Long story short, I took Mikey to my friends house yesterday to play with her Westie. He is extremely well behaved. Mikey, however was the most out of control I've seen him in awhile. They were playing AND good for awhile. Then randomly Mikey lifted his leg and peed a very little bit on the rug. They weren't mad but I WAS so embarrassed. HE NEVER marks. I take him to work, never marked there, my house he never has accidents he knows better. Her mom said it's ok he was just marking his territory. But no, that is NOT OK and not appropriate. He also kept trying to mount the dog every few minutes. This really made him look like a nuisance well-behaved domineering dog and he is not like that AT ALL at home. He is FINE on hikes and in my neighborhood. While walking around her neighborhood he was pulling like crazy. It made both him and me look bad. Later we went to my house, and my friend saw how well-behaved he was there, so she believes it's just cause he was in a new environment. Maybe so..I really couldn't tell you.

I am not an all knowing expert on dog training but I pride myself in how well Mikey behaves on hikes, walks, and in our home. I have used mostly Victoria Stilwell's methods and have had success with that. Mikey is very food motivated. I will say I never really watch Ceasar Millan's show because I don't like his methods. So where does CM come in in all this? While walking Mikey, they were using his methods like sitting the dog down till he stops pulling and acting like the mother dog "biting" the nape of their neck, things like that. They were using language like 'he's dominate over you', 'he's leading you', etc. I wasn't happy about it but it was working, especially making him sit till he stopped pulling, but that is not really CM material to me.

OKAY, so anyway, my main problem is Ceasar Millan, he uses the out-dated dominance theory technique. I was watching more of his shows before I wrote this. There was an aggressive dog, and he kept using weird language like 'taming the wild beast'. First of all, it's a dog not a wild beast. I have never agreed with the dominance theory. I think it's complete bullock that everything a dog does that is bad is them trying to dominate and take over. I don't think sitting on the floor is showing them you are "equals". I don't think rolling them on their back does ANYTHING. I've known dogs that this has caused nothing but more aggression on. I don't think that when a dog is walking it front of you he thinks he is superior, actually that sounds just absurd to me. Dogs have a faster walking pace then us slow-poke and most of them want to go for a walk, and see everything, smell everything - they don't want to be "tied" to a human. I do know some dogs that have completely taken control of their owners and I DO know they need some grounding as to who is boss, but to me rolling them on their back, going through a door before them does not prove anything. I don't believe their is any one good technique for every situation but I believe some work better than others.

So I guess this is a rant about CM. I am not claiming to be an all knowing dog trainer, far from it. But I do think that his methods are bogus. I guess people have to find what works for them. As for me, I will strive to never use Millan's methods. I like Stilwell alot, although I agree sometimes her techniques seem soft Millans are all about psychology that don't make any sense to me. As much as we want to act like a mother dog to a dog, that doesn't happen, we are not dogs and they don't see us as such. As for the pulling, I will try some of Stilwells techniques and possibly the one that makes him sit and stop pulling.

Any advice about the marking and mounting?? I'd really like to curb that if possible, especially the mounting.