Oh how outstanding! Be there early sports fans! Last time there were THOUSANDS of people who attended his web chat!
(snicker, no wonder he didnt answer my question). It is just amazing the number of lives he has touched, the dog's lives he has saved with this information he so freely gives out.

I am just NUTS about that book, having bought and given away 15 books so far to people (praise Costco's prices...too impatient to wait for Amazon even with over night - g) But the index in there has come in handy so much of the time, that finially I just highlighted the topic areas, I kept coming back to, or found interesting so I could find those specific pages quickly! I LOVE the DVDs but it does take time to find and cure up the episode, so the book aways gives fast answers when I need it.

Julie it is so wonderful that your nieces are familiar with Cesar's knowldge and insights. Do you know that the most marvelous aspect of these teachings is how much and how well they can be used for human relationships!

I used his approach to deal with a "red-zone" client who had been my tyrant for years! AM-AZ-ING! The client just stopped, the relationship shifted, and has not reverted since!

My sweethearts, job was on the line with his boss, we studied some of Cesar's Season two programs focused on staying calm and balanced with agressive dogs, not letting him (his boss) distract with his excited energy, or "win" by overwhelming the calmness and focus of the meeting (which ended up being with the Human Resource AND VP), etc. Steve not only successfully shifted the whole meeting and resolved the list of problems being presented, but he was just promoted into the best division and given sole control over a project with one of the best managers - they actually asked for him!

I know they meant it as a joke when they called Cesar, the "Dr. Phil" of dogs, but at least in our family, walked the dog backwards to benefit our professional relationships aas well!

I feel confident with what I've learned from Cesar. However, I'm struggling with whether or not I should bring a dog into my home. I have two children; a 2 1/2 year old boy and a 3 3/4 year old girl. I know that Labs are excellent with children. I have found a wonderful year old Chocolate girl. And I know my husband and I will be able to incorporate her into our already active lifestyle; jogging, playing outside. I'm just not sure if my son is still too young.

Any feedback?

Cesar,
I love your show and I wish I had cable so I could watch it whenever it comes on... I watch when I can though... However I have a question, I know dogs need excersice to keep them in balance...I have a Siberean Husky who needs a lot of excersice... However she is going to have surgery on her leg and won't be able to do anything for about five weeks. How do I give her the excersice she needs (while in recovery, for the 5 weeks)so that she maintains the physical and mental balances she needs?

I just love Cesar's program. It really taught me a thing or two. I have a Rottweiler pup and just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I have raised other dogs from pups and never had one as strong willed and minded as this one. There were times I would let him get away with things because I just didn't know what to do anymore. After watching Cesar's show things began to change around here. My Rottweiler pup was the Alpha, not me. I needed the training so I could work with my puppy! I'm beginning to see that most dog problems are not dog problems, they are people problems!

Hi,
Just went through a TERRIBLE experience the other day! I have a one year old Yorkie named Louie. Came home from work, we were just leaving for our afternoon walk, had not gotten more than three feet out of our townhouse when out of the blue, what I describe as an "overgrown Pom" attacked my poor Louie. I don't recall exactly how I got my baby away from this dog, I briefly remember throwing myself in front of the dog ... but needless to say, I got Louie to his vet right away. The dog who attacked Louie was being walked by a 4 year old child, who also lives in my complex. Mom evidently was in the shower getting ready for work! Thankfully, Louie is home now on antibiotics and pain meds. He suffered multiple bite wounds and a chestwall contusion. Since he has been home, he has become extremely fearful of going out and "low growls" at every thing. I am hoping someone can give me pointers on how to help Louie readjust. I know he suffered a very traumatic experience. P.S. The owner of the other dog hasn't even checked on him nor offered any assistance towards Louie's recovery ... can you believe it??? Not to mention I would be concerned for that child's welfare since the attack was totally unprovoked. Thanks for any suggestions!

I have just discovered Cesar in the last 2 months! I have always strongly believed in the Pack Leader concept.

Here is the history of one of my current issues, what I have done, and where I am struggling.

We have three larginsh dogs (2 goldendoodles and a St. Bernard). Our Saint is very aggressive toward other dogs when going out for walks. Therefore, I have forgone the walk for everybody because she will go through a window if the other two go without her. After watching one of Cesar's shows, he mentions that the pack needs to walk together. Sooo, I enlisted the help of my husband to begin this process. We have been going out with the three of them, and I am to the point that I can take all three, as long as I stay clear of close contact with other dogs (We are working up to simply walking past them). Our Saint can finally walk beside me with me having to use fewer and fewer collar corrections to get her to remain focused on the walk.

Here is the dilema. We can be walking along just fine and then a dog will "attack" the fence from the other side. I have no warning that this is coming and our Saint will go from Calm Submission to level 10 in a nano second. At 150 pounds and my two other dogs feeding off of her energy, it gets ugly. I do my best to remain calm, but I also have to put my entire body weight into getting her back to my side. At this point the prong collar has slipped out of the appropriate location (which it does after about 3 minutes, so constant adjustment doesn't work on a 45 minute walk). I can't catch her uptake of energy to get her back to calm quick enough. When I know there is a fence coming that has a dog, I will stop about a block ahead and adjust her collar and that helps a bit, but it doesn't help me catch her before she reaches massive intesity.

Help!!! I'm trying, but I'm stuck!

Louie's Momma, I forgot to add -- in Cesar's book he talks about how people think about the past all the time, and dogs "live in the moment." If you're constantly remembering the trauma that Louie suffered, that energy is being translated to him. "Awwww pooor Louie, he was soooooo traumatized" and if you're thinking about that while you're getting ready for your afternoon walk, he is going to pick up on that and that's where the low-growl thing is coming from. It's hard to do, but you need to stop thinking about what happened to him in the past, and you need to "live in the moment" and project positive energy and stop feeling sorry for him -- especially right before your walk.

Oh yeah! can't wait for the new shows love dog-whisperer, I got my grandma hooked! LOL!

We have a small mix bread dog,and he gets ancouse when ever we take him in the car sometimes I have to medicate him and I hate to do that. He will pant and pace back and forth from one side of the car to the outher side, drives us nuts. some times he is fine and then the next time he starts up again. We go too Florida every winter and sometimes he needs the medicaine and sometimes he is fine.

Thank you,
Sharon

Kelley-

K2 has some great words of wisdom for you there, but I feel the need to add something. You are correct that the pack needs to walk together, but not all of the time. You are the pack leader, that is or should already be established, you control the food, the playtimes, the walks, the affection, everything. So it is a good idea for you to decide to take it back a step and walk each dog individually, or at least your saint bernard. Remember that the pack leader always knows what is going to happen. Practice walking by that fence with him, and know what will happen, and be ready to focus on the walk and the immedeate correction. Do this as often as possible and develop that pack leader & follower relationship with your saint bernard. Most of us girls do not have the strength to handle three dogs going ballistic at once, but if you make each individual dog know that you are the strongest, smartest, and quickest dog in the pack then you will earn your title as pack leader (in their minds). After working with your saint bernard, and you feel that it is safe to walk by another dog, try adding only one more dog to walk with him. Be prepared for him to possibly think that he can get away with murder, and be ready to correct when you walk by that fence, just in case. More than likely, if you continue to challenge and be patient with him, he will get the idea. I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know how it goes. :)

Kelley-

sorry if i mis-understood. you may have already tried walking him alone several times, and if that is so, all apologies for giving information that you already knew. Just remember that it may take one dog at a time to let them all know (or at least make them think) that you are stronger than all three of them combined.

I missed the episode on "Capers and Julius", two minpins. Does anyone know where I can what previous episodes online? I really need new suggestions on how to discipline my minpin that we rescued from the SPCA over a year ago. I really wanted to watch this episode. Help! I need new suggestions!

B

suck me

Oops! yep sorry, youre righ K2 :)

Hi! i'm from Quebec City, Canada ! I'm french so my english might not be perfect. I would like to see you in my city ! And i'm planning to buy all Cesar's DVDs, since i will be the owner of a beautiful Black Labrador, and that will be my first puppy. Whoever, my mom here alreay have 1 dog that is dominant. The name is Mimi. (French, prononce it: "Me-me") However my mom does not train Mimi so she(mimi) barks at people, howl when someone goes outside and close the doors, jump on the door, ect. And i'm quite afraid that she will bite me if i train to correct her, so that's my fear : that a dog will bite me if i try to correct the dog, so it blocks me and i can't do a thing, finally.

Two questions - We have two 10 month snoodles that we take outside to play and exerise. (We walk them in the the house and around the house but they are puppies and have a lot of energy.)We have 30 acres fenced for dogs. However we can't let them out with us as they get foxtails in their ears. We check their ears ofen but sometimes they in too far so another trip to the vet. What do other people do who live in the country?
Second qustion - Now were thinking about using the treadmill for exerise for them (one at a time, of course.) I know that Cesar used it more than once his programs and mention using a treadmill in his book. What you you think? Are they too young?Will they will fall off the back? Thanks for your time.

Nora, Are you able to walk them anywhere on-leash? That would stop the foxtails from getting in their ears, if you can walk them someplace where the foxtails don't grow. My Lab/Coonhound got one stuck in his THROAT and his neck swelled up to three times its size and we had to have the foxtail surgically removed. My dog's chest and neck are all white fur with black spots. The vet had to leave the incision open to drain it, and the poor dog looked like a murder victim for two weeks! His white fur was red for a month! It was very difficult to explain to people LOL!! Anyway, I walk my guys on the road on leash -- I live in the country too. Besides, letting them just run in the yard is not structured exercise with pack leader which Cesar says is crucial to having well-balanced dogs. They're not too young to use a treadmill, but they may be too young for LONG sessions on the t.m.. If you go to the yahoo group Dog Whisperer Fans, there's some great advice there for treadmill use. BTW, what's a Snoodle??

Hi everyone,
K2, when I get in front of my dogs to "protect" them from other dogs, do I look them in the eye? Also I have a friend w/a 4mo. old weinrimer(don't know the spelling) who is starting to watch DW & I lent her my book, very active dog, she tears up her toys & runs all over the furniture in the house,I'm seeing her tomorrow, what should she do about the wild behavior with the toys?

Also - what about toys and bones, Kongs, I never see him address that on the show, but that doesn't mean it's not OK to give that to them, right?

Kongs are not bad things, but bones can splinter and the dog could end up at the vets. My dog threw up a peice of a bully stick (rawhide bone thing) and thats when I decided not to give them to him anymore because its obvious that they do not digest very well.

Hi every one, I had to laugh about the issue Joy was talking about (and I know it is not funny but), it reminded me of a sheltie I had when I had a rip roaring fight with a boyfriend. I was tanking the energy bigtime when Scottie went over and POOPed on his foot! Never happened before or since wo when I heard Cesar talk about how dogs react to our energy, all kinds of events suddenly snapped into focus!

I cannot say enough about having Cesar's Way book at hand to refer to but also the Seaon 1 DVDs to watch over and over as different problems evolve.

Have you also scoured these archives? There is so much information here not just from his blogs but from the questions and answers many of which are repeated over and over so the many answers make for a real 3-D understanding of different ways to try solutions in your own home!

There there is the video clips. MAN they are packing alot of information on there for people to watch over and over. Cesar has also had several article over on DogChannel.com and Pets911.com (I was so impressed by that I actually did my last resuce of a difficult to adopt dog that had been looking for a home since last Jan (of 06)!

The other comment I wanted to add, was how much more difficult it was for me when I brought in Signal Bear who had a 24/7 Cesar's way approach from the first moments because he was so totally "red-zone that I had nothing in my own arsenal of experience which would work! The difference between Signal and Thunder/Foxie who had only had Cesar's way for a few months.

Now with both of them gone (Foxie and Thunder), the new adoptee completely shy and overwhelmed with life, is not only changing at lightening speed thats to Cesar's techniques, but Signal has been "modeling" the right behavior and helping to teach Meja Cesar's way too!

Foxie was abused and it took us years to get her to trust, Meja is changing in days!

I never did, in 11 years get to the point where I could trust Thunder with Strangers (The last year of his life he came down with cancer and I could not bring my self to make the needed changes consistently enough, by the time I understood Cesar. But just yesterday a woman unexpectly brought 3 little girls over. To my complete shock, this 60 pound ex red-zone feral that had terrified 75 men at the location I rescued him from, turned into this total teddy bear, asking the girls for pets and laying down so they could all reach him! (I want to do it again next week to get pictures!).

So people dont give up, use his book to do little things and keep looking and reading all the wonderful material right here on this web, both written and video because at evey level you learn, the same videos, or writings will reveal new insights and bring new levels of skills and appications!

Sorry Bootsmutt, I didn't realize the Weimy is only 4 months old. Not as long of a walk then. 20 minutes, twice a day for the next couple of months, and gradually work up to an hour twice a day -- especially until he's about 3 years old. People just don't realize how much responsibility is required in bringing up a large-breed pup. I walked two hours a day for five years straight!!! I was exhausted!! But I lost 20 lbs lol. And I still walk 45 minutes twice a day, but it's so much easier now that they're all grown up.

Thank you so much Tianna and K2! What great advice. Things with Daisy, my fearful, submissive dog are going much better - did I mention this is only our second day with her? She is doing very beautifully with everything now - she is good on the walks, respects the rules and boundaries. My 4 year old son tells her "shht" and she backs off, she is not displaying fear with bikes, other dogs, other people.

EXCEPT ONE BIG PROB: Tonight the first time we left her alone she peed on the carpet. We were gone for just a few minutes, as my husband came downstairs to help me bring up groceries. Now, the situation wasn't good, as my husband was yelling at our son (4 y.o.) right before they left, and the dog was hiding under the table in the other room when they left. Naturally, this was a mistake, and he didn't think it would be a big deal, he knew better, but it was a big deal.

This problem worries me, as this would be a deal breaker for keeping Daisy. Tommorrow we have to go to work - I'm going to have to leave her in the kitchen, which wouldn't be as big a deal if she peed, but continually would be a big problem. Now, Cesar doesn't address peeing at home, not that I've seen, granted I haven't seen all the episodes.

HELP!!!! It was a scared, nervous pee, because we had taken her out several times today for good long walks. Ishe keeps doing it when we are gone, we will either have to crate her when we are out (which I really don't want to do) or give her back to the rescue, which we really don't want to do, they didn't take good care of her there. However, I can't have her peeing all over my carpet. We are taking her to the groomer and vet this week, that will rule out a physical problem.

What to do? Our plan is to gate her off in the kitchen tommorrow which is approx. 6 feet by 4 feet with her pet taxi in it. I only work part-time so I will be home at 1:30. Guys - I need some more of your excellent advice, if it continues, we will have to look at other options. Personally, I think it's cruel to crate an animal during the day. We are crating her at night per Cesar's instructions for her first week at home, that's OK.

