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Cesar Millan's Website recommends laser pointers. Please email a protest

17K views 55 replies 28 participants last post by  selzer 
#1 ·
#7 ·
I remember he was against it, said it on his show. I don't know who the author is, but it isn't Cesar who wrote the article.
 
#9 ·
You can comment right on that link....the whole article is questionable and worth debating. I hate when people write such bs, and that people follow it.
 
#10 ·
I always picture our annoying drunk loud friend sitting there in all his beer gut glory going on and on about how myself and my fiance dont know a thing about stimulating our Border collies mind, while he is into half a bottle of jack and winging his laser around the yard for his 2 super spun collies because that is how you do it in his opinion. URGH
 
#12 ·
That's true. I didn't look for the author, I thought it was his site that I was directed to in the link in this thread. It never occured to me that it wasn't his article or at least endorsed by him.
 
#15 ·
How about a laser tug.

It has to be about as good as the hand puppet dog toy.

I mean, they have designed retractable leashes, with radio, flashlight, and pooper scooper bags, so you can go out walking the dog, after dark, listening to your tunes, and cleaning up the poop all at the same time.

I have one of these. LOL. What people won't buy dog lovers for Christmas!
 
#24 ·
Well, let me list a couple of items being discussed here,

1. Laser pointers or any specific toy do not make a do go nuts. If dog is not wired correctly he will go nuts regardless.
2. Playing tug successfully has a couple of pre-requisites that need to be trained first.

If 1 and 2 are learned then the article all of a sudden begins to makes sense :)
 
#25 ·
Most of the trainers I have dealt with have made some mention of staying away from laser pointers. From this thread, Cesar has mentioned it in one of his episodes. So he obviously isn't a fan of them either, so why he has an article on his website encouraging their use, I don't know.

As for tug toys. I have heard so much negative and positive of tugging, I just don't. I hear it builds drive, and I am not crazy about increasing drives. We used to tug all the time with my grandmother's dachund, used to lift him up with his slipper. He never gave up. Never was a problem though, expect when he would continually push that soggy slipper at you long after you were done playing. I guess I was never interested in having a GSD pushing a soggy slipper at me, so I don't bother with tug. And every other day it changes, whether or not you win, or let them win, or determine who gets to start the game, and when it ends, and all the rest of it.
 
#29 ·
My dog has developed an acute phase of shadow chasing
I asked my trainer about a laser pointer and she strictly said no. Laser pointers are for cats, if you want your dog to develop a severe OCD that will help it.
Just sharing my info


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Its bad for cats too, I just don't see the point of using a laser.This is a very interesting article from 2011, but has ways to help animals with OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in Dogs and Cats!.
 
#28 ·
The laser pointer switches on OCD in dogs - as far as we know right now - that are "susceptible" to it. However, how does the average pet owner know that your dog won't be one that will have these obsessive behaviors?

Better not to take the risk is what people are saying. Plus it's a stupid, pointless game for a dog, similar to the fake ball toss - hurr durr - look at mah dawg tryin ta git somethin that ain't thurr.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/06/130610-ocd-dogs-health-animals-science-brains/

Dog Compulsive Behavior ? Spinning, Tail Chasing, Pacing more Types, Symptoms and Treatments

http://drsophiayin.com/docs/SpinOutBarkFeb08.pdf

Ask the Animal Behaviorist : Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

Tufts Animal Behavior Research Studies : Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

You can also do google search of spinning, chasing light, flank sucking, other behavior and this forum and see a lot of posts about it.
 
#30 ·
I have a dog who is OCD over a laser pointer, not a fun life. Not me, ex-husband played with him with it. Now everything is fair game, power outage, need a flash light, he goes nuts, dog with a bad back twisting and turning to get the light - absolute disaster, dog has to be locked in the house when we have fires, when dh pulls out his trouble light to work on something in the shop. They should be outlawed, or I should have been better educated and aware of what my ex was doing with Oz. 5 years later and I still have issues.
 
#31 ·
Back a long time ago when we had the goldens, they did play with laser pointers. We originally used them with the cats and the dogs eventually got into it. We never had a single issue with OCD. I could turn a flashlight on, the TV could be on with no lights, etc. Everyone was stable enough to understand the difference and also when it was play time and when it was not.

I don't do this with my GSDs, and I never allow a laser pointer in this house. However, I don't think the laser pointer *creates* OCD. I believe it just brings it out in dogs (and cats) that are already OCD or genetically wired wrong.

With that being said, I don't think the average Joe and Jane can easily figure out if their dog/cat is or is not capable of OCD behavior. Most average pet owners don't even know what OCD looks like in an animal. So I do agree that it should not be advertised or even mentioned to the public as a possible toy or as a form of exercise. Not to mention, people don't usually think clearly and end up doing stupid things. If it's not used safely the dog can get injured or something can break and costly repairs may be needed, or both.

I can't understand why this would be on his page, he's definitely been highly against it in the past. Wonder what changed on that or how it got slipped onto his page without his consent.
 
#32 ·
Whether it creates the OCD in some dogs, or brings it out in dogs that are prone to it, it seems like there is enough evidence that it is a dangerous thing.

He should remove that from his site, or at least type an disclaimer about the use of laser pointers so that people like me, who are pretty happy to point out anything he does wrong, will not see his mug on the top of a site and that in the contact and assume he is more of a nut than we already think he is. OR that people who do like him, and go up to bat for him on everything, will see that and start encouraging the use of lasers because of it.

But, it is the holidays, he may be pretty sick of all that he does for dogs, or rather the humans that are constantly messing up dogs, and isn't checking it out too closely.
 
#33 ·
If your family has a history of alcoholism, it's easy enough to chose not to imbibe. But we are taking about dogs. A lot of this people in this forum have pedigreed and proven dogs, but not all of us owners have that. Why take the risk with a laser pointer. It just seems like a silly decision. I mean, my dog might develop OCD or might not.... Let me roll the dice and not accept responsibility :(

Aaargh.


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