Good dog

Thank you for spotlighting Cesar Millan, “The Dog Whisperer” [“A Sage for the Canine Set,” by Mimi Avins, Oct. 18]. I had Cesar on the case of one of my rescues years ago. He was good then; he’s even better now. Unfortunately, most dog owners lack one or all the conditions for a happy dog in his mantra: “Exercise, Discipline, Affection.” It’s a triangle that falls apart if one of the sides is missing.

Rachel Rosenthal

Los Angeles

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Millan makes good points about the need for exercise, rules and not coddling dogs. But the use of physical force to solve aggression issues, no matter how innocuous Millan makes it seem, only suppresses behavior. Of course it appears to be a “miracle” when a dog instantly stops an unwanted behavior. But the dog has no choice. Unfortunately, the stress caused by the methods used will likely resurface as a potentially more serious problem. Aggression begets aggression.

Nicole Wilde

Santa Clarita

The writer is author of “So You Want to Be a Dog Trainer” (Phantom, 2001).