With the story well outlined and the main argument clear, I figured that Millan would say no to an interview request. Then, as I was doing rough-cut editing, well past the interview stage, I realized he had to be in the movie because many of the folks interviewed had talked about him and simply because he has such an outsized influence on public opinion. Did you approach Cesar Millan about including his philosophies in this project? CM: The crew I assembled had a discussion about bringing Cesar Millan into the story and we decided against that.
#Alpha dog movie summary series
currently and this film uses footage of his television series to demonstrate the rank-based traditional type of training. TS: Cesar Millan is arguably the best-known dog trainer in the U.S. After preproduction research, the focus narrowed to the history and persistent popularity of the "alpha dog" concept. Two years ago, when I got a dog and started reading about training, I became curious about the history of that topic and realized it could carry a historical documentary. After attending the Maine Media Workshop and doing some early film projects, I added courses about documentary to my teaching rotation. TS: What prompted you to create a documentary about this subject? CM: I began to develop a passion for documentary film about 8 years ago, initially nudged by an interest in ways academics could more effectively communicate with the general public. This past spring, I joined Tower Hill Films, and we now have an office in Lawrence, Massachusetts. I've published three books, including A People's History of Environmentalism in the United States. Chad Montrie: I'm currently a professor in the history department at University of Massachusetts Lowell, where I teach courses on American social history, environmental history, the history of documentary film, and documentary filmmaking. Tonya Sparks: Tell me about your current position.
It should be required viewing for every veterinarian, shelter worker, and pet-store employee to facilitate exposure to alternate concepts and prevent continued misinformation of the need to “dominate your dog.”Ĭlinician's Brief Interactive Medical Editor, Tonya Sparks, DVM, MS interviewed the director, cinematographer and assistant editor for the film, Chad Montrie: The film is of an ideal length for teaching the budding behaviorist or any individual whose training expertise is sought by the public. Skinner to The Andy Griffith Show, it includes interviews with such behavior notables as Sophia Yin, Nicole Wilde (author of Help for Your Fearful Dog), and Alexandra Horowitz (author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know). Expertly edited to demonstrate concepts with anything from B.F. This thought-provoking film, presenting both viewpoints (though clearly biased), is a beautiful overview of dog training. Reviewing the history of dog domestication and revisiting desired roles we want for our pets in today’s society (ie, integrated and loved members of our family), it becomes apparent that a shift in the traditional, widely-used training paradigm should be considered. Skinner, focuses on adjusting human behavior to prevent behavioral issues and training. The other training option of operant conditioning and positive-reinforcement focuses first on prevention and management of unwanted behaviors, and second on rewarding desired behaviors and readdressing undesired behaviors. Unless you have intimate knowledge of implementing the “nothing in life is free” philosophy and using only positive-reinforcement to curb unwanted behaviors, old habits and thought-patterns are hard to break, especially with omnipresent celebrities such as Cesar Millan encouraging pack dominance. It’s easy to fall into the same training patterns and subscribe to traditional rank-based training we have heard of for years. Outside of captivity, however, most packs are family-based units with young wolves deferring to older, more experienced members for guidance and leadership-much like human family units. This is based on the assumption that an “alpha dog” is required in pack organizations, founded on observations of wolf hierarchies in captivity during the 1940s. The traditional type of training that many subscribe to is punishment-based and modifies inappropriate behavior with dominance-type corrections (“cuffs” to the head, choke collars, force into submissive positions). Tough Love: A Meditation on Dominance and Dogs, a 35-minute documentary, describes the two preeminent philosophies regarding dog training, as well as the philosophies’ history.