In your post you mention positive training:

“An again, I’ve recently seen Cesar working with positive trainers who use positive methods including some with treats and clickers. I’m glad to see it happen,” and “I don’t understand why you find force a better way than positive training. A love of dogs keeps me on the dog’s side. Like I said in my most recent article, Cesar has started to work with positive trainers and is beginning to turn around to more positive training. I’m happy to see it. When he does that completely, I’ll back him, too.”

You insinuate that Cesar does not practice positive reinforcement in his rehabilitation of the dogs, but that is just not true. His main message to the viewers is, “Exercise, discipline, and affection.” There are some dogs that are so laid back that little to no discipline is needed (I have one of those rare gems), but anyone who has worked with an aggressive dog knows that at least some discipline is required (some require much more than others- I also just adopted one of those rare “gems,” too). It is not done out of anger or meanness, but out of love. When an animal has behavioral issues, it is almost always because of lack of exercise, discipline, and the instinctual pack leader (or the “alpha roll” that you disagree with). If you debate this, try the following: work with an aggressive dog before and after you take them on a 2-3 mile walk/run and see the difference in the way they react to you (they are much more willing to follow instructions after they have spent their pent up energy); teach the dog that they are only allowed to do what you deem acceptable (they want and need structure in their lives, and will react to please you); take the dog to a dog park and watch how there is always one dog that takes over as the leader of the pack (multiple dogs may try to arise as the leader, but if left alone long enough, only one with succeed). This reaches the core of the dog’s instincts- there is no “positive training” in nature, just “force.”

In my opinion, your post gives the impression that you think Cesar’s techniques are wrong and do not work. I, along with many others that I both personally know or have talked to/read about, can vouch for these techniques and say, that with the right understanding and implementation, the techniques absolutely work. There are many ways of doing things, and usually multiple ways to solve a single problem, and while I agree that positive reinforcement training is the best technique to use whenever possible, it is simply not enough for an aggressive dog (80% of the dogs on Cesar’s show have aggression issues).

I strongly agree with your earlier post about Cesar- that it’s a TV show and the viewer doesn’t see the whole story. But, in all fairness, we rarely see the affection at the end of the show, either.

I appreciate your posts and insight, and I hope my comments haven’t upset you. I would just like for everyone to see all sides of this issue, and understand that each dog is unique and no one technique is ever a sure thing.

Thanks,
~Chris D. from Dallas