Celebrity animal trainer face-off: Victoria Stilwell vs. Cesar Millan

Nov 07, 2012 12:44 PM by Heather Barnett

Posted in Pets & Animals / Dogs

celebrity animal trainers

Who would you let train your pet?

Victoria Stilwell and Cesar Millan are arguably the two most famous celebrity animal trainers in the world. But they do have different styles. So, who would you let train your pet?

Does your naughty pup need an intervention? If so, who would you hire? Victoria Stilwell takes a practical stance, where Cesar Millan prefers a more psychological method. Let's take a look at the key differences in their dog training approaches.

In this corner: Victoria Stilwell

Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet's It's Me or the Dog, is a feisty Brit who prefers positive-reinforcement to dominance techniques. She uses treats or favorite toys as rewards for well-behaved pets. She coaches dogs into more positive behavior by rewarding them when they do as they're told. When they don't, there's no negative consequence (other than perhaps a firm scolding or a hand gesture). In fact, she's instructed some owners to actually ignore misbehaving pooches to avoid giving them the attention they're trying to get through the negative behavior.

In this corner: Cesar Millan

Cesar Millan, on the other hand, uses a technique that takes advantage of theories of alpha-male dominance to establish himself and the owners as higher-ranking individuals in the pack. It makes sense, though a recent Time magazine article called "Dog Training and the Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance" does call his technique into question.

Millan uses dominance techniques like jabbing his finger into the dog or forcing a dog onto its back (forcing the dog to "admit" his dominant status) to correct behavior. To be clear, Millan doesn't abuse the animals. These are light jabs and flicks intended to cast him (and the owner) as the alpha of the pack. He considers himself a dog psychologist, rather than a trainer.

Taking off the gloves

While no one's arguing the results of either celebrity trainer, the debate among experts is about the validity of the science behind their techniques. Many experts believe that the science that Millan's techniques are based on is outdated and could do more harm than good by making dogs insecure, rather than really calming them down.

But dogs, at the end of the day, are dogs. Should we be trying to communicate with them on their level, as Millan does? After all, we're supposedly a species with superior intelligence. Do we need to just make ourselves a leader? Or do we need our animals to know we're the alpha?

Tell us

What do you think? Would you hire Stilwell or Millan? Tell us in the comments section below.

Comments

Comments on "Celebrity animal trainer face-off: Victoria Stilwell vs. Cesar Millan"

I go with Ceaser ALL THE WAY! His ways have saved my pit AND my beagle. I have watched both and they both have their ways but Ceaser pays attention to the mind of the owners which send the energy out to the animal in question. We know this because it has happened to me. A neighbor watching my dogs while on vacation could not come in the door at first because she showed her fear of lg dogs but once she did Ceasers thing they calmed, she calmed, and they were able to be together w/ no issues. The food made my beagle happy to see her but my other dog is NOT food motivated. She LOVES loving's. LOL :)

Cesar is the better trainer. I agree with jane.

Cesar is waayy better than Victoria. and btw "jabbing" them is not to hurt them its to snap them out of the dominant attitude whcih is not good for a dog to have over its owner.

I think that we can agree that the most well trained/behaved dogs are service dogs, and I've never seen a handler of a service dog use dominance training to get a dog to submit; and that speaks for itself.

I'm on team Cesar too! My dog is stubborn and not always food or "good boy" motivated. If there are other dogs around - he doesn't care what food I'm carrying around in my pocket. It actually makes him more dog aggressive because he wants to keep them away from me and what I've got. If I am strong assertive - using Cesar's technique - I keep him under control.

I find that many people who disagree so strongly with Cesar's methods do so under a false conception of what he does. Words like "dominance" trigger strong feelings and associations in many people. They associate it with aggression and cruelty. When I watch Cesar, I see assertiveness, not aggression, and I see a quest for respect from the dog, not fear. (For example, a teacher is "dominant" over a student, and a coach is "dominant" over a player. This does not have to mean cruel and aggressive. It simply points to a hierarchy, ideally built on respect)In truth, though, if you apply Cesar's techniques improperly, it can cause aggression problems, whereas if you use the positive reinforcement improperly, it will more likely lead to over-excitement and possibly a fat dog. Personally, I find Stilwel's energy to be slightly tense and her voice a little shrill. I find Cesar to be a more harmonious presence, who is actually more "in tune". I vote Cesar.

Have watched both Cesar Millan and Victoria Stilwell doing their act. I feel Cesar is better. Take the example of Victoria's - most difficult dog episode - #10 - Sydney (Jack Terrier) and Sam(Lab)episode. At the end of the episode she was congratulating the dog owners about being able to sit on the sofa with both the dogs together. Both dogs were on a leash and an inexperienced guy who has only watched these people performing could see the tension in Sydney (arched stiff back, taking a peek every few seconds at the other dog in the room). It looks more like Dog Psychology Vs Dog training created mostly to counter Cesar methodology. My vote is always for Cesar because he understands the dog mentality and addresses it unlike Victoria who tries correction by giving small treats for good behaviour and ignoring its bad behaviour which I personally feel is not the right way to correct a dog.

Cesar! I use his techniques all the time. It has helped me save several dogs from being put to sleep.

CESAR!!!! His methods save lives and have been proven for ten years now! I mean NO one has made a path for dog trainers like Cesar has!! Cesar all the way!

She claims to be a trainer he claims to be a dog psychologist. I think they both make valid points and use some similar tactics but some are very opposite. I have only recently watched some of her shows so am not to familiar with her success rate. I see a lot of tactics been changed when she is working with a dog and cant help but wonder how confused the poor dog feels. I think Cesar goes in a more direct state of mind better prepared to immediately take action.

Cesar all the way. I've watched his show for years and personally know dog trainers that swear by his techniques. I've seen them with my dog and others' dogs. While Ms. Stilwell may be professional and well intentioned and very knowledgeable, I find the presentation of her show (dramatizing the accounts for shock value and storytelling attention getting) detracts from the credibility of her statements and makes me question their actual efficacy. As mentioned above, the cases they take on are very different, and I believe Cesar's more difficult cases prove all the more his ability and experience.

Cesar all the way! Have followed his methods on one of the most unbalanced dog i have ever met! Even with the owner still acting as she did before the dog has a brand new attitude. She don't bite the kids anymore doesn't try hearing every person that walks out her door and has basicly gotten rid of her small dog syndrome! And is nicer to other animals! Btw the dog I'm talking abt is a 8 yo chi!

Victoria all the way. Jabbing dogs in the neck and the ribs/belly is not a fun and positive way to train your dog.

I have been training dogs for 5 years now, and my critique of the critics of Ceasar Millan is that they substantially under estimate the subtlety and nuance of his techniques. When Ceasar discusses dominance, it is usually in reference to a dog's behavior. I have never seen him advise an owner to be more dominant, he pulls back when dealing with fear and anxiety. There is also the obvious reality that Victoria takes on easier cases, or she retreats to blaming the owners for some past indiscretion that has scarred the dog irreversibly. My honest opinion is that Ceasar's techniques are more positive than Victoria's and that those who say that the "evidence" disproves Ceasar's techniques do not really understand them.

Cesar!