ButterflyMommy
New Member
Dog whisperer Cesar Millan leads pack on canine training
Through enthusiasm, charisma and no-nonsense training methods, Cesar Millan has created a phenomenon with his TV show The Dog Whisperer.
By Valerie Berenyi, Calgary Herald October 3, 2010
Read more: Dog whisperer Cesar Millan leads pack on canine training
Chhhiiittt! Sit up and pay attention: the Dog Whisperer is bringing his sharp hiss and mad-dog-taming ways to town.
The hugely popular dog trainer from the TV series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, is embarking (sorry) on a cross-Canada tour and will make two stops in Alberta: one in Calgary on Nov. 7; the other in Edmonton on Nov. 6.
In advance of his firsttime appearance in Calgary, ebullient Millan chatted with us from Los Angeles:
In the new season of the Dog Whisperer, you retired your main dog Daddy. Is he still with you?
No, he passed away six months ago after 16 gorgeous years.
Your new main man is Junior, also a pit bull. Are pit bulls your favourite breed?
I don't have a favourite breed. I grew up with mutts in Mexico.
I don't think it's fair to generalize. It's like generalizing about people from different cultures, like saying all people who come to America are not going to be good for the country. We can't generalize that pit bulls are bad.
Here I am, an ex-illegal immigrant, making a diffe-ence. I think it's hilarious that a pit bull and a Mexican are making a difference in the world. (Laughs.) We were both almost banned.
I don't imagine you agree with breed bans.
You don't solve the problem by banning something. The problem transfers to another breed. In the '70s it was the Doberman in America, in the '90s it was the Rottweiler. In 2000 it's the pit bull. Banning things creates an ignorant, fearful society.
Given your line of work, have you ever been bitten badly enough to require stitches?
Never. The key is when a dog is biting me I don't move. The rip comes when you start moving or jiggling away. It's also understanding that when a dog bites, it's to test you, not to destroy you.
Have you ever met a dog you couldn't rehabilitate?
I have met people who I can't help. You can't help humans in denial, humans who blame everybody else. I can't help the lazy type of human who wants to pay you for you to fix their problem.
You can fix mechanical things. Life, you transform. So, until a human is willing to project a different energy or state of mind and adopt new behaviours, the relationship will never change.
You can fix appliances, but you can't fix your husband or your wife. The only thing you can do is motivate him or inspire her and fulfil their needs. And they have to do their part.
Where do you stand on cats?
I stand four or five feet away from them (laughs). It's easier to work with somebody who wants to be in your intimate space than someone who doesn't want you in his intimate space. [Besides,] there are more attacks from dogs on humans, than cats on humans. People are not freaking out about cats. Nobody has nightmares from cats.
How many dogs do you personally own?
Ten. Only two come to live with me at a time, because there's a law [in Los Angeles that allows only three dogs or cats per household]. What I do is rotate them in pairs. The rest of the pack stays on my ranch where I have 43 acres. They have activities like sheep-herding; they walk, they swim. Every three days I switch 'em.
Eight of them are for adoption purposes. I don't want them to feel they belong to a certain environment yet, although I do want them to feel they belong to a pack. But Junior is with me all the time. [When I'm on the road] he goes to the ranch, I get situated and then he flies to wherever I am and we get to work.
Many of the dogs on your show have aggression problems. I have a shy dog. Can you share some pointers for dealing with timid dogs?
Dealing with insecure dogs is a more lengthy rehabilitation because you have to build their self-esteem. It's easier to rehabilitate an aggressive dog than an insecure dog. I worked on two episodes, with dogs named Luna and Babygirl, for three months.
Everything counts with insecure dogs because they are so sensitive. If you raise your voice or change something in the environment it freaks them out. You have to go very slow.
I suggest that people with insecure dogs join agility courses, take them swimming or backpacking -- anything where they can run, jump, move forward. It builds confidence.
I worked with a Vizsla who was terrified of the streets. What I did with this dog was I put the leash on the tail and I raised the tail up. When the tail is up, it means confidence. I worked from the body to the mind and that completely changed they way he was looking at the streets.
Does it matter if you let your dog on the sofa or the bed?
You can share your entire house with your dog. Some dogs here in America sleep on people's heads. The point is, allow whatever you want, so long as you told him to do that. If a dog is going to go on the couch, he has to be in a calm, submissive state before he gets up on the couch. Why? Because if he gets excited and claims that side of the couch and no other human can sit down beside him, he's saying, 'This is my space. I was here first. And I make the decisions on my own.'
