Viva Cesar Millan!

I have recently discovered The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan.  I know he has been on the air for several years, but we recently upgraded our TV programming.  So that we can receive certain college football games and as a result, we now get The Dog Whisperer.

Cesar is awesome!  Love him!  I like how he is straightforward and tells people how it is.  He doesn’t beat around the bush.  He kind of reminds me of me J.  But I’m not nearly as personable as he is, nor as talented with dogs.  He is amazing how he reads dogs and can tell what they’re going to do before they do it. He truly has a remarkable gift.

Cesar says dogs are predictable, humans aren’t.  When someone tells him their dog is not predictable, he politely disagrees.

He has so many great quotes – which I tried to find to put on this blog, but none of the really great quotes were online.  Cesar has said some very wise things.

I like how he tries to relate people’s personal experiences to their dogs.  He’s really good at that.

Some things I’ve learned from Cesar:

To be a good pack leader, you must be calm and assertive.

A good balanced dog is calm and submissive.

Dogs read humans energy and will mirror it.  If you’re anxious, they will become anxious.

Dogs will not follow an unstable pack leader.  If you are not calm and assertive the dog will assume pack leader position.

Dogs do not follow weak energy and will attack weak energy.  That’s nature.

A balanced dog will correct an unbalanced dog.  Usually through biting or touching with their mouth.

A balanced dog must have exercise, discipline, affection.  In that order.

Never give affection to a dog who is not calm and submissive.  Whatever state the dog is in – excited, anxious, aggressive, fearful, dominant, etc. will be exacerbated by giving affection in that state.  This creates an unbalanced dog.  No dog wants to be unbalanced – humans create unbalanced dogs by humanizing them  And by giving affection at the wrong time.

Do not humanize your dog!  Dogs are not humans.  They are animals first, then dogs, then breed, and lastly personality (individual, name)

Dogs don’t rationalize, like humans. They don’t understand when they are scared, for example, and you say, “It’s okay, you’re okay” and give affection – all they know is you are reinforcing their behavior (fear).  And their brain becomes more unstable and not balanced.

Dogs need rules, boundaries, and limitations to be balanced.

Claim your space.  Claim the door, claim the couch, claim your human, etc.  Do not let the dog come into your space, i.e. jump on your lap, without being invited.

When you first greet a dog – no touch, no talk, no eye contact! Let the dog smell you first.  When the dog walks away after smelling you, then you can greet the dog.

 In the dog world it is polite to smell first.  So when a dog smells you, they are being polite.  Dogs do not want to be greeted until they have had a chance to introduce themselves through smell. Especially don’t pat the dog on the top of his head until he smells you. That shows dominance over him.  If it is a fearful dog pet him under the chin first.

Dogs sense first smell, then sight, then hearing.  Nose, eyes, ears.

Cesar says dogs are like men, they can only do one thing at a time.  This is why walking is important in creating balance. If you walk the dog properly, they will only focus on following the pack leader.

Never let the dog walk in front of you.  Pack leader is always first.  Never leave the house with the dog, unless he is in a calm submissive state.  If you leave the house for a walk with an excited dog, he will never reach a calm submissive state during the walk.

Dogs live in the present.  Whatever bad things have happened to them in the past is behind them.  So don’t feel sorry for what has happened to them in the past.  That just portrays weak energy and will not only not help the dog, but will create unbalance. 

I’m sure there are more things I’ve forgotten but that’s a good start.  I think a lot of what Cesar says is applicable to humans as well.  Since humans are also pack animals.

In rehabilitating dogs and training people Cesar has done much good, not only for dogs, but also for the humans.  It is really the humans who must change if they want to change their dog’s behavior. An unstable dog is really a reflection of an unstable human. So, in reality, I think Cesar is more of a human psychologist as he practices dog psychology.

Cesar is remarkable man, and I would like to think that we would be good friends.  If he doesn’t receive the gospel in this life, I want to be one of the missionaries to teach him in the next life!

That’s my two cents.