The Dog Whisperer: Learn from the Alpha for a Happy Pet

[Ivan Seeking]

This guy is amazing! Integral mentioned it so I have watched about [a little less than] a dozen episodes so far. Having been a dog owner most of my life, I can see that this all makes perfect sense. I can also see many things that I did correctly, and many things that I did incorrectly with my own dogs. If you are a dog lover, be sure to watch.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

The show runs on National Geographic's channel.
http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/

It is all about attitude and being the alpha. At least I knew that much.

 

[radou]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsiP_0QK5r4"

 

[Ivan Seeking]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsiP_0QK5r4"

I love it!

 

[Moonbear]

I've seen a couple of episodes of the show. What bugs me is that every once in a while he gets into some hocus pocus mystical explanations that sound just plain nuts (and maybe it's just done for their perceived audience who wants to be mystified), but his actual methods are pretty grounded in a knowledge of animal behavior. There's another show on Animal Planet that I've caught once in a while that also helps pets with behavioral problems. I like that one better, because they don't try making it sound mystical, but point out that the problems fall pretty squarely on the shoulders of the owners who are the ones that need the training on being consistent with their animals.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I've seen a couple of episodes of the show. What bugs me is that every once in a while he gets into some hocus pocus mystical explanations that sound just plain nuts (and maybe it's just done for their perceived audience who wants to be mystified), but his actual methods are pretty grounded in a knowledge of animal behavior.

If you are talking about what I think, you may be misinterpreting the mystical bit. In the end I think that all he is really saying is that the dog can sense your attitude through body language, voice, leash management, etc. Rather than explaining all of the mechanisms through which a dog can read a human, he is vague, which makes it sound a bit mystical. But he does explicitly tell them how to act, when to act, how to walk, how to tug on the leash and so on, during training.

He also says right out that the owner is the problem, many times.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I like that one better, because they don't try making it sound mystical, but point out that the problems fall pretty squarely on the shoulders of the owners who are the ones that need the training on being consistent with their animals.

That also makes me think of the show Super Nanny. She frequently shows parents how they are acting inconsistent with their kids and when they fix this, a lot of behavior problems start to clear up.

 

[BobG]

I do like the idea of dog-friendly workplaces. I have my own office now and that would make for a nicer environment. I imagine she would lie under the desk (one of her favorite spots at home) or spread out somewhere else on the floor waiting for me to take a break and take her outside.

If I trained her well enough, she could even protect me from having the boss dump a load of work on my desk. A low growl, a baring of the teeth, and the boss would be hauling that pile of work to the next office. heh, heh, heh

Unless the boss owns a cat. My dog is kind of afraid of cats.

At least it would make the workplace a more interesting place.

 

[Moonbear]

That also makes me think of the show Super Nanny. She frequently shows parents how they are acting inconsistent with their kids and when they fix this, a lot of behavior problems start to clear up.

Yep, it's amazing that people can be so clueless about why their kids are acting up. I sometimes wonder why the people on shows like that chose to have children when many of the problems seem related to their unwillingness to put effort into being parents.

 

[radou]

Yep, it's amazing that people can be so clueless about why their kids are acting up. I sometimes wonder why the people on shows like that chose to have children when many of the problems seem related to their unwillingness to put effort into being parents.

Yes, and that's specially sad when you take into account the fact that there are lots of great people who can't have kids.

 

[triden]

That guy is really awesome. I started watching his episodes lately and how a dog can sense your energy (if you're scared or stern). He definitely knows how to think in a dogs perspective.

 

[Moonbear]

That guy is really awesome. I started watching his episodes lately and how a dog can sense your energy (if you're scared or stern). He definitely knows how to think in a dogs perspective.

See, that's the part I don't like, that he says things like the dog can sense your energy, when it's really that the dog is reading your body language and tone of voice. It's nothing as mystical as he makes it sound.

 

[hypnagogue]

See, that's the part I don't like, that he says things like the dog can sense your energy, when it's really that the dog is reading your body language and tone of voice. It's nothing as mystical as he makes it sound.

I agree with Ivan that this is just an economical, metaphorical way of phrasing things, similar to how you might say you're getting some sort of "vibe" from someone without meaning a literal vibration (or "energy" or whatever the case may be). For instance it's common parlance to talk about e.g. "nervous energy" without meaning energy in the literal sense.

 

[triden]

See, that's the part I don't like, that he says things like the dog can sense your energy, when it's really that the dog is reading your body language and tone of voice. It's nothing as mystical as he makes it sound.

That's what he means by energy. A dog can tell if your scared or not, just like a human. I don't think he makes it sound mystical at all. It looks more like you get offended for some reason if someone mentions something that could have to do with something you can't see. All it is, is the ability of the animal to sense your tone and be able to act in a way that is either submissive or aggressive.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know. I've only seen two episodes, but it sure sounded like he was being all "crystals and lucky charms-ish" when he was talking about the dogs sensing the energy. Maybe it's just his tone when he says it. His overall tone is a bit off-putting to me (not something I can explain or put a finger on...I think he reminds me of someone very arrogant I used to know), so I might just be reacting to a lot he says negatively because of that, or maybe he had to say it that way for those particular clients. Or, maybe it's just a bias from the title of the show being "Dog Whisperer" because the "whisperer" part implies a sort of mysticism rather than just a good understanding of animal behavior.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

He is a little cocky sometimes. Also, Tsu had guessed that the word "energy" is what bothered you. I guess it caught her attention as well.

I have never sensed any mystical vibes from him, nor have I observed such tendencies in his aura. Really though, on one show the other night he was teasing a couple a bit by asking if they had called a dog psychic [rather than taking control].