If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men. ~St. Francis of Assisi
The result of his methods is what Millan refers to as a “calm and submissive” dog. Well, that’s exactly the point of torture and fear, isn’t it? Many who lived through the Holocaust appeared “calm and submissive” as a result of their mistreatment. Even the American people, after the terror of 9-11 and the fear tactics perpetrated afterwards, were stunned enough into submission to follow Executive instructions, and “just go shopping.”
This “calm and submissive” appearance is not indicative of a healthy state. It implies a traumatized, “shut down” condition of exhaustion and/or learned helplessness, according to many top animal behavorists.
Dogmatic Domination
In the realm of “aversive” training, the admonition is to “be dominant over your dog so he will submit to you.” Aversive-based trainers say they are simply following the “alpha-male” and wolf dominance theories, in spite of the fact that those theories have been declared invalid by the experts. [20] In the Journal of Veterinary Behavior,[21] Angelica Steinker says that the “social dominance [theory] is being misused in relation to interpreting dog behavior … Labeling a dog ‘dominant’ is potentially destructive [and] can provoke a human to be aggressive with their dog. If the dog is aggressive, this can cause the aggression to escalate … [and] each party is reinforced negatively for their counter-controlling behavior,” which initiates the cycle of violence.
Steinker cites further studies debunking the results of the original research that spawned the alpha male/dominance theories. That research was done with captive packs—not with wolves in the wild, who choose the members of their pack. She goes on to discount the theories behind the “alpha roll” and muzzle grabbing, along with other domination and punitive techniques.
Howling wolf. Photo courtesy wiki.
Not only is the “dominator of the pack” theory based on faulty premises, but both wolves and monkeys in the wild have been known to banish a member that tries to dominate by brute force. [22] (Now those are some pretty smart animals. We need to elect some of them to Congress, and get them on the Judicial Committee, fast.)
Millan dismisses the opinions of these experts as just “intellectual knowledge,” saying, “It's the difference between going to school and the dogs being your school. One is the intellectual knowledge, the other one is instinctual. I am instinctual …”[23]
While there is nothing wrong with genuine, healthy instincts, Millan admits that it is his “instinct” to physically force dogs (and one wonders, who and what, else) to submit to his domination. The use and the threat of force and domination are his credos. He espouses the leadership qualities of Fidel Castro because he believes that dogs would rather follow Castro than Gandhi. However, this has not been proven. One can only imagine what a dog would prefer when offered the choice between Castro’s choke collar and Gandhi’s doggie treats.
Outer Behaviors Mirror Our Deepest Selves
What is most staggering is that a TV show promoting such archaic and abusive methods has enjoyed such unbridled popularity. Is this offering us a clue about the wounded soul of America? Does it provide insight as to why so many citizens of this country are comfortable with our government’s domination-focused international policy?
The allure of domination, for people who feel fearful and disempowered, can be dangerously seductive. Ordinarily well-meaning people can be hypnotized by charisma if they are wildly grasping for the false sense of safety provided by dominance and aggression.
It seems to me that whereas power usually means “power-over,—the power of some person or group over some other person or group—it is possible to develop the conception of “power-with,” a jointly developed power, a co-active, not a coercive, power. Coercive power is the curse of the universe; coactive power, the enrichment and advancement of every human soul. ~ Mary Parker Follett
When I asked Owens, the yogic pacifist, to comment on Millan’s treatment of dogs, he would not engage in battle. With a lift of an eyebrow, he simply suggested watching the National Geographic TV show with the sound turned off. Undistracted by Millan’s charismatic voice, some of the methods can be more easily understood for what they really are.
Owens said, “How we treat our animals is directly linked to how we treat each other. Studies have shown [24] that humans who are violent toward animals often extend that behavior and become violent toward other humans.” And one study showed that animals were abused in 88 percent of the homes in which a child was abused. [25] Owens continued, "Fortunately, the reverse is also true. People who are kind to animals often have a more positive outlook on life and visit nursing homes, schools and hospitals, nurturing the world with a little more kindness and compassion."
Toward A Peaceable Kingdom
"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child, as it is to the caterpillar." ~Bradley Miller
How we treat animals says everything about who we are. For instance, as a child, George W. Bush amused himself by stuffing lit firecrackers down the throats of hapless frogs, before tossing them into the air. [26] One wonders how our world might be different today, had he learned compassion for sentient beings as a youngster.
