Cesar Millan Kicking Dogs

This video has been making its way around the Internet. And people are commenting (that’s an understatement). Perhaps I can be a central landing spot for additional comments – so feel free.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but in some ways I think this video misrepresents Millan. For example, he’s not typically kicking a dog to do harm, but instead using his foot to re-position the dog. Not sure, though, what message that sends to viewers.

Moreover, as skilled as he may personally be, much of what he does is archiac. And as the video points out, so are Millan’s theories. For example, the idea that we need to be a pack leader and the analogy of our domestic dogs as wolves is wrong on two accounts. First, (according to experts on wolves) Millan is wrong about wolf social structure in the first place. Second, dogs are decidedly not wolves (as the video suggests).

Decide for yourself. To me, it’s interesting that SO many professionals find Millan’s methods to be as archiac as I do. Repeated at home by non-professionals, now those methods have transformed into dangerous.