Moderator's Note: We apologize for reposting this entry. There was some confusion as to when the segment would air and when it was removed the last time, we also mistakenly deleted the entries already posted. Again, we apologize for the errors.

Actually I suspect there may be technical problems since it looks to me that they are working with new and rather unique technology software that I havent encountered before.

LOL I will keep copies of the responses for my own purposes they are so good to go back to and re-read for new insights!

Actually, I had a uniques situation with an apparent lost lab that appeared out of no - where when I was out running Signal on the bike. This yellow lab (love labs) came over. BUT I have to admit that my pleasure at finding a possible lab rescue (darn) turned to immediate irritation as I saw the owner just standing off to the side not being in a hurry to control his dog.

When the lab came over, an older dog, he and Signal immediately got into it. Fortunately the owner stayed calm, and I immediately got out of my anger. I was shocked when they immediately stopped fighting, and started sniffing each other. It was faster then turning off a light switch! For a moment I just couldnt believe I had seen what I had seen.

I am so looking at how dogs are the "truth barometer" for what is going on inside their humans - most especially for my self. I am believeing that there is alot more to this Cesar Millan being the "Dr. Phil" for dogs or more correctly - are our energy mirrors - (which actually assists us understand how we are deceiving/lying to ourselves in wearing our social masks).

We have a 7 year old male Lab/Shep mixed that we got when he was 6 weeks old. Recently, we added a 6 week old female lab/? mixed to our family that we got from a local animal shelter. However, our older dog is not getting along with the baby. He does not pay the baby any attention until she approaches him. We do not show her any more attention than him. When we play with one, we play with the other at the same time. When he is aggressive towards her, we tell him no. I do not want to put him in his kennel when he is mean to her because I do not want him to feel as if we are replacing her for him. His aggression towards her is getting frustrating. We do not know what to do. Any advice?

Slim,

We had the same problem with our puppy. now 20 months. When we got Carnegie, he was 11 weeks old and totally adorable but not to our other dogs, ages 7 and 12. They did not like having the baby thrust his affections on them. They were constantly trying to get away from him. The puppy was, indeed, too exhuberant with them. Now that the puppy is older and bigger, things have gotten better. My 12 year old female still finds him truly annoying but Kahlua, my chocolate cocker, treats him more like a baby brother. The brothers love taking their walks together and Kahlua submits to the puppy in the house. When treat time comes around, Carnegie takes Kahlua's treat away from him and runs around with both treats in his mouth. He would never, ever try that with Miss Harley. She growls at him to keep his distance and he respects that. In fact, she chases him out of the room if necessary. They all respond to me as their leader but my middle dog has placed the puppy as his leader, then comes whining to me about it (lol).

The main point to be made was they deleted all of the messages that were sent and deleted. I did not mean to imply anything else.

Sorry if I offended anyone.

Debbie,
You didn't say what breed of dog, but if it is a 9-month
old dog then she needs a lot of exercise to burn off that natural "puppy" energy. Exercise doesn't mean running at the dog park or in the back yard. Exercise means walking the dog on a structured walk. Dogs "listen" to the energy you project from your inner feelings, they don't necessarily listen to words, though they may know some words. If you are frustrated and trying to "get her to listen" that is not working. Cesar's basics: exercise, followed by discipline, followed by affection. In that order. And always be calm and assertive. Watch Dog Whisperer as much as you can, get Cesar's book and the DVD. It will help you! There's a lot of great advice on
this blog, too!

Ivan,

Have you had a trainer come to the house and evaluate your dog setup. I have 3 dogs and when I welcomed my puppy, Carnegie into the home, after he passed basic obedience training. My other 2 dogs were less than thrilled with him so I had a trainer come out to evaluate the dynamics of the dogs. Usually, they will come (or do a phone consultation) with you for a fee. If you hire him/her, you might be able to work out a price-range that works for you.

Good luck.

Thank u Cockers 3, I will definitely try another trainer other than the one we had before, our previous trainer lives an hour away and the travel was affecting our family business, also she was not able to travel to our home. Blessings and thanks again.

Curious1,

Chula is a Shiba Inu - a Japanese spitz.

