Behaviorists UPSET With Merial?

by Dr. Chris

November 3, 2009 Why are so many behaviorists upset with Merial? Well Merial is a veterinary pharmaceutical firm and they recently used Cesar Milan in their advertisements. That does not seem so bad, does it? So why is everyone upset?

Merial was sent letters of protest from these three groups:

The American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB)

The Academy of Veterinary Behavior Technicians (AVBT)

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB)

The main reason for protest is because it implies endorsement of the trainer's methods. Also use of Merial's material in the vet clinic with his image might imply the vet team's endorsement of his techniques.

They are not scientifically sound and he uses fear and intimidation to manage behavior, they also cite studies where this has proven to worsen behavior problems.

They even suggested using a dog trainer that uses more current and scientific based techniques like Karen Pryor, Jean Donaldson, Ian Dubbar, or Victoria Stillwell.

The main thing about Cesar Millan they don't like is his use of dominance based techniques. It is believed that the use of these techniques can lead to aggression and anxiety directed towards the owner with possible injury.

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