Ewa,
That reminds me of that one episode with the scared white pit. It breaks my heart to see a dog so scared of everything. :(

Please to Cesar to be a spokesman for anti BSL. We need more peoplelike him to speak for those who cannot. Punish the deed not the breed.

help! I am a bit confused on this one. My dog, Inuki, which I have had for a month now, still wants to chase my cats. He is submissive by nature, and he knows and minds me, my wishes, and others very well, and he knows that I would be devistated if he ever actually hurt one of my cats. He will stare one down and wag his tail lightly, then the tail is straight out. He seems playful, yet cautious, and he immedeatley has to inspect when there is a cat near his bed, his crate, or his food dish. All that I have to do is snap my fingers once, and his attention turns to me and his ears go down, and the intensity stops. He knows that I am pack leader, and I do my best to fulfill his need for balance, I take him with me to work daily and he is around other animals there, 2 or 3 thirty minute walks daily, 15 minutes of frisbee, and he walks by my side not in front, he lets me out the door first, he works for his food, and earns affection. He seems very happy and content with his life. I am only hoping that his plans are never to hurt mine or anyone elses cats, but I cant tell if I am reading him correctly sometimes. He has not ever hurt them, just wants to chase them. He does not seem interested in being freinds, he does not sniff them. It seems like a dominance thing, but I dont know, and I am a little unsure, because he has also bared his teeth at one of my cats, not ever growling. All 3 of my cats are used to dogs, and they want to play with him, and it could work, but I can see that the cats and the dog are not quite understanding eachothers intentions. Any suggestions or thoughts on helping me stop this behavior in him are much appreciated.

What a great episode!

To Ewa and others who think they have chickens in dog suits:

I have one of these dogs. She was so terrified of everything when I brought her home from the shelter a year ago last September. She was just a little over a year old, and would jump out of her skin and run under my desk if you even "thought" too loud or suddenly. She submissive peed, shook all over, and trusted noone. She almost bit someone in the face when I first got her, because he would not leave her alone, cornered her, and tried to give her "love", after I told him not to. He was asked to leave my home for the dog's good, and his.

Watching Cesar's show, paying special attention to his body language when he deals with these dogs, especially the serene expression he keeps on his face, his low tone of voice, body posture, calm body movement, and assertive energy, is invaluable. There is a lot in what he does, that does not involve anything he is saying. Dogs do not communicate verbally, as we do. But everything about Cesar's demeanor is being "read" and understood by the dog he is working with because he is communicating who he is, absolute leadership material.

Who he is, makes a dog feel safe and secure in his presence. This is very important to an insecure and fearful dog. Someone must be in charge, make decisions, and be the "being of action", for an insecure dog to begin their rehabilitation. Otherwise, the dog will either try to control the situation, or avoid it completely, with us "reacting" to what the dog is doing, which puts us in the follower position. The dog will not feel safe with you, if you are in the follower position. IMO

One thing that I've found very helpful, is to not look suddenly at the dog if something happens that makes them jump. This is what a follower does. Your dog will be looking at you, for your reaction during the scary moment. This is a great chance for you to show your dog, YOU as the leader, are not bothered by anything. Stay calm, loose body language, talk casually, laugh, anything which communicates you are calm, undisturbed, and in charge will be helpful.

Agian, pay special attention to your facial expressions and pitch of voice. Tense facial expressions and a high pitched voice, indicates nervousness, anxiety, or fear in the dog's world. Remember, your dog is always watching!

This really must be viewed and helped in person by a professional. As Cesar mentioned, this is not a quick fix. But these are my favorite dogs to work with, and the transformations can be remarkable!

I hope those of you helping a dog like this can find someone where you live to help you. But there are a lot of different "methods and philosophies" out there, so it would be a good idea to question anyone who you hire, as to what methods they use, and how they feel about Cesar's show before hiring them.

Good luck to you!

PS I loved the "big wheel" rollerblades! And the leash looped around Booker's tail to help hold it up, was priceless! I actually see a lot of sense in it, too! If brain and tail are connected, and the brain can lift the tail...then why can't the tail also "lift" the brain!

A comment to Lynn,

Cesar said that wagging of the tail can not only be playful but nervousness. If your dog's tail is high in the air, that is a dominant behavior. I hope this helps you view your dog differently.

~Chantel

I loved the show last night! I tried the "mother claw" on my adolescent mixed breed dog due to his constant biting and chewing on our arms and hands. He's a very sweet rescue dog but gets very wild and uncontrollable at times.