Pam-
Do not worry! Really, it is the opposite of cruel to crate a dog, especially a scared one. A crate serves as a den and a comfort zone when you are away, or any time that the dog is scared. Its like having your own room as a child. My dog is crated only when we leave the house because if he is not, then he poops and pees on the carpet, no matter how mant walks he gets before we leave, he will do this. It does not go away with some dogs. Odd as it seems, my dog likes his crate a little too much and waits by the crate door when he knows its time to go in. If you decide to try the crate, which is higly recommended, feed her inside the crate, and play with her in there, so that she does not associate it as any kind of punishment. This is her comfort zone. Play games and place her in there for five minutes a day while you are home so that she does not always think that crate means that you are leaving her alone. If she is quiet and calm in there, for 5 minutes, then let her out and give a little bit of praise. make it kind of a game for her sometimes.

Thanks K2, my name is Jimmy not Jimmie. I would really like to talk more about it. Do you have an e-mail ? Is it ok to say it on the board ? I would really like to speak more about it.

Hello all, was just dropping in to see if anyone had any tips for stopping a new dog from chasing my cat.

I already have a 90 lb german shephard mix that is about 2 years that plays nice with the kitty. I just obtained a pit bull - shar pei mix that is about 7 months only and has never been out of the house. I took them both for a long walk and the dogs play together for nearly a day straight. Now that he has lost all of his pent up energy all is going great except for the cat. I think it scares him, it did at first I know, he was leaning back and not sure what to do. Now he chases the cat. I put him on his side last time and held the cat in front of him. He will just sniff it but he is still unsure.

ANy thoughts?

Hi Pam, I'm not usually a fan of crate training, but I think I'm "coming around" to understand that it is a safe alternative. I'm actually thinking of taking back a large wire cage that I had loaned to a friend 100 years ago, and she doesn't want it anymore. It'd be a perfect crate for my dogs. I have heard people say that the wire ones are better because the dog can see out of all sides and it's more airy. But I have no personal experience. I've always done the baby gate between the kitchen and the rest of the house myself. Works great! It's "Mom's" method from the old days, but it works, along with newspapers on the floor. I think you are right, your dog was scared from the man of the house yelling. My Lab/Coonhound is VERY sensitive to my moods (I can be a raving shrew sometimes LOL!) and he will run down into the basement laundry room and cower if I get mad at one of my employees over the phone or something totally unrelated to the dog!! Poor guy. I've learned to check my emotions at the door -- so in a way he's been very therapeutic for me, keeping me calm -- yes, they really do relieve stress!

I think it will be fine to get yourself a crate for the dog. She will consider it her "bed" or her "den" -- and if she's already going into the pet taxi on her own, that's half the battle. I hope you don't have to return her to the rescue organization.

Nate, This isn't easy to do, but try to step in between the cat and your dog when he's getting ready to chase. You have to be really vigilant and quick. You need to "own" the cat. "Claim" the cat as yours. Also, let the cat be allowed in "Pack Leader" status -- for example, let her on the bed, but not the dog. Let the cat go up onto higher places in the house (this will give the dog the message that the cat is dominant because she is up above his head). My Hector used to chase my 15 y/o cat and she was miserable because of it. At the same time, they really adored each other. Hard to explain, but Hector saw it as a game, but then once he trapped her in a corner, he'd lick her and they'd snuggle together. Very weird! But the cat had to slink around the house and jump from one high place to another high place just to get her food. One thing I did wrong was the cat was a bit sickly and she didn't eat, so I would give her leftover food to the dogs. Big mistake!!! I realized after finding Cesar that the message I was giving was "this is your food [dogs]" instead of "this is the cat's food." Ugh!!!!

K2 - thanks for the tips about the cat and dog thing. Yogi needs to finally and permanently leave my poor cat Midnight alone! I'm going to start owning the cat and elevating her status. I've let nature take its course for too long now and every single day I have to correct Yogi when he goes after Midnight ... he just cannot or will not obey. When I say "leave it," he leaves her alone but he has to be corrected several times a day. he thinks she is his prey. I'm going to dedicate more time to giving Midnight back her life. poor kitty.

Yes! I can't wait for the new episodes.

Hey everyone. I have been so busy this summer! And I thought summer was supposed to be layed back! My pooch has been keeping me busy, along with tennis and vacations. I finally got a chance to get on the web.

Sandy,

That must be scary. I've been having that problem with my pup but it's slowly decreasing with some dominance and correcting. It sounds like you need to be more dominant over your dog through walking, food, boundaries, ect. Your dog needs to learn to not get irritated easily when being touched and stuff. With little kids, sometimes they can't help to aproach a dog the wrong way, or touch them in the wrong place. I have a down syndrome little sister who is ten. She doesn't understand to
not touch his face or pick him up while he's eating. My puppy gets irritated pretty easily and might get mad when she does this, but I correct him every time. I'm trying to teach him that if nothing is hurting him, he should take it and be submissive. It's going quite well. If your dog is aggressive with food around your son then I sugjest touching and prodding him while he's eating (only if he has MILD aggression though) and then correcting him if he growls or tries to nip. This will help him to ignore your pestering while he eats and also ignore your son if he tries to pester while eating. Also make your dog work for his food. Well sorry for my blabbering on. Good luck :D

~Chantel

I was telling a friend who had just gotten a puppy about Ceaser. She said to me, "did you know he died?" Needless to say, I was shocked. When I got home, I began researching why he died. To make a long story short, it looks like there was someone in the UK by the name of Steve who also called himself Ceaser. It doesn't appear to be the same person.

Link has been removed. -Moderator

Can someone please confirm?

Hi Sandy,

It sounds like your dog is definitely the dominant one in the relationship with your son (and probably over you) and you need to make all humans the pack leaders and dog is bottom of the totem pole. Is your dog "correcting" your child like a mother dog would in a natural dog family, or is he aggressively biting in a direct attempt to hurt your son? If it's just correcting, that's NOT OK by any means, but it is certainly better than biting to hurt or attack. In either case, you should seek professional help immediately, and watch the episode from Dog Whisperer Season 2 (currently in repeats on NGC) where the couple welcomes the baby into a household with two aggressive dogs. Cesar teaches them how to make sure the baby is pack leader. There is also an episode, also from Season 2 I believe, with a yellow Lab who is aggressive to everyone EXCEPT
the 4-year-old little girl, who is the definite pack leader of the family. Watch how that little girl acts with the dog -- she is "in charge". That's how the humans should be. With a big dog like a GSD, don't take any chances. We had a GSD when I was a child and he was the most aggressive and strongest dog I've ever known. He was gentle and loving to our family, but he would attack to kill anyone and everyone else. The entire neighborhood was terrified of our dog. You need to get the assistance of a professional to help you with that situation. If you go onto Cesar's Dog Psychology Center web site, there are numbers of people other than Cesar who can assist you by phone and maybe put you in touch with someone. I'm sure there must be people in your area, too.

Hi Jackie!! Welcome back! Well, here's what I've decided to do when faced with the guests who love to oooh and ahhhh over the dogs and get them all riled up. I just let them do it. It's their problem if they want to make goofy doggie voices and get my dogs all excited "Hi buddy hi hi hi hi !!" People do it at my house all the time. One time I had a bunch of slightly inebriated people drop by after a wedding, and there was NO WAY I could explain to them "dogs in training. No touch, no talk, no eye contact." It's the humans who DON'T want to be jumped on and who DON'T fuss over the dogs that I spend the most time prepping and then I will stand in between them and the dogs and make the dogs go back into the room 10-15 feet, etc. I gave up trying to stop the goofy dog-lovin' people from having their fun. Criminy, even my boyfriend comes home from work and says, "Hi Hobie!! Hi Hector!!!" in an all excited voice. I come home and don't say a word and do body-blocking and claiming the door! LOL!! He just did it tonight. I was going to reprimand HIM (LOL!) and then I just said, oh forget it, let him have his fun. It is so heartwarming to see them greeting each other -- I don't see the harm in it. And if I am able to control them when more important people come to the door (like my 86 y.o mother who's blind and disabled!) then that's a good thing.

Hello, When my daughter was born 11 years ago. Her father & I agreed to hold off buying the Husky we both have always wanted until our daughter was at least 7 years old. 7 years turned into 11. Well we decided it was time so we searched through all the local shelters and found a very calm happy friendly 1 year old spayed female. We brought her home put her in our fenced yard on a very long chain gave her food and water everything we thought she would need. We left to buy a few more things for her and when we got home she was gone. She is some type of escape artist.

We were completely heartbroken and searched for her all night and the next day and nothing she was gone after having her for less than 5 hours.

Well a week later, there was still no sign of her. So we searched the shelters again and ended up falling in love with a very small chihauhau who is also very calm and content.

Well we've had the chihauhua for about 48 hours and now we have our husky back. Animal control picked her up over the weekend. So we've almost had her for 24 hours now.

Because I'm new to Cesar's Show I am working on very limited information so my questions are:

Because of the major differences in the two breeds of dogs especially size should I keep them seperate in these first few days until I establish myself as the husky's pack leader. (the intial momentary introducion was very easy neither dog showed any sign of aggression.)

And the second question is basically the same... the intial introduction between my cats and the husky went great also. But should I establish my role as leader firmly before full integration into my pet filled home.

My husky has already started to show very positive signs of submissiveness in regards to sitting and staying, and our walk today went good for a first attempt. She tried to pull me at times but I was able to get her to refocus and start over each time.

I'm just a little worried about too much too fast.

I even gave her a dog bone and she showed no signs of agression while eating it.

Who ever used to own her obviously did some things right. And because she's still young I want to make sure I don't make any critical mistakes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank You.

K2, thanks for the info. No, she doesn't bite to hurt him, just nips him, never has she broken skin, Thank God. You are absolutely right, she's extremely strong and is dominate over myself and my Son (I'm embarresed to say) I have already enlisted the help of a local professional, we start on the 18th. Wish me luck.

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RonnieRose-

The door scratching thing should be an immedeate "no!" or "shh" or "hey". Whatever works for you. When certain behaviors are just ignored, the dog thinks that its ok and it becomes a habit. It is best to keep a husky indoors unless you live in alaska for the fact that their fur is made for cold weather and it is insulated. If the chihuahua is indoors and the husky is outside, well the husky would say "no fair". They should be together because you are their new mother if you think of it that way, they have been taken from their natural mother by us humans, so we now have the role of teaching them right from wrong, and raising them to be equally loved and well behaved dogs. There is to be no jealousy from either dog. It would also not be fair for one dog to be allowed on the couch, or your lap, but not the other. When a new dog is in the home, they need to respect that its your house, and you make the rules. Their praise is the fact that they get food, water, and shelter provided by you. That is great that the husky is friendly with the cat, just make sure that she knows that the cat is a fellow pack member, not a toy to chase, and not prey. Huskies are a working breed and so it is in their blood. They like to travel on foot alot, so she will need at least a 45 minute walk daily to prevent another breakout from the yard. Im sure that you being a Cesar fan already understand the walk, and how both dogs should be in heel position. Beleive it or not, that plays a big role in being the dogs new mother, and thinking like a dog. By being the leader on walks and at all times, not only is it a spiritual bond you gain with you and your dogs, they respect you and they will trust you, they also feel safe and protected when they know that you are a strong and balanced pack leader. When you earn that kind of respect from your dogs, its a reward to them in itself, and you will have dogs that are perfect for you. The chihuhua and the husky should be walked together, and separate only on occasion because (depending on the amount of energy the little chihuahua has)the husky will need a bit of a long walk. Just one more suggestion about the scratching on the back door, it also is really not a bad idea to invest in a large crate, whether she sleeps indoor or outdoor, the two dogs sharing a sleeping space is good for them to adapt to living together, also, a crate is not a "cage" to a dog. In the dogs world, the crate is considered a "den" which is natural for them and they feel secure in it. Think about it. Its its odd for a dog to be separated from the pack and be kept outside without her strong leader to make her feel secure and safe out there. It is a sign of dependency that she is scraping at the door. So when you have to leave her home alone, or anytime that the pack has to split up, the dogs should be crated so that they will feel safe since you are not there to protect them. I do not know your dogs however and some dogs are different, so I apologize if I sound like a know it all because I certainly am not, but I thought id give a shot at giving you my take on your story, hoping that I might be of some help. And because, like you, I am a husky lover, and so I just hope that for whatever reason it is that she is tied up outside, that she may become a full time indoor dog as soon as possible with access to the backyard. Im sure that you may have already done this, so correct me if this is just mis-information, but it is a very good idea for you to do some research on the breed. I hope that it will all work out for you guys and you will have one big happy pack! :)

Tazibrat-

I am curious is that the only reason that you have lost alot of respect for cesar? You are right in the case that if the owners did not want their dog to be altered, and they are responsible about having control, then it certainly is wrong for him to make that decision for them. I for one have to agree that altering dogs is a very important thing to do if you know for a fact that the dog is a stray, or if the dog is officially homeless and ready for adoption for sake of population control. Maybe he should have waited 30 days. It is also possible that the owners were greatful because they could not afford to have the surgery, and is likely to be some of the New Orleans cases. Ceasrs idea was to rehabilitate these dogs to the fullest so that they could find loving homes or return home with a nice disposition. That was ceasars way of contributing to the disaster. It is a great help in rehabilitation to take away that pent up energy and sexual desires to alter a dog. It was more than likely a necessary thing to happen just for the dogs to be in his pack so that fights, and pregnacies are prevented. If it could have been possible, cesar should have waited to find out if the dogs were oficially going up for adoption, then altered them, as well as he could offer up a free spay/neuter to the owners when they were found (just in case the owners just could not afford it), but if the owners did not want it, thenit should not have been done. I agree with you there. All things aside, cesar was trying to do the best that he could, and you know that he has good intentions. I would just be happy to find my dog alive, and know that something worse than surgery could have happened to him in the middle of a hurricane. I would especially be overjoyed to find out that Cesar Milan took care of my dog. But really, my dog would not leave my side. I would not leave him in a hurricane or anything for that matter.

I also would like to know why it is that people who own un altered dogs feel that it is being FORCED apon them to make the change? forced is quite a strong word and it sounds as though some take it extremely personal. It is not a personal matter or attack. The idea is merely an opinion, but in any case, instaed of putting innocent people in jail, sterilization should be paid for by the government. Personally, my dog is neutered and I am thankful for that. He is the best dog that anyone could ask for. I would feel terrible if he had a strong desire to mate, and I had to prevent him from doing so. Its like giving them blue balls for a month. Not an enjoyable time for the dog. We domesticated them. As for responsible owners of un-altered dogs , well, I give them credit. It seems like a bit more to take on. I also think that the stray cat population is higher than stray dogs. To each their own.