KathyB

Thanks for having my back.

Hello Kate. The puppy (Lexie) is very playful and my older dog (Chase) isn't as much anymore. Another example just happened tonight. Chase was laying down and Lexie went up and licked Chase in the face. Chase then nipped her nose. Then later, Lexie was barking, which caused Chase to growl at her and was heading towards her when we told him, "no!"

Yes, Chase is a dominant dog (Lab/Shep), but his agression in the way of growling and nipping at her has me frustrated. I love my baby Chase, but I do not trust him in the same room with her when no one is around. He is a very friendly dog, so his present actions has me frazzled.

When you stated about him being dominant over me too, what are you asking. Please do not think that I am taking offense to that question, I am just wanting to make sure that I am not doing something wrong and I can assist him with this problem.

okay there's this girl that is really bothering me.

She's first involved with peta, next she keeps telling me that you should have to dominate your dog. She tells me in teh wild dogs don't dominate each other. She thinks by being being dominate over a dog you are making the dog suffer.

She also thinks that in the wild, a wolf doesn't make another wolf submit if it did something wrong. She says that a wolf will never make a another wolf roll over on its'side or back.
She keeps telling me taht there are other ways you can make your dog listen w/o being dominate. I told her that what do you think other basic obedience or any kind of training is. I'm like if you make a dog sit, stay, come, give it commands, you are in fact being dominate to the dog. The girl just doesn't get it. She's driving me freaking crazy.

well like I said she's from or a supporter of peta, so that says it all right there. She also thinks the prong collar is cruel.

This is the comment that really made me stop talking with her, she says,"the way wolves act in the wild, i don't approve of."
I'm like omg, you don't like the way mother nature intended for these animals to operate. With her she thinks basically mother nature was wrong for making them act that way. She basically doesn't want animals to be harmed, even in nature in their natural enviroment.
She is definetaly a nut case.

Sorry about this off-topic rant, but i had to get it off my chest.
I told her to go watch Cesar, well she doesn't have a tv. She said she's gonna goto the library and see what Cesar is all about.
I was telling what/who Cesar is and she tells me well he just sounds like a person that is doing things with the 50's belief. Where you have to dominate another dog. I'm like dominance isn't a bad thing. She thinks it's evil. She also says his way is a myth.
I'm like okay then i guess his myth has helped cured 1000's of dogs.
okay well thanks for listening/reading, lol

Have a nice day.
John

can anyone tell me what causes a dog to be hyper all the time especially when anyone comes over to the house or where ever he is we try to go on walks everyday he is a 2 year old Miniture Pincher

Hope-

Yes, all dogs can be rehabilitated. It is truly a matter of spending time and effort to be a leader at all times, meaning letting him know what his boundaries and limitations are. You figured out how to set boundaries and limitations with him towards your cats and that shows potential. Fearful dogs are alot of work, and they need guidance more than anything, so do not feel bad that you had to bring him back, unlesss you truly feel that you are up for the challenge, then get him back. As simple of a concept as it is once the basics are learned, not everyone can be Cesar, and dogs do not change overnight, so consider these facts, keep watching Dog Whisperer to learn more, and when you feel that you are ready, then give yourself and a new rescue dog a chance. I too was not a dog person until I watched the dog whisperer, I only had cats. After seeing the show for months, I then decided to adopt a dog. He was fearful, but not yet to the point of aggression, and even he was a bit of work. Within just a few months he has turned out to be the most pefect dog that you could ask for. Strangers have noticed and commented on his nice temprament, obedience and his loyalty to me. So maybe with a case like your last dog, he truly needs a highly experienced person which may mean that they have to take a bite or two, depending on the level of aggression. Give a new one a chance when you are ready. Just try to ask about the dogs tepmrament before adopting. Look for a submissive, somewhat playful type.

Tianna,
Actually not every dog can be rehabilitated. Cesar talks of two in his book. While it is sad, unfortunate, and heart breaking, some dogs have been abused so badly that Cesar could not rehabilitate the two of them.
To the person you were responding to (Hope) however.... hers probably could if she hired a trainer and worked 24/7 with him, but I would not trust any dog around my daughter if it growled and went at her.....that kind of dog needs special attention and an enviroment that it can get help AND have no possibility of hurting anyone.

