by Hope Darby

Created on: February 12, 2009

As a long-time fan of both "It's Me or the Dog," and "Dog Whisperer," deciding between Victoria Stilwell and Cesar Millan is a difficult task. I believe they are both exceptional trainers with keen understanding of dog behaviors and psychology, and they share an equal passion for what they do.

Why, then, have I chosen Victoria? Simple, really. Because most dogs require training, not rehabilitation. If I had a dangerous dog (or a "red zone" case), or a dog with obvious psychological blocks, I would dial up Cesar in a heartbeat. I believe he is the best in the business when it comes to rehabbing terrified or vicious dogs. Victoria, on the other hand, has an almost flawless training technique for animals with behavioral problems.

In all reality, both Victoria Stilwell and Cesar Millan use the same basic ideas: the human is in charge, the dog must do what the human says, and the human must treat the dog with respect and consistency. Their differences emerge in the techniques they use.

Victoria utilizes a positive-reinforcement methodology to training, whereas Cesar is loyal to the pack-method and flooding. Cesar ignores the area of training that teaches a dog basic obedience commands and focuses solely on the primal instincts of the animal. When a dog has a psychological issue, he relies on flooding, a technique that essentially forces the animal to be in the situation they fear the most, to prove that the animal is not in any real danger.

On the surface, this sounds very reasonable; the animal learns that the human is not going to allow the dog to be injured. Unfortunately, this technique does not fix the real problem, and runs a high risk of really traumatizing a frightened animal. Imagine, if you will, that you have a severe spider phobia. A therapist practicing flooding would treat you by shutting you in a small room and filling it with thousands of spiders. While you may realize that you aren't going to be seriously harmed, the resulting panic and anxiety caused by this "treatment" may actually compound your fear, rather than alleviating it.

Victoria, on the other hand, firmly believes that a trained dog is a happy dog, and that no real progress can be made unless you are willing to take the time to work with and train your pet. By using tried-and-true training methods such as clickers, treats, and consistent repetition, Victoria allows the dog to figure out what she wants in its own time. She does not impose her will on the animal; rather, she speaks the command,

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