In response to Tazibrat, this will surprise some of you as I consider myself Cesar's biggest fan, but I think Tazibrat's post was reasonable (although I didn't realize it was posted on every page of the blog), and she has some valid points. I own two intact males, and I can tell you first hand that they NEVER go out carousing looking to mate, they never hump anything either. So, they don't have a desire to mate at all, and I think this goes along with the point that Tazibrat and others have made that not ALL males are meant to mate, only the alpha males. My dogs being intact doesn't make their behaviour much different from my neighbors dogs who are altertered, or my female Lab who was spayed. They have a strong prey instinct, but I don't attribute that to their being intact. I had never thought to question what Cesar did with the Katrina dogs, although I do admit that every time that episode is on, I cringe and end up shutting it off when the part comes up where they put the dog under anesthesia before the operation. My mother is a nurse, but I did NOT inherit her gene for a strong constitution when it comes to medical procedures (that has nothing to do with the altering of the male, it's the thought of ANY medical procedure that gives me the heebie jeebies. I never even had my wisdom teeth out!! ). I also was unaware (and is this even true?) that Cesar is advocating for a law that would make it mandatory to spay and neuter. I think such laws would be state-by-state anyway, and would take just as long to pass as the gay marriage laws!

While I don't agree with Tazibrat's solution to stop watching DW, I understand what she is saying, but I still think Cesar has a natural gift of talking to the animals, and he has provided me with invaluable knowledge for which I will be forever grateful. We can disagree with some of his beliefs and still be fans of his show, and still congratulate him for helping so many animals. I think he's a hero to dogs, regardless of whether or not I neuter the ones I own.

I did not lose my respect for him 'only' for sterilizing the dogs. I lost it while reading that bash-blog. And learning that he is one of the ones that is advocating a law requiring the sterilization of dogs. Perhaps I am wrong there. After all, I learned of it while reading that blog. Perhaps it was an ugly rumor. Those in that blog stated that it actually had gone into effect but did not last long before being overruled. This is in California by the way. And as I have not read his book, I cannot verify the statement made by a fan that he admitted to "crossing the border" illegaly. However, if that is true, it is at least just slightly hypocritical of him. He broke the law to get into the country yet wants to use that same legal system to require pet owners to spay/neuter their pets. And if they don't, fines, punishment, jail? Basically, TROUBLE! And I am personally a little claustrophobic and the thought of being somewhere that I could not get out of is ... uh ... well terrifying. So it really hits a nerve. I still believe he's magical in regards to his canid abilities but I firmly believe that NO ONE has the right to make me neuter my boy or sterilize my girl. My pack, my choice. Yes, he should have given the owners of those dogs the option and his personal recommendation to sterilize but he took that decision away. And again, in the event that the owners could not be found, the decision would be his to make as he wanted. And if the owners could not be located or if there had not been an owner to begin with, then the decision should be his as they were then his responsibility. But surgery, even minor such as castration should not be taken lightly. I chose to have Reyna spayed which is major surgery. (Most human doctors won't do this to a human woman unless it is required for her health.) I chose to because she figured out how to open the door while I was at work and she was in her 2nd heat cycle. I wasn't taking the chance of having a litter of pups that no one wanted. But at least she had the hormones she needed to become a healthy dog. Those organs have several purposes. Not just for increasing the pack. They are needed for healthy bodies else why do women who have had a hysterectomy take estrogen and such. Humans messing with nature and a natural course can and often do have disastrous results. We act like gods in our own little world. Elmo is most definitely an alpha dog. While he has never tried to hump me, he has tried it with most other dogs. If they don't correct him themselves, I do! Yes, it will take work to break him from this but I for one think that a natural body, his natural body, is worth it.

And by the way, I posted it on nearly all the blogs because I desire feedback. I don't like to feel this way about someone I admired greatly and am willing to listen and have no problem admitting when I am wrong. If he is not a big advocater for the spay/neuter law, he'd have my attention once again.

Hi tazibrat,

I want to take a crack at this because I live in Los Angeles County and have followed the Breed Specific Legislation with interest because I am a responsible dog owner.

I can't speak for Cesar or anyone else, but I hope to show the situation in a new light so maybe you'll reconsider your position.

My understanding is that this whole thing began in CA for one reason, and that is the illegal breeding of dogs, mostly pitbulls and rotties, that is such a huge problem here. These dogs are almost always intact due to the belief that this makes them more aggressive/vicious. Once a dog begins to lose fights, the "owner" turns it loose on the streets of LA and finds another, younger, meaner dog.

I have seen these dogs wandering, mostly in downtown LA and, thru no fault of their own, are looking to kill somebody; this is what they were taught to do. If you should happen to be unfortunate enough to be walking your beloved pet in their vicinity you have a problem -- these dogs will pick a fight, it is what they were taught to do. They were taught to draw blood, to kill other dogs.

Animal control works very hard to deal with this -- there are at this moment 10's of thousands of these poor dogs in our shelters. We have generous, wonderful people who adopt these dogs and many, with Cesar's help, rehabilitate them. This is obviously not easy; the survival of these animals once hinged on fighting, now their survival hinges on NOT fighting.

There was a strong movement here to outlaw specific "gladiator" breeds, those that are Cesar's favorites; he is strongly against such legislation. It is not the fault of the breed, it is the fault of misguided people.

It is true that irresponsible people have ruined/made more difficult dog ownership for those of us who are responsible. It's an ongoing struggle to live on this planet with those whose ethics/standards/beliefs are not in harmony with our own. I would never, ever rob a bank, but when I enter a bank my picture is taken by the security camera just like the would-be robber's is.

We all have our backgrounds and experiences that we bring to the table; I don't happen to be against spaying/neutering because I once lost a beloved female to uterine cancer -- never would have happened had she been spayed. In LA county it now costs $100 to license an intact dog, $10 for a spayed/neutered dog. Not fair? I don't know, it will take a few years of licensing my spayed female to pay for the cost of spaying.

Pet overpopulation is a huge problem, more so for those animals stuck in shelters waiting to be euthanized. Mandatory spay-neuter laws at least have gotten the public's attention, and I think that that's a good thing.

I did not see an inkling of anger on the faces of the family whose Katrina dog was returned to them -- I did see gratitude, and rightly so.

Kate3-

Wow! Very nicely put! I could not agree more.

Hi tianna,

Right back atcha, I totally agree with you too!

I also want to add that Cesar has some of those beaten up, thrown away dogs in his pack; Popeye lost his eye in an illegal fight, and there is also one with only 3 legs who was also maimed in an illegal fight.

I think that since he publicly has taken responsibility for these dogs and so many others, we should give him the right to decide liability,etc. for those Katrina dogs who he worked so hard to rehabilitate.

tazibrat, I would encourage you not to throw the baby out with the bathwater; there are many celebrities whose politics I totally disagree with and am sometimes tempted to boycott their work because I don't think that their views are any more important than mine just because they have cameras on them. I have to make a decision as to whether or not to see a movie because of this issue; sometimes I go and see it, sometimes I don't.

If Cesar didn't have a hit TV show you wouldn't know his views on neutering or anything else. If he helps you and you enjoy watching, then watch him!

Does anyone have any advice about this problem I have with my dog? We put up a fence about a month ago around our yard, and now my dog won't pee or poop in it. He is a 3 year-old male dog and I have tried bringing my sister's dogs over so they can do their business. My dog will pee over the spots that her dogs do, but only while they are here. They haven't been over for a couple of weeks and he won't go again. People have told me to not walk him and when he has to go bad enough he will, well, he held it in for 24 hours and was panting so bad that I gave in and walked him. A vet told me that when I walk him and he poops, to bring it back and put it in the yard for a few days but I tried and he will avoid that area all together. I have also bought a spray from a pet store to teach puppies where you want them to go, but no luck with that. I would like to solve this before winter comes because I don't walk him much then---Please help!!!! PS---He seems really depressed since we have the fence up, which is weird to me since we used to tie him up before and now he has some freedom. Some other information---he never really peed in our yard before the fence. He used to go in the next door yard which was a rental property and has now been sold, that is the reason for the fence--to keep him in our yard.

tazibrat,
I wansn't "offended persee....more on the defensive....for that I apologize.
There are so many people out there who I agree with your wording "bashers" and when I saw your post on every blog it made me defensive as I was not sure why you would be posting on every blog. And you would be surprised at the agenda's some people have in the world.

I believe EVERYONE is and should be allowed to state their opinion. And I have a record for sticking up for people when some one is being a little to rough on someone.
It'sa my turn to apologize if my response. I will leave the rest of what you said to me alone as I think it was MY response that created yours. :) I hope you did find my post that replied to you....It was a little long. Peace. KathyB

In response to Lynne, We just installed a fence recently, and my dog Hobie behaves differently, too. Prior to this, my dogs were always tied up on long 30-foot ropes in the FRONT yard. The entire BACK yard is fenced in, and he now has all this freedom (it's about 3/4 of an acre) and he chooses to be in the house. He does pee on everything in the back yard, though. However, he will not poop for two reasons: 1) Hector eats Hobie's poop. So 2) in an effort to try to STOP Hector from doing that, I walked around the yard with the dogs with a pooper-scooper in my hand (the kind you stand up and it has like two broom handles and one side is like a rake and the other side like a shovel so you push the two handles together and you can pick up the dung). When Hobie stopped to poop (which he WAS doing every morning) I walked over and banged the pooper scooper together as loud as I could. It scared Hector away from eating the poop, but it also scared poor Hobie (durh, I didn't think of that!!) and now he won't poop in the back yard anymore. I accidentally "trained" Hobie instead of Hector! So, now I have to walk him every morning, which I do anyway, so no big deal. We are out in the woods, so pooping on the walk is not an issue as they don't do it on people's yards.

I would've given the same advice -- make him wait long enough and he'll eventually do it. What about walking in front of him inside the fence, either off-leash or on-leash? Just like you're on a walk, but stay in the fenced in portion of the yard. He probably thinks he's not allowed to do his business there. Or, as is the case with most dogs, they don't pee or poo in their own yards! Think about it -- my neighbor's dogs all come over to OUR yard to poo and pee! And mine did the same when they were loose. Try walking him IN the yard, that should work. You will have to do it repeatedly -- remember, all of these things take practice and patience.

Also, I know what you mean about not walking in the winter, but dogs need to walk every day, NO MATTER WHAT. I actually have boots with cleets on them and a parka and gloves made for snowmobiling that go to 40 below zero -- and I walk my dogs almost every day in the winter (even if it's only 5 minutes). They need to "go through the motions". I know people will say "what about their paws?" but quite frankly, I've never had a problem with frozen paws and I've been walking in the winter for over 20 years. Mostly we just stay right on our little street in the winter, do our little routine, and go back inside. A treadmill would be a good thing for those bad winter days, too.

I have one comment on the exchanges between Tazibrat and the others... I feel very strongly about the Mexicans crossing the border. I AM HAPPY TO HAVE THEM IN MY COUNTRY!!!! Especially Cesar. I think it's in poor taste to berate Cesar, and others, just because they tried to improve their lives by coming to America. I welcome them all with open arms. If we can figure out a way to get them here legally, then great.

Also, if Cesar wants to advocate stricter laws about spaying and neutering, he is entitled to his opinion and he is married to an American so he's legally here now, running a successful business, etc. As I said before, it takes A LOT to get laws passed, and they're usually done state-by-state, and it's doubtful that anybody will go to jail for not neutering an animal. The prisons are already overcrowded. It would be more useful to the state governments to collect money from individuals who break any forthcoming law that might be eventually passed. I think it's all a long shot in any case, and should have absolutely no bearing on how we feel about Cesar Millan. I'm sure I believe in a lot of things that HE would disagree with (not neutering my dogs being first on his list). But I still love the guy, and I've heard how nice he is in person, and I bet he'd be nice to me if he met me, even though we don't agree on the neutering issue.

I work with people all day long who disagree with each other. It doesn't mean you have to dislike them. You can disagree and still like someone.

"K2 says:
I have one comment on the exchanges between Tazibrat and the others… I feel very strongly about the Mexicans crossing the border. I AM HAPPY TO HAVE THEM IN MY COUNTRY!!!! Especially Cesar. I think it’s in poor taste to berate Cesar, and others, just because they tried to improve their lives by coming to America. I welcome them all with open arms. If we can figure out a way to get them here legally, then great."

AMEN SISTA!!!!!!!!!! :) xoxo

WAIT! If you read back what I wrote, I am NOT berating him for crossing the border. Yes, our country says it's illegal. I don't happen to agree with our country there either. And it wouldn't have been illegal if not for some people who decided THEY in particular didn't want them crossing. I will break a law I deem UNreasonable. One of the great things about growing up in America is that you KNOW personal freedom. At least until you reach adulthood and realize that it's an illusion. When the government can take what you have for reasons of its own or to profit others. Case in point, a business that has been in my town since before I was born (BTW today is my 35th B-day) was forced to close it's doors and find a new home because the city (and a few pushing individuals) thought we would be better served by having a theater for the Arts in it's location. Eminent Domaine. But what I was angry about, and still don't understand is if he crossed the border illegaly why would he then use that same legal system to force me to break the laws. I won't spay/neuter any animal just because the government says I have to. The government is the people but that usually works out to who is in the media/TV the most because they are the most visible.

Sandy, the people I avoid the most are those who do their best to force me to do something I don't want to especially when I don't agree with their reasoning. Should we force sterilization on certain humans because they shouldn't breed? Stupid people shouldn't breed ..... but they do. Should we sterilize criminals? They've certainly proved their worth. Do you see me or any others taking them to the doctor for sterilization? Not by a long shot. I bet dogs, if they only had the words, would agree.

KathyB ... apology accepted most graciously and I tender mine in return. And thank you for being a reasonable human being.

In many cases, we fellow American can agree to disagree and call it good. But then there are a few who won't accept that and push at the government to make a new law (as if we need more). Plus, I bet if you did careful research in current laws, you'd probably find something to fit what you need already. Did you know that until recently the law said that you needed a hunting license in California to set a mousetrap? What a joke.