Jay,

"can anyone tell me what causes a dog to be hyper all the time especially when anyone comes over to the house or where ever he is we try to go on walks everyday he is a 2 year old Miniture Pincher"

Min Pin's are high energy dogs, it's vital you master the walk. A tired dog will be less hyper.
Are you making sure your dog is never out front while you're walking him and that you have him sit while you exit the house first and the same when coming back from the walk? You dog may need several walks everyday.
Are you correcting his beahvior when people come over to your home? It's a matter of understanding the pack leader role, exercise fitting the energy level and consistently applying the techiniques Cesar advocates.
I hope you have his book, it's a great tool.

Tianna,KathyB

Thankyou for your response. The fact is I saw his progress in areas,so I felt like I could tackle the rest with lots of patients but it scared me when he snapped at my daughter. If I did not have a kid to worry about I would have kept him. Unfortunatly he did not show his aggression at the shelter. They said he was shy and mellow. I am going to take this whole situation as a positive wealth of experience. I'm going to keep learning. That guy Cesar just amases me. He truly has an inspiring soul.

Norma,
Cesar's first DVD is an educational video for dog owners to help them be a better pack leader and dog owner.

He has two DVD's either out or getting ready to come out:
One is: Cesar Millan's First DVD / People Training for Dogs
The other is a DVD on the first season of the NG Dog Whisperer Show.
Hope that helps!!! :)

Thank you K2. I guess I am worrying because the one showing aggression is 7yrs. old and the other is just 6 wks. old. The older one never shows aggression and generally very calm and a sweet. I know he's getting older and probably loosing patients as we do when we age (lol), I just hate seeing him taking it out on a new member of the family. I will keep an eye out and see how things go.

Thank you everyone for your advice.

Hey All!

Can anywone tell me where I can get the type of leash Cesar uses? The one that goes further up on the neck, sort of behind the ears. I am using a regular nylon collar and leash right now.

Thanks!

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAD TWO CATS WHICH WERE MY GERMAN SHEPARD'S ROOMMATES, BEST FRIENDS, AND BUDDIES, BUT SOMEHOW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THEY KEEP ENDING UP DEAD? THE ASSOCIATION IS WEIRD AND MAKES CATS USE LEASHES IN THE BYLAWS ALTHOUGH THEY DONT ENFORCE IT (THE WEIRD STATUE) FOR SOME. ONE CAT DIED OF LIVER FAILURE SUDDENLY ANE MAY HAVE INJESTED POISON WHILE THE OTHER HAD A BROKEN NECK LYING IN FRONT OF THE UNIT. SHOULD I PUT THE DOG THROUGH ANOTHER LOSS BECAUSE HE LOVES STRAY CATS IN THE AREA AND SEEMS TO NEED THE COMPANY BUT IT NOT ACCEPTABLE HOW THE CATS USUALLY END UP DEAD. IVE USUALLY RAIDED GENERATIONS OF CATS WITH NO DIFFICULTY HAVING THME UP TO THEIR RIPE OLD AGES. DO DOGS WATCH TAPES OF OTHER ANIMALS WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT EVER? HE LIKES COMPANY BESIDES PEOPLE AND DOESNT SEEM TO KMNOW HES A DOG AND GOES WILD TRYING TO BE ALPHA MALE SO THE DOG PARK IS NOT FUN WITH A BIG DOGGIE THAT PULLS MY ARM OUTOF THE SOCKET IN THE PRESENCE OF OTHER DOGS. NOT SO MUCH AT ALL ON A LEASH REALLY AFTER HE GETS OVER HIS INITIAL ENTHUSIASM WALKING.

Exactly, Cocker...get a grip. I just happend to log on to this site for the first time and found the comment about approching a lost dog very helpful!!!

KathyB...My apologies to one and all. Didn't read all the way down to catch Cockers apology. Twenty lashes with a wet cat tail(the plant)for me!! LOVE the site!!

