Cesar Millan vs Victoria Stilwell (Which Is Better – Pros & Cons)

Is Cesar Millan vs Victoria Stilwell Better?

The more I learn about dog training, the more I’ve learned that there are two main methods. You have Balance training, and positive only training. Some ways are liked more than others. I personally grew up watching Cesar Millan as the “Dog Whisperer” and loved the show. Most of his methods made sense to me. I had no idea that so many people had issues with his methods when you could see the positive results. Working in a popular daycare, I practiced bits of Cesars methods of calm assertive energy with the dogs. All I’ve got to say is that I had the fewest fights and injuries than any other tech that worked.

Years later I came across Victoria Stilwell with “It’s Me Or The Dog“. She was different from what I had known with positive training only methods that were based around treats and toys. It seems to me to be more like bribery. So I’m not sure that her methods will provide long term results if the bribes were to stop. Several of her methods didn’t make sense to me, while others were quite helpful. I wished there were more follow ups after she had worked with the dogs to see if her results stuck, or if the dogs reverted back to their old ways.

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A good comparison statement I’ve heard with what sets the two apart is that Cesar is a dog rehabilitator vs Victoria is a dog trainer. From watching both shows, I think each had cases that could do better with the other. However, with the extreme cases, I think Cesar is better equipped to get long term positive results.

For the most part, I think the positive training methods like Victoria’s is the way to go for most people and is more easily mimicked. Verses most people don’t have the calm assertive energy to do what Cesar does. I’ve seen people struggle with the concept despite Cesar doing his best to teach it. I have a more assertive no-nonsense personality, so Cesar’s way clicks with me more. I’ve gotten frustrated when my husband couldn’t grasp the Cesar methods with his own dog. For example, he had a dominate heeler that would growl at him and attack his other dog, an friendly golden mix. When I would step in after an incident, I got the dog to calm down. BUT, when my husband would try and apply the same method, he did not get the same results. He went through the motions, but the energy and timing wasn’t there. He failed to wait until the dog came down from a level 10 to 0. This caused the dog to continue growling at him. He’d follow this up with petting the dog and saying everything was okay. This made the dog more aggressive overall to where he would growl just for petting him. Once I recognized that my husband just couldn’t grasp the concept of calm assertiveness and follow though, I realized we needed to find a different way. The method worked when I did it, but made things worse when my husband tired it. I’ve been open to learning the new ways of positive reinforcement as it’s best for most dogs that don’t have major issues.

Ultimately, I think dog training for any person is a journey to find out what works best for you and your dog(s). Some need a firmer hand, while others are more sensitive and need more creative solutions. I think a combination of two methods is ideal in creating the optimal relationship with you and your dog. Cesars way provides the calm assertive leadership that most dogs crave, and Victoria’s method makes things more fun and interesting.

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Here’s an overall comparison of the two . . .

Cesar’s Methods

Pros

-More of a permanent solution

-Shows your dog you are a good stable leader

-Gets the dog to listen to you for you and not because you’re giving them treats

Cons

-Hard concept for many people to mimic

-Increased risk of getting bit if not done correctly

-In addition to positive reinforcement, there is also negative reinforcement which many owners have an issue with

Victoria’s Methods

Pros

-More user friendly, easier to copy and get some results

-Positive reinforcement based

-Less confrontational which is appealing to many people

Cons

-Bribes the dog with treats

-Results may not last once the bribes stop

-Doesn’t get your dog to respect you

I’ve watched several other trainers out there both for positive only training, and balance training. And when it comes down to it, positive only training is great for puppy training, obedience training, and mild issues. However, with dogs that have zero respect and severe aggression issues, your best bet is finding a good balance trainer for a more permanent real-world fix. NOTE: A good balance trainer is not going to be abusive with your dog. Find another trainer immediately in that instance. A good balance trainer is firm but fair.

*Balance Training: refers to any approach to dog training or behavior modification which involves the use of both rewards and consequences.

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