The Cesar Experience

[Romy]

I don't like CM and have no doubts the methods he uses while they seems to produce results, can cause more harm than good in some dogs. I'm not saying that CM and especially being left at CM's doggy daycare didn't do more harm than good with this dog. I have certainly seen dogs damaged by poor training, heavy handed training, etc. I know a dog who pretty much flipped out to the point of no return after being left at a chain e-collar trainer's for a month. But it can be hard to say what's what with this story. I suspect it's a bit that the dog naturally didn't have a stellar temperament, combined with heavy handed training, being left for 2 weeks in a daycare setting where e-collars were used and perhaps badly misused, having an owner who doesn't seem to understand the breed, etc, etc, etc.

A 6 month old fila left with total strangers for a week? Who harmed it under who knows what circumstances? (from the dog's perspective, with the e-collar)

I absolutely find it believable that in those circumstances an otherwise stable fila puppy would develop major issues. Properly used, I've never heard of an e-collar being used to train dogs under a year old. I don't know if this lady's fila was stable to begin with, but yeah.

And correct filas are not typically dog aggressive. They've got a generous dose of bloodhound in their ancestry and are expected to work well with other dogs. They're one of the very few molossers that tend to be fine with other dogs.

 

[Aleron]

A 6 month old fila left with total strangers for a week? Who harmed it under who knows what circumstances? (from the dog's perspective, with the e-collar)

I absolutely find it believable that in those circumstances an otherwise stable fila puppy would develop major issues. Properly used, I've never heard of an e-collar being used to train dogs under a year old. I don't know if this lady's fila was stable to begin with, but yeah.

I think I said that I didn't doubt being left there did more harm than good. I'm pretty sure the dog was already having problems by that point though. And the lady's story is...just plain weird in other ways too.

 

[Laurelin]

Rottweilers are one of the oldest herding breeds. They were used to get cattle to the market and they also were guardians to the livestock. Of course, they were used for all kinds of purposes besides, pulling carts, protection and other things. And GSDs were used as sheep herding dogs. So, I don't know why Rotties or GSDs wouldn't make good herding dogs. Granted, maybe they wouldn't meet par with BCs.

Now, this one...ya gotta love. He got the message a little mixed up about Rotties' job of herding cattle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-hWFsM_3m0

I know. My uncle actually used a rottweiler on his ranch. The dog wasn't intended to be a cattle hand but ended up being great at it.

But that's very different from USBCHA style herding trials. Those trials are built for border collie's style of work.

 

[ihartgonzo]

A 6 month old fila left with total strangers for a week? Who harmed it under who knows what circumstances? (from the dog's perspective, with the e-collar)

I absolutely find it believable that in those circumstances an otherwise stable fila puppy would develop major issues. Properly used, I've never heard of an e-collar being used to train dogs under a year old. I don't know if this lady's fila was stable to begin with, but yeah.

And correct filas are not typically dog aggressive. They've got a generous dose of bloodhound in their ancestry and are expected to work well with other dogs. They're one of the very few molossers that tend to be fine with other dogs.

I agree with this. Who the F uses a shock collar on a PUPPY?!?! Horrendous and sad, and anyone who puts one on a dog without the owner's knowledge or consent should be arrested.

I'm friends with this lady on FB, and I've talked to her at length about her experience. She posted a much better summary on FB but I can't link it. I agree that this particular article doesn't go into full detail... but this is a very knowledgeable and brave woman! She is not in any way uneducated about the breed, nor is she naive to dog training or behavior any more.

Ever since shortly after her experiences, CM has required dog owners to sign an extensive confidentiality agreement. He has MANY lawyers behind him, as he's facing tons of critics and unhappy clients. It's been leaked that many of the dogs he has seen have been euthanized or surrendered, but the owners can't actually speak up about it at all, and he can't be held accountable for anything.