No but neither do humans have a dozen children at a time or I'm certain that a few individuals out there might think of "humane" ways to deal with them. Hhm, not that I'm advocating it but if you think back to what Hitler did to millions then it has ... tragically ... happened. Ever watch "Escape From Sobibor"? Sobibor was a Nazi death camp. They put thousands upon thousands of humans "humanely" to death. (and that's a very sarcastic humane)

Yes, I happen to know a few humans who should have been altered a long time ago, but unfortunately one of them has a litter of eight little screaming kids. Kids are great, but this woman should have never brought any offspring into this world. There was nothing "humane" about the torture and death that happened in the concentration camps. If animals werent ever euthanized in shelters, we would have an overpopulation of dead animals in the streets, as well as disease and sickness, all due to the stupidity of humans. There are just too many pets, far many more than people. Some people do not seem to understand that euthanasia is not fun for anyone who works in a shelter and has to do it. God bless the world if every single cat and dog had a home! That would be a miracle and a wonderful turn around for the world. Animal shelters wish that they would go out of business. It makes me sick to hear when people dont see the big picture. Animals are everywhere sick and overpopulating the shelters and the streets and no one is to blame but us humans. Its great to have pets, but cant we take responsibility for what we have started. It is inhumane to let a dog roam freely andcontinually have puppies, and then if the puppies do not find homes every time, well the owner does not want them, she already cannot afford to take decent care of her own dog. Half of the puppies are too much responsibility, so people just try to find ways to get rid of them. Some people just dump dogs out of their car because they changed their mind and cannot be responsible. These ignorant people who do things like this are not being very "humane". They do not beleive that the dog or cat is a living, breathing, creature. The animal is treated more like an unwanted piece of garbage being thrown out of the car. I for one am in vote of spaying and neutering so that events like that do not occur, and we do not have unwanted pets. Unfortunately, when there are irresponsible pet owners, euthanasia becomes more and more common. It has to . It is worse torture to let an animal starve to death on the streets, or die of dehydration. People would not have kids if they thought they could not take proper care of them. Well it should be the same for pets. So euthanasia is unfortunately something that we have brought apon ourselves, and yes is does have to be that way. Humans can thank themselves for that. I do not think that euthanasia is humane, but when it is compared to every other option besides altering your pet then it stands at the top of the list, and if anyone decides to be against euthanasia, id like to hear their plan of action as to how the pet population will be controlled.

my dog was hit by a car when he was a puppy he is afraid of everthing.

Sarah-

Yes you are so right!

This all comes down to responsibility. Those who are irresponsible make it miserable for those who are not. I have been responsible. A responsible person will do things, even horrifying things to do what needs to be done. A kitten, Soldier, accidently got himself stepped on by laying on a rug at the bottom of a step outside a door. My nephew went to carry the laundry to the car, did not see Soldier and stepped on his head. My nephew weighs around 180 lbs plus the 20 lbs of laundry. It was Sunday, no vets open in my area. Yes, I probably could have called in got them to go in and open the office to put the poor kitty to sleep. Likely the kitten would have died before we all could gather for the doctor. Instead, I killed it. My own hands. The kitten did not suffer unnecessarily. You say I should take a hundred unwanted dogs? I would "put them to sleep". Unless you have the facilities, 100 dogs are too many. Those who act in a criminal fashion will do so no matter what the law is. Criminals already break the laws, do you really think another law would deter them? I doubt they would have a sudden change of heart. The only ones it would effect would be those who are currently law-abiding. It would make me a criminal. If that's the price I'd have to pay to keep my freedom of choice. I will.

Also, several of you keep harping on the Katrina dogs. So what if he kept the dogs for 8 months. He sterilized them when he first got them, not 8 months down the road. I still say he hadn't the right. Certainly, 8 months down the road, when the owners could not be located, he had the right.

Also, not a one of you will address my concern. He crossed the border against the command of our legal system yet wants to use that legal system to further his own opinions. Sooo, only when it's convenient for him uh?

I have been searching the net for information regarding his support for or against sterilization for dogs. If any know of a site or newspaper article, etc. that I could look for, feel free to let me and other concerned but silent people know.

So with those 100 unwanted dogs would you rather kill them than have them altered and adopted out??

I understand that laws are broken every day, so having a law like that will do just as much harm to responsible un-altered pet owners as to the irresponsible ones. It may help, but still the problem will not go away. Theres too much ignorance in the world for any problem to ever go away, but we do need to find another means of keeping it under control and not getting out of hand. It seems that leesh laws are not helping much because people still just let their un-altered dogs wander the neighborhood without supervision. Yes it all comes down to responsibility. Now if certain people did not have dilemmas against sugery for whatever reason, we would not have any issues here.

Tazibrat,

Then GET the facilities and put your money where your mouth is, then come back and tell us all about the unfairness of the law. It's a poor excuse to use the fact that people brake laws. Would you then erase the laws against theft, speeding, etc., etc.?

I don't know who you think you're fooling, but you sound just like the occasional Cesar "basher" we get here from time to time...it's old hat and rather boring.
I have to say you're the "first" to bring up how he got here to this country, but you're forgetting he's legal now and contributing to society in very positive ways. Most people who are concerned about illegal immigration are MOST concerned about the illegals who stay hidden and milk the system at the tax payers expense. From what I understand Cesar never did that...he worked from the beginning and like I said he's contributing to the American society...enough said on that, this is a blog about Cesar Millan's dog psychology, NOT illegal immigration.

I NEVER said I could force my opinions on others. My opinions get enforced thru laws that I encourage my representivies to enact. I vote, that's how my opinions get voiced and hopefully enforced.
I happen to be FOR as little government intrusion as possible. However, to see the numbers dwindle of the dogs and cats that are otherwise healthy happy animals be put to death, I'm willing to forgoe my personal views on the subject of government intrusion in this particular matter. It's a selfish attitude to want "MY" way when my way contributes to the suffering of these helpless creatures.
I do not understand the mindset that says they love animals and yet are willing to live with the fact that so many unwanted dogs and cats are killed each year.
IF leash laws were the answer, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

" do not understand the mindset that says they love animals and yet are willing to live with the fact that so many unwanted dogs and cats are killed each year."

There are far worse things than death. Life can be a hell of torture...death would be preferable. I eat meat, I don't agonize over all the deaths in slaughter houses. It would be hypocritical of me to than state that I agonize over the deaths of unwanted dogs and cats. The bottom line is: they are better off dead than tortured. Watching Animal Planets animal controls shows from various cities can teach you the horror that bad owners can inflict on their animals. That kind of "life" is not preferable to death.

"IF leash laws were the answer, we wouldn’t be having this discussion"

You're misquoting me. I said good, strong, ENFORCED leash laws. It doesn't matter how many laws are on the books...if the money is not spent to ENFORCE them then they might as well not exist.

Hi Lynne,

Sounds like you have a stubborn little boy! I think Cesar would advise that you be more stubborn.

What came to my mind when I read your blog was put a leash on him and walk him around the perimeter of your yard, over and over till he either pees or poops. It's a lot harder to "hold" either if your walking nonstop and eventually he's going to have to give up. I would have a very valuable treat available for when it does happen, something he LOVES and very seldom gets -- I'd give it to him the moment he finished going potty, with a lot of talking about how amazing he is.

Hope this helps!

Okay, I'm taking up space for those who want/need help with their pooches. I won't take up much more of "your" space with my concerns, seeing as how few of you Cesar Milan fans wants to admit that he could be wrong to want our compliance with his views by having laws changed that he's quite willing to break when it suits him. But I'm gonna finish it off with a bang. Sure, Mr. Milan is legal now, but the fact remains that he broke the law to do it, yet is willing to use that same legal system to "fix" us all. I say, go ahead and try it. And see how much cooperation you get from me. I'm quite willing and able to become a criminal (if only a 'minor' criminal) to keep my freedom of choice to care for my animals as I see fit.

"Okay, I’m taking up space for those who want/need help with their pooches. I won’t take up much more of “your” space with my concerns, seeing as how few of you Cesar Milan fans wants to admit that he could be wrong to want our compliance with his views by having laws changed that he’s quite willing to break when it suits him."

Who says his fans won't admit he could be wrong? I think he's wrong. Will that do? But he's entitled to his opinion, as we all are. That in no way negates the value of his advice. Do I agree with his advice 100? No, I don't. But that doesn't negate the value of his advice either. As with all advice, you take what fits you and your situation and you ignore what doesn't.

" But I’m gonna finish it off with a bang. Sure, Mr. Milan is legal now, but the fact remains that he broke the law to do it, yet is willing to use that same legal system to “fix” us all."

Yes he did break the law, and he paid the fine for it, and he is working towards getting his citizenship. More power to him and others like him. They enrich our country - as did OUR "illegal" European immigrants lo these many centuries ago.

" I say, go ahead and try it. And see how much cooperation you get from me. I’m quite willing and able to become a criminal (if only a ‘minor’ criminal) to keep my freedom of choice to care for my animals as I see fit."

See - you're entitled to your opinion too.

” I say, go ahead and try it. And see how much cooperation you get from me. I’m quite willing and able to become a criminal (if only a ‘minor’ criminal) to keep my freedom of choice to care for my animals as I see fit.”

I personally believe that by following the laws of our country we become free, even though some laws aren't as reasonable as others. And if there is a law that needs to be changed for the benefit of the nation, then let it be changed through the legal system.

Hi I justgot a new puppy (Jack Russell) 8 weeks old now and want to enusre the proper training for him. My problem is that he cries at very high pitches (sreaching acutally) to not stay alone.

Any suggestions out there in how to break this cycle. I have him gated at night where he is suppose to sleep in his dog bed but he conitunes to cry for someone to pick him up and sleep with him.

ANy suggestions would be helpful I want to make his transition into our home a good one I feel as though I am negelcting him too early on.

Thanks for the advice K2 and Katie3, I am trying anything I can think of! When this whole business started after we first put up the fence, I did walk him around the yard with a leash--not real long but he was really stubborn and wouldn't walk. I guess I will try this again and stick with it. When I took him out this morning I did walk him around the yard but we were going to an amusement park and I didn't have the time to mess around so I walked him because I knew we would be gone all day. We were gone about 10 hours and my husband took him out when we came home but nothing again--he justs stands there. You are not kidding about him being stubborn!!! I told my neighbor that if it was one of my kids, I would be yelling to sit on that toilet and don't come down until you have gone---Ha. Ha. K2---great news about Hobie!!! I will keep you both posted on my dog Ben.

Also, provide comforting things in the crate or gated area such as blankets, a warm water bottle wrapped up in a blanket (it is comforting to some puppies and kittens to sleep next to another warm object)and of course, toys, a little amount of kibble, and some water.

Veda,

First, I'm so sorry to hear about Rocky; I know how that hurts.

Let's see, Rocky...is it possible to Rocky-proof the room that the doggie door is in? If so, that's what I'd do and set up a way with baby gates, etc. so he could stay in there with nothing he can destroy.

BUT -- I'd walk him till he's exhausted before you leave him. Cesar says a tired dog is a good dog, and if he's zonked out he won't worry about where you are. Maybe leave a peanut butter filled kong with him.

We've had great success with a product called Bach's Rescue Remedy; it's flower essences (and I know it sounds wacky) but they use it to calm horses and it really works, people can use it too. We put it in our dogs' water dish whenever anything that might be stressful is coming up and it really seems to help them.

Hope that helps a little!

Okay, so I thought I was done with the bloggers on this website. But then...an intelligent and well thought out possible solution that could benefit EVERYONE human and canine alike. So another long letter. Sorry for those with little stamina. :) I promise I'll try to keep my thoughts a little bit briefer from now on.

Cheers! Hip Hip Hurray for Chantel

Thank you very much for actually thinking about a possible solution. The attitude I felt I was receiving prior to your blog, was that I'm not responsible because I don't want to neuter my dog. Makes a person feel slightly defensive to say the least. Especially when MJ asked this question, "Didn’t you try to fix/lock the door instead?" No, I did not. I myself (with hands) have a hard time opening the durned thing, I NEVER would have thought Reyna, at 1 1/2 years and no hands, would have figured it out. Also, I very, very seldom lock my doors, one of the benefits of remote living and I have an open door policy (if you're a friend and in need, feel free to come over and chill whether I'm here or not.) So...I'm getting knocked around because some poople (not misspelled) wants to denigrate me cause my dog got out from behind a closed door while I was at work and could do nothing about it. If you remember correctly, as soon as I realized she had gotten out, I took her to the vet and had her spayed, even though I would rather not have done so. I knew that mixed breed litters are a dime a dozen and who knows who she took a shine to. She's purebred, Elmo's purebred and papered. I am responsible and I will do what needs to be done, no matter how distasteful, or how it makes me feel inside...which in this instance was regretful.

But Chantel actually thought it out and said ... er, wrote ... with intelligence and care for all concerned.

**Chantel says: "About the forced spay and nueter law. In my opinion, I believe it’s not a bad idea. Of course, not everyone would follow this law, but I’m sure it would help to slow,maintain, or even decrease the over population of dogs. There are licsenses to let you breed your dogs. If preserving a dogs “natural state” is that important to some, a licsense could be obtained, and only to those responsible. It is money out of your pocket but we need to see the big picture. There are hundreds of thousands of dogs put down every year because there aren’t enough people adopting these dogs. I believe that a forced spay and neuter law is needed to make a difference. Why should we go through the trouble of putting down several dogs when we can prevent it through just one dog?"**

Chantel, sorry I copied and pasted your whole blog but the whole thing was written with such intelligently worded thoughts that I didn't want anyone to confuse what I mean when I respond to you. (As sometimes seems the case.) Anyway, I am all for compromise and this smacks of it. Mandatory neutering for most, with a special license, with the corresponding fees of course, for those who are responsible enough to handle it. In my county, the additional fees for unaltered animals, male or female, are already required. Yes, I paid extra, like 4-times extra (or so) to keep my lil Mo intact. I did it willingly. His parents are show dogs with pedigrees, what if one day I want to show him? Then if he did well, breed him? Couldn't if I was forced to clip him. But let me return to your blog. I am also certain that it would make a difference and slow, maintain, or even decrease the overpopulation of dogs. Up until this point, I have to admit, I'd kinda skirted that issue as I really didn't know and hadn't thoroughly thought out what the possible solution could be. I'd personally rather not put any animals to death just because they are inconvenient (which is how many feel about strays/homeless animals. I'll do it if I have to, such as with the kitten, but only for extenuating circumstances such as that. Up until 3 days ago, I wasn't even aware that there was such a law being bandied about. Given time, I might have thought of something on my own. Instead, I came here to these blogs, thinking that Cesar's fans have previously written with intelligence, bring it up with them, again, without that one horn-tooter, pooing in the pudding. Instead, many of you got defensive and went on the war path. Yikes!