This site is certainly a wealth of information. Thankyou to everyone. Anyone have any advice on how to approach neighbors that let their puppy run the neighberhood unsupervised. It's a farm pup, but it ended up in our yard at least a mile down the road. It looks like it's only 4 months old. I don't know about other states, but here in Minnesota state law is that dogs are just property not companions. If there's a stray roaming the rural neighborhoods nothing is done about it. Rural areas are way behind the times. If you're dog has head trauma or seisures there's no facilities with an MRI available to pets even in the metro area. Slowly but surely I hope things catch up around here. I don't know what the purpose to my comments are other than venting.

Well it's not really that they understand words, they just understand the sound you make. So like the command "out" for instince, for me it means "go out side", but I can say a word that is also close sounding to out, like pout,bout, etc.. and I'll get the same reaction as if I said Out, because of just how the word sounds.

Instead of saying sit, you can say slit, and the down will sit,because he hears a sound that he recognizes.

If only they really knew the human language and what every word actually meant, that would be incredible. I know I would have long conversations with my dog, especially if he could talk back to me too, lol.

Cockers x 3,
:D I know I would want someone to do the same for me is all!

I loved the book!!!...however it made me feel more out of tune with Roman than before!hahaha

I remember someone making a remark about Cesar seeing celebs on the NG show and that they hoped he didn't get all caught up in the celeb thing......isn't it HILARIOUS that THAT is exactly the type of people who helped him to make it!!!!!????

My daughter must be reading the book because I don't see it laying on the coffee table anymore....another thing about the book (without saying anything), there were a few times I actually criend at what some animals had endured!

He is going to be in Bradenton, FL in May about 1 hour south of me and I was thinking about going!....I would LOVE for him to meet Roman and tell me what I am doing wrong!lololol

Kathy B., great reply and advice to Hope!

I'm always stunned to hear how cruel and cold people can be towards the very animals they're suppose to be responsible for.

I finished Cesar's book and have it so marked with my handy little yellow highliter, it's more yellow than white, lol! His life is very interesting, I hope he writes more books!

It takes a bit for it all to sink in, but I think it's pretty basic. So basic in fact, I'm wondering why it took someone so long to get the word out, lol! I guess having your own show has helped in that area. I'm so glad NG had the foresight to give Cesar a TV program. It's always my bottom line to know someone who truly cares about the welfare of dogs is getting national attention, in the hopes of saving the lives of dogs! That is what I admire most about Cesar.

It was very interesting to learn that Cesar offered to take the pit that had killed that poor woman in San Francisco! I'd wager no other dog behaviorist or trainer offered such a thing or thought the dog could be rehabed.
Too bad he wasn't able to take the dog. Once again a dog had to pay the ultimate price for the ignorance of it's owner.

Good AM KathyB,

The seminars that Cesar has are for us, not the dogs. He brings some of his working pack, like I stated earlier, but no dogs are allowed at the seminar. Coco, Daddy and Luigi attend for sure.

What's really interesting about all of this is that other trainers and rescue organization folks also attend to get some additional help with their dogs. I met several at the seminar in LA.

The main thing to keep in mind - Cesar's way is A WAY to assist you in living with your dog but it takes a village to train him. Use all the resources available to you and I think you will have a more balanced tool box of insights for your precious Roman.

Anna...I have 10 Whippets, so maybe I can help. It sounds like she came from a home that was too strict and used too many correction based training techniques. I would suggest you try working with her "chase" instincts. Since you say she loves to chase squirrels...try bringing out that instinct under more controlled conditions.

Get a sturdy fishing rod, or a lunge whip, and tie a white plastic bag on the end (or her toy, if she prefers that). Stand back from her and "tease" the bag along the ground and see if she will chase it. If she does, give her lots of praise, but don't stop the play...but at the same time, don't wear her out. YOu always want to stop while she still wants more.

If you find that she is keen to play that game, you might check out lure coursing or Whippet racing as another way to bring her out of herself. Look up the American Sighthound Field Association and Whippet Racing Association on the internet. They both have web sites that list the schedule of upcoming events.

Most clubs are more than happy to have training sessions after their events, weather and equipment allowing...and some clubs have regular training events not associated with a formal event. Check those out.

