ceaser and victoria stillwell O.o

[shilorio]

i dont nesisarily disagree with it... but i dont see how it works, the thing i dont like would be my dog rolling into submission as i pass by, thats all. i use prong collars haha and deff, crates. my dogs know im domanate i just dont want them submisive, ya know?

[AbbyK9]

I'll have to agree with selzer. There are positives to be learned both from Cesar and from Victoria, probably more so from their more recent episodes - Cesar has calmed down on the forced submission some and Victoria has become more open to concepts such as crating - than from their earlier episodes.

If I had to pick one over the other, however, that would be a hard choice to make, because I don't agree with either one 100%. I feel that they are both, in their own way, very one-sided. Victoria is all about positive-all-the-time and Cesar is very force-all-the-time in their training approach. I don't think either approach is well-balanced.

IMHO dogs need a positive-only phase when they are learning a new command, but once a command is learned, and proofed, there comes a phase of correction when the dog chooses not to follow the command. I don't think you can be all-positive or all-correction and get a balanced dog out of it. There needs to be positive AND corrections in the different phases of training. That's what I think, anyway, and how I train.

[Konotashi]

I hate Ceaser's idea of how basically every behavioral issue is related to dominance. It's so annoying. And it seems like his training methods, if done wrong, could screw up your dog.

I LOVE Victoria, though. I love the fact that she uses positive reinforcement, and that woman has worked some miracles! Plus, her training methods - if you do it wrong, it'll just take a little longer. (For the most part).

[Good_Karma]

Originally Posted by AbbyK9

I'll have to agree with selzer. There are positives to be learned both from Cesar and from Victoria, probably more so from their more recent episodes - Cesar has calmed down on the forced submission some and Victoria has become more open to concepts such as crating - than from their earlier episodes.

If I had to pick one over the other, however, that would be a hard choice to make, because I don't agree with either one 100%. I feel that they are both, in their own way, very one-sided. Victoria is all about positive-all-the-time and Cesar is very force-all-the-time in their training approach. I don't think either approach is well-balanced.

IMHO dogs need a positive-only phase when they are learning a new command, but once a command is learned, and proofed, there comes a phase of correction when the dog chooses not to follow the command. I don't think you can be all-positive or all-correction and get a balanced dog out of it. There needs to be positive AND corrections in the different phases of training. That's what I think, anyway, and how I train.

I also agree with Selzer, and with the additional comments above. Milan may work in some cases with dogs that have serious issues, but he's not for the average dog owner. But he makes great TV.

Haven't seen Victoria, but I did read one of her books. I found it to be very basic and probably best for extreme newbie dog owners.

Like was said, both training methods contain bits of useful information. My feeling is that the owner must read books every different type of training method by various authors, then pick and choose which techniques work for the unique combination of you and your dog. There are so many variables in each relationship that a single training style probably won't exactly fit any given dog-owner partnership.

That said, if I had to cast a vote in favor of Milan vs. Stillwell, I'd go with Stillwell.

[LaRen616]

I watch both of their shows but when it comes to training I like Victoria better.

I dont like that Cesar gets physical with his dogs, I dont like that he forces them to do things.

[cshepherd9]

I have always been a dog lover but it wasn't until I started watching Ceasar that I became interested in the behavior of dogs and why they do the things they do. I am not saying I agree with everything he says or does but when I first started watching him is when I began to really take an interest in researching dogs and dog behavior. He also got me to realize that I need to get my dogs out for routine walks and not just rely on the back yard (I was young). So that is what I learned most from him.

If I am looking to train or curb a certain behavior then I usually take my lessons from an episode of Victoria's show. One example is that I was having problems with Willow and countersurfing. I had never had a dog do that before so I was stumped on how to get her to stop. I tried many things: cans with coins, double side sticky tape along the counter and a spray bottle with water. None of them worked and then I saw Victoria use a bike horn at the moment the dog was jumping on the counter. I rushed to Walmart for a horn and the problem was solved within a week or two.

So I guess I have learned from both of them.

[MaggieRoseLee]

I see Victoria as more of a trainer and behavoirist who knows most of the time it's the HUMAN that is causing the problem/confusion/situation....... so looks at the dynamic to train the human and then (shocking ) teach the dog how their new life is going to work.

What I admire about Cesar is he actually takes on dogs that are HUGE real problems that have been HUGE REAL PROBLEMS for years that mostly would be a nightmare for any trainer to even think about taking on. The fact that many of these dogs are so bad and their owners are such contributors to the situation that he removes the dogs COMPLETEY to take them to his house so he can rehabilitate them is very telling. So he somewhat fixes the dog to calm it to what a real life could/should be, before ever even dealing with the owner to show what the dog really always could have been with the right leadership and guidance....

[onyx'girl]

Because both of these "trainers" are on television with the magic of editing it is really hard to know if their techniques work and long term. Foundation training is key to behavior modification and short term fixes are just that.
I prefer Victoria over Cesar, she was interviewed in the Whole Dog Journal and I like her perspective.
Like posted above the Cesar and his dominance theory gets old fast.

MRL is right~the owners are the problem, not the dog ~in both shows.

If I watch a show about dogs, I'll be happiest to tune in to Dogtown...too bad it is no longer making new episodes.

[Ryder&SophieSue]

i like victoria way better, i have even used some of her ideas and they work great...

I don't like caeser...He intimidates the dogs, especially the lil ones. He eyes them, head on and thats intimidating...He does psss crap, that is scary...when a dog stands there and shakes when in training, i am sorry something is wrong...

[KMSlemons]

Unlike most everyone here, I haven't even seen Victoria, so I can't comment. I do watch Cesar Milan at least once a week, though I try to catch more episodes. I like most of what he does and put many of his suggestions into practice here. I know I've just been sent to the proverbial dog house for admitting that I like him, but..... it's the truth!