**tiana says: "Sorry, but the irresponsible owners seem to outweigh the responsible ones, so yes the law should be enforced, but the responsible owners should have the right to obtain a licsense that rightfully would cost as much as a cheap spay/neuter, and the government should spay every other pet for free."**

tiana, much as I would like to agree with you completely, I can't. Where is the government supposed to get all this extra money to pay for this program? There are still quite a few people who don't own pets, and they will say, "Why should I contribute my tax dollars towards altering all these animals? And so on. I bet you can think of more things they'd gripe about regarding that subject. Doodoo, stained tire rims, etc., etc. However, you have a good idea, needs some work but great start. As for the Katrina dogs, enough already, YOU won't change my mind about this, (you went about it wrong with me). BUT, something someone said recently made me think harder about it and remember with more clarity, those particular episodes. Cesar is only called it when others can't hang due to behavioral problems. I myself saw that these particular dogs did have some issues. Therefore, the owners were not the pack leader of their animals. They were not in control. Plus, I WILL NOT LEAVE MY DOGS BEHIND. Not for any reason. They are my family and my responsibility and I love them. I've taught them to come when I call, no matter what. I live in fire country, we get a heck of a lot less warning than those in New Orleans and the surrounding areas did. If they panic and bolt, I can call them back. And as for the Cesar border thing. Please read back, cause I don't have a problem with him crossing the border. The government put that there after they founded this country. They wiped out thousands of Native Americans and Mexicans both when they got here and put invisible lines all over to boot. My problem (no longer as you'll see) was that he was willing to break the law to suit himself but lobby (which still remains to be proven) for a law(s) to suit his opinion/belief. So please give it up already. You're beating a dead horse there.

And to Doggone/GA:

"Yes he did break the law, and he paid the fine for it, and he is working towards getting his citizenship. More power to him and others like him. They enrich our country - as did OUR “illegal” European immigrants lo these many centuries ago."

Here's to putting me in my place. I was not aware that he'd paid fines or anything of the sort. I had assumed (ever hear of the ass-u-me theory? lol), that once he got here, he stayed low-key, until he married an American which then meant he was home-free.

Again, my most sincere apologies and again thank you three people for thinking and not parroting what others were saying.

Here are some other ideas that can be batted about and/or refined to perfection...If mandatory alteration of canines and/or felines is to come about and be more of a solution for all and less of a problem for others.

---Responsilbe owners of unaltered animals could pay 5-times (probably not much higher though to still be within reason) the current license fee than the owners of unaltered animals.
---Owners who have paid for the extra licensing but then whose animal sires/whelps an accidental litter gets fines...and if there's a second offense? Fines, possible jail, probation, their animal(s) get altered, not allowed to own unaltered for certain period of time, etc. (Remember the saying, Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Or something along those lines.)
---First Offense, breeding animal - Owners of dogs/cats who've had a litter(s) without a breeders license pay a large fine plus the cost of altering each pup and the breeding animal. If they can't afford it? Work it off in the shelters? It's called a work release program that criminals have the option to do. That costs money to fund which they pay as well, time or money, you're gonna pay.
---Second Offense, breeding animal - Owner of animals who have been previously convicted of the above, and now have a second litter? Harsh fines, jail, probation, barred from owning animals. Not responsilbe enough.
---Those breeding for fighting animals need to be put in the pen with the dog(s) and have their hands tied and shackles on their feet...sigh...just kidding. That would be wrong. Bad thing to teach the dogs you're trying to help. But prison time doesn't sound too bad to me or something comparable.

Any other useful suggestions? If we can figure out a compromise that helps everyone, I'll sign the petition myself!

By the way, the crow I just ate didn't suffer much. The feathers are pretty dry though. Got any ketsup?

"—Responsilbe owners of unaltered animals could pay 5-times (probably not much higher though to still be within reason) the current license fee than the owners of unaltered animals."

And why should *I*, as the owner of intact males, be PUNISHED just because they are not neutered? If there have to be licensing fees, and I don't necessarily agree there HAVE to be any, then I would prefer a fair fee for ALL owners and when proof an animal has been neutered is presented, then give a refund of part of the fee back to the owner. It looks, at first glance, like the same suggestion, but it's not.

"—Owners who have paid for the extra licensing but then whose animal sires/whelps an accidental litter gets fines…and if there’s a second offense? Fines, possible jail, probation, their animal(s) get altered, not allowed to own unaltered for certain period of time, etc. (Remember the saying, Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Or something along those lines.)"

And just exactly HOW will you go about proving whose dog sired such a litter? Are you going to be willing to pay to DNA test EVERY intact male dog for miles around? Such a law would, in reality, ONLY affect the owner of the mother - SHE is easier to identify. And, as I said before, strong, ENFORCED leash/confinement laws would go a long way to eliminating the unwanted litter problem. And, such a law as you have proposed would do nothing to stop those WANTED litters that are then subsequently dumped on Animal Control because the breeder couldn't sell them or give them away. Easy way to get around your proposed law: ALWAYS claim the litter was planned, but the puppies couldn't be placed.

—First Offense, breeding animal - Owners of dogs/cats who’ve had a litter(s) without a breeders license pay a large fine plus the cost of altering each pup and the breeding animal. If they can’t afford it? Work it off in the shelters? It’s called a work release program that criminals have the option to do. That costs money to fund which they pay as well, time or money, you’re gonna pay."

First offense of WHAT? Breeding? Or having an unwanted litter? If it's the first, then you propose to punish good, caring, knowledgeable breeders who carefully plan and place their puppies in good homes...without actually affecting careless owners or "backyard" breeders who only care about the money they think they can get, but who will dump their litters in a heartbeat if they don't sell quickly.

If it's for having an unwanted litter...see above on how to get out of THAT one.

"—Second Offense, breeding animal - Owner of animals who have been previously convicted of the above, and now have a second litter? Harsh fines, jail, probation, barred from owning animals. Not responsilbe enough."

For both of these, how will you go about catching such owners? If they take the puppies and dump them on the side of the road late at night, you won't...unless you are prepare to pay to DNA test every puppy and every male and female for maybe as much as 100 miles around. Not a workable solution by any means.

"—Those breeding for fighting animals need to be put in the pen with the dog(s) and have their hands tied and shackles on their feet…sigh…just kidding"

You would be surprised, maybe even amazed, to learn that the VAST MAJORITY of trained fighting dogs will NOT attack a human being. It's one of the tenets of the "sport" that the handlers have to be able to go into the pit and break up a fight. I had an old dog fighting man tell me that any Pit Bull that attacks a human for ANY reason is INSANE and should be shot out of hand.

". That would be wrong. Bad thing to teach the dogs you’re trying to help. But prison time doesn’t sound too bad to me or something comparable."

Again, if you can catch them. Watch a few of Animal Planet's "animal cops" shows and you'll learn, quickly, how difficult it is to get proof against such breeders. But, yes, I agree, when the proof is THERE the punishments should be stronger, for both owners and breeders of fighting dogs.

"Any other useful suggestions? If we can figure out a compromise that helps everyone, I’ll sign the petition myself!"

Yes, but you won't like it because I've already made it and you've dismissed it: work on getting leash/confinement laws ENFORCED. And if they don't exist, get them enacted and THEN get them enforced.

Accidental breeders are highly dependent on free roaming dogs, especially males. Get them off the "roads" first - that will eliminate a LOT of unwanted litters. Then work on incentives to get people to neuter there animals, but not by punishing those who have intact animals. There's another big chunk out of the accidental breeding population.

"You" (meaning the public servants, aka: animal control) is going to have to enforce the laws...make them workable, effective laws - like leash/confinement laws that will actually help reduce the problem. Punitive laws that can't be enforced, or that can only be forced on the breeders who are easiest to find: the good, caring breeders are NOT any sort of solution.

"There are far worse things than death. Life can be a hell of torture…death would be preferable. I eat meat, I don’t agonize over all the deaths in slaughter houses. It would be hypocritical of me to than state that I agonize over the deaths of unwanted dogs and cats. The bottom line is: they are better off dead than tortured. Watching Animal Planets animal controls shows from various cities can teach you the horror that bad owners can inflict on their animals. That kind of “life” is not preferable to death."

Sorry, but I don't see the logic in, "there are far worse things than death". We're not talking about torture, we're talking about decreasing the births of un-wanted dogs and cats, your argument is a red herring.
Sadly, the mis-treatment of dogs and cats will continue in any event.
And to think of these wonderful creatures who rely on the mercy of humans as disposable is something I can't understand.
Oh well, if there are too many unwanted dogs and cats, just kill them so I can keep my dogs intact, they might get tortured anyway. This is how that attitude sounds to me and I frankly don't get it.
I respect that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I'm just going to continue to hope that logic pervails and we can see less and less unwanted dogs and cats being killed for no other reason, as I've stated, for not being wanted.

“IF leash laws were the answer, we wouldn’t be having this discussion”
You’re misquoting me. I said good, strong, ENFORCED leash laws. It doesn’t matter how many laws are on the books…if the money is not spent to ENFORCE them then they might as well not exist.

This is another reason for the NEED to decrease the numbers of un-wanted dogs. The leash law rarely ever applies to cats. So, while others are relying on a leash law to help solve the problem, MILLIONS of cats and dogs are being killed every single year for NO other reason then being un-wanted.
I wish it were the answer, or even helped, but the dogs and cats who depend on us live in reality and their reality is a short life.

Katie3,
Thank you so much for the advice on Slider, and your kind condolences. Today my husband put Slider's crate in the doorway of the room where the doggie door is and built a makeshift gate so that Slider can get in his crate with his blankets and babies and still get outside. It is much too hot where we live to walk him outside, so after watching an episode of Cesar putting the dog on the treadmill last night we have decided to give that a try this weekend. We'll see how he is doing tonight.

Doggone,
I think you are a fabulous example of responsible pet ownership.
How I wish the majority of people were like you, but the truth is you're not the majority, or again, we wouldn't be having this discussion and there would be no need for spay/nueter laws.

"Can’t you see that your next statement is an AGREEMENT with what*I* said? “Sadly, the mis-treatment of dogs and cats will continue in any event.”

You're absolutley incorrect in saying my next statment was in agreement. Killing dogs and cats to keep people from killing dogs and cats is quite frankly a monsterous idea, in my opinion.
And makes no sense whatsoever. There may be other reasons for not inacting spay/neuter laws, but that's not one of them. Any hesitation I would have to this type of law lies in your best argument; punishing TRULY responsible pet owners.
Personally, I'd be willing to sacrifice my own desires and ideas on this if I held your strong opinion, to save the lives of millions of these animals that are bred for pets.

"Yes, the mistreatment will continue, but given a choice between death and torture (mistreatment) I would prefer to see the animals humanely euthanizied."
This is still a red herring.

"After all, aren’t cows and chickens and fish “disposable” in OUR society? I work with immigrants from India and they are just as horrified that we eat beef as WE are that some Asian societies eat dogs."

First, we are talking about the United States, what other cultures do is another red herring to this subject.
And the issue of cows, chickens and fish is a straw man argument, we're talking about dogs and cats that are not part of the American food chain, if you will. They've been bred for the sole pupose of being pets, allbeit some are bred for work purposes. I've yet to see a roaming flock of chickens rounded up and killed for the sole pupose of lessening the population of unwanted chickens, or for that matter of cows and fish.

"Don’t forget, don’t EVER forget, that all of those pets HAD owners. The operative word here is UNWANTED. They were not WANTED BY THEIR OWNERS."

This simply isn't true, not ALL dogs and cats that are put down because they had bad owners. There is a feral population of these animals. The feral cat population alone is huge in this country.
On the news in my town a few months ago there was a story of five puppies being killed by the humane society. These five puppies escaped from their yard, (accidents do happen). A well meaning citizen found them and took them to the local HS. The owner found out about the missing puppies and within two hours of the puppies going missing and the owner showing up at the HS, the puppies were killed. They lasted all of 30min. at the HS. And please don't think this is the exception.
I would LOVE to see irresponsible pet owners punished in ways that are truly meaningful instead of these pathetic slaps on the wrist most get, if they get that much. I think that should go hand in hand with any spay/nueter laws, or perhaps should come first.

"They have a short life anyway. Humanely euthanizing them may not be the best answer, but it’s a kinder answer than having them live feral and die in fights or of starvation. Or allowing them to be forced to live a tortured life by the people who own them but don’t want them."

It's not only NOT the best answer, it's the crulest answer. Because they live "a short life anyway", is no reason to kill them.
Spay and nuetering is the kindest answer, you can't hurt something that has never existed.

Veda,

The treadmill is a TERRIFIC idea!! Since we just bought one for our golden retriever a couple of weeks ago, I should have thought to mention it to you.

It's beastly hot here too, so our tready is getting a workout -- we usually walk our 3 dogs for 45 minutes each day or more, but that was just not enough for Ana the golden. She now gets at least that much in addition and it's solved so many of her problems that seemed insurmountable just a couple of weeks ago.

You're supposed to go slowly, don't scare the dog -- the ground moving is a totally alien concept to them, along with their surroundings staying still while they walk; it can totally freak some of them out, but eventually, if you start slowly, they begin to concentrate and then you're good to go! Let us know if it works for you!

Hi tianna,

We used to just put the trash can up out of the dogs' reach, but now we have one of those chrome ones with the lid -- you have to step on the lever at the bottom to open it. Would that help at all??

Katie-

Yes, thank you. I just may have to invest in one of those trash cans. The unfortunate thing is that my roomate and my boyfriend like to leave the garbage bag just sitting out on the kitchen floor and they forget to close the door to the pantry where the garbage is, in which I yelled at them and put a sign up on the door as a reminder, and they agreed to that, but they are also in denal and think that the problem can be fixed with training and that is my area. Go figure! lol Thanks for your help ;)

Tianna, Dogs will be dogs. If the trash is left on the floor in a bag, the dog thinks, "Anything on the floor is mine". Funny, my co-worker (also a DW fan) and I were JUST talking about this very thing today at work!! The men of the house leaving things out and then wondering why the dog ate the butter while counter-surfing LOL! Among other things. In a dog's mind, if something is accessible to him, he will eat it, own it, claim it. The trash needs to be put out of his reach, or into a container that he can't access. The same philosophy applies as with toys, etc. "nothing in life is free" -- if he wants the trash, he has to work for it LOL!!

Bootsmutt, Sorry, I mis-read your question. A stern "NO!" while standing over Shirley should make her stop barking. Hobie is a demand-barker, and I've gotten him to the point of much less barking than he used to do. I think I have to live with the fact that he will bark to demand things, but I have it WAY more under control than I used to. I walk toward him, look him straight in the eye, stand very tall Cesar-like and say "NO!" and point at him with my finger, or do the cop-hand. The other thing I do is grab his collar UNDER his neck and hold it tight, and look him in the eye and say "NO!" and I don't know why but this always seems to work. I started that when he was really little, and he knows I mean business when I do it.

lol....thanks katie and k2! K2 that is so true about whatever is easily accessible to dogs, they will claim it whenever the opportunity arises. I can train my dog, but I cant seem to train the men of the house! Thanks for the laugh!*smiles*

Oops!

been gone so long I forgot to add..

