Jun 14, 2012

Wooof!

I saw "the dog whisperer" this morning, some old episode. There's not much on at six thirty in the morning, and I take advantage of litte S' ten minute morning nursing to actually watch adult tv - hence Cesar Milan. Then it's kids stuff the rest of the morning. (Points for nursing - the little hyperactive bundle of nerves actually have to lie still and look inwards for a short while. That's gotta be good for her.)

This episode included a grumpy old bulldog, growling and biting and attacking at any signs of directions or influences from others. I'm so that bulldog!

There was a moment were the dog was growling furiously at it's owner, snapping in the air, and Ceasar makes everybody wait. Just wait. And the dog looks all baffled. It loses it's stride, there's noone to bite at, and the aggression turns to confusion.

Ok, then he pinns it by the ears and wrestle it down on the ground and he lost me, but that waiting, and the confusion in the poor angry dogs eyes, I could totally relate to.

The male owner tells him that he's been doing that and the only thing that happens is that the dog gets angrier. Yeah, says Cesar, 'cause it's a bulldog. It's bred for fighting. It will never give in, and if you hurt it, that will fuel the rage. If you sit on it and hurt it, it will fight forever. And then he holds the dog down by two fingers to the throat and strokes it gently, and afterwards it calmly waggles it's sturdy little rump in to the kitchen, which was the order it got so worked up about in the first place.

Actually, I do like this technique. On me. And ok, Cesar can do it too on dogs, I'm just not so fond of him trying to teach it to millions of people who isn't him and will screw it up (not to mention thin leashes behind the ears and all that potentially nerv damaging stuff).But the difference between force and domination? And the waiting while the dog bites at everything but an actual person? And the statement "he wants to follow, he just doesn't now how to"? Yeah! Good stuff! I wont be using it on my dog, but I will probably go around identifying with a grumpy bulldog all day.


http://www.petplanet.co.uk/petplanet/breeds/Bulldog.htm

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