Also, Whippets can be more than a little "insular" - meaning they prefer other Whippets to play with, rather than "just" other dogs. If you know other Whippet owners maybe you can arrange some play dates for your Whippet to get to know theirs.

Also, and this is really important, don't feel sorry for her and give her lots of affection when she seems "down"! That is just rewarding her for feeling less than social and reinforcing that state of mind.

My sister and I successfully rehabilitated an unsocial cat years ago. He wasn't mean or anything like that, he just didn't like to cuddle or be petted, so we didn't try to force the issue...but everytime he came near us, or we came near him, we just said "Hi" and ran our hand down his back and went on with what we were doing. Eventually he came to like being petted and would come and sit in our lap.

Another thing you can try is to ease the tension she is quite likely feeling. When you are relaxed and doing something that doesn't take a lot of your attention, like watching TV, sit her between your knees and with both of your thumbs, start high on her neck, right at her skull, and with firm (not hard) pressure run both thumbs on either side of her spine down as close as you can get to her tail.

Just do that over and over, as long as she will accept it. Don't talk to her, don't force her to stay there if she chooses to leave. It's should be a nice, smooth, "wave" action and it can help relax muscles that even the dog doesn't know are tensed. (Works on people too!)

KathyB
You're right. I'm just happy I found the dog and brought him to his home. We don't live in a perfect world. We can only do what we can to make it a little better.

My dogs know words too. Quite a few. I also read that dogs cannot distinguish colors, so one thing makes me wonder. We have two Toyota Previa vans. They are identical, except one is white, one is light blue. When we are in the park, or even a parking lot of a pet store, my dogs will lead me to another van like ours, but only if it's the "right" color. If the van is red or golden or any other color they show no interest in it. Why is that?

Some peta people are over the top, but so are many non peta people. Peta's way of action brings awarness. If they were just another regular organization, they would not be able to accomplish much, because they would be mostly unknown. I applaud Paul McCartney, who supports peta. He and his wife are currently working with peta to stop dog and cat fur trade, stop the seal hunt and many other causes.

Hi all, have any of you know about pugs, raising them etc???? I read they are stuborn,,, but as Ceasar says: "there is no bad breed"... I wonder ,,,, I am raising a female pug, named Molly, and she is becoming bold at her daily walks, the more I walk with her, she is starting to pull,,, thou I have the leash up in the upper neck, she is does a little refusing, I dont know what I am doing wrong, I keep myself calm and of course I run the show, if she wants to turn or go any where I just keep walking and go foward, chest up and calm, but I am using tension alredy, I feel she is getting ahead me and I stop, make her sit and then I start all over again,,, is it she is still a puppy? if this me???? is she getting bold?,,, please help!!!! before is too late,,, of course, this is only 10% of the walk,,, the rest she is ok,,, I would aprecciate your advice and comments, Norma.

Hope,

While I agree with KathyB's very wise comment, I would like you to remember that those farmers may not have the same idea about owning dogs as we do. To me, dogs are a part of my family (or pack, whatever you call it) and they are my responsibility. For many farmers, they are just animals that can be easily replaced if anything happens to them. I live in the Midwest where many people farm or are from farming families. Although there are a lot of responsible animal owners among farmers, I had friends who went through dogs after dogs because they did not restrain the animals although they lived very close to highways. It was really disgusting. Everytime we visited the family, we saw a different dog because the older one was hit by a car!! There was another family who lived very close to a road that had a dog who liked to chase passing cars. The owner told me if I hit the dog, it would not be my fault. Of course, the dog was always loose, running around everywhere. She did not realize how bad it would make me feel if I hit the dog.
What can we do about this? Probably not much.

Yoko,Darlene- We have dogs that go on their nightly cruise all the time-by themselves. We walk our dogs down the road and neighber dogs join us-without their owners of course. My aggressive aussie, I brought back to the humane society, got into some uncontrollable bad tussles with these loose dogs. Mine picked these fights. We both had to tackle him to the ground to calm him down. All I can think of is that maybe he was attacked by older dogs when he was a pup. They were a litter that just fended for themselves growing up on a farm I was told.

