I’m Not Afraid of Corporate Thugs.
When I posted a blog entitled The last days of pain training are upon us at Dog Star Daily, I sincerely meant what I said, about the symposium and the need for a change from the Charlatan Manipulator which is my new name for ah… you know Cesar Millan IE: CM.
It seems that despite my optimism and honest assertions, the TV watching lemmings and supposedly some “good friends” of the TV Star flooded the DSD site and then the corporate thugs became jittery and the Charlatan Manipulator’s team did what they do best, threaten. DSD caved.
1 – I do not wish any harm to DSD, the Dunbar’s are good people who I consider friends and they have always been kind, considerate and helpful to me whenever I asked. I do not blame them at all for acquiescing to the legal threat. People should be free to do what they like or feel they have to do.
2 – I never wished any harm to the Charlatan Manipulator. I wished only that he would meet with the best of the best in dog training and behavior, and learn more than what his grandfather taught him. That is what the focus of the blog on DSD was about. After all is that not what this is all about learning so dogs get legitimate help.
Now I’m calling him out.
It’s not the methods of humane dog trainers that are in question, it’s his and people like him that in many ways are putting dogs at risk by not having legitimate knowledge. The chosen methods of CM have been in question from the very start by the humane and scientific community. Should this not tell us all something? Perhaps his grand pa’s lessons are out of date and can be built upon? Why would the entire humane and positive training community be questioning his methods and his ideology? They can’t all be jealous as his most ardent fans contest, like Pattie Labelle, who in People Magazine says he’s a “miracle man” and people are just “jealous”. She can sing, but she knows nothing about dog behavior, her dog she says was “different”, after CM did his magic that does not mean necessarily mean better.
However it seems that no one, not even the very people the Charlatan Manipulator wants to meet with these days can have a differing opinion about his dog training methods or his ideology.
If so they will be threatened by a gang of corporate thugs wielding legal threats. Even American Humane the organizers of the symposium have taken down their position statement. Why? What has changed? Clearly not CM nor his band of legal thugs.
This sounds like Nazi Germany, or the Mafia, or some neighborhood roughnecks at the very least. It certainly does not sound like honest open communication. In fact the humane orgs have taken down anything that resembles criticism of the Charlatan Manipulator, resorting to the umbrella banner of pain and fear based methods. Which is ok to a point but let’s not lose site of the fact there is a person influencing culture in a big way on TV. This continues these fear and pain based methods. It gives them credence when we should be warning people against them, oh yea there are warnings on the TV show. But not everyone heeds them.
Perhaps this symposium is under the condition that the humane orgs lay off, and then the thugs and the Charlatan will meet with them. American Humane took down their position statement against him, and they are organizing the meeting, sounds suspicious at the very least. How many more conditions have to be met as this meeting is taking shape?
If the Charlatan Manipulator is so free of wrong doing, so magical in his ways with dogs, why then is it seemingly impossible for him to just speak to these people who are beyond reproach in their knowledge of dog training and behavior and simply explain why he is not doing harm? I have had conversations with a few of the organizations and humane dog trainers that question his methods, if I can speak with these people about dog training and behavior why can’t he? If he knows so much and he is so gifted it should be an easy conversation for him. He claims in People Magazine from 07 that he was “upset’ when Dr. Nicholas Dodman said he “set back dog training 20 years”, but a call from Jada Pinkett Smith letting him know he’s “the man” consoled him. With all due respect Mrs. Pinkett Smith knows nothing about dog training or dog behavior. (Great actress though) Why not call Nick Dodman and speak with him, I did. I learned allot in the process as well.
He later says in the interview he knows he’s “helping dogs”, even if he has to go against “unstable people”. Is this an assertion Dr. Dodman is unstable, that American Humane and the IAABC are unstable? If so the stability question should be leveled against CM. Oh that’s right it has, but the corporate thugs shut it down.
When someone cannot answer basic questions to satisfy the humane organizations that protect animals, it reeks of the suspicion that perhaps the TV star is well, more of an actor than a dog trainer, or is it dog psychologist, or a modifier of behavior as he calls himself as of late, the Charlatan Manipulator seems to change his stance on what his title is every few years when the pressure mounts. I like the new title I’ve given him.
What is comical, and sad, is that these humane organizations backed down. Where I come from bullies have two choices, back up or fall down, it’s their choice. I’m not worried.
I live in the United States of America. I pay taxes and I have the freedom to dissent from ANY opinion and freely speak my mind. There are people that believe the earth is 5,000 years old and ignore scientific fact that the earth is billions of years old. That is their right.
Well it is my right and anyone else’s right to challenge someone’s assertions about how dogs learn, what dog behavior actually means and how to humanely train dogs and council dog owners.
In fact that is the battle here. In fact that is the reason why those of us in the humane camps are so concerned. Falsehoods about dog behavior and faulty methods in dog training are being bandied about under the guise of a man’s magic powers. The trickledown effect on dog owners and hack trainers who copy CM is dangerous. It boils down to consumer protection.
