Monday, May 09, 2005

Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer

Rumor has it that Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, is going to be on OPRAH, today, Monday, May 9th because she and Stedman have a deep dark secret about their dogs... CHECK IT OUT If you have a dog, you won't regret it.
Cesar and his dogs

I'm proud to say I was privvy to a session he had with a friend and her vicious, ruled-the-roost llasa apso. Yes, I'm dropping names... but I'm just so excited about incredible he was then and knowing that he is so successful now. He has his own TV show on the National Geographic Channel The Dog Whisperer and his own Cesar Millan's Dog Psychology Center in South Central Los Angeles.

I'll have to write later about that session we spent with him — it was amazing to see in person — but in the mean time, here's more about what he's about. Congrats Cesar!

Cesar and his dogsCesar's Philosophy

In the wild, a dog's survival depends on a strong, stable, and organized pack where every member knows its place and follows the rules established by the pack leader. The pack instinct is perhaps the strongest natural motivator for a dog.

Cesar Millan teaches that to be an effective owner, you need to become your canine's calm, assertive pack leader. A dog that doesn't trust its human to be a good pack leader becomes unbalanced and often exhibits unwanted or anti-social behaviors.

Cesar does not train dogs in the sense of teaching commands like "sit," "stay," or "heel"— he rehabilitates unbalanced dogs and helps "re-train" their owners to better understand how to see the world through a dog's eyes. Cesar counsels people on how to calmly, assertively, and consistently establish boundaries and prove to their dogs that they are solid pack leaders; this helps to correct and control unwanted behavior. He doesn't believe in "quick fixes," even though changing some behaviors can appear to happen in a relatively short time. None of those changes will stick, however, unless the owners work consistently with their dogs. Cesar uses a stern voice and a calm, assertive touch to correct unwanted behaviors. In his opinion, rehabilitation never involves yelling or hitting a dog.