February 2006 Archives

A healthy family should be able to function as one unit. Like dogs, we are pack-oriented, though some family members often insist on acting entirely independent. I'll admit I was guilty of such behavior myself! Early in my marriage, not long after my first son Andre was born, I pretty much let my wife know that the "family" was her problem - I was all about me, my goals, and my career. Despite the fact that I was working with a pack of dogs all day, in regards to my own life, I actually forgot about the whole pack concept when it came to my family! Needless to say, in order for our family to work, I had to get back with the program and learn to cooperate with and support each other. We all needed to follow rules, boundaries, and limitations. This sense of teamwork translates well if your family has a dog. It's so important for everyone in the family to work from the same playbook to keep the dog balanced. For example, always practice calm-assertive energy, enter the doorway first, walk the dog next to you, allow the dog to meet other dogs a certain way, and feed the dog at a set time. Consistent structure is so important for his well being, especially if you have a dog that has come into your home unbalanced. If everyone in the family has their own way of caring for the dog, he becomes confused, and then feels that he has to let the rest of the pack know who is going to run the show. He can't say, "You know what? Somebody's off the track. We are not all working together here." Inconsistency will not only create tension within the family, but will affect your dog too!

Before I came to America, I'd never seen a service dog. I remember thinking it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever witnessed. Service dogs like Sparky, who you will meet in this episode, or other therapy dogs that visit patients in hospitals or nursing homes are little angels walking around on Earth. These dogs have achieved balance, calm-submission, and active-submission. We must respect them, which means never petting them, talking to them, or making eye contact while they're working. You can still admire them and think, "What an amazing dog." The great thing is that you don't have to be close to the dog for him to know you have great respect for him. He will still be able to pick up that energy you are sending. Service dogs are a great example that they don't need our affection to do their jobs well. They will receive that from their owners when he gets home -- when the working day is done. Remember, when a person wants to give a dog affection, more often than not, they do it more for themselves than for the animal.

In Los Angeles, lots of people have the luxury to afford dog walkers; something I highly recommend for those who work long hours. The more daily primal exercise your dog gets, the calmer he'll when you come home. When I first moved the United States and started making money as a dog walker, I always acted like the pack leader and followed the natural rule - leader in front, followers in the back of the pack. I was surprised to see other walkers being pulled by their pack of dogs. And those were usually the dogs that caused problems at the dog park. Because I grew up on a farm around packs of working dogs, as opposed to house pets, I observed how the pack functions as one unit. If a situation broke out, I watched how tensions would rise between the dogs, and how the pack worked things out. Because of my experience, I was able to diffuse tensions at the dog park. If a fight developed in the park, I was able to break it up myself, something I do NOT recommend trying on your own. It's very dangerous. Of course, the best way to prevent dog fights is to have vigilant owners watching out for aggressive, frustrated, dominant, or excited dogs at the park.

Growing up in Mexico, I had never heard the term "self-esteem" until I came to the United States. I thought it was a "touchy-feely" term for people with too much time on their hands. However, once I became familiar with my clients' problem dogs, I realized that self-esteem can be a concern for both people and dogs. Now, a dog's low self-esteem could be misinterpreted as calm-submissive energy, but it's not the same thing. A dog with this problem could be naturally submissive, but may exhibit aggressive behaviors. Fearful aggression is a symptom of low self-esteem because its objective is to be left alone. To fix this problem, you need to teach the dog to trust himself. As the powerful, calm-assertive, and trusted pack leader, you can help your dog overcome specific fears by turn the negatives into positives. For example, if he is afraid of swimming, teach him how fun it is to play in the water. If he is afraid of yellow things, teach him to play with yellow toys. If he is afraid of bikes, teach him that when you ride the bike, he also gets to go for a satisfying run. Every small success will start to build up his confidence. And remember, it's not an overnight fix. Building self-esteem can take a very long time and require commitment and patience from the pack leader.

I am Patrice Lincoln, JonBee's owner. I can understand to a degree why you found our episode disturbing. It was disturbing watching poor JonBee desperately trying to control his situation and trying to dominate Cesar. However, JonBee was the violent participant in his rehabilitation - not Cesar. Cesar was nothing but calm and gentle with him. JonBee's violence was precisely why we needed Cesar. We had tried other trainers who recommended that we euthanize JonBee. Cesar was JonBee's last hope. Having been in the room, I can guarantee you that Cesar was not choking JonBee. If that were the case, I do not think that Scott and I would just stand by and watch our dog be choked. If you look closely you will see that Cesar held the leash right under the JonBee's chin - not around his throat which is where one would hold a leash if one wished to choke an animal. You can also see that JonBee was breathing the entire time. You can hear the primal sounds coming from deep within him. With regard to your concern about the danger of people trying this technique at home, I would hope that people would heed Cesar's caveat in the beginning of the show about non-professionals attempting such techniques. Our episode may have been quite different from others we have seen but it was not as you say, "made for TV." It was a repeat of what Scott and I had experienced with JonBee many times since we brought him home. JonBee did not need to be provoked to become that violent. Had it been a chore to provoke JonBee into such violent behavior, Scott and I would not allow anyone to do so for the sake of a TV show. JonBee's rehabilitation has been miraculous for our whole family. Cesar "broke" him, just as a professional would break a wild horse. Only after a horse is broken can he be ridden. Likewise, JonBee has been broken and has now become a member of our pack. He no longer has to try to dominate the pack because he now knows he is not the boss. Our episode was filmed in October 2005. Since then we have been working with JonBee every day just as Cesar taught us, and his behavior has not relapsed one bit, nor is his spirit broken - quite the contrary - he is a happy, well-behaved, sweet, loving boy who soaks up all the love and affection we give him, and which he so deserves after the horrific abuse he endured in his first years. We love him dearly. If the episode repeats I hope you will watch it again and pay close attention to Cesar's gentleness and calm during the rehabilitation. Also, thank you to Pamela Garner and Molly for your encouraging words.