Norma, Posts #81 - 89 on April 19th, actually! I was
referring only to MY post #86 (self-centered ha ha!), but there is a whole string of good stuff there about "the walk"! It's the April 19th post about Storm, the picky eater -- scroll down to the bottom and you'll see the last several exchanges are in response to a question similar to yours.

I try to walk my dogs separately about once a week when I have extra time. It is quite the ordeal to separate
them, because they get SO excited about going for walks.
I have to put up the baby gate, and then put one dog on each side of it. I take my Lab/Shepherd first, because he is the most energetic. We'll walk for 30-40 minutes, and then I'll switch and bring the Lab/Coonhound on basically the same route for approx the same amount of time. It is such a relief for me to walk just one dog! It's like getting a little vacation for me! So, I really enjoy it, and I get a bonus -- extra exercise for me. The problem is this -- the entire time I am gone with each dog, the dog left behind barks. The block where we walk is three dead-end dirt roads that circle around a large pond. One road is the road I live on, and another road is right behind my house just past my back yard. I keep all the doors and windows closed, but the dog must be able to smell, hear or see me and I can hear the barking when I walk past the house. The Lab/Coonhound hooooowwwwwwls
like he is SOOOO sad. Baying, and loooo-ing, oh my!
The Lab/Shepherd just barks and barks and barks. By the time I return, each dog who was left behind is physically exhausted and totally panting and hyper. It takes several minutes to get him all calmed down, and trying to make him drink water to cool off. I've tried giving them a toy or treat to occupy them, but they literally "throw" it across the room with their mouths in protest when I give it to them!! Any other ideas on how to get them not to bark or howl when left behind? You would think that the first dog would be all relaxed from going for his walk, but NO, he just gets all wound up again. I guess they really are spoilt rotten ha ha

If only!! I'm still walking them with me in the middle.
I know it is important, accoring to Cesar, to walk the pack as one unit, but sometimes I just need a break! ha ha ha. Speaking of which, today I did NOT take our morning walk. I have to go to work early (ugh!! I am SO spoiled!!) and so I just got up, put the dogs out back, fed them and took my shower. They are totally calm and relaxed. What gives? Sometimes I over-analyze and get more confused! LOL But usually we get up and take our walk first thing before anything else. They are usually wound up tighter than drums -- I suppose it was my energy they picked up on, but they didn't even "want" a walk -- usually they are very demanding. They "asked" to go outside on their tie-outs in the front yard, and then they just sat out there, and now they're inside snoozing away while I'm having my last cup of joe before running out the doog. They are more relaxed WITHOUT a walk than they are after walking for an hour. Ugh, I am so confused! Can anyone explain this? Is it possible that by going through the motions of "migrating" with the pack like Cesar writes about in his book, we have somehow "arrived at our destination" today and are enjoying the destination? Just a theory -- sounds like a good one! ha ha Well, gotta go!

k2,

Maybe your dogs needed a day off, just like we sometimes like to rest and do nothing (at least I do).
When I had two dogs, I couldn't walk just one. The other one was so hearbroken (well, at least she looked that way), that I always took them together. What solved my problem (but caused another one, lol) was getting a third dog. Now if I take one, the two left at home are fine with each other, even though I sometimes still see that sad looks. But they know their turn is coming!

k2,
Just a thought....maybe since yor dogs are "tighter than a drum" in the AM....they are sensing the energy you are putting off by the past experiences you have had walking them both and your holding on to that and not just going into the calm/assertive zone, and forgetting about "the last time"?????
I have noticed that since I have started talking to myself (in my head) when I am about to walk Roman about how I EXPECT the walk to start and be and end the whole walk has changed!!!!....he is calmer, more subbmissive, not as spaztic, and does not "buck" when we get home and I am taking off his check chain. I am thinking it's because I have told myself EXACTLY how the walk will be, and wear the "Cleopatra" mentality.
Just thought I would throw that out there! :)

Steve,

Yes, chips are safe. They do sometimes migrate from the place they are inserted, but on a tiny dog like a Yorkie that shouldn't be a problem because scanning such a little dog is basically a whole-body scan anyway!

This is my first time at the blog but I've been a fan of Cesars' for sometime....also, reading "Cesars Way"!!!

