Why won't they leave Cesar alone?

It's Cesar bashing time again.

There's certainly an appetite at the moment for animal welfare organisations and veterinarians to have a go at the charming Mexican who has weaved his spell over British dog owners and is filling arenas all over the country. There are those who will fight to their last breath to defend his integrity and will give you a stony, "mad dog" stare as soon as his methods are criticised. Why is he so popular and why has he become so controversial?

Well he's on t'telly for a start, he's a charming guy and he has a fascinating back story of a childhood love of dogs, escape to the USA, illegal status and a meteoric rise to fame through the auspices of tinsel-town and new found celebrity friends. But it's here that the controversy starts. Cesar shot to fame after using his innate understanding of dogs, firstly by pointing out to the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith's missus the simple fact that dogs aren't little people in woolly coats. His charm was undoubtedly an asset here and his instinct for the basic premise of giving dogs what they need, rather than what the owners thought they needed, meant that success was assured.

But Hollywood loves a therapist and theories and buzzwords began to come into his vocabulary and inevitably, the books and TV shows reflected that. The problem is that it all happened back to front. Cesar undoubtedly has a way with dogs, its rough, tough and can be physical, but it's based on his experience and that's the bit that can't easily be replicated.

Some of what he does is uncontroversial, then there are techniques that he, when just a country boy, would have considered to be "tough love" and quite normal, but these techniques turn out to be unnecessarily brutal to those who are aware of the alternatives. These more heavy handed methods are fairly few and far between, but it's the middle ground that is the really big problem. Techniques that, with Cesar's experience and timing are seem to be effective and quick corrections, become brutal and downright dangerous in the wrong hands We're not talking about cruel people here, just those who are so desperate to control their dogs that they repeatedly apply his methods when they don't seem to be working, with increasing severity, despite the fact that they can be doing things that are counterproductive in subtle and not so subtle ways, making the whole situation worse.

To his credit it seems he's realised this. Take a look at his later shows and they move away from the more physical "hands on" methodology. I understand that he's due to discuss his methods with veterinarian and animal welfare groups this year and recently was heard to say that his shouldn't be considered a "how to" show.

There's no doubt that he loves dogs and despairs over the glitterati using them as fashion accessories. If he has made the air-heads realise that they are dealing with living, breathing creatures that have their own needs, then bravo to him.

But it all begs the question: what do we do with the books DVDs and recordings of his TV shows that are getting people into trouble with their dogs?

The calm, effective ways of learning to live in harmony with a calm, relaxed dog are not "televisual", they can't be solved in an hour's TV slot (with 15 minutes for commercials) and success doesn't come in a 5 minute revelation at the end of the show.

Our own Jan Fennell has been studying the dog for over 20 years, devised a method from the ground up that everyone, and I mean everyone, can follow safely - and it works.

Cesar has a disclaimer on his shows that suggests you "seek the advice of a professional" - there's no need to wait for him to shift his position, there is someone who can show you how you can do it too, safely, right now. A real professional who will stay with you for a lifetime - a Jan Fennell approved Dog Listener.