Cesar Millan's dog training philosophy and methods.

Rebuttal 1: Other TrainersNot knowing the credentials of the other trainers does not indicated that the trainers are good or bad, we safely assume that considering what was at stake (possibly their son's life), and considering the couple had to keep finding new (as well as better) trainers, it's very likely the couple was particularly interested in their trainer's reputation and credentials.Rebuttal 2: Resource Guarding, Only Fear?In the first paragraph of ASPCA's Resource Guarding article, they distinguish between fearful and aggressive resource guarding. Upon reflecting my citations in previous rounds noting dog body language, it becomes clear that Holly is severely aggressive not fearful. [1]Rebuttal 3: Flooding AgainPro's own source goes on to concede that flooding "is quick and usually effective." When the variables are taken into account; a childs life and Cesars limited time, flooding is indeed the most suitable option. More importantly, Con would need to well establish the likeness of Cesar's techniques and flooding. It seems to me what he has been doing is desensitization, flooding would more present itself as several people and dogs rushing upon Holly's food bowl. [2]Rebuttal 4: Tampering with ResultsFirst off I would submit that fabricating the profound level of progeress Holly made is hardly fabricatable. [3]The Crossover TrainerThe author of this article alleges to have "came across an article that had been written by someone who had their personal dog go to the Dog Psychology Center”. The author however does not reveal any details or citations to accredit this 'article'. Even if the article was verifiable, the claims are not. For example, the author states "Cesar Milan has a television show. I am a professional that is involved in the entertainment Industry – The show’s producers have a script to follow, and they must keep those sponsors. They heavily edit the footage to make long processes and mistakes look instant and to cover up some of the even harsher techniques he uses." Note the author does not indicate they are involved in Cesar's show nor even Nat Geo as a network...Con notes that "anyone who assumes that because a TV network says it's real, it must be, is naive." I agree completely with Con, however I would submit that anyone who believes the contrary without supporting evidence is also naive. A network does have a reputation to uphold, if it made false claims as you claim, it risks defamation and damage to it's reputations. Considering your link to the interview with the producer, it seems quite unscripted: "First, our crew would arrive and interview the owner(s) as well as film the dog's bad behavior. Next, we filmed Cesar interviewing the owners, something we came to call "the consultation". After that, we filmed Cesar working with the dog and owners until the problem was solved. Finally, we filmed follow-up interviews with Cesar and the owners. We would gobble down food during a half hour lunch break, then we would travel to the next owner's house and repeat the same process all over again. Since the second season, we now only shoot one story per day, but they often take ten to twelve hours because many of the stories are more complicated or require more complex solutions." [4]From this quote from your source we can tell that their intention was to in fact help these dog owners as they note that some issues were "more complicated and required more complex solutions".Rebuttal 5: Positive ReinforcementAccording to the humane society, positive reinforcement "positive reinforcement training uses praise and/or treats to reward your dog for doing something you want him to do." As we can see a dog must first do 'something you want him to do' before positive reinforcement to follow. My rebuttal still stands, Holly's violent resource guarding had been nurtured for years prior to Cesars therefore you cannot expect positive reinforcement to be usefull within the first 10 minutes of their meeting, as Cesar said he needed to snap her mind out of that intense state - this must first happen before positive reinforcement can be utilized.Conclusion: Thanks a bunch to Con for a fun debate and for her patience regarding my confusion (see round 3). I maintain that Cesar's techniques produce positive change in the behavior and lives of dogs and their families, Con's arguments to show otherwise have been rebutted, vote Pro! Citations: 1) http://www.aspca.org...;2) http://en.wikipedia.org...3) 4) http://dogs.lovetoknow.com...5) http://www.humanesociety.org...