The Dog Whisperer has a sort of hypnotic power over me. Watching it puts me in a pleasant trance, one where I start to believe that maybe all the unruly forces in my life could be tamed, if only I could just master the art of exerting “calm-assertive energy.”
Apparently I’m not alone in wondering if Cesar Millan‘s tactics could work on more than just dogs. The Styles section of the New York Times recently included this article, which expounds on the idea that perhaps “the Dog Whisperer is also a Child Whisperer.”
The gist is that just like dogs take cues from their master, kids take cues from their parents, and it’s when the parents don’t carry themselves like “pack leaders” that kids misbehave. For more information on how exactly to put the tactics to good use, check out this post on a blog called The Kid Whisperer, which is mentioned in the article, entitled “Raising Kids: Wisdom from the Dog Whisperer.”
For those parents who don’t appreciate their children being compared to animals, I would recommend this recent article published in Slate. It points out that many tactics now used on children to address misbehavior and anxiety, among other things, were originally discovered through animal research. Even the timeout! Who knew?
Some of these tactics seem to work well on grownups, too, particularly ones developed for animal training, at least if that incredibly popular Modern Love piece (about a woman’s success using animal training techniques on her husband) from a few years ago has any merit.
Photo by Natalie Greco
Molly Langmuir
Molly Langmuir does remember what it was like to be on staff at a magazine, although these days every magazine she has ever worked for is closed. She blogs at mollykay.tumblr.com, has a journalism degree from Columbia, and has written ...
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More on these topics:
Cesar Millan, child rearing tactics, Slate, the Dog Whisperer, the New York Times, timeouts
Russ Wellen says:
I read the Slate and Modern Love piece too. Are you kidding me? If I tried ignoring my significant other's, uh, misbehaviors, that person would go, in the words of another Faster Times writer, batshit crazy.
Molly Langmuir says:
Yeah, those techniques really haven't worked on my end either. Maybe I'm not consistent enough, I mean, they say it's all about consistency, right? Or they just don't work.
Russ Wellen says:
Most adults, especially when they're "acting out," don't suffer being ignored lightly.