Is Cesar Millan right on this? - Page 1

You should never let a puppy jump on you unless you ask it to.  What is cute now will be a big pain in the butt later.  Not all dogs jumping up on a person are being dominant, some are just excited and trying to get close to your face.  Licking at your face is a sign of submission, not dominance.  You should also redirect him when he nips or bites at you by offering a toy instead of your hand.  Do not allow him to continue this practice as it can lead to dominance issues later.  He is just a pup but he needs to learn manners.  Look at it this way...you might be able to tolerate it at 3mo but what are you going to do with him pulling the same stunt when he weighs 75 pounds?  If you don't get control of him now, you'll be getting rid of him later because you can't handle him.  Roll his lips over his teeth when he nips so that he is biting himself.  You can also hold his muzzle gently but firmly until he cries.  That is what his momma would do.  No way would she put up with this behavior.  Good luck with him.

a puppy is not jumping on you to exert dominance, they're jumping because they are excited and want your attention.  It is fun when they're little, not so fun when they weight 80 pounds.  I just give them something else to bit rather than me, and ignore their jumping, teach to sit or offer other behaviors and teach that "off" means 4 paws on the floor, so off me, off the couch, off whatever.  If they're sitting they can't jump on you.

but I also let them know that sometimes, they can jump all over me, but not when I say not to.

 It seems like *everything* is oversimplified into "dominance" by Cesar Millan. (Sorry, I know there are people who are fans, but I don't see anything remarkable in his show -- skilled trainers do what he does and more every day, just not filmed and cut and pasted together to be dramatic, and his explanations are often dead wrong to anyone who knows anything about ethology).  

There are many, many  behaviors that have nothing to do with dominance.  A puppy jumping and nipping isn't dominance, it's how puppies express they're excited and that they want attention.  I'll agree with everyone else that you should teach the puppy not to do it, because what's just cute now won't be when the puppy is a dog, and then they have to learn that something that was acceptable before suddenly isn't.  Better to start off on the right foot!  You teach the pup that you'll ignore him (stop playing, turn away, or get up and leave for a few minutes) when he's rough, and reward him with petting and treats when he's calm/sitting, and pretty soon he'll learn the wild behavior isn't acceptable. (Of course he'll probably try it again as an adolescent, but if you're consistent he'll give up far quicker than if it's an entrenched behavior to unlearn.)  

Then you also have to give the puppy other things to do that aren't wrong (instead of just correcting what you don't want to see):  toys that he's allowed and encouraged to chew on or chase or wrestle with, sitting nicely for attention, getting on and off the bed or sofa (if you intend to let them up there as an adult, again, you have to be consistent) at your request, going to a spot that's theirs (a mat or dog bed) and staying on request.  You have to gear all of this that a puppy can do it -- because of course they're babies and you can't expect much self control or focus or attention from babies -- but if you're gentle, consistent, and *fun* about it (where misbehaving means fun *ends*), you'll have a dog that grows up with good manners.

 Here are some links on the subject. If you're wondering who the lady is, she holds a doctorate in animal behavior (ethology), and she's run a center for training (and rehabilitating) dogs for decades. She knows her stuff, and has worked with some really bad aggression cases, as well as writing several engaging books and appearing on television and I think the radio as well. (I really like The Other End of the Leash. It's great at explaining why people behave the way they do around dogs.)

Also here is a page where you can download two books for free. Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy by Ian Dunbar. He's a bit didactic at times, but those books cover everything needed for handling and training a pet dog of any breed. If you want to do sport or some other work of course you'll have to add specialty training on top of that, but it's extra. (And if you want to do bitework you'll have to pay attention to *not* teaching the puppy bite inhibition, but that's the only difference when they're babies.)

I agree with most posters here about Milan's oversimplifying everything. Whether this is because of the constraints imposed by edits and time required for television or that is how he actually thinks, I cannot say. But a very young pup jumping as described, has nothing to do with dominance. 

The link in the penultimate paragraph above for "Here" is incorrect. This link will get you there and you can look around:

http://www.4pawsu.com/

The other links work and are worth reading.

 Ack!  Somehow in posting extra code was inserted into the link, so of course it didn't work!  Thanks for catching that hodie.  I've gone back and fixed it.

 Great Jackal......useful reading.....thanks for sharing.

I don't recall Cesar saying jumping up on someone was showing dominance. Sorry but none of you on here seem to get it straight when you say something about Cesar.  You all misinterpret the majority of what he says.  When in fact the last show I saw with a Husky that kept jumping on the kid.......the parents thought it was aggression, Cesar clearly said it was just excitment.  You guys are all out to disprove Cesar and say he knows nothing, what I see if a lot of people who hear something and say it their way to make him look stupid. He may be wrong on some things, have the wront approach, etc, but I can't cound how many on here have lied or missinterpreted what he really said.

Just because you disagree GSDguy, does not mean others have "lied or misinterpreted" anything. I seem to remember a variety of posts from you over the last several years where you ask questions about behavior. Why? If you are such a fan of Cesar, or anyone else, why not simply use his methods? No one makes anyone look stupid. Usually, people do that to themselves. And despite someone not agreeing that his methods are always the best, I have not seen anyone here trying to make him "look stupid". I think those are your words, and your interpretation, however flawed.

I love Patricia McConnell!!  I live in Madison, where she teaches, and she is really geared toward common sense in training dogs, and absolutely adores her dogs.  She has a great article on her site about the role of responsible breeders in reducing shelter populations, and advocates adding a behavioral stability component to the criteria in conformation shows.

Opal