The bed: Many people wanna stay up and watch a movie until 9:30 but the dog starts whining because he wants to go to sleep. That's not healthy. That means the dog is telling you 'Stop watching the movie and go up to the bed because I wanna sleep on your head.' (Bursts out laughing.)
Allow whatever you want, so long as you approve it. That way you don't lose your leadership.
When asked about you, the head of the behaviour department at the Calgary Humane Society said she prefers positive reinforcement for training dogs. Her concern about dominant style training is that it breeds aggressive or fearful dogs. How do you respond?
My way is not the only way. Her way is not the only way. We bring options to people. One of the things we would agree on is that we must gain the trust, respect and loyalty of our dogs. The word 'dominant' can be twisted around, turned around, flipped around.
But it's not about the word, it's about the feeling, the sensation of being calm in your space. If the word dominance is not what you like, use confidence, assertiveness or self-assured.
One of the things they don't like is when I pin a dog on the ground on its side. I'm mimicking something that's very primal to dogs, but when I do it, I'm not angry or frustrated. I'm assertive. It's an internal conversation before it's physical. Don't focus on the word, don't focus on the physical aspect of the conversation, focus on the energy.
She also observes that your training style has evolved since your first season on TV, that you've become kinder and gentler and even more engaged with dogs and their owners. Is that true?
No, only my clothes have changed! When I started the show, they were only 30-minute episodes. Now, because the show is successful, we can show an hour. We can give you more background. (When the Dog Whisperer first aired) I said to the production company, 'We spent five hours with that person, why did you guys only show me pinning the dog down?' But for television purposes, you need to see the drama, the funny thing, the wow thing.
I am the same guy. Balance is very important to me. In the beginning, professional dog trainers had problems with me because they saw me as "too strong." They didn't see the other half, the balance in it.
Do your two sons, Calvin, 11 and Andre, 16, want to follow in your footsteps?
My sons are leaders and they definitely grew up with this knowledge. Every other kid outside my house wants to be a dog whisperer. It's like 'I wanna be like your dad.' But right now, one of them wants to be a soccer player and the other wants to be a cartoon artist.
See the blog my dog sez at calgaryherald/mydogsez
Read more: Dog whisperer Cesar Millan leads pack on canine training
Through enthusiasm, charisma and no-nonsense training methods, Cesar Millan has created a phenomenon with his TV show The Dog Whisperer.
By Valerie Berenyi, Calgary Herald October 3, 2010
Read more: Dog whisperer Cesar Millan leads pack on canine training
Chhhiiittt! Sit up and pay attention: the Dog Whisperer is bringing his sharp hiss and mad-dog-taming ways to town.
The hugely popular dog trainer from the TV series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, is embarking (sorry) on a cross-Canada tour and will make two stops in Alberta: one in Calgary on Nov. 7; the other in Edmonton on Nov. 6.
In advance of his firsttime appearance in Calgary, ebullient Millan chatted with us from Los Angeles:
In the new season of the Dog Whisperer, you retired your main dog Daddy. Is he still with you?
No, he passed away six months ago after 16 gorgeous years.
Your new main man is Junior, also a pit bull. Are pit bulls your favourite breed?
I don't have a favourite breed. I grew up with mutts in Mexico.
I don't think it's fair to generalize. It's like generalizing about people from different cultures, like saying all people who come to America are not going to be good for the country. We can't generalize that pit bulls are bad.
Here I am, an ex-illegal immigrant, making a diffe-ence. I think it's hilarious that a pit bull and a Mexican are making a difference in the world. (Laughs.) We were both almost banned.
I don't imagine you agree with breed bans.
You don't solve the problem by banning something. The problem transfers to another breed. In the '70s it was the Doberman in America, in the '90s it was the Rottweiler. In 2000 it's the pit bull. Banning things creates an ignorant, fearful society.
Given your line of work, have you ever been bitten badly enough to require stitches?
Never. The key is when a dog is biting me I don't move. The rip comes when you start moving or jiggling away. It's also understanding that when a dog bites, it's to test you, not to destroy you.
Have you ever met a dog you couldn't rehabilitate?
I have met people who I can't help. You can't help humans in denial, humans who blame everybody else. I can't help the lazy type of human who wants to pay you for you to fix their problem.
You can fix mechanical things. Life, you transform. So, until a human is willing to project a different energy or state of mind and adopt new behaviours, the relationship will never change.
