Tough Love: A Meditation on Dominance and Dogs | Book & Product Reviews | AVSAB
AVSAB | American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior
Welcome Guest!
Home
Log In  |  Become a Member
Search:
About
General Information
Mission Statement
Executive Board
Contact Info
Membership
Membership Benefits
Membership Benefits-Members Only
Become A Member
Membership FAQ
Resources
Overview
AVSAB Forum
Newsletter Info
Newsletter Archive
Behavior Consultants Near You
Find an Expert to Interview
Speakers Bureau
Opportunities for Veterinarians
Upcoming Seminars, Conferences, & Lectures
Position Statements
History Forms & Behavior Handouts
Annual Meeting Minutes & Treasurer's Reports
Annual Symposium
Information & Registration
Previous Year Proceedings
Students
Student Information
Opportunities for Students
Student Chapters
Student Testimonials
Case Studies for Students
Student Forums
Find A Speaker
Chapter Application and Renewal Guidelines
Constitution and Bylaws
Blog
Overview
AVSAB Forum
Newsletter Info
Newsletter Archive
Behavior Consults Near You
Find an Expert to Interview
Speakers Bureau
Opportunities for Veterinarians
Upcoming Seminars, Conferences, & Lectures
Webinars
Position Statements
History Forms & Behavior Handouts
Annual Meeting Minutes & Treasurer's Reports
Book & Product Reviews
Tough Love: A Meditation on Dominance and Dogs
Author: Chad Montrie Director, Cinematographer, and Assistant Editor Year Published: 2012 Publisher: Anchorhold Films and Tower Hill Films
This professionally presented film is intended to provide an overview of the “alpha dog” concept as it relates to dog training historically and today. The film consists of a series of animal professionals (behaviorists, scientists, dog trainers) talking to the camera about their dog training experiences and beliefs.
The opening of the film is touching as Dr. Sophia Yin tells us about a dog she once had that had aggression issues and how, because of  the punishment-based training methods that she was taught to use at the time, her relationship with the dog was not as good as it could have been.  But after this beginning, I expected some kind of narrative that would introduce the viewer to the film and its purpose. It also would have been nice to have narrative throughout the film to move us through it and to better introduce the speakers; however, the film contained no narrative.
Intermingled with the discussions were a few excerpts from old TV shows and also from Cesar Millan’s show, The Dog Whisperer. In fact, I must admit that one of my favorite parts of the film was Gail Fisher’s direct comment that Millan’s “television program set back dog training by about 50 years.” I personally think that this needs to be stated bluntly to the general dog-owning public, and Fisher did just that.
The film’s producers chose well-known (in the behavior and dog training community, that is) and respected experts to interview. In addition to Dr. Yin and Gail Fisher, interviewees included Bob Bailey, Ray Coppinger, Alexandria Horowitz, Karen Pryor, Nicole Wild and Paul Owens, among others. Only one dominance-based trainer was interviewed, and I’m not quite sure what the purpose of that was. If the producers were trying to show both sides of the dominance argument, one would think they’d interview additional punishment-based trainers, and then if their point was to encourage positive reinforcement training instead, they could use narrative and the remaining speakers to explain why based on science.
Overall, Tough Love is professionally produced and would be good for the general dog-owning public to see, which I assume is the intended audience. Discussions included the dominance-based training mentality, the similarities and differences between dogs and wolves, and even some thoughts about how to use treats correctly. If dog trainers actually had the time to add a 37-minute video to their classes, this might be a useful introduction to humane training methods.
Link to movie http://www.anchorholdfilms.com/#
 
Reviewed by:
Cheryl Kolus DVM
« Back to Book & Product Reviews