Retrieverman posted this disturbing video of Cesar working with a "Malamute"(aka a wolf hybrid).
Videos like these highlight why I think Cesar is a detriment to dog training and our relationship with dogs.
I think the first question you should ask yourself is this: Can *I* safely recreate Cesar's techniques? In this case, you would be lucky if that dog didn't just bite you in the throat. Is this something you would be comfortable with your mother, father, daughter, son doing?
This is not a repeatable technique. If your technique cannot be safely replicated, it should not be marketed to such a wide audience.
And then the dog, that poor dog. First off, he does not get alpha rolled as per Cesar's normal modus operandi. No, this dog falls over from oxygen deprivation. You can see how he starts to wobble and with one tiny push from Cesar, he falls over. Listen to him breathe. Watch his chest as he gasps for air. Cesar nearly choked a dog to death. For what? Because the dog is dog-reactive and, well, he doesn't like Cesar.
The dog is lucky to be alive. He is lucky not to have suffered permanent tracheal damage.
If you ever doubted Cesar's lack of knowledge on real dog behavior, listen to what he says while the dog is prostrate on the ground, gasping for air. Heavy breathing is an indication of excitement and dominance. No. A dog who has just been choked by a leash will breathe heavy. Heavy breathing is an indication of stress and, you know, a desperate gasping of air. It has nothing to do with dominance.
Cesar may have good suggestions (be calm, exercise dog more, etc), but publicly displaying methods that will get you bitten and that creates a dog who think he is going to die, well, I just cannot support that. Not ever.
Plus, there are just better ways to deal with a leash-aggressive or dog aggressive dog that don't involve dangling the offending dog five feet off the ground. I've seen it done, so I know it's within the realm of possibility.
This is not a unique occurrence, either. I've watched several seasons of his show. He ignored basic behavioral cues, calls them all "dominance-based" signals, and uses a lot of physical manhandling when other techniques could be employed.
All that aside, my biggest problem still remains that what he encourages with dogs is not something many people can safely get away with. If you already have a dog with a low bite threshold and bite inhibition, you have a problem dog and using techniques that mandate an aggressive response (as in this video but seen in other segments) are going to be troublesome for you. Maybe not for Cesar.
