Recently, I discovered on YouTube “Cesar 911” which is akin to “Dog Whisperer”. I love Cesar! Not only is he blessed with an innate ability to understand dogs, but he is also quite entertaining. He’s a funny guy. A lot funnier than any standup comedian ever dreams of being.
Cesar’s God given gift of understanding dogs’ behavior and psychology is unparalleled. It truly is a gift from God. I am thankful that he freely shares his talents with the world. I have learned so much about psychology from Cesar - and I hold a minor in psychology.
Cesar says he trains humans and rehabilitates dogs. Whenever there is an unstable dog, there is an unstable or ignorant human behind it. Dogs react to the environment. They don’t reason. Dogs will never follow an unstable leader. Humans, on the other hand, will not only follow but elect unstable leaders. Just look at our current White House occupant. I don’t think it gets much more unstable than Joe Biden - or any Democrat/leftist for that matter.
But the reason I wanted to write this post today was to share something I recently learned from Cesar. It’s been several days since I learned this so I hope I remember everything correctly.
When a litter of puppies is born, their nose is already open. their eyes open 15 days later, and their ears open 21 days later. (I could be off on the numbers). But its nose, eyes, ears. 60% of a dog’s brain is controlled by their nose.
When you greet a dog, always let it smell you first. No touch, no talk, no eye contact. Then you can pet the dog. If you just rush in and pat the dog on the head without letting it smell you first, you are showing dominance and it is very rude. Insecure and aggressive dogs can bite in this situation. Fight, flight, avoidance, submission. Those are the four options. A calm submissive dog is the ideal. That's what you want. That's what a good pack leader will instill.
There are three categories that breeders place puppies in after they’re born: Pack Leader (pick of the litter), middle of the pack (pet quality), and back of the pack (runt). The way breeders determine which part of the pack each puppy belongs to is by observing who comes to the mother's milk first -- pack leader and pick of the litter. The puppies who are next to go to the mother's milk are middle of the pack. And the last puppy to get to mother's milk is the back of the pack or the runt.
The pack leader is the puppy that is always chosen for police work. The pack leader puppy is also the one who will grow up to be aggressive and dominant if not trained properly.
The middle of the pack puppies are what Cesar calls happy-go-lucky. They are even-tempered and friendly. Middle of the pack puppies make the best pets. Cesar says he always chooses middle of the pack puppies for his own pack.
The back of the pack puppy is the runt. Now, runt has a negative connotation. But don't go judging the back of the pack puppy as inferior. Every dog has a place in the pack and every dog is useful and needed in the pack. Back of the pack puppies are the most sensitive. These are the best dogs for sensing seizures and for people with medical problems who need a service dog, because they are more sensitive and aware. But, back of the pack puppies are also the most likely to develop insecurities and become fearful. A lot of times people mistake fearful, insecure dogs as aggressive, when they are actually just scared. Of course, when dogs get scared, they bite. This is why they get labeled as aggressive. Back of the pack puppies need a strong, calm, assertive human as pack leader to remain balanced and stable.
Interestingly, insecure, fearful dogs are the hardest to rehabilitate. They take the most time to rehabilitate because you have to build their self-esteem. All dogs, regardless of pack position, can become unbalanced and unstable when they don't have a calm, assertive human pack leader. Dogs need rules, boundaries, and limitations. Exercise, discipline, then affection is crucial to creating a balanced, stable dog. Unfortunately, most people think that all a dog needs is affection and reassurance. But given at the wrong time -- for instance when a dog is scared -- affection will reinforce the bad behavior. Discipline does not equal punishment. The same principle can be used on raising children. Children also need rules, boundaries, and limitations. Discipline gives structure to a dogs and child's life. They are happier and more balanced.
I could go on with spreading Cesar's wisdom, but that's what wanted to share with you today. I just love Cesar Millan. He may be a flawed human -- like all of us -- but through sharing his talents and knowledge with the world, he has helped countless lives -- both human and dog. Cesar's infinite patience, calm assertive energy, compassion, and strong work ethic have helped countless humans and dogs live in harmony, peace, and happiness together.
Cesar says he will take a bite if it will save a dog's life. Not only has he saved many dogs lives, but he's also helped many humans through training them to be calm assertive pack leaders. I have much respect and admiration for Cesar Millan. Cesar is a kind, wise, compassionate soul.
That's my two cents.
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