'Red-Zone' Dogs.
In the 'Mail Online' there has been mention of Cesar Millan using 'shock collars' and 'Spike collars' and outrage by certain members of the public after a single appearance on ITV’s normally sedate Alan Titchmarsh Show.
FIRSTLY - I would like to help you understand what a 'RED-ZONE' dog is.
I think that there are many people out there who consider their dogs as 'human'. People must remember that dogs are - and forever will be - dogs. They ARE Pack animals.
In the mainstream of things - dogs in general are good listeners to their human Pack members. Most of these dogs are brought into human Packs as puppies. Some are brought in from rescue organizations. I commend these rescue agencies because it is NOT an easy job helping dogs that have been through trauma of abandonment, rejection, beatings, misuse and more. Most dogs respond well to the slow love, trust and care that is provided by these Organizations. BUT. There will be times when what has been done to the dog is too much for that dog and so something 'SNAPS' in the dog's mind.
Now you may find yourself with a dog who is defensive. They may take a 'chest-wide stance' and lower their head....growl....ears are laid back....the line of hair down the middle of their back is standing up...their tail is still and held rigid behind them. Their eyes may even gloss over.
Not long after I got married, I went to my local rescue shelter and adopted a young dog of mixed-non-aggressive lineage. The organization had checked this dog out and was happy to rehome him. His name was Scooby. He was white all over except for a tan patch over his right ear. Once I got him home he was a happy, loving, bouncy dog. My hair was much longer back then, and on trying to control it one day with a brown 'scrunchy' the 'scrunchy' 'jumped' out of my hand. Scooby picked it up. My husband asked Scooby to 'give' while holding out his hand. The Scooby that we had adopted was no longer there. In his place stood a very dominant, highly aggressive, come-near-me-and-you-die, slobbering dog. My husband (who had very little dog experience) ran into the bedroom and shut the door. I knew I would have to be slow in my movements, but FAST in whatever action I took. The dog in front of me was looking for a fight and determined to keep the 'scrunchy'. I backed him up into the hallway and because he did not want to release the 'scrunchy', I managed to take him by the back of the neck and hold him with my left hand while I held his body still with my lower legs (I straddled him). Because of where I was holding him (point of no resistance) he could not turn his head without my consent = he couldn't bite me. I put my right hand under his lower jaw and began stroking his lower jaw and throat. I asked him to 'drop'. He told me to 'go to hell'. I did this a few times. The answer was the same. So I put on my 'Alpha' (my husband says that my character changes when I do this and I become more commanding) and took his lower jaw in my right hand. (NEVER DO THIS UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING - and are confident doing it) There is a space in a dog's mouth that you can slip fingers on either side. I used this space and forced his mouth open. It wasn't easy. But the strangest thing happened as soon as I had that 'scruntchy' out of his mouth and in my hand. Scooby went back to being the happiest dog on the planet. It was as if he had NO memory of what happened. NOW, if it had ONLY been my husband and I - then I would have kept Scooby and trained him over time...with a lot of patience. But small children and other family members were constant visitors and I couldn't take the chance that one of them may get bitten...or worse. So I took Scooby back to the Shelter and explained the situation, stressing that Scooby needed some serious evaluation. They told me not to worry and that Scooby would see the 'Psychologist' the next day. My last words to them were - tell the Psychologist to be very careful. I called later the next day. Scooby had been put to sleep and the Psychologist had 21 stitches. Scooby was becoming a RED-ZONE dog.
Red-Zone dogs need very strict controlling. When a routine starts and the dog goes into 'death' mode, the routine needs to be broken. Dogs are SLAVES to routine. If you have dogs - you'll know what I mean. If you walk them each day - they expect a walk each day. If you feed them at 4pm each day - at 3.55 they start going mental and pushing their way into whatever it is that you are doing. If your dog is doing something (routine wise) you can usually break the flow by a sharp verbal command...maybe a loud hand clap...and then get the dog thinking about something else. RED-ZONE dogs don't respond to verbal commands when they are 'in-their-zone' and touching them could mean 21 stitches - or worse. So when Cesar Millan mentions that he uses a 'shock collar' or other item....it's NOT a horrible thing. He is trying to save these dogs from death. It is a last ditch attempt to redeem them. Cesar Understands the dog mentality. He's not using the collar at a strength that makes them do back-flips and the like. THAT would be cruel and I don't support that. These dogs WILL DIE if he can't pull them back from where they have gone in their minds. But I understand this dog mentality. Do you?
Think Pack - if a dog did this in the Pack the Alpha would go ballistic!...not to mention the rest of the pack would join in. The dog wouldn't stand a chance. It would more than likely die.
If you had a dog and it started to go RED-ZONE.....what would you do? Try to save it? or have it put down?
What are your thoughts on the way Cesar handles RED-ZONE dogs?
Recent Comments
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I've watched César's dog training shows and don't think his use of shock collars or transformer (spiked chokers) collars is cruel. Some dogs are just stubborn and need a little extra correction to get the point across. I have trained several retrievers and know from experience that a transformer collar used correctly is not only effective but is very humane. César should be commended for his training methods.
Very good post Jean
Unfortunately humans are very good at anthropomorphising all non human (or in some cases human!) animals especially pets. They don't seem to have a clue that animals do not think like people. I would like to see all animals being saved. So the people who think the above is bad should find out what is actually happening and not just have the knee jerk (often stupid) reactions they do.
honestly, I would try to save it, or find a way to find it a home where the dog could be helped. I couldn't put the dog down.
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We had a Bull Mastiff very similar to Scooby.
He Toby, was a beautiful dog whose previous owner was Extremely abusive to him.
He became a really good, loyal, obedient and loving dog, until a small child grabbed him round the neck to cuddle him.
Needless to say the child received a warning nudge that resulted in Toby's tooth accidentally drawing blood.
Now, Toby could have Very easily killed that child if he had wanted to. Unfortunately as a consequence we had to put Toby down.
Once a dog draws blood, there's no going back.
Needless to say we were totally devastated.
In any case we think that most dogs can be trained and yes they should be saved, but there are always the exceptions to the rule.
What do parents teach their children about strange (and I don't mean weird) pets these days.
In my opinion Helen, I believe that most parents don't teach their kids anything about strange (or otherwise) pets these days. I believe that there is only a small percentage of parents that tell their kids e.g. not to touch any animals without the owners concent.
If parents had been taught themselves about dogs / cats and other pets, then I would think that the younger population would understand more and respect more a pet outwith their own fields of life. It grieves me (and a whole bunch of others) that people can mistreat pets the way they do and as such....many different breeds of dogs have suffered a verbal branding of being 'dangerous'. My 'field' is more in the 'damaged' zone and there are training methods that I have been taught that wouldn't be taught by the general 'mom / dad' of the community. But I do agree with Geoff-n-Jane, that people should be made aware that pets should only be approached or handled with the owners full consent. In this way, any pet that has had 'trauma' can be shielded for as long as recovery takes. I wonder if there is any kind of 'pilot scheme' that could be used for this?