WOOF!!!!

I'm going to try to be brief, we truly are interrupting those who have come here for help with their dogs. This is Cesar's blogsite, afterall.

Basically, we all agree that SOMEthing needs to be done regarding the overpopulation of strays and other animals that wind up in shelters. We simply haven't been able to come up with an acceptable solution that would actually work. Because, yes, yet again, it all comes down to those who behave irresponsilby.

Doggone it! The irresponsible people have always and will always cause suffering for others. I want my dog intact. And if a mandatory spay/neuter law goes through, I'm certain that I would be much easier to catch and prove guilty simply because I am responsible. I wouldn't run from a police officer or a Sheriff's Deputy because I know that in the long run, you'll either keep running or get caught.

Doggone/GA, I must point this out again, cause I think you missed it before. In Shasta County, California, where I live, I already DO pay extra for having an intact, unneutered dog. It is illegal here (I don't know about elsewhere), to have an unlicensed dog (cats aren't included here). I have to purchase that license. Because my male Parsons is intact, I have to pay almost 4x more than I do for my spayed Shepherd for the exact same license. I don't consider myself punished though. Rather, I am glad that I still have the choice of to cut or not to cut, even if it means I pay for the privelege.

Now, regarding the leash laws. Mostly, I agree. For those who can't get their dogs to obey, even in mixed company, it's absolutely necessary. But I also kinda take exception to that statement. I don't use leashes except, briefly, during the first part of the dogs training. But neither do I let my dogs wander and cause havoc. I don't use leashes much cause I've got a slight problem. My arms, or rather my shoulders, which, on occasion freeze up tight and painful. Hurts to breathe let alone try to move them or forbid! hold a leash. Not even a completely slack one.

On my last entry, way way up there, you took exception to my suggestions regarding the "first offense-breeding animal" idea. I never once said that they'd become laws. I said I was willing to compromise and here are some additional suggestions.

I NEVER meant that to include responsible breeders, only the backyard breeders who are out for a quick buck. And sure, even if it did become a law, you'd have a danged hard time proving it. Isn't that much like any criminal activity that isn't witnessed and reported by a responsible citizen? By the same token, if there aren't enough police to enforce a law such as that (and prove it was broken) then there probably won't be enough to enforce a leash law either.

Compromise is the only way any law would work, if we want our 2 cents in. Because if we can't come up with an acceptable solution which doesn't target us responsible owners, then guess who can and (I believe eventually) will step in and lay down the law? Uncle Sam. And more than likely, if all we are doing is arguing about it, our "friendly" politician won't be listening to us. I'm sure they'd be listening to someone though.

So, what are we to do?

I say that backyard breeders should get punished (if/when they get caught, just like any other criminal) perhaps like I outlined above, or not, but at least give it some thought towards a solution we can all live with (albeit, maybe with some discomfort.) And even if it seems like punishment, the responsible breeders could perhaps have an "extra" registration for a bitch due to deliver pups, along with a report of how many pups were born and finally verification of pup placement. Not just dumped on the side of the road, in the middle of the night or whatnot.

Either way, I believe that something will be done by the government eventually, and it's probably going to be after some spectacular attack or something they can't ignore. There are still many non-pet people out there, do we really want them making these kinds of decisions for us? Or can we find some way to compromise and find a solution that true and responsible pet owners can live or even grow with?

By the way, there are leash laws, in this county where I live. I had to find my own way around it since sometimes holding a leash is not an option for me. My German Shepherd has a leash and wears it when we are outside. It's about 10 inches long from metal snap to the end of the loop. If anyone says anything, I just point out that she's on a leash and I have control of her. Which I do. I'm not certain it would hold up in a court of law or anything, but I also doubt that I would end up there. I've put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to make sure both my dogs will listen when I command. The Shepherd was actually relatively easy. Then along came this little Parsons Russell terrier. He has taken the most work. Stubborn go-get-em attitude he has has been ... a challenge to say the least.

Hasn't anyone else a useful suggestion? or 2? or 3? Unless, you do, though, I'll probably not be responding. I'd rather not beat a dead horse, it doesn't do any good and the stink gets rather gross.

"I wish all pet owners, (operational word), were like you, Doggone. I hope society is able to come up with a solution that won’t punish people such as yourself, but I stand by my belief:
“Spay and nuetering is the kindest answer, you can’t hurt something that has never existed.” "

But THAT is what the discussion should be about: how to restrain the irresponsible owners and breeders without putting an undue burden on the responsible ones. I have YET, here or anywhere, to see suggestions that meet that criteria. For example: tazibrat says the fee for intact animals he or she has to pay is 4x the fee for neutered animals. That is unfair. That is punishing a responsible owner for the sins of the irresponsible.

How about something like this instead: your county, city, or whatever entity, sets a fair fee simply for owning an animal. A FAIR fee. If your animal is microchipped and/or tattooed you get a cut on that fee - say 1/4. If your animal is neutered, you get another cut of 1/4. That fee structure rewards the responsible owners instead of punishing them.

BUT, if your dog is found running loose and gets picked up by animal control you have to pay a fine to retrieve it from the pound. A FAIR fee - and that is only fair, because responsible owner or not, and yes accidents DO happen - but it does cost the county to HAVE the animal control officers and you should be willing to pay for their services in saving your dog.

In addition though, if you are persistently careless in allowing your dog to get loose, then after, say, the second time when your dog has to be picked up - your licensing fee for the following year is 4x the normal fee and for each subsequent violation it goes up again. That way you are punishing the careless owners and not the responsible ones.

This would all, in addition, be on top of fair, strong and enforced leash and confinement laws. And yes, tazibrat, if you have your dog under control and can prove it to an animal control officer that should qualify under the leash laws. But if your unleashed dog should suddenly respond to a sudden impulse and take off and accidentally hurt someone, or even just not respond to your commands AND you happen to be caught in that situation then you WILL have violated the law and should be subject to a fine or whatever is appropriate to the situation.

And this would, of course, also be in addition to any existing animal cruelty lawas that should also be enforced as best they can be.

I have a 7 year female lab. Over the years she has gotten progressively worse with other dogs. She used to love other dogs and want to play. Now I'll take her for long walks and long runs but when we encounter any dog, she's extremely aggressive and it's almost impossible to hold her back. I've read Cesar's book and I'm really working with her in light of his suggestions. I'm still having problems! Any advice please! What am I doing wrong?

I am in desperate help with a jack russell terrior. Her name is princess and she is sooo stuborn. I have tried every thing for potty training. She would rather go in the house or on the cement and not the grass.Princess can be out side all day and then come in and if she wants on the couch and I tell her no then she sits and pees right in front of me.Now my other problem is her digging she has alot of toys to play with but doesn't help. I need help please or I will have to get rid of her cause my carpet is not her dumping ground. I was even told that you dont rub there nose in it any more so I dont if she soils in the house I pick it up and then tell her no and put her back out side. What am I doing wrong that I could do better?
At my witts end please help
Jennifer

"would rather go in the house or on the cement and not the grass.Princess can be out side all day and then come in and if she wants on the couch and I tell her no then she sits and pees right in front of me."

You need to take her right back to the very beginning of pottie training. Reduce the space she has to roam in in your house. Use gates in the doorways, close doors, whatever it takes. Always keep a collar and lead on her and take her ourside (don't just put her out) every hour and give her a reasonable amount of time to go. When she does go, give her lots of praise.

You also need to get rid of the odors in the house that are attracting her to use your carpet. Get a good odor destroyer and use it liberally everywhere she has pottied.

When you have to leave the house, put her in a crate that is JUST big enough for her to turn around comfortably. If it's too big she'l designate part of it as her pottie area - so it has to be pretty small. Everytime you take her out of the crate, even if she's only been in for a few minutes, take her outside to her potty area.

If she does go in the house, clean it up with paper towels and put the towels outside where you want her to go. Hold them down with a rock if you need to. Then when you take her out, take her to that area ONLY.

By keeping her always on a lead when she's indoors you have a greater chance to catch her before she actually potties. Most dogs will give it away by sniffing the area and even circling around it. The INSTANT you see her doing this, get her outside to her potty area.

"Now my other problem is her digging she has alot of toys to play with but doesn’t help. I need help please or I will have to get rid of her cause my carpet is not her dumping ground"

First of all, you are fighting her instincts. She is a terrier and digging is what they DO - it's what they were created for, to dig out animals that have underground dens. Try smearing something strong like Vicks on a piece of plastic lay it in the areas she digs. If she picks a new area, put down a new piece of plastic. You need to make the carpet distaseful for her in order to stop the digging.

Also, it's a long process, but if you have a suitable area in your yard, you CAN, if you want, allow her to dig there and no where else. Bury some tasty treats and take her there and "help" her dig them up...but correct her if she digs anywhere else.

"How do I get her to be friendly with other dogs again? I don’t want to play the whole “avoidance of other dogs” game anymore"

That one is a lot tougher. Can you point to any time or event where her dislike started? If you can, you can try setting her up in that situation again and correcting her if she gets agressive and praising her if she acts friendly.

It's quite likely though, that at this point she is not seeing YOU as the pack leader and what she is doing is defending HER pack. That means you have to use every technique of Cesar's to take that pack leadership away from her.

What you are doing, and what I suggested isn't really "avoiding" other dogs - though I agree it does seem like it. What you are really doing is showing her who is the pack leader in those situations. And that means not avoiding the situations, but always being prepared to do whatever it takes to get her focus off the other dogs and onto you.

If she is, as you say, getting hard for you to handle when she gets aggressive, you may need to consider bringing in a professional to help you. Cesar makes his techniques look easy, but some of them are very dependent on his timing and his strength...which a lot of us don't have.

"One more thing…Should I start bringing her back to the dog park with a muzzle on? The only reason I don’t visit anymore is because people at the park don’t understand what’s going on and tend to overreact to dog’s interractions. Thanks"

You could try it, but be very careful about the muzzle. What kind is it? If it's one of those cloth ones they use at the vet your dog can over heat because she can't pant properly. The best kind is probably the light brown plastic "basket" muzzles. If it's a wire muzzle - get RID of it! Dogs quickly learn to use those as weapons and can hurt another dog with it.

Plus, you have to keep a very close eye on the other dogs. They will quickly learn that your dog's best defensive weapons - her teeth - can't be used and there is a danger they may gang up on her.

Plus, you have to watch yourself very carefully. It's too easy to use something like a muzzle as a crutch and you never really get down to actually working to change her attitude. What you may want to try is taking the muzzle with you, keep her on a leash most of the time and the very first time she growls or shows teeth to another dog you put the muzzle on. That way she will associate it with behaving badly and you will learn to watch her carefully so that you can be sure you are only using it if she is getting unreasonable.

Jackie, #169 -- are you able to do "game over" i.e., take the tennis ball away, put it out of her reach, and tell her to go lie down and she forgets about the ball after a minute ?? Also, does she think about, and stare at, the ball ALL the time, to the exclusion of everything else? Or does she just get excited about it during play time, but can forget about it and go for a snooze or eat or whatever? Did you ever see the episode of DW where the German Shepherd chased its tail for SEVEN YEARS? It was just on last night again. Fascinating what Cesar did for that dog. I had tears in my eyes. Now THAT was obsession. The dog didn't have a job to do, and GSD's being working breeds, he needed a job. He was bored, so he chased his tail, constantly, all day, every day. The people put a backpack on and started walking him an hour or so every day on leash, and he completely changed. Awesome episode it should be on again today or tomorrow, and I think again next Friday afternoon. If you are able to "claim" the tennis ball and she respects that, then I say she's NOT obsessed. If all she ever thinks about is that tennis ball and she paces and hunts for it all day, ever day, then she is obsessed. Make sense?

If anyone remembers me telling the story of Teddy, the dog who barked//growled at everyone when they approached him at the cage.. He has two people interested in him. Today, he went home to a foster to adopt. He seemed to be really happy, and I have a feeling that its the perfect home for him.

So.. maybe all stories DO have a happy ending...

Katie,

I forgot to address this issue: "I don’t want to play the whole “avoidance of other dogs” game anymore. "

You don't want to AVOID other dogs. When Cesar, or anyone, advises distracting her by getting her attention (among other things) what is intended is for you to TURN away, not GO away! In fact, at first, you can actually get DIZZY from turning and turning and turning!

Jackie,

I had an almost similar issue with my dog, but I was able to correct it. He would go wild if he saw a guy playing ball with his dog, or kids playing ball on the street. I asked for advice here, and I got it. I had to de-senisitize him. You have a labarador retriever, and to my knowledge, well its in their blood to retreive things. This ability is used for many working purposes, and that is why they are great for being guide dogs. My dog has a strong urge to play, so I taught him a new challenging game, which was I throw the ball, and he is challeneged to stay in one place until I say "go get it". The first few times I had to "shh" him because he thought of going after it before I said he could, but he learned quickly, and you could see that he takes pride in overcoming challenges. When you go to play tennis well your dog sounds as though he is thinking "playtime for me" when it is really your ball, and your playtime. I dont know about you, but I realized that I accidentally encouraged my dog into playing with balls, and did not think to ever need to put rules, boundaries, and limitations on playtime, because well, it so cute and entertaining to see a dog that is playful with toys. You might want to try having him in a "down" "stay" as soon as you two are on the tennis court. Try teaching him that he will only get the ball when he is relaxed. I have to go, but I can somewhat relate, so I had to put this out there. tell us how it works out!

Hi Jackie, Just by the description, it doesn't sound like that much of an obsession, just a lot of excited-ness. To "claim" the ball (or any object) you need to pick up the ball, hold it close to your body and have an attitude of "this is mine!" not aggressive or over-exaggerated, just let him know that it is YOUR ball. Also, leaving it in such an accessible place as the picnic table may not be giving him the message that you own the ball -- he may think it's free territory. Is he able to reach the top of the table, for example (doesn't sound like it -- sounds like he waits for you to start the game). Maybe put the ball in a more hidden or secure or special place, other than out in plain view on the table. I'm watching Season 1 DVD RIGHT NOW, and guess what Cesar JUST SAID??! OMG!! He has a ball in his hand, and he said, "We have to be able to hold the ball, touch the ball, do whatever we want with the ball and she is not bothered by it." AHA!!!! It's Episode #7 Slick & Pepper -- the segment about Pepper. Wow! Talk about synchronicity!!!

I love your show and always watch it. I just rescued a puppy mill female Boxer. The breeder wanted her to be put down because she was having trouble giving birth. She is one year old and is so depressed in her look. She will look at you briefly and wants to stay close to me but will stand for a long time as if waiting for a command. How in the world am I going to get her out of this state. Her eyes even look dull.