You can fix appliances, but you can't fix your husband or your wife. The only thing you can do is motivate him or inspire her and fulfil their needs. And they have to do their part.
Where do you stand on cats?
I stand four or five feet away from them (laughs). It's easier to work with somebody who wants to be in your intimate space than someone who doesn't want you in his intimate space. [Besides,] there are more attacks from dogs on humans, than cats on humans. People are not freaking out about cats. Nobody has nightmares from cats.
How many dogs do you personally own?
Ten. Only two come to live with me at a time, because there's a law [in Los Angeles that allows only three dogs or cats per household]. What I do is rotate them in pairs. The rest of the pack stays on my ranch where I have 43 acres. They have activities like sheep-herding; they walk, they swim. Every three days I switch 'em.
Eight of them are for adoption purposes. I don't want them to feel they belong to a certain environment yet, although I do want them to feel they belong to a pack. But Junior is with me all the time. [When I'm on the road] he goes to the ranch, I get situated and then he flies to wherever I am and we get to work.
Many of the dogs on your show have aggression problems. I have a shy dog. Can you share some pointers for dealing with timid dogs?
Dealing with insecure dogs is a more lengthy rehabilitation because you have to build their self-esteem. It's easier to rehabilitate an aggressive dog than an insecure dog. I worked on two episodes, with dogs named Luna and Babygirl, for three months.
Everything counts with insecure dogs because they are so sensitive. If you raise your voice or change something in the environment it freaks them out. You have to go very slow.
I suggest that people with insecure dogs join agility courses, take them swimming or backpacking -- anything where they can run, jump, move forward. It builds confidence.
I worked with a Vizsla who was terrified of the streets. What I did with this dog was I put the leash on the tail and I raised the tail up. When the tail is up, it means confidence. I worked from the body to the mind and that completely changed they way he was looking at the streets.
Does it matter if you let your dog on the sofa or the bed?
You can share your entire house with your dog. Some dogs here in America sleep on people's heads. The point is, allow whatever you want, so long as you told him to do that. If a dog is going to go on the couch, he has to be in a calm, submissive state before he gets up on the couch. Why? Because if he gets excited and claims that side of the couch and no other human can sit down beside him, he's saying, 'This is my space. I was here first. And I make the decisions on my own.'
The bed: Many people wanna stay up and watch a movie until 9:30 but the dog starts whining because he wants to go to sleep. That's not healthy. That means the dog is telling you 'Stop watching the movie and go up to the bed because I wanna sleep on your head.' (Bursts out laughing.)
Allow whatever you want, so long as you approve it. That way you don't lose your leadership.
When asked about you, the head of the behaviour department at the Calgary Humane Society said she prefers positive reinforcement for training dogs. Her concern about dominant style training is that it breeds aggressive or fearful dogs. How do you respond?
My way is not the only way. Her way is not the only way. We bring options to people. One of the things we would agree on is that we must gain the trust, respect and loyalty of our dogs. The word 'dominant' can be twisted around, turned around, flipped around.
But it's not about the word, it's about the feeling, the sensation of being calm in your space. If the word dominance is not what you like, use confidence, assertiveness or self-assured.
One of the things they don't like is when I pin a dog on the ground on its side. I'm mimicking something that's very primal to dogs, but when I do it, I'm not angry or frustrated. I'm assertive. It's an internal conversation before it's physical. Don't focus on the word, don't focus on the physical aspect of the conversation, focus on the energy.
She also observes that your training style has evolved since your first season on TV, that you've become kinder and gentler and even more engaged with dogs and their owners. Is that true?
No, only my clothes have changed! When I started the show, they were only 30-minute episodes. Now, because the show is successful, we can show an hour. We can give you more background. (When the Dog Whisperer first aired) I said to the production company, 'We spent five hours with that person, why did you guys only show me pinning the dog down?' But for television purposes, you need to see the drama, the funny thing, the wow thing.
I am the same guy. Balance is very important to me. In the beginning, professional dog trainers had problems with me because they saw me as "too strong." They didn't see the other half, the balance in it.
Do your two sons, Calvin, 11 and Andre, 16, want to follow in your footsteps?
My sons are leaders and they definitely grew up with this knowledge. Every other kid outside my house wants to be a dog whisperer. It's like 'I wanna be like your dad.' But right now, one of them wants to be a soccer player and the other wants to be a cartoon artist.
See the blog my dog sez at calgaryherald/mydogsez
Read more: Dog whisperer Cesar Millan leads pack on canine training
