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Cesar Millan verses Victoria Stilwell. This is a debate that has sparked controversy in canine lovers across the country, in dog parks, vet offices, over the internet, and even on my very street. I live in a condo community that is plentiful with dogs, their people and their people's opinions. Also in this community, is one canine that is particularly affected by this debate. She is a seven month old Chocolate Labrador named Lola.

Lola has young, trendy owners (we'll call them John and Kate) who stop and talk to everyone they meet with a well behaved dog and ask for advice, often as Lola bounds about comically out of control, entangling herself and her leash around anyone and anything unfortunate enough to be in her path. My significant other has been one of the people approached as he walked our Golden Retriever, (who is a 3rd level advanced obedience graduate), and with good intentions explained to John that I have experience in dog training, and have rescued, trained and fostered many dogs, and he and Kate should speak to me. Inevitably, within a few weeks, I crossed paths with John and Kate as Lola attempted, as usual to walk her owners. Just as inevitably, we struck up a conversation about canine training. They listened intently, even hung on my words, until I mentioned Cesar Millan, when the conversation stopped cold. "I told you Cesar is the way to go! He is awesome!" John says to his fianc attempting to prove his point in an obviously sensitive battle. "He creeps me out! I like Victoria Stilwell!" She barked back at him, and explained to me that it is Victoria's methods she has been using. Ironically, Kate is the one who has the most trouble with Lola, however, the more involved John gets in this argument with Kate, the less Lola listens to him. I watch as Lola becomes even more unruly, proving Cesar's teaching that animals respond to calm assertive energy. In the meantime, a once cute puppy's antics are now growing more troublesome as Lola matures into an eighty pound pup while her owner's argue.

Before taking my leave from John and Kate, I interject my reasons for suggesting Cesar by explaining the effectiveness of his method, and how positive reinforcement training (the very same training I used with my own dog as well as many foster and rescues dogs before I knew of Cesar) does work, and has merit. Victoria Stilwell is exceptionally adept with these methods. However, positive reinforcement training only addresses a portion of problems, a portion

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