Hey k2,

Thanks soo much! I just "claimed" the ball and kind of gave out a very slight growling noise and Lila took a step back and laid down, her hears were forward though, aren't they supposed to be back when they are submissive? Anyway, there was a huge thunder storm and Scooby went CRAZY! He was panting and running around the house, trying to seek shelter. I didn't know how to handle it so I just let him be, I made sure I didn't give him attention and go "Ohh! My poor baby!!" . Scooby and Lila keep developing phobias....it's crazy. I dunno what to do with them anymore.
JAckie

tazibrat,

Thanks. I'm flattered/hehe :D

One person can ruin it for the rest of us. I still stand by my idea of the spay and neuter law and licenses to breed (or just to keep your dog "intact") We can have a harsh penalty for those that breed without licenses, or have accedents, which would help. But I think the most effective solution would be to pass the law.

"But I think the most effective solution would be to pass the law. "

Nope. The most effective solution would be to ENFORCE the law. If it's not enforced it's totally useless.

Hi Jackie,

There are two photos in Cesar's book depicting a calm submissive dog and an excited submissive dog. You can see the difference between the two photos - one has ears up, one has them down. So, she was probably excited submissive at the time. I think you did the right thing ignoring Scooby during the thunder/lightning.

Good Morning All!
Not about the spay & neuter discussion but close...I know in some states, Florida included. If you are charged with and convicted of animal cruelty you are put in some data base and can no longer EVER own a pet. That goes for people who fight pits and any other animals (chickens, etc.)

Hope everyone is well!!! :)
xo

Sort of in response to #198, I heard on our local news last night that a person left his dog in the car for AN HOUR yesterday, with the windows "cracked" open. It was 97 where he lives, about 130 inside the car. The dog died. It makes me feel sick just thinking about it. He woulda been better off leaving the dog at home, or leaving the car running w/the a/c on and a set of extra keys, or taking the dog inside wherever he was. I was astonished that a grown man didn't know not to leave a dog inside a closed car (or an OPEN car for that matter)!

k2-

that is terrible! I hope that guy never owns a dog again. If people dont know basic common sense, they should not take on the responisibility of pet ownership. Maybe something needs to be done about preventing irresponsible people from owning pets, like creating a pet ownership test, or some other strict laws. This would be a burden on me, and other responsible pet owners like yourselves, but I wish that there were more limitations and lwas against animal cruelty. hearing that story made my stomach churn.

"but I wish that there were more limitations and lwas against animal cruelty. hearing that story made my stomach churn. "

They make my stomach churn too, but we don't need more laws...what we need is people with more courage. I have to wonder: how many people walked by that car and saw that dog and NO ONE did anything about it?

One of my favorite stories took place at a dog show. It was hot and it was sunny and the crew at the loudspeaker finally got tired of imploring people to go check on their dogs left in the cars. Finally one of them got on the speaker and said: "I have a crowbar in my hand and in five minutes I'm going to start breaking windows on any car that has the windows rolled up and a dog inside."

Word is the spectator stands emptied in a flash! THAT is the kind of courage that is needed to stand up to cruelty. Harsher laws wouldn't have saved that dog's life, they would only have punished the owner harder - but by then it would still be too late.

Hi all,
I too feel very bad about people leaving dogs in hot cars. last week, i saw one while going into the store, I was going to ask the checker to make an anoucement, but decided to wait a few minutes, then the owner went to the car & left, but next time, i'm going to ask that the owner be paged.This week, it has been SO HOT! 88 degrees @ 11 pm still & 105+ during the day and high clouds, I can barly stand it. Yesterday we went out to the DP @ 8:30 am & i only stayed 1/2 hr. so today I had to tell my guys, sorry..we're staying inside. so even thou I feel guilty about it I'm not going out in the heat, I do work inside a cool building at my job, but my house isn't all that cool, plus driving, plus i have to go outside @ work a few times, so i'm hot all day. I hope they understand somewhat by just feeling the heat out there. How are some of your dogs when they can't go out for a few days?

sorry,
i re-read my post & sounds like i'm obcessing about the heat.The good news is GW week coming up, I ordered the DVD & I'm meeting friends from work at the DP with their dogs! And me & my husband had a good discussion today about the DW episode with Julius the pitt bull whoes afraid, so we had a good time together, and we are doing more testing with out doggie jogger too. thanks for letting me vent. lol

Desperate in Indiana-

"If there is another one like him please send me some advice on how you handled jumping, whinning, pulling on his leash and just plain out not listening. I welcome any advice. SMILE!!!"

It sounds as though you have somewhat of a tough case to crack, but certainly not impossible, and you will not need to get rid of him. He is a powerful mix of breeds, which makes for high energy, and very strong. Using your energy, you have to make him beleive that YOU are the stronger of the two dogs in the pack. Remember that even though the actual show "The Dog Whisperer" shows dogs going from bad to good in a matter of minutes, it does not happen overnight, and it does take patience and consistency to get and keep a dog in line. You mentioned that you have tried Cesars techniques and have had no success, but when you said that you are beginning to think that your dog is a one of a kind, you appear to be doubting yourself and your abilitiy to handle him. If a canine senses weakness or self doubt, he will take control. You cannot project yourself as unstable in any way, shape or form. You also mentioned that you "love him to death" and of course we all love our dogs to death, but us humans benifit from this emotion. Dogs, not so. It sounds as though your dog might need to learn basic obedience to start, so you may want to search for some classes. Having others work with him is good for him socially, and mentally. He can learn to heel on walks, and basic sit, stay, down, no, and will either cure or tone down the jumping (if he is too strong for you to handle by yourself at first). It is important to provide excersize, discapline, and affection(last) on a daily routine like basis. Practice the walk as cesar teaches. You may already have one, but for a strong dog who is stubborn, prong collars are the best. They immitate a bite from another dog when you snap it. Have it at the top of the neck for the most control, and start with no slack on the leash (do not choke or hang the dog, just keep him moving at your side). Pretend, if you have to, that you are a handler ina dog show, and that NOTHING is going to interrupt your walk. If he tries to go another direction than you are going, be more stubborn than him and dont think about it, just keep moving in your direction and holding on to the same spot on the leash. Do not let him step in front of you, or bump into you. Followers do not step in the way of the alpha, and they do not bump into them. when you finally feel more comfortable walking with him, then loosen the tension on the leash. When you get to a particular spot where he is allowed to do his business, let him do his thing, but when he is done, continue the walk as you were before in a structured manner. This is a good mental excersize for him to learn that he is to follow and listen to you if he is going to have free shelter, food, water, and affection. I dont know to what extreme he is when it comes to dominance, but this advice is assuming that he is an extremely powerful dog. You be the judge of his character, and figure out what works best for you. If you have a hard dog, you cannot be a softie, and if you own a soft tempered dog, you cannot be extremely hard on them. When he whines, have the leash, and collar on him, give him a "shoosh" and a snap of the collar when you see him do so much as think about whinning, then carry on with your business, and it may take several times, but he will learn when you have patience and do not show any signs of weakness or frustration. Jumping: try faking a "bite" with your hand and use a very sharp tone of voice saying "shh" or"no!"(cesar demonstrates the hand bite on his show), try using your knee, or give him a pop on the nose with the leash (my boss is a trainer and she uses that technique which seems to work and equally feels fike a bite to the dog). If you put out any frustrated, angry, or other unstable energy, the dog will continue to think that he is dominant and that jumping on you is all fun and games. If it all works out well, which I hope it does, you may learn that emotional strength can give you a wonderful bond with your dog, and works great with people too! Let us know how things are going, please. Everyone in this blog hands out great advice, and we are always looking to help people. People in here are very supportive, so please come back for advice! Good luck!=^_^=

Hi again, Desperate -- I've been thinking about you. A couple questions: first, if you're in a wheelchair for TWELVE weeks!, how will you be able to rehabilitate your dog? Is someone willing to help you? You said you have a roommate, but the roommate wants the dog to go. Who will walk your dog while you're in the wheelchair, and then obviously you'll probably need physical therapy, etc before you can walk the dog again.

Also, how did your injuries occur? That is to say, does the dog drag you down because you're holding onto the leash? (that's what I was doing, I'll explain in a second). Or does he knock you down and you fall? Did you cut your leg by falling, or did his teeth or claws cut you?

Ok, back to holding onto the leash... the 15 or so times that I've been injured by my dogs is because I was so afraid of the leash laws (dog must be on leash in my town) and so afraid of people complaining if the dogs were loose, that I held on NO MATTER WHAT. What this meant was, I would be holding onto these two dogs and literally being dragged on my stomach or knees on the ground. Many times, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't hold on, and that's when the finger or wrist would snap -- just as the leash was letting go. While holding on, I was always behind the dogs -- 6 foot leashes -- and "bracing myself" with my feet planted as firm as possible on the ground, with them 6 feet ahead of me and at the very end of their leashes all aggressive and frustrated. This happened only when they wanted to greet another dog (loose or leashed) and/or wanted to chase a cat. The other reason I held on is because my greatest fear is that my dogs will get hit by a car, or will run off and not return home. But, by holding on, I was getting hurt.

After finding Cesar and practicing (for MONTHS, every day, twice a day) I now have control over the dogs on our walks. I make sure they walk beside or behind me, not in front unless it's with my permission. If I do not want to approach another dog, I turn around and they follow me. If we see a cat, I make myself all puffed up and important, and I make sure NOT to look at the cat and we just walk calmly past, with the dogs right by my side.

I went back to choke chains because all of these drag-downs occurred when I was using regular buckle collars (because someone said that choke and prong collars were cruel so I stopped using them). Buckle collars may be less cruel for the dogs (I don't know if I agree w/that even) but it sure was MORE cruel to me because I was getting hurt!!

Bottom line, I am establishing myself as pack leader, and I learned that from watching Cesar's show and reading the book and practicing ALL the time. It was really hard to get past the fear of getting hurt again, but I have done it, and the best part is now I know what to do so that I don't get hurt anymore.

Jen-

Ha ha ha....sorry. That is somewhat of a funny story you told about the volleyball game. Wow...I mean its almost amazing that he was able to just hear the ball, and he knew where to find it. It makes me think that he has great potential as all dogs are smart, and serve a working purpose. So, he is fully trained and is not the alpha of the house? Does he heel on walks and get at least one good long walk daily, as well as follow a daily routine and continual training practice? Does he know boundaries and listen to you when you tell him no? If there is one thing that we know, it is that according to him, he has full ownership of any ball. Why does he feel this way about balls in particular? possibly his previous owners and or current owners did not think to put any boundaries on playing with balls. Maybe you have already tried this though. Will he play fetch with you or does he just claim the ball and not ever drop it for you? If you can, try placing him on his back in a submissive position and placing the ball in front of him. If he tries or even thinks of moving, step right in front of "your" ball and push his head back down and give him a "shoosh" or "no". Use the prong collar if it works for you, or if you think that it might. There are other games you can play like "in order for him to earn the ball, he has to learn to ignore it first".Practice bouncing a ball right in front of him and have him in a sit stay position. When he is calm and submissive, then you can hand him the ball, let him have it for a second or two, then get it back from him (if possible) and try again. Sometimes you can claim the ball by stepping in front of it. These are just some things you can practice, but I dont know if it helps of not, but used them to "de-sensitize" my dog from ball obsession. I taught him that he is not allowed to go after any ball unless he hears the words "go get it" from my mouth. It stopped him from chasing after other peoples balls and scaring the kids playing ball in the street. Also, try just keeping his mind busy, and focused on things that are challenging to him, and I think that may diffuse the issue. Let us know how he does, and come back if you need any further assitance. =^_^=

Because we all love our dogs and others dogs as well, we are here share with each other our thoughts and feelings regarding these wonderful beings. Cruelty, as well as beauty, can be in the eyes of the beholder. Not always but at times, that can be true. You see on Animal Planet (for instance) some of the worst things that humans can do to their four-legged companions. However, not always, do those cases work out to be "cruelty". Lack of care or lack of the means to care for, can sometimes be the bottom line. But we care. We care about ALL the dogs. Even the ones that are being targeted by breed specific laws. Should there even BE breed specific laws simply because some people like the aggressiveness, strength and fighting prowess of their "chosen" breed.

I wrote to a lawyer, K Phillips, who has a website for "dogbitelaw" and I asked ... "Have you ever seen of any statistics regarding dog biting done by the smaller and/or toy breeds. I'm guessing that many aren't even reported and/or medically treated simply because the dogs are so small that the
damage caused by them are minimal." ... He responded by directing me back to his site and to find "Statistics and Research". I did and what it said was almost word for word what I said. They aren't usually reported. They don't do much damage. Not to say that they don't bite, but the bites are rarely fatal or require hospitalization and often aren't even reported or treated medically.

It still didn't give me hard statistics regarding the frequency, but then I didn't, quite, ask that question. Guess I should've remembered I was asking a lawyer. ;) The bottom line, though, is this. Large dogs who bite can cause severe, sometimes fatal injuries. Small dogs don't...as often. I know that I've been bitten and "nipped" more frequently by the smaller breeds. How about you?

Bottom line is (still) this. Irresponsible owners. Whether it's a large breed or a small breed. If you don't take the time and/or invest in a professional trainer, you have limited control of your dog if your dog doesn't want you to have that control. The larger breeds get targeted because they cause so much damage when they do bite and it gets a lot more attention. (Try whining about a scrape from a toy poodle when your neighbor got his face torn apart by a Rott, Shepherd, or Pitt and see how much sympathy you get.) Not that I've done that of course. lol So if we do get breed specific laws going against dogs, perhaps, at least, at the very least, it needs to target a size of dog, not necessarily a specific breed. Or make owners prove their (large) dogs have training, are under control, something. But if you target a specific breed, it would simply cause the unscrupulous to switch to a different, non-regulated breed. Heck, even little dogs can be mean, what will we do when they breed them for fighting or aggressive behavior? Just joking...sort of. I think Cesars' pack would get "downsized".

To those who are still thinking that I won't watch Cesar's show....I've changed my mind (a woman's perogative, sheepish grin). You were right, I was wrong. Only now I don't have time, a 2nd job makes it 70-80 hours weekly on 2 payrolls. But we're socking money away as much as possible to afford that house to give me more dogs. :) Big grin. And the kennel I've been dreaming of. :)) Bigger grin. And an excuse to sit back and watch Cesar's magical touch, a, uh, business learning experience. ;) Smile and a wink. Thanks folks for your constructive (and sometimes destructive) criticizism. But now I'm out of time here and late for sleep (but never for work). Goodnight!