Doggone/GA is right on re: Anna and her rescue whippet. I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback and the look on his face as he is chasing the "bunny" (white plastic bag) is awsome. Lure coursing is great for the dogs and the people associated with this activity are the best. Good luck!!

Hi gang,

I'm taking in a puppy this Saturday, a male Australian Shepherd around 14 weeks old. We have 3 dogs at home already (two labs, male & female, and a border collie, female - they are 7/8 years old). Our three dogs are not aggressive, but the male of course is the most territorial. I want to make sure I'm introducing my puppy properly to them, and to the house / area.

The puppy is a rescue that is coming from NJ, I live in PA. So it's not possible to allow the puppy to visit & leave a few times prior to him coming to live with us. His "foster mom" will be dropping him off Saturday morning.

Can anyone offer some guidance / techniques on how best to introduce the puppy to his new pack, and to my home in general?

Thanks!

Linda,

I had very similar problems, and after studying and practicing Cesar's methods, I am now able to calmly deal with a doggie encounter on our walks virtually unscathed!
I have two dogs, and I have had great success. You have to be 100% "on duty" though. Whereas I used to use my walk as a de-stressor in my life, I can no longer do that. It is now a practice session on being a pack leader.

One thing that I noticed I was doing is, I was "fixating" on the other dog or dogs. In turn, both of my dogs would also "fixate" on the other dog, and then I was in trouble. I would get pulled down on the ground, dragged, cracked, sprained and broken bones. What I do now are three basic things, that I have been practicing every day for about 6 months (yes, it does take time). The three things are this: 1) I look AWAY from the approaching dog. I look anywhere else other than at that dog! That results in my dogs also not looking at the other dog. 2) I stand in front of my dogs' line of vision so they cannot see the other dog. If they try to go around my legs, I step into their line of vision again. I do this repeatedly until they've stopped lunging and being excited. 3) I say, out loud, very quietly, "relaaaax". I noticed that Cesar does this all the time. I only say it once, maybe twice. It has the benefit of acting like a "command" to the dogs, telling them to relax, and the extra added benefit of telling MYSELF to relax too! LOL!

Also, no yelling! And if you do yell, only do it one time. I used to yell "NO no no no no no no " repeatedly. Now, I never say a word if I can help it. And if I accidentally say "No!" or some other word (like the dog's name is another biggie) I make sure I only say it once, and I do so calmly and firmly while doing as gentle of a tug/correction on the leash as possible. Dogs don't know words. And if you say "no" more than once, then they don't learn it as a command. They learn "no no no no no" is a command, not "no"!! And so they end up waiting for the 5th "no" before they obey the command! Also, if you're yelling, dogs don't know words, they don't talk, so they are more apt to respond to your actions rather than your words. I am still amazed at how well NOT LOOKING at something works, as opposed to all the yelling I used to do. Well, maybe you're not yelling at all, and this part was not applicable! LOL!

When all else fails: if you have an exit route, take it!
In other words, if you can go back in the other direction, do so. And if/when I have to do this, I do it quickly, running ahead of the dogs so they have to follow me. If you've seen Cesar's shows where he tries to get a dog to move forward, you see how fast he'll go -- he'll use a skateboard or rollerblades. Same idea -- RUN FAST in the other direction. The dog has to follow you, so if you're going fast he doesn't have time to try to outsmart you.

Hi Craig! The book is excellent! I have learned invaluable information from that book (and this blog!). Enjoy the book! I've read it twice already, and now I keep it around as a reference manual! LOL! Looking forward to hearing how things go with you. I agree about the forum vs. blog. I guess this is sort of a combo!