I put the claw on him this morning when he tried to use my arm as a chewy and he immediately backed down! I didn't say a thing, I just treated him as a mother dog would.
It was amazing to see him respond.

I haven't seen all the episodes, so does anyone know if Cesar has addressed counter surfing? I'm not sure how to use Whisperer techniques to keep him from stealing food off the counter!!!

Deb

first off many many thanks to cesar for his gift which he is sharing with everyone, if only i lived in california and not brooklyn, why then i would give up my job and work for cesar....i recently rescued a pit/boxer from Katrina and i have been following all of cesar's advice, there's just one thing i am unsure of...how do i stop my dog from chasing the two cats who lived with me before the dog was introduced to our home?
any advice?
thanks and peace to all, sara
ooh and where could i get a backpack for my 50 lb dog?

Deb,

counter sniffing huh. well, use the same 'mother claw' reaction if you are near him, or a 'shh', or 'snap'. whatever gets his attention on you. boundaries and limitations are important as i am sure that you know. think of how you might react if you see your child about to reach into the cookie jar behind your back, thinking that he can walk all over you and he will think that you are weak and that he could easily get away with it every time. remember that the 'pack leader'(you) does not back down, and he/she is the strongest, quickest, and sharpest. It truly is the nature of the dog to want to be a follower, and follow the strongest leader. be assertive and consistent without frustration or emotion. a simple and quick correction every time, and he will soon get the idea. I dont mean to sound blunt, because you certanly get the concept being that you now control the chewing/ biting. You are a good person to adopt a rescue dog. Remember, your house=your rules. tough love. Also dont forget to give love and affection when he is being calm and well behaved to let him know how proud you are of him for being calm and relaxed. He will know that he is doing something right.=^_^=

To DebbieRBW and Chantel- Many thanks for your comments on my dilema! Another question, please. The same 9 yr. old Shih-TZu (as a puppy,she was a Valentine's Day present to me from my husband- my whole life I'd gotten pound/rescue dogs and quite frankly, I think the mixed breeds have fewer medical problems, etc.- plus, it's just better to save an animal!)Anyway, "Muffers" sleeps in our bed and it's amazing how only 10 pounds can make you hang off your own bed! How can we train her to sleep at our feet without her losing that "pack snuggling factor" and feeling as if she's been kicked out? Thanks!!!

Hi Lynn,

Sometimes doing what's in our dog's best interest, means giving up something which makes us feel good.

Allowing your dog to sleep in bed with you is your choice, and one many dog owner's choose. However, if your dog is sleeping with you, you are indicating to her a certain "status". Especially since she is claiming space in your bed and diposing you from that spot.

Although I recommend a dog having their own bed, and inviting them up for snuggles on your terms and only when asked. You CAN keep her down at your feet by simply blocking her when she moves past a certain point with a boundary word and the tips of your fingers, or lift your leg to block her.

I tend to not praise them when they comply in these situations, because sometimes they take praise as an "Okay", and it can be confusing. Save your praise for when she is calm and relaxed, has stayed on her part of the bed, and you are ready get up and get moving on that daily walk. :)

No need to be mean about it, just decide where her boundary point is in the bed, and be consistant. Once you set up this rule, you and whoever shares a bed with her, must stick with it, (even if it means missing some sleep!), or you will teach her your words and boundries mean nothing and you are an inconsistant pack leader, which won't help you in the other areas you are working on! It's okay if you let her past this boundry mark, but only when you specificly call her to you, not when she asks or gives you a hurt look.(...careful, some dogs can use hurt looks and cuteness like an arrow into your heart!).

I use "eh", "eh-eh", or "hey" as my boundary words. Cesar also uses a "shh" sound. Pay attention to how he sets boundaries with the dogs on his show. A lot of his methods for setting boundaries, work equally well in different situations.

If your dog gets nippy or you are unsure of how to do this correctly, please get some hands-on help from a professional.

Does anyone know where I can buy a bed long enough for three medium-sized dogs and one cat to sleep at the bottom of? :-)

A comment to Ed Baker:

Where there's the will and the love, there's a way. Without knowing your handicap (I am assuming you are in a wheelchair?), I can still say you could certainly have a dog of your own. You can hire a dog-walker to come come by and walk your dog every day for 45 minutes. Plus, you may want to consider doing some research on different breeds and perhaps look to one with a lower energy level. Another option worth considering is adopting a slightly older dog that has grown out of some of his/her puppy-spazziness.

Good luck!

I do appologize to this site if my putting a website name in my last comment was not strictly to blog guidelines.

Linda P.

