Now I thought I'd start writing about individuals I follow on social media. In the – like Cesar Millan, I have followed for a long time, while others were added recently, and some in between. The idea is that I will try to clarify what it is that I like, don't like, and why I think it's worth following these people. We'll see how it goes. 🙂
Cesar Millan – the man we love to hate, or hate to love. Or something in between. In any case, he is controversial, and the criticism has been massive. The criticism is so massive that people who worked with him become guilty by association. Then I think above all of Alexandra Ortega in Limmared, a documentary film is currently being made about which will be shown on Swedish TV sometime after the New Year (February, if I remember correctly).
It's many years since I started watching the Dog Whisperer on TV. As it automatically becomes with age, have my views on Millan changed a bit. He has been my household god when it comes to dogs for many years, but in recent years I've found other dog people I like, and therefore my focus has broadened.
There are many things I think most critics of Millan miss. To start with; everything Cesar Millan does, made in the USA. In the USA they have different rules than we have in Sweden. For that reason, it is quite a waste of energy to feel outraged by his methods. What he is doing is legal where he is. Here in Sweden we have different rules, and as with most things, his philosophy and methods can be adapted to Swedish soil.
The other me think many people miss is that you don't have to adopt Cesar Millan's entire working method when it comes to dogs. Nobody else can be Cesar Millan – only he can. What you have to do, if it is the case that you like his way of relating to dogs, is to adapt his philosophy and method to how one is and works. It is actually quite possible to absorb parts of a concept, and not swallow everything with holes and hair (if you don't feel like it, of course).
My own opinion about Cesar Millan – numer, when I'm over forty, is that I'm not surprised that you can find him scary. He has an almost extremely masculine appearance, and he actively chooses to reinforce it. From that perspective, I understand that it is easy to be convinced of the concept leadership by fear. My personal take on the matter though is that he has been working hard to ensure that his own energy bubble is both large and strong. Having such a stable energy bubble is necessary if you want to reach dogs who, for various reasons, do not respond to a more normal energy level.
Something myself I feel somewhat critical of is that Millan is often quite short-sighted in his way of explaining things. My understanding is that he assumes that the listener automatically understands what he is talking about, which I don't necessarily think is the case. His worldview is probably quite different from most people's, and this means that everything he says and does can be perceived as quite foreign and strange.
What I think most critics miss most of all, dock, is that one must distinguish between Cesar Millan's methods and his basic philosophy. It is always possible to discuss methods, and what is considered modern will change, but for my own part, it is the basic philosophy that is the most interesting thing about Cesar Millan.
As I choose to adopt Millan's basic philosophy, then it's about pure, cut energy and communication. That he – and many with him, actually do, is less about the methods and more about shaping and directing one's energy in communication with a dog. I'm guessing that many people don't really understand what it means and think it sounds extremely complicated, but it's actually easier than you think.
As I wrote so many times before; it's about how you hold and for yourself, what a self-image you have, how much you allow yourself to stand up for yourself when the dog starts to take up too much space, and with what basic feeling in the body one does all this. The softer and more malleable you are, the easier it is for the dog to begin to demand space and control the interaction. The more confident you are in yourself and the better knowledge you have about how dogs communicate, the easier it will be to manage the dog and manage life.
This basic philosophy is for me vital. This is what underlies just about everything when it comes to spending time with dogs, as well as with exercise. The calmer and more stable I am as a person, the easier it is for me to influence my dog to make sensible decisions. The calmer and more stable my dog is, the easier it is for it to absorb any training.
To consciously use therefore, Cesar Millan's basic philosophy is, in my opinion, the best thing you can do for yourself and your own dog. After that, you can use the training methods you like – also positive reinforcement, if that is what you prefer. It should also be remembered that Millan himself also says that his methods are not the only truth, without the fact that there are also other things that are good.
For me comes the most important thing in my dog life is always about the relationship with my dog. I actively and consciously invest in creating a favorable relationship with my dog. Training the dog is not nearly as important to me, although of course it helps with basic obedience.
I would like to have a friendly relationship with my dog, but it must never happen that the dog suddenly takes up more space than me and starts dictating which rules apply. It's perfectly ok that our energies are about the same and that we agree on things rather than me ruling and imposing like a dictator – but it still must not be the case that the dog takes over and becomes unbearable. So it is I who must be the one responsible for the balance and stability.
The relationship is everything, good people. Exactly exactly everything. But that's the dog's life, At least for me, completely uninteresting.
Cesar Millan on social media