Linda, I re-read your post and I realize that the dogs you are encountering are LOOSE. On my daily walks, there is ONE loose dog that we encounter all the time -- and we don't know her because she is really shy. She does not approach us, but instead will dart into the woods or hide behind trees and stuff. My dogs go berserk if they smell/hear/see her. All they want to do is greet her, but they will drag me down in the process. When I see her, I will do the run quickly in the other direction" thing. She won't follow us -- in fact she goes running the other way! But sounds like some of the dogs you are encountering might indeed follow you. I think the most important thing for you is no talk, no touch, no eye contact (with the loose/stray dog). It sounds like you mean you were "addressing" the stray -- like confronting him, and it's better to just ignore him. If you ignore him, and are definitely being pack leader, then your dog will follow your lead. Also, it sounds like the biggest thing is trying to stay calm. I had a really, really, really hard time with that. I am a pretty high-strung person! LOL! But I have learned how to do it, and the difference is incredibly amazing. Your dog is picking up on your excited and nervous energy, and is following your lead. And so is the stray, causing the out-of-control threesome. If you've ever studied yoga or martial arts, or dance or playing an instrument -- anything that requires calmness and concentration, try to put yourself into that frame of mind when the dog approaches you. Cesar uses his martial arts background in that way. And I've been taking yoga classes for a while, so I use the yoga techniques to de-stress when I'm in the middle of a doggie confrontation. It really works. Another trick I use is to emulate Cesar himself. After watching his show and studying photos of him from his book, I notice how he stands up very straight and tall, with his chest puffed out. Just adjusting the way I stand, and imitating him, my dogs pick up on that very slight body-language and they become more submissive. Adjusting your body language even in the slightest way will send that signal not only to your dog, but also to the stray. You have to be pack leader to BOTH animals, even though the stray doesn't belong to you. If you observe dogs, you'll see the very slight body movements they make to communicate with each other. If you can learn a few of those, you can communicate with your own dog, as well as the stray dogs.
Well, I hope this helps! Just keep practicing and don't give up!

Hi Linda, I know exactly what you're talking about! I always hope that those opportunities don't present themselves, too. I had one such opportunity the other day at the beach -- two dogs were loose and mine were on leash. I was more than a little tempted to just let mine loose too, because they really just wanted to play. But instead I saw it as an opportunity to practice, so I did, and I really did well -- after all, it's ME that needs the re-training ha ha! Hope I have not been too "preachy" this stuff just gets me so excited, and I really enjoy being able to share everything I've learned from Cesar's show, DVD and book. I am so grateful to have stumbled upon Cesar Millan, and this blog which is really more like a support group LOL! It just breaks my heart to think that those strays are probably homeless, and how odd that they try to attach themselve to us, almost as if to say "can I be part of your pack?"!!!

Diane...what you need to do, for a while, is take total control of this puppy. You feed her, you walk her, you groom her...only you. When you are at home, leash her and hook her to a belt around your waist and just make her "hang out" with you - whatever you are doing.

Don't try to make a big deal out of it...just make "this is the way life is in this house, you hang out with ME."

Dear Ceaser,
My name is Garrett Brooks and I live in North Central Washington State. I have a three year old rotwieler named Skeeter that is very agressive twards other dogs. My mom and I adopted him from a friend of a friend who's wife(which was Skeeter's former owner)died from a brain aneurism suddenly, Skeeter was one year old at the time and her closest friend. After she passed her husband put Skeeter in a dirt back yard with no attention except for giving him food and water for two years with an older dog. I'd like to be able to walk him around our neighborhood with no problem, but instead he must stay in our yard. My mom took Skeeter to my last baseball practice and he bit another dog. It's going to cost us $200.00 for the other dog's vet bills. Now we fear that it will happen again. We would very much appreciate your assistance in teaching us to help Skeeter and us so we can have a full and fun life together for many years.

P.S.- My mom is an awesome cook and we would be delighted to feed you while you are here. Our phone # is 1-509-548-6321. Please call if you ever come to this area.

Thank You Sincerely,
Garrett Brooks

can i see the big roller coaster of the world

I don't care if I be on tv all I need is help my almost a year old black pedigree puppy won't stop biting,attacking,pulling,jumping,and barking. then my other dog who is about 7 years old won't stop running away and I live in a mountain in Pa and Im only 12 my mother disabled and father away working and brother who has asthma. Please Help contact me on 201-213-4879

Its that im worried about my mother and her conditions I need help As long as you help us I dont know if there jealous of my rat and rabbit?

The lab is a girl and the terrier/husky is a boy in a weird way is the puppy attacks the grown dog and the grown dog does nothing

Lab puppy=Butterfly
terrier/Husky= Rusty