Bad dogs: Why 'Marley & Me' needs Cesar Millan

It's amazing how the modern media can help you improve your life. For example, you can watch TV shows such as "The Dog Whisperer" or "It's Me or the Dog" and learn all kinds of useful pointers on dealing with your misbehaving canine. And then you can trek to the No. 1 movie in America, "Marley & Me," and forget everything you've been taught.

No, I have not come to bury "Marley & Me" for its corny sentimentality and Christmas-card triteness -- many others have already beaten me to that. My beef is that the film based on John Grogan's bestselling book represents a toxic hazard to dog owners as well as anyone who ever comes near a dog -- basically everyone, in other words.

In case you've somehow missed the multimedia phenomenon that is "Marley & Me," its main message is that dogs are essentially furry kids -- lovable members of the family, even (or is that especially?) at their most undisciplined and incorrigible. In the movie, the couple played by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston sit by with a kind of bemused helplessness as, down through the years, the yellow Lab they lovingly describe as the "world's worst dog" chews up multiple sofas, terrorizes a pet-sitter, swallows a necklace, eliminates where he pleases, goes berserk during thunderstorms and, maybe most memorably, knocks down a predictably autocratic dog-obedience trainer (played by a weathered-looking Kathleen Turner). Marley supposedly makes up for all this with his beseeching eyes, and also (I refuse to call this a spoiler because anyone over the age of eight knows what happens before even buying a ticket) by dying a heartbreaking death.   

As anyone who watches dog behavior expert Cesar Millan on National Geographic's "Dog Whisperer" knows, this passive attitude to dog ownership is widespread. And it's a chief reason why the world is full of dogs who bark all night, attack small children and mail carriers, and hump house guests' legs (and also, yes, spawn litigation that helps drive up insurance costs for the rest of us). Sorry, "Marley & Me," but there are no bad dogs, only bad owners. (Interestingly, Grogan himself sought Millan's help last year with his new dog, Gracie.)

Wilson and Aniston's characters would actually make great candidates for "Dog Whisperer" were they not so strangely untroubled by their dog's reign of terror. The typical Millan customer is an owner at the end of his or her wits; sometimes this person's life is in tatters due to a wayward dog. Tears are surprisingly common during the initial interview. Millan, a trim, compact Mexican native who speaks English with a heavy accent, uses different tactics depending on the case, but his basic strategy remains constant: Train the owners to assert control over dogs with calm, assertive energy. "First exercise, then discipline, then affection," he advises.

Now Millan's "rehabilitation" techniques are themselves not without criticism. (The American Humane Assn., for example, in 2006 attacked "Dog Whisperer" for training that was "inhumane, outdated and improper.") But Millan's focus on the need to train the owner -- rather than simply the dog -- falls well within the mainstream of opinion among dog experts. People being naturally lazy, most owners bend Millan's mantra into an imperative more to their liking: much affection, minimal exercise, zero discipline. And that's more or less the strategy on display in "Marley & Me." A lot more people are going to see the movie than will ever watch "Dog Whisperer." Did I mention it's the No. 1 movie in America?   

I say all this not as a dog hater, but rather as a longtime dog lover and former owner who once subscribed to the sit-on-your-hands approach dramatized in "Marley & Me." A decade ago, before the birth of our daughter, my wife and I adopted from an animal shelter a retriever/pit bull mix, whom we named Sheba. She proved a high-spirited, loyal and -- to me, at least -- often companionable dog. But Sheba had some alarming habits that I could not overcome, including a determination to chew to the nub anything softer than steel, an absolute refusal to walk straight ahead on a lead and a truly unfortunate tendency to growl menacingly at many adults she did not recognize. I knew I was in trouble when she snapped at an experienced kennel worker, who blanched and quickly retreated to safety. Somehow, all this stuff didn't seem as adorable in real life as "Marley & Me" might make it seem.

As I watch "Dog Whisperer" now, I realize how its techniques could have helped me back then. But it's a little late. As terrific as Sheba proved to be with our young daughter, the dog's bad habits accumulated a mountain of ill will that ultimately led me, in the midst of a chaotic cross-country move, to give the dog away, albeit with nearly unbearable reluctance. The entire process of letting go was ugly and emotionally draining and still makes me shudder to think of it.

No, "Marley & Me" doesn't have the market cornered on sad dog stories.

-- Scott Collins

(Photo courtesy Barry Wetcher / Twentieth Century Fox / AP)

Comments

[Bethany]

I love your article, and highly agree with everything you have said. I say DITTO to every word!

[Laurie Luck]

Not Cesar Millan, but Victoria Stilwell. Cesar's techniques are outdated. Check out the American Humane Association's Guide to Humane Dog Training...

[Linda Kaim]

Kudos to you for taking the unpopular opinion on this movie. I cannot begin to count the many times I am approached by the same people as you describe as having taken a passive interest in their dogs' behavior.

Shelters are full of them.

I will not see any movie that endorses the bad behavior of a dog as something that should be heralded as normal and untenable. I prefer to think, as my dog training clients do, that there are boundaries for dog behavior as there are for humans. Dogs are not errant children in funny clothing; they are indeed a species dissimilar to our own with their own behavior and their own ability to apply learned skills constructively.

It is interesting that Grogan hired the Dog Whisperer for his current dog, you would have thought that he had learned from his first mistake.

In an environment where things "dog" have taken an ugly turn due to the irresponsible acts of their owners, I found the pretense for this movie to be more than holiday trite, but damaging to responsible, educated dog owners everywhere.