Thanks, Debbie! I could stick to the boundaries for our dog in bed, but I truly don't think my husband could. One pitiful look from her would melt his heart and she'd be up beside us in no time! Will need to work on my husband first, and then our dog... Again, thanks for your thoughts and I'll continue to check this blog and watch Cesar's show! With your knowledge I could see you working on his show.

Debbie,
I have read some of your comments, and yes, you are always right on the mark! Dogs are easy to work with, its as simple as relating to how dogs think. people are confusing! I adopted my first dog (after growing up with dogs of course)about a month ago and have dedicated alot of time daily since then to being a full-time pack leader, which has proven great results. I take him for long walks, I take him to starbucks with me in the morning, and I loop his leash over a pole outside by a table and tell him 'sit' and 'stay'and he sits perfectly and watches me through the window. people comment on how devoted to being with me he is, yet he has also become very friendly with men and children(which took some time after his shelter life). He is always exremely obedient, devoted, peaceful, and happy. He has his own bed, and boundaries and limitations. I have found that all of these things are important, and helpful to the dogs mental state. Boundaries are so important, and dogs are happy to comply. I never get annoyed or put any emotion into correcting my dog. correcting him is fast and simple, and the results are great and it makes all of the work wothwhile when people mention how well behaved and laid back he is. I just cant say how right you are in so many ways, and its a releif to see that some people truly understand how simple it really is to feel like you and your dog have a line of communication and trust. not only have I trained him so much, but he has taught me so much more about leadership and confidence in which i cant even describe how it has helped me, being shy my whole life, my body language has had a reason to change for my dog. He has certanly become my best freind and he has made an impact on my life, but i am most thankful to cesar because without picking up on his knowledge, I would have unintentionally let my dog run the house, and I would continue to be vulnerable to it.

Tijana,

I believe Booker is a Vizsla.

How do you go about helping a dog who is afraid of fireworks and thunder? I know this is a common problem.
Thank you. Barbara

Monday, Jan 23rd, 2006 Episode 4
Hey Monica the Min Pin owner. Your six year old has a special personality he is literally "The King of Toys", someone forgot to tell you. He will respond best to short and long walks of his Kingdom, the more scents for him to douse the better. Turns out these little guys are very competitive and will have no ammo upon the return to his throne! After a bit the habbit will be permanent!

I am #30 & #76 on this page... I didn't get ANY responses.

So I hope you can CURE him. I had a Min Pin that continued to "MarK" plastic bags, even after other methods worked... something about plastic. Though he is gone, I still don't put plastic on the floor. =-)

i have 2 dogs and 3 cats. my dogs get along very well with two of my cats, they play together and even groom each other. however, my dogs dont get along well with my third cat. they will chase him every time he comes into the house and every time he leaves..my cat cannot lie around the house with the other cats unless its in a my bedroom because the dogs wont leave him be. the dogs have never hurt him and and the cat stands his ground but i am worried about the stress they are causing him. i would apperciate any suggusetions for anyone. thanks.

Have a rescue that is one year old scared of everything have had her about 3 months just now is beginning to like to be petted.Does not like treats,does not know how to play with toys,Have tried to get her interested in toys & treats no luck so far.I also have disability's unable to walk very long? Wish I could figure out how to teach this dog to fetch would help get her exercised? A Good dog is a Tired Dog.Any ideas she also scared of men & my husband?She weighs about 75# so needs out door exercise.When you are on Disability you can't afford dog walkers in my city not available.

Ray, It sounds to me like you have to de-sensitize her to the leash first. You can do this by putting the leash on her at times when you're not going to use it to take her out. For example, first put the leash on her at feeding time, and then place the food down. Another example, put the leash on her and then play with her in the house. Let her walk around the house dragging the leash. You want to get her to the point where having the leash on doesn't 'mean' anything in particular to her.

Right now she has you trained pretty well. (Gee, I wonder if every time I drop to the ground and refuse to move if someone will be nice enough to carry me? :-) Don't carry her when she refuses to move. Don't talk to her, just ignore her--she can't stay glued to the floor forever. That is why I'm suggesting that you place the leash on her in the house and just go about your normal routine until she has gotten used to it.

After she's used to having it on indoors, take her out to the backyard first, and then place the leash on. Don't try to walk her at first, just let her drag it around while you play with her outdoors. Only when she's completely comfortable with it on (she basically ignores the fact that it's on), should you attempt to walk her with it on. (And when you do, make it a fun experience)

Cesar could probably handle this in 5 minutes--my way will take a little longer--probably a few days or a week.

