Trouble with the trainers; Stilwell versus Milan (poll)

Dog fight: The dominant attitude of American celebrity pet trainer
Cesar Millan is at odds with the more gentle approach favoured by
British trainer Victoria Stilwell

It has become a bitter row, and neither side is likely to roll over any time soon.

A dispute has broken out among Britain’s dog trainers over whether we
should be dominating our pooches or treating them as equals.

One side insists it is fine to pin dogs to the ground in an ‘alpha
roll’, while other trainers are fierce advocates of the more modern
technique of ‘positive rewarding’.

They insist the more traditional method amounts to animal cruelty and
can lead to increased stress for the dog - and they have launched an
organisation to regulate dog trainers and stamp out the practice.

The traditionalists favour techniques espoused by Mexican-American
animal behaviourist Cesar Millan, who has made a fortune from The Dog
Whisperer - a TV series in which he re-trains problem dogs.

Mr Millan, whose clients include actress Scarlett Johansson and chatshow
host Oprah Winfrey, says dogs should be treated as animals, not
substitute children. He advocates the owner ensuring it is clear they
are the ‘pack leader’.

In contrast, English dog trainer Victoria Stilwell’s TV show It’s Me Or
The Dog encourages owners to think of their dogs as equals.

‘Any person can make an animal behave through force and fear,’ the 41-year-old former actress from London told The Sunday Times.

It is supporters of Mrs Stilwell’s doctrine who have created the Animal
Behaviour and Training Council, with the support of animal welfare
groups including the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust.

‘The aim is to standardise what is going on, because at the moment
anybody can say “I know there is a leg on each corner – so I can train
them”,’ said the council’s chairman, David Montgomery.

The council, to be launched next month, will regulate trainers in the
UK, and those practising the ‘alpha roll’ are ‘unlikely’ to make the
grade, Mr Montgomery added.

However, Colin Tennant, who has trained 10,000 dogs and chairs the
Canine and Feline Behaviour Association, said: ‘It is political
correctness. If you treat a dog like a human it will treat you like a
dog.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz0w7ynoZHV

i prefer victoria stillwell all the way

I voted 'u decide'

I like a bit of this and a bit of that

I watch both this is a difficult one but going to vote with my gutt instinct!!!

I thought everyone one here thought that Milan was the dogs Bollocks wait until Shelley sees this she will have a hissy fit

I think they are both up their own arses.

liverbird wrote:

I thought everyone one here thought that Milan was the dogs Bollocks wait until Shelley sees this she will have a hissy fit

SUMMER wrote:

I think they are both up their own arses.

MILLAN IS A GOD!!!!

SUMMER wrote:

I think they are both up their own arses.

or each others

I used to love Cesar but as i got to know my own dogs better i found the stilwell appraoch works better for me... thats not to say i think of them as equals i dont they are dogs and have their place ( lieing next to me on the marital bed with hubby asleep on the couch )

So i suppose you watch both take aspects from both and use what works for you but Stilwell gets my vote.... Ive used a lot of her techniques....

Stilwell Still winning the vote

it depends what works for your dog, not all methods of training works for every dog, theyre all individuals like we are

i tend to think that cesars methods work better for fred

Your right
I don't use either of them tbh
probably why

Bailey has separation anxiety
Tilly hates small dogs
and Shady doesn't listen to me

:san12: :san12: :san12: :san12:

freds had no end of training and he still hates other dogs ..... :2431:


hes getting better though.... depends what mood hes in :rolls eyes: :

liverbird wrote:

Your right
I don't use either of them tbh
probably why

Bailey has separation anxiety
Tilly hates small dogs
and Shady doesn't listen to me

Haha that's so funny Karen

I have the same problem

Hazel is aloof and thinks above herself. Misty has more problems than the whole of all the dogs in any rescue put together. Bryn lives his life like Scooby Doo and all I can say is thank god Ellie is tiny, if she was bigger it would be watch out the friggin world

:san12: :san12: :san12: :san12:

this must mean that freds not the problem dog i once thought he was then.....

hes normal :tilly:

He is Shell wait till you meet mine then you will put Fred on a pedastol

:san12: surely not :2431: ...

freds a good lad really, i have high standards too bloomin high me thinks :rolls eyes: :

That's what Gaz says as well but I say they should bloody behave the way I want

thats what i say too sange

they do behave for me, its every fecker else in the house they misbehave for.... when the OH is not here and the kids are out or at school, the dogs are perfect

you can guarantee within 10mins of the OH being home fred will tear the place up running around and play fighting and daisy will have learnt bad habits :rolls eyes: :

Same here, they are all led by me nice and quiet I will go to the garden in a bit to pick some pea's beans carrots and cabbage and they will come with me and be great, wait till Gaz comes in different story

bloody men... theyre a liability :rolls eyes: :

they are, they think dogs train, feed and brush themselves

.... weve had no end of arguments over the bloomin dog(when it was just fred) ..

i told him....he either does it my way or he can stay in feckin camp :ciggy:

im afraid i cant STAND stillwell shes a complete and utter f**k witt and actually prob does more harm then good. she doesnt deal with true aggressive cases as if she did shed tell them to be PTS. trust me she came to GMP kennels to film, and told the police their dogs were crazy and needed to be destroyed could tell you a LOT more about this visit as was rather funny, she was so dam scared of a lovely 18 month old GSD that she had to work with, in the end the dog wouldnt listen to her so his handler was in the background giving the commands.

as a trainer you dont just use one method you have a tool box with many ideas to suite each dog and handler, but training a working dog is sooooo diff to a pet. and i know a lot of traininers round here wont touch aggressive dogs thats why i get them, and we manage to sort them out.....and certainly not by using stillwells ideas lol

PS i LOVE millan :D xx

We know you love CM yer dirty mare

I agree each dog and each prob is diff and so is pet training to working etc