As the father of two boys, many parents would agree that they can be a handful in a small house. I admit, sometimes it's easier for me to control my pack than my kids, but my boys Andre and Calvin are growing up to be wonderful human beings and I credit that in part to teaching them rules, boundaries, and limitations from the start. Every child development book you read will tell you kids crave structure and rules, and those rules have to be applied early and consistently! You can't just start setting rules when they are teenagers, right? So why do we let a litter of puppies do whatever they want, then expect them to obey? Pups six months and older are already in their "teens!" The second you bring a new puppy home, start implementing rules, boundaries, and limitations so they understand what is expected of them from the beginning. Puppies are much easier to balance because, although some pups do show dominant tendencies, they don't seek a leadership role at that age and would much rather follow. So no matter how cute they are, give your puppies proper rules from the get go. They will love you for it later.

In my work, I get to meet the most wonderful people and I try not to be too hard on them when they are my clients, but usually I'm telling them exactly what they don't want to hear - that they are usually the reason for their dog's problems and they need to change the way they relate to their dogs for their own good. It is hard to resist wanting to spoil a new pet, especially if you have just adopted a homeless animal. Owners will bring their new friend home, constantly hug the dog, stroke the dog, bring the dog to bed with them, and tell it, "It's all right. You're safe now." The problem is the dog doesn't feel safe at all. It will sense it is with a person who doesn't have a "plan," knowing that they are not with an assertive leader. One of two things will happen: The dog will develop an issue stemming from that insecurity -or existing issues will get worse-or the dog will immediately take the leadership position so that at least someone is in charge! Remember that the majority of shelter dogs are already stressed and nervous or afraid and can become aggressive if they don't feel they have that strong, calm-assertive leader at their sides. In the wild, when a new dog joins an existing pack, they already have a position for it. It will either be a leader or follower. The new dog knows what's expected of him, and what to expect. Most people don't have such a plan, and when a dog finds himself in front of owners who do not assert themselves correctly, the dog is going to create the plan for them. The right way to bring a rescued dog into your home involves understanding the leadership role. The first thing you must do upon leaving the kennel or shelter is to take the dog for a walk. This will rid him of some of his anxious energy. Resist the urge to coddle it. Affection must come later, when the leadership role is fully established. And don't worry that you are hurting the dog's feelings by withholding affection. You are not. The most important thing it needs to know is where it belongs in the new pack.

Time and time again, I'll rush to a new client's home in an "emergency" situation. Their dog is anxious or obsessive or fearful or aggressive - take your pick. After working with the dog, I give the owners my recommendation, and they'll look at me like I'm crazy and say, "You mean I'm paying $350 to have you tell me to walk my dog more?" Yes. Okay, let me explain. You see, in nature, dogs spend much of their time walking as a pack, trying to find food and water. Their very survival is based on walking! Birds fly, fish swim, dogs walk. Walking allows them to have a sense of direction, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of pack comfort. The pack is all about structure and organization. Domestic dogs live behind walls and no matter how luxurious those walls are, it's still totally unnatural to a dog. So the very best thing you can do for your dog to ensure a close, bonded relationship, a sense of structure and organization, and ultimately a balanced pet is to master the walk and do it often!

You know the saying "There's no such thing as a free lunch?" Well, think about that the next time you are getting ready to feed your dog. To put it another way, your dog has a natural instinct to work for food. All animals work for food and water. All of them. And we need to learn that we are feeding the animal--not the name, not the breed, not the species--the animal. This is how they stay in tune to nature because they use nature as a source of survival. So when somebody properly challenges a dog by creating hunger and thirst before feeding, this allows the dog to be in-tune with itself. At the Dog Psychology Center, I always challenge my dogs physically and psychologically before the feeding ritual. I fulfill the physical part by exhausting them from a walk, or rollerblading. Then the psychological challenge: I make them wait. The dog that is the most calm-submissive of the pack gets to eat first. Can you imagine what kind of a motivator that is for the other dogs to be calm-submissive? There is no barking or rushing or jumping allowed; and no one is permitted to growl at anyone else. Mealtime is then an incredibly satisfying experience for them, because they've earned it - and they know it!