I for one am not interested in the Charlatan Manipulators fame or money, I am concerned with the ripple effect that the harmful methods and false information that is spread on TV have on dogs and how it adversely affects dogs and dog owners. I have seen it first hand and I’m not the only one. There are many people concerned about the Charlatan Manipulator’s TV show and its detrimental ripple effect.
There seems to be the good old root of all evil at play here, yep money. Money is the catalyst and the Achilles heel that will drive good hearted people and normally common sense folks right off the deep end into the dangerous zone of looking the other way or worse being duped into thinking the Charlatan Manipulator is sincere.
Sincerity is proven through actions. Not in giving money to help shelters, not in agreeing that puppy mills are bad, or that BSL is wrong. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see that those things are in need of addressing. After all is that not what politician’s do to gain some sympathy from the critics, they give a bunch of money and create well meaning foundations? That may be the tactic to alleviate any concerns. Sincerity is also not found in legal threats; those are the actions of corporate thugs protecting a worried man.
The question that begs to be asked is this, why threaten to bring down the very people that are educating the public about humane approaches to dog behavior and training? Why not talk with them without any conditions attached? That is quite a hypocritical stance, and it’s plain to see, unless the Charlatan Manipulator and his corporate thugs can silence everyone. Silencing critics through legal threats plays out as an admission of guilt. Reshaping an image is not the same as an honest desire to learn, grow and change.
What are CM and his people so worried about? Perhaps its concern he is not all what he portends to be. Perhaps it’s the fear that the cash cow will dry up or worse animal cruelty charges leveled? After all there a few dog “trainers” this has happened to. They are not famous though, they have no big legal team to protect them. One of them, a woman in Chicago Aimee Moore, even calls herself a “whisperer”, sadly the ripple was in effect in full force here.
The CPDT (Certified Pet Dog Trainers) has added a Knowledge Assessment certification to their standards. Should the CPDT members threaten a law suit for being asked to do this? Essentially that is what has been happening with the Charlatan Manipulator. Whenever anyone of merit questions his knowledge or skills, he and his corporate thugs get busy with legal threats. How does that look? I mean if Certified Pet Dog Trainers are being asked to show a level of knowledge and competence, why not the TV star?
Here’s a challenge to the Charlatan Manipulator and his band of corporate thugs.
• Anywhere any time, 100% live, no edits, discuss dog training and behavior before an audience of our peers in the field of dog training and behavior.
• Then let the experts in the behavioral and dog training fields evaluate the outcome, via CM’s written plan anyone can follow, this would be for current or future owners of the dog as well as the shelter staff and volunteers.
• Then a “board review” of the dog’s behavior he worked with and its training and the training plan by the best of the best in dog training and behavior. See just how good his observational skills are for behavior. See if his skills match up with the most humane and effective methods for behavior modification and training. I don’t think a basic knowledge test to see if the man understands dog behavior and training is too much to ask. CPDT's are asked this.
• All proceeds or monies derived from this “event” can go to a humane org of his choosing. We can even do it at the symposium everyone is talking about if he’d like.
I’m not worried. I mean let’s put the money where the mouth is. I freely admit I’m not special, gifted or perfect. I do however have a very solid education in dog training and behavior, I council people everyday about how to live with their dogs safely and effectively. I work with all sorts of behavior issues, fear, aggression (proven bite histories), house training, puppies, reactive dogs; separation anxiety, you name it I deal with it, 12 hours a day 365 days a year. So if he wants to have a discussion with me on the down low, get at me.
Let the games begin. We’ll see if the Charlatan Manipulator’s “grand pa education” can match mine or the best of the best in behavioral science and positive dog training. It’ll be quite interesting indeed.
Somehow I have a feeling the Charlatan Manipulator and his corporate thugs will not take me up on the challenge. We all know the moral of the story to the Wizard of Oz, right?
Links of interest
2007 People Magazine Interview with CM
http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20062474,00.html
Dog Trainer abuse cases
http://njspca.org/njspca-police-blotter_Trainer_Charged.htm
http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/abuseclaimsquestiondogtrainers-1164
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/dogtraining/
AVSAB Position Statement
http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/Combined_Punishment_Statements.pdf
UPenn Study
http://www.livescience.com/animals/090217-dog-training.html
Jo Jacques CPDT, CPCT & Sandy Myers CDBC
http://www.4pawsu.com/IAABC_Ecollar.pdf
Dr. Karen Overall
http://www.pitbullguru.com/shock.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/sample/Dog_Whisperer_Cesar_Millan.html
http://www.apbc.org.uk/cesar_milan_tour_concerns
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-belzer/first-do-no-harm_b_61755.html
http://www.stevedalepetworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=204&Itemid=71
http://www.stevedalepetworld.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=203&Itemid=71http://www.dogwhispererdvd.com/faq-national_geographic_dog_whisperer.html