By all means, let that font of virtue Hollywood perpetuate the myth that there are dogs that act this way "naturally" and that nothing can be done to "fix" them. Popular culture dictates after all.

I have yet to meet a dog that was not the product of direct influence of his or her owner's behavior towards their "little fur kid".

[Dr. Pat Bayers]

Hey, this is a MOVIE! It's a lovely, entertaining movie without murders, drugs, car chases, explosions or perverts. We need more movies like this one.

[cy guy]

So Scott, is it about Marley, Cesar or you. Sorry you couldn't handle Sheba.

[EFC]

Yes Scott, Sheba was a good dog. It's just too bad that you were a bad owner. I only wish that you had ended your story with the fact that hundreds of thousands of dogs and cats are abandoned by their owners each year and put the death in kennels. Mark Twain wrote, "The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's."

[Montana C. Hayes]

Scott Collins, regarding your article; Bad dogs: Why 'Marley & Me' needs Cesar Millan. I have to say that the Dog Whisper and It’s me or the dog are nice for a few helpful hints, but does not even touch the work and research owners need to do before bringing a dog into their home. First of all, a lot of people purchase or adopt a dog by looks and apparent personality during a short visit. That's not the whole picture. Genetics, how the dog was bred and what the breed is meant to do along with previous history are more important. Yes, I am a dog trainer. The smart owners get their dog into training as soon as possible. They shouldn't wait till the dog is 6 months old to start training. I am a positive reward base trainer that does set boundaries. I don't however poke dogs or belittle them. I would love to have the money Cesar has, but readers and watchers, beware - what they show in an hour show is not reality. If someone is adopting an older dog, they are doing a great service to the animal. Still get them into training, private or group classes. Thanks for letting me comment. Montana, Big Sky Dog Training, North of Chicago, Illinois

[Lexington Smithens]

You are not a dog lover as your poor handling of your dog, Sheba as well as your dislike of this love letter to dogs, "Marley & Me"proves. What you need to figure out is why you can't admit that you are not a dog lover and keep putting the blame on the dog, yours or the one in this adorable movie.

[Helen]

Jennifer looks so unbelievable hot. I read here (http://www.projectweightloss.com/index.php) about what she eats to keep her body so slim and, wow, she’s got a pretty simple “trick” up her sleeve.

[Brian]

Scott -- great article, kudos to you and thanks for writing it! I just googled "cesar milan marley and me" and came up with your article. I too was shocked to finally see the trailer for "Marley & Me" and was thinking the exact same thing!!! After all of the great work that Cesar Milan has been doing to educate America about training/rehabilitating "dogs" and "dog owners"... this film seems to just wash that all away and perpetuate the popular image that "disfunctional dog ownership" is ok and cute, something to laugh about but nothing that can be fixed! It reminds me of the "Problem Child" films from the early 90s. Sure, it can be a funny film, but we're laughing at a tradegy of the human-dog relationship! The same lack of simple understanding and "discipline" has led to so much poor parenting as well.

I would have much rather seen a full length film about Cesar Milan teaching this couple and their dog about how to have a happy and fullfilling relationship for both dog and dog owners! I read the claim about Milan's techniques being "inhumane" and I disagree... sure there is some pain involved (via choke-chain) at times, but no more so than dogs experience themselves from pack leaders naturally. I've been lucky enough to raise a hunting dog from a pup with my father... and can personally attest that the "exercise-discipline-reward" technique is ideal, and I had a very happy and well behaved dog! However, the genetics/energy level/age/past psychological experiences/etc that the dogs Cesar Milan treats are the _most_extreme_ cases -- and he ultimately gets through, not focibly, but through patience and giving the dog what they really need... but have not been receiving.

I'm sure you did what you thought was best for Sheba, but you simply "did not know" back then what you know now... I only wish for the same thing - that people learn how to be good dog owners! It takes education, responsibility and discipline... the same for raising kids! =)

[Eskees]

I can't stand Victoria Stilwell--she's an egotistical bully.

That aside, what she does and what Cesar Millan does are not the same things. Stilwell trains dogs but is not primarily interested in resetting their mental states. Even if he didn't say so himself, anyone who has worked with animals can see that Millan does not train dogs--he's not teaching them to sit and stay, housebreaking, etc. Based on what I see on Millan's TV show, I really don't see how he can be called any more inhumane that any other dog trainer. He's certainly no more overbearing or forceful than is Stilwell, and he's a lot less self-important and shrill about it than she is. Is it that people object to the word "submission"? If my dog weren't submissive, life would be one big power struggle and neither of us would be happy, but she trusts me completely and is not at all afraid of me.

One thing that I do appreciate about his show is that he does sometimes tell owners that a certain dog is not a good fit for them. I know that might sound overly interfering, but I think people need to hear it sometimes to drive home that not all dogs are suited to all lifestyles. I had a friend who had two Wiemaraners in an apartment, was not an active person, and couldn't figure out why the dogs were eating her furniture! She was exactly the kind of person who did NOT need to own two 90-pound hunting dogs.

I also appreciate that he requires owners to think of their dogs as dogs, not children, while reminding them that dogs are *different* than people, but not *less*. I think that's an important thing. I used to work for a veterinarian and child-substitute dogs were frequently the most difficult to handle, and their owners the most hysterical over every minor thing (sometimes to the point of refusing needed treatments or preventative measures because they couldn't stand the thought of Fluffy getting a shot). I do not think of my dog as a child. She is absolutely precious to me and is definitely an individual, but she is not human, and that is OK.