tenna
in
cesarmillan
(no subject)
Cesar uses the method of flooding quite a bit on his show, and he describes it in his book as well. He describes how he used it on a Great Dane named Kane to cure his fear of shiny flooring. Kane was featured on one of the episodes of The Dog Whisperer during the first season.
"First, I took Kane on a long walk with me, in order to bond with him and ensure my dominant role. Once I was sure he saw me as his leader, I was ready to tackle his phobia. Because Kane is such a large dog-he weighs more than I do!-I had to get a running start with him to get him into the hallway where the original accident had occurred. It took me two tries, but on the second, he ran in right next to me and was on the floor before he knew what was happening or how he'd gotten there. Once on the floor, he reacted as he'd been conditioned-he panicked. He squirmed, he drooled-you could see the terror in his eyes. The difference this time was me. I did nothing but hold him steady. I stayed calm, strong, and unaffected by his reaction. I didn't comfort him or talk sweetly to him the way Marina always had-that behavior had only reinforced his negative responses. Instead I sat with him while he went through all the old emotions-and I watched the fear literally drain out of him. In under ten minutes, he was relaxed enough for me to start walking with him-on the shiny floor itself. He tottered next to me, shaky and unsure at first, but after a few passes back and forth, his confidence began to return. Once again, I stayed calm and assertive. I didn't baby him. I offered him the guidance of a strong pack leader and communicated with my energy that this was a normal activity and nothing to be afraid of. In well under twenty minutes, Kane was striding confidently on the same floors he'd been afraid of for more than a year (106-107)."
"Among animal behaviorists and human psychologists, the technique I used with Kane is sometimes known as "flooding": The prolonged exposure of a petient to fear-arousing stimuli of relatively high intensity. To some animal advocates, this technique is very controversial. I believe that when working with animals, people need to follow their consciences. In my opinion, the way I worked with Kane was not only humane, it was instantly effective. Since that day, Kane has had no problems with shiny floors-or any other phobias for that matter, He's a wonderfully balanced, calm, peaceful dog (107-108)."
As Cesar said, flooding is a rather controversial method to use when dealing with phobias. What is your opinion on using flooding with dogs? Would you use it yourself or have you used it? Do you think it's successful? Cesar has used this with other problems as well, and has flooded dog-aggressive dogs or dogs fearful of other dogs, while in his pack.
"First, I took Kane on a long walk with me, in order to bond with him and ensure my dominant role. Once I was sure he saw me as his leader, I was ready to tackle his phobia. Because Kane is such a large dog-he weighs more than I do!-I had to get a running start with him to get him into the hallway where the original accident had occurred. It took me two tries, but on the second, he ran in right next to me and was on the floor before he knew what was happening or how he'd gotten there. Once on the floor, he reacted as he'd been conditioned-he panicked. He squirmed, he drooled-you could see the terror in his eyes. The difference this time was me. I did nothing but hold him steady. I stayed calm, strong, and unaffected by his reaction. I didn't comfort him or talk sweetly to him the way Marina always had-that behavior had only reinforced his negative responses. Instead I sat with him while he went through all the old emotions-and I watched the fear literally drain out of him. In under ten minutes, he was relaxed enough for me to start walking with him-on the shiny floor itself. He tottered next to me, shaky and unsure at first, but after a few passes back and forth, his confidence began to return. Once again, I stayed calm and assertive. I didn't baby him. I offered him the guidance of a strong pack leader and communicated with my energy that this was a normal activity and nothing to be afraid of. In well under twenty minutes, Kane was striding confidently on the same floors he'd been afraid of for more than a year (106-107)."
"Among animal behaviorists and human psychologists, the technique I used with Kane is sometimes known as "flooding": The prolonged exposure of a petient to fear-arousing stimuli of relatively high intensity. To some animal advocates, this technique is very controversial. I believe that when working with animals, people need to follow their consciences. In my opinion, the way I worked with Kane was not only humane, it was instantly effective. Since that day, Kane has had no problems with shiny floors-or any other phobias for that matter, He's a wonderfully balanced, calm, peaceful dog (107-108)."
As Cesar said, flooding is a rather controversial method to use when dealing with phobias. What is your opinion on using flooding with dogs? Would you use it yourself or have you used it? Do you think it's successful? Cesar has used this with other problems as well, and has flooded dog-aggressive dogs or dogs fearful of other dogs, while in his pack.