Caution: Never leave the leash on her unless you are with her to supervise--dogs have been known to inadvertently asphixiate themselves when leashes get caught on things.

Irene

Does anyone know where to buy those big wheel roller blades like Cesar used to walk Booker? I would love to buy some to use for excercising my high-energy Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Thanks!

Brian

Cesar,

I have been working with my two American Eskies on behavior problems. My neighbor has a small dunsand and when she went away for a week on vacation she asked me to take care of him. I went over the first day and he was all over the place, barking and would not let me near him. I was just beside myself thinking how am I going to take care of him if he will not let me put the leash on him. My first thought was what would Cesar do. I remembered the show about the dog he had to put the leash on and how you did it. I first had to go outside and calm myself down knowing he could sense my nerviosness. I then went back in sat on the floor next to him, blocked him with my arm and looped the leash around his neck, stood up and took him out making sure I went first. I took him for a long walk and then back home for feeding. I made him wait to be feed and be calm before he could eat. After that I had no problem with him and all week I worked with him on walks and when the owners came home I told her what I did and she could see he was a lot calmer. I advised her to continue the work and gave her your web site information and told her to read and learn as much as she could. If she could understand how a dog thinks she will have a much better behaved dog and others will be able to dog sit for her. She is working with him and I am so proud of her and her dog. I hope soon others will be able to take him out for walks and she can go on lots of vacations.

Thank you for your help. I love watching your show and have a lot of respect for your loving and caring way with all gods creatures.

God Bless you

Cheri

My dog Loki has fun in the yard with us but as soon as we turn our back he hops the 4 foot pickett fence and is gone. We say stop, come, no Loki and he doesn't look back. He eventually comes home on his own but I am afraid that some day he will get caught or killed while out. We used the invisable fence w/ collar which worked but we had to keep replacing the main box (we purchased a lemon product), it was too expensive. He is a chicken in a Chocolate Lab/Bull Mastiff Mix clothing. He jumps at loud noises or fast movements. He is good with other animals and he hates all ten year old boys except ours. He has already TRIED to bites three or our boy's friends. He definately has low self-esteem. The fence problem is my biggest concern with the agression towards other people in at a close second. Please help has anyone seen any episodes on these problems?

I've been puzzled by my dog's behavior of leaving small amounts of dry food around the house. Obviously, this is not the most troubling problem behaviour, but why does he do it? Is it an offering to share his food - as in a show of submission? I would prefer he not do this if only because our carpet happens to be the same color as the food bits and I'm always stepping on it. Of course, that makes it harder to clean up. And when I'm bare footed - ouch!

I watched an episode where Cesar strongly POKED a boxer to get him to be submissive. NOT A GOOD IDEA! The next time, a small child may playfully poke the dog and then we will have an attack on our hands! Also, is there ever any mention of NEUTERING and SPAYING the animals (especially neutering the males), which will stop many bad habits and lower aggressiveness? I saw Cesar's pit bull (there's a new one, a Mexican with a pit bull!). It was NOT neutered, but it should have been. This man doesn't have all the right ideas, afrer all.

Dear Cesar,
On our rural land in Oklahoma several dogs were dumped on our property. A Border Collie Mix and Dachsund mix have made their way into our home and cohabitate very nicely, thanks to your program. Two others were dumped shortly thereafter and my husband and I worked for 6 months walking them and training them to be calm and submissive while they recuperated from their wounds and cruelty. They had been badly abused. They were scared and lashed out at us several times, however because of your show we showed a calm behavior and to the vet's surprise, they responded well, and have found homes at an Aids hospice center where they show calm and affectionate behavior. My question is: do dogs show grief or just move on?

Dear Mr. Ceasar,
My dog Max has some really disturbing problems. He is an 8 year old german shepard. Somehow when he became 8 months or so, he became unsociable. Maybe we didn't take him out enough or whatever. Anyway, he is not sociable with people or animals AND he is gun shy. The problems: He is agressive towards people and animals. We have to put him in our special kennel in our backyard when people visit. He also has torn down all of our window screens and has broke one storm window, due to his phobia of certain sounds: like the school behind us has a STARBASE program where they set off rockets twice a week, This terrorizes my dog and he goes crazy trying to get into our house. However, I have figured out how to deal with that: I put him in the garage with a radio blasting. Also thunder does the same thing and any other sound likewise. For thunder, I have drugs to give him because the radio does not drown out the thunder. Another problem is that he fence fights with the German shepard next door and has torn apart many fence boards. We constantly have to replace them, He rips them apart. When I first noticed he was freaking out about certain loud noises, I just put him in our chain link 8"x10 kennel. He was so freaked out that he tore through it and got out. PLEASE help us. We love our dog, but he has some Major Issues!!! Today, I am replacing the window screens and the glass window he has destroyed, not to mention the fence boards the need replacing. HELP! I know you can help because I have watched you many times and I feel you are the ONLY ONE. Sincerely, Melodee Wagner

