any unwanted behavior, but he does it with a simple "Shhhht", and not through physical reprimands.

Actually, I think I'll call him right now, he'll be able to get Fido to stay quiet. Maybe then I'll be able to relax to an episode of the Dog Whisperer!

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