Noobs wrote:
When he says "name" he means that people treat their dogs like humans, so they should think of the dog as an animal first, then a dog, then the breed, THEN the name (their pet/baby, etc.). I think he means that when people think of the dog as its name first, then they are meeting their needs (affection to/from the dog) and not the dog's (animal/dog/breed).
I don't love everything he does, but I appreciate that he will call owners out on treating their dogs like babies and being selfish by making cuddling more important than exercise, etc.
Another area where he and Victoria have a lot in common. If you don't address how the humans interact with the dog (and often each other), it's much harder and sometimes impossible to help the dog. I've done a bit of work in co-dependancy and family dynamics and how it affects the children in these families. I see the same parallels in working with dogs. Yep, it's the owners!
The starting point of viewing a dog as "animal, dog, breed, and then individual personality" is actually the scientific approach to studying all living organizms. You start with the common ground first, and work up to the individual. This
is very helpful in getting owners to stop seeing their dog as a person or with too much projected emotion.
My list is longer than Cesar's, starting with "animal/vertebrate/mammal/canine/dog/breed" and finally the "individual personality" and case history of the specific dog. I can post a link with the actual scientific breakdown, but I'd have to look at it myself in order to use the big words.
"Canine/dog" is important to see how a dog was designed by nature. Although there is some debate on where man actually started his genetic manipulations. Fulfilling the dog's needs, as a dog is important.
"Breed" is also important because the "bred for by man" skills a dog is born with can give you a big heads-up as to where those "skills" may surface if a dog becomes frustrated, bored, or confused. Fulfilling the skills (or finding a similar task) a dog was bred for, is also important.
"Individual personality" is where you explore the nature/nurture/age/sex/age/health/case history of the individual. The specific dog may also have specific needs which should be fulfilled.
I think all of the levels are important, no matter where you start. I'm just very careful not to use any of them to make excuses such as: Breed = "Well, it's hopeless. He's a Labrador, a hunter. He was born to chase chickens (It was written in the stars?!) There is nothing I can do...". I heard this from my neighbor after his dogs went after my hens. Hmmm, I've had a Labrador, a Catahoula, and and Australian Cattle Dog...all of which learned to ignore my hens.