My chocolate labrador (I won't say her name so as not to embarrass her) likes to eat horse manure. Sometimes on our walks she will dabble in other poops too. Is this a sign of something wrong. Is it unhealthy for her? She's seems pretty happy other wise and is a good girl. If it doesn't harm her or isn't an indication of a deeper problem then I will leave it and her alone. I have read that the horse poop is good for them and they like the taste. Again, if that is the case then I won't worry but I would like to know if I should be concernened.

We have an ex-puppymill breader. She is a 5 year old pomeranian. We got her from a rescue group. My husband adopted her on one of their adoption days. It was about 100 miles from where we lived. He said she was fine on the ride home. And even that evening, she seemed happy and he held her for about 2 hours. She seemed to love it.

Then, literally, overnight, she seemed to change. She loves me and doesn't want anything to do with him. She's scared to death of him. She tries to hide out in her crate, or if I shut the door to that, she tries to get behind the computer desk or in a corner. She's petrified of him and he has been nothing but nice to her.

We have 4 other dogs, all small and they all love him. We do not know what to do. Should we force her to spend time with him? At first, I thought it was that she wasn't use to men, or perhaps at the mill a man mistreated her. But why did she like him at first??

We've had her for 6 weeks now and nothing has changed as to her liking him. We have tried him being the treat giver and going on little car rides with him. She likes the car, just not him.

Is there hope? I know mill dogs take a long time to get over some things in their past. But I'm wondering if this is coming from that since she liked my husband at first.

How long do we give it before we throw in the towel? I don't know if she would be better in just a woman only household, or is it just my husband and not all men? It's very strange. We have 2 other ex-puppymill rescues and neither of them behave this way.

HELP!!!

hi, my dog whos 1 years old or six months old she gets all nice and shes asleep and then i pick her up and 30 minutes later shes like the devil puppy and she barley walks outside if no one is in front of her but in the backyard shes a perfect fun puppy what do i do can i work this through her i cant take it can you please help me work this out?

micaela.

Our 14 lb. mixed breed terrier (looks a bit like a Border Terrier) is walking much better with the backpack that Cesar suggested. Thank you. The training of both of us and our dog Andy continues.

We have a 14 y/o Brittany Spaniel, a shy 2 y/o shitzu-poodle and 13 mth Australian Terrorist named Sadie! We got Sadie at 7 months because the family that had her didn't want her any more. She nipped at the kids too much. She still nips once in a while when she doesn't get her own way. All the dogs get along and play, although Sadie insists on getting the most attention. We are having 2 problems with her. 1. she nips at the shitzu-poodle often grabbing her hind legs as she trys to walk. 2.She eats the stuffing out of all the pillows on our couch! Not just if we are gone, but even when we are just in the next room. On the rare occasion we are all working and the dogs are home for 5-6 hours, she destroys the couch! We leave kongs! None of our dogs have ever been kenneled and I hate to have to single her out. Any ideas?

Vince ,
If your referring to the pitbull " Daddy ", i just wanted to say, that dog isnt his . He belongs to the rapper Redman. If you paid any attention to the end of his show, he does say something about spay/nuetering your pets.Please dont accuse unless you know what your talking about.

Hello.
I,m writing to see if I can get some advice. I have a chow/lhaso mix. He is so scared of thunder that if he even hears thunder far away, he follows me around the house and shakes until the thunder is gone. If I sit down or lie down, he sits on my lap but he still shakes. Is there anything I can do to help him? I feel so bad for him.

Vince is a complete idiot. Spaying or Neutering your dog will only keep from more puppies coming into the world. I strongly advise this since we have such a problem with overcrowded shelters as it is, but the dog behavior will be dependant on the training and attention you provide for that animal. Yes people, it is an animal, not a barbie doll.

I have a american bulldog/mastiff mix 9 months old and she is scared of everything. The is scared of all loud noises and cars and trucks , horns you name it. Should I take her around traffic more? She hates to ride the ferry I have to drag her out of the truck when I do have to ride the ferry from ct to ny. Her tail is always in between her legs. I feel sorry for anyone that tries to break into my house. She would bark them to death. What should I do? She like other people that are not on her property and only if they don't have a dog. Took her 3 days to get use to my mom who came to visit.