Yours truly,
Tazi

K2- thanks for the info I did see that episode and thought it was great! I purchased the DVDs from his first season and have tried what I saw but the problem is size. He tucks the ball under him with his mouth over it so that attempt will work to a point. i will have to keep going before Kramer and I have to move out! Thanks

Tazi

Hope you get your Dream House! I know the feeling of working MANY hours! Have 3 jobs myself. But it seems the more I work, the less I have! Of course 3 kids out of 4 left in the nest, 3 dogs, 2 cats, kind of drains the funds. But I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear you are looking at things in a different light! I truly hope all your dreams come true!

Jen, That was I who posted about the dog left in the car. My dogs love to "go for a ride!" but I absolutely will NOT take them if I know I have to stop and it's hot outside. For instance, we travel back & forth to our summer home frequently and I actually will not stop for a bathroom break for myself -- choosing to "hold it in" rather than having to leave them in a hot car. When I arrive at the house, I make a bee-line for the bathroom ha ha ha (3-hours drive in each direction!). I've also tried to find bathrooms at grungy gas stations so that I can bring the dog into the bathroom with me! LOL! Only did that once.

When I had my black Lab, she was a "velcro" dog and she never went anywhere without me. I used to leave ALL the windows open (that's when I was poor and had a crap-box of a car and no valuables inside of it) and park in the shade and run to the bathroom. Or, she would go with me and just sit out in front of the store without leaving. My two dogs I have now would NEVER do that LOL!!!

The other thing to do is drive at night instead. But these are long trips I'm talking about. If just taking them on errands around town is so important -- well, I just don't do it. As much as they want to go with me (and they DO!) I tell them they have to stay home. It's much better to arrive home to two loving dogs jumping all over me, than to return back to a car and find them suffocated to death.

I think the part that disturbs me most is the logic that people use -- lock the dog in the car so that he doesn't escape, so that NOTHING BAD HAPPENS TO HIM. But, by locking him in the car, the dog gets overheated and dies. What could be worse? People just don't think. I saw a thing advertised, some contraption that a person would hook onto their CLOSED car window that's supposed to cool off your car while you're at work or if you have to leave your car in the heat for a long time. All I could think of was that stupid people would get the brainless idea of buying one of those things and then leaving the dog in the car. It makes my stomach do flips just thinking about it. Last summer, a young mother in our area forgot to drop off a human infant at day care and left the baby in the car all day while at work. Obviously the kid died. It was so horrible and tragic. I bet there are hundreds of cases like this with dogs & kids that we don't hear about.

Hi K2- Some people are crazy that is for sure! My dogs love to ride and so during this weather being so hot I also give them rides at night. If I do stop I now have an extra key so I leave the car running with the air on, doors locked and it is only for a minute to pick up milk or something fast. I have returned in the past to find that one of the dogs I was rescuing chewed the seat! All my fault I didn't know the dog yet.

"Yes, you are right, many of the people on Animal Precinct just don’t know any better. That’s the entire problem"

No, that's not the entire problem. Humane Societies, rescue organizations and shelters all have the same problem: liability issues. Yes, a red zone dog can be rehabilitated...but I promise you, if they get placed in a home where the new owners were not involved in the rehab AND those new owners don't properly understand how to KEEP their pack leadership, then that dog can and will revert. And if it does, and if it hurts or kills someone, the Society that placed it WILL be held liable.

Jen, right after I posted, I went to my favorite sandwich shop and there was a Cocker Spaniel sitting on the step of the shop waiting for her owner who was inside ordering lunch!!! I did two things: 1) Remembered my Timba (sniffle, sniffle) and 2) walked inot the shop with no touch, no talk, no eye contact! ha ha ha As I was closing the door, I turned around, pointed at her and said, "STAY!" She was so cute!

Aw gee, shucks, thanks! I try to be fun -- I'm an executive at my job, and I goof around with the staff so much, I always say to them, where else could you work and have a boss who's this much fun?! LOL!!

We had a Cocker when I was a baby. I only remember photos of him, I don't actually remember him. His name was King. He was very protective of me when I was a baby. (My brothers nicknamed me Queenie ha ha ha!! ) But seriously, I think Cockers are known for protecting children.

WAIT! tiana, i never said a shelter , I don't think I could handle having that many behaviorial dogs around. Seriously, I have enough behavior issues with my family (and extended family). Plus, -forbid- how many would I get attached to and then have to put down if that was what was best. I don't think my heart could hold out and still care. Remember, I do what needs to be done, no matter how it hurts. I could tell you a horror tale about my old horse and how we thought it would be best to have her put to sleep (by the vet of course but with me holding her head, in the end, literally, in my lap). She had severe arthritis. Unfortunately, the vet misjudged the strength of her heart and the needed dosage.) Thankfully, he got it right, 1/2 hour or so later (and a bucket of tears and self-recriminations, she wasn't ready to die, i did it, etc.). I vowed a bullet would be better if it was ever needed again. (but I'm sure there's a horror story for that as well). Nasty, but sometimes necessary business sometimes. I just don't want to deal with it regularly for the animals I love. And I love ALL the ones I deal with regularly. I was talking, breeding, (responsible breeding) of pure-blooded animals.

Okay, now one thing I've never understood with Cesar's teachings and maybe you can explain. (Or maybe I've not been able to see enough of his shows, lol ;)) Why say tst or however you want to spell it? Yes, I know it's to get the dogs attention but most people won't know that the dog associates that sound with, quit, back off, no, etc., such as a child feeling intimidated by a large dog getting too close. Any ideas?

I've been using a short, sharp, -bark- of a NO!, the same as with my kids when they were little and about to get into mischief (or danger) and that lets them know to stop, immediately or else they get roundly scolded or even (worse) ignored. The first word my dogs learn (besides their name, ;)) is the same word most children learn. NO and the meaning. Now (almost) anyone can say it and my dogs will listen.

My sister-in-law always uses a piece of paper (an envelope will do) to smack against her hand, but I pointed out to her that I don't always have a piece of paper handy. lol Of course, once they learn to associate the word - paper - with being in trouble, all she has to say is PAPER and they smart up quick. Plus, hee hee hee, she'll probably never be able to teach them to fetch the Sunday morning news either.

I've also taught them with a short, sharp, HEY! to let them know I want their focus on me. I'm looking at them right now. Ever seen a true dog pile? I have and I'm looking at it. Reyna, the Shepherd is lying under my feet (which are folded Indian-style, er...Native American style to be politically correct) and (most of) Elmo the PRT is on top of her. It would make getting up out of my chair difficult if they didn't also MOVE! when I told them to.

The first dog training book I'd ever read taught me that you can teach dogs many words and even, eventually put several together into a sentence that they are able to follow. I taught my (deceased) Rocco that when told to SHAKE!, instead of putting out a paw, he was to shake like he'd just gotten out of the water. It was funny when people asked him to shake and he did this instead of what they were expecting. Gimme five, was the paw thing.

Do you folks teach your dogs words to listen to and obey besides sit, stay, down, etc.? Which ones? And for why?

Okay, and now, I've got to let you know, it gets hot here. Highest recorded temperature at the airport (the official location on record) was 118. But my car has a gauge too, and it's extremely accurate. It said 121-122 varying through-out the day. I don't care whether you sit in the shade or not. That's hot. My dogs go with me nearly EVERYWHERE. If I have to leave them in the car (pavement would burn their feet if it was a bit of a walk), then I leave the windows up. UP!? Yep, and the A/C on full-blast with the doors locked (I have a remote door lock). I still check them frequently but yes, it's a danger. But less of one than leaving them at home. My power is not ... dependable at home and the A/C throws the breaker several times a day. (We've even tried shutting off all but the main breaker and the one to the A/C unit, helps but still happens) So, if we weren't there, they'd die before we got home.

Okay, now one more question. What in the world does lMO mean when you guys use it on these blogs? (Don't even know if I've got it right here, hope you know what I mean.)

Suzie, Me again I should of suggested that you sign up for obedience classes that way she would be in a controlled enviorment with other dogs. They can teach you what collar would be better for her while training her to walk on a lead the right way. Also you Should read Cears book if you haven't it sounds like you are giving her attention when she wants it and it should be when you decide.

Suzie, Please see my post #14 on the July 18th blog. Same info applies to your situation.

it is almost getting to the point where i cannot keep her around my other dogs and the more i keep them apart i feel the worse it gets to ever having a chance for them to get back together and be able to play like normal dogs.

Reading through a lot of these comments, I think some of the problems rise from a bad match. Cathrin (sp?) has two toddlers, but opts for a lab. Now labs are bright and teachable, but they are also high energy and need a lot of exercise. If it is going to be a logistical problem getting that dog out for a good morning walk while caring for two toddlers, you may want to go for another breed.
I always recommend a basic obedience class. I've got two dogs (shelter rescues, one a hyper-alert female shep/lab, one a docile 11-year-old shep/rott) and both have been to classes. It's not so much learning to sit, heel, etc, but being socialized to other people and dogs in a controlled setting, which is IMHO, a good prelude to introducing your dog to the world at large. (In our town, it's outside in a large area - I don't think the pet store classes taught in a little roped off area are very helpful). And the daily walk, weather permitting, is mandatory. Even my old man, who has hip atrophy and a weak back end gets the walk.
Fear and aggression are the tough nuts - my aggressive one still reacts aggressively to other dogs, and if she encounters my neighbor's terrier (often off leash), the two of them will charge straight at each other, no fear, no holding back. (The terrier starts it, and believe me, if there is one situation that would throw Cesar for a loop, this is it.) Both of my dogs have fears - one is afraid of thunder and fireworks, the other is afraid of flashing lights (lightening, pen lights, flashlights). I'm not as concerned with getting them over it - maybe that's wrong - as remaining calm and going about my business, which calms them down a lot faster than when I tried to comfort them.
Pat #188 - If you have a dog that has a "dullness" about it, and has had any reproductive problems, have it tested for hypothyroid.

Jen-

Wow, that is great to hear that! I hope that everything continues to go well with you and Kramer! Its an honor to hear that some of our advice in here actually works! yay!! I mean, I know only what I learned from my dog, and Cesar. Keep us posted on you and Kramer!

As far as your questions about my dog: I adopted him from the pound 7 months ago and he was 1 year old at that time. I was not planning to get a dog just yet, but for some reason I wanted to see what was there (some willpower I have!lol). I was looking for a dog that I could try a shot at rehabilitating, but also one that matched my energy level. I almost left the kennel because, though there were alot of cute dogs, i did not want a puppy, and i did not want a high strung dominant type. As I was leaving, I noticed this one to my right whom i had missed before. He was a blue eyed german shepherd/whippet mix. He just kept looking at the ground and wagging his tail ever so slightly. He was so cute!!=^_^= Ok, sorry, id better shorten this before it turns into a novel. lol. sniff, i get so happy talking about my dog. I had my doubts, but at the same time i thought he was perfect. When i picked him up from the pound after they neutered him, they told me that on several occasions he broke out of his leash as he was scared to death of getting a bath. When he came out to see me, he paid no attention to me whatsoever, he was just tail tucked, scared, and easily spooked by everything. He was picked up by the dog pound as a stray before i adopted him, and my only hunch is that a man had beaten him and he ran away because he was scared of men, kids, and just about anything for the first month or so. I spent alot of time working with him on learning to trust me, my boyfriend, kids, and strangers. It was cool to see the change in him, and it also helped me learn to assert myself at the same time. I taught him all of the basics sit, down, stay, come, and all of that good stuff. I set rules, boundaries, and limitations, and took him on long walks daily from the start. I socialized him alot, and it helped that i worked at a veterinary clinic because they gave him alot of love and positive reinforcement there. I never gave affection to him when he acted scared, i only encouraged him to "go say hi!" to people with my voice. I dont want to carry on and bore you for too long, but I did spend a lot of time working with him, but really i just used every opportunity i could to socialize him and teach him things. I brought him back to the pound where i got him just to show the people there how happy, smart, loyal, and how bonded he became with me. They were happy to see such a change in him. my boyfriend and i taught him "lets dance" and its so cute because he will immedeately place both paws on your hand and stand up on his hind legs and want to dance with you. he also loved to jump with us on the trampoline we had in the backyard where we lived before. Needless to say hes fearless at this point and loves to approach people. He will walk with me off leash and stay right next to me, and when i stop, he will sit on a dime. Is it not a perfect match or what? lol.

This experience gives me hope for all dogs and their owners. hope I did not bore you with all of this useless babbling. lol

Thanks for your advice Jen and K2. I should have said that I have only had my dog for a little over a month and she is only a little over a year old. I know things will get better with time and patience. It's been a long time since I had to train a dog because my previous dog (Australian Shepard mix) was with me for 17 1/2 wonderful years. Thanks again.

Suzie, I would first get him to sit and stay when people come over and don't let them give the dog any attention till he is calm. Keep a lead on him when you know someone is coming over so it will be easier to correct him when they walk into you house. If you can hold him up in that position till he really wants to get down is something I have had luck with in the past. I know that trainers would of recomended in the past to bring your knee up into the dogs chest but this can hurt the dog.

Suzie, Tell your visitors "no touch, no talk, no eye contact" , and then you have to "claim" the door. By this I mean you stand in between the dog and the door, FACING THE DOG, and make him walk backwards until he is 3 - 4 feet away, and then have him sit/stay. Lie down is even better. It's best to try this yourself when you come home from work or whenever you enter the house for a few days, and once you've got it mastered, tell all your visitors that your dog is in training and here is what you'd like them to do. YOU will have to claim the door and stand between the dog & the visitors. This REALLY works!! I learned this from Cesar, and my dogs were OUTTA CONTROL when it came to jumping on me and everybody else who enters the house. Now, they do still bark and jump a little bit, but I have it 99% under control and they back off right away as soon as I assert myself and "claim" the door.

i have a 1 year old jack russell terrier and when i bring her around my 2 other jack russells she is fine but if either of the two dogs receive attention she get s so jealouse she try’s to kill the dog that is receiveing the attention im am afriad i will have to get rid of my dog and i could never do that what should i do?

Jimmy -- you too!! Seek professional help from a dog behaviorist in your area!

Descriptions of poker pubs their atmospheresbjj

We have a new minature schnauzer, Max that is 4 years old. We have had him 3 months. When we brought him home from the breeder he was a very quiet dog, that noone had heard barking before. Since my daughter and son returned from college he has definitely found his voice. He does not bark at me but barks at my son incessantly. He will be barking in one instance and be wagging his tail and standing up for my son to pick him up. He will bark at him after he is holding him puts him down and returns to the same room where Max is. He hides under our bad and barks @ anyone he hears, but gets into quite a frenzied state with my son, and is difficult to calm down. Help please, we can't find a solution, or reason for this continued barking at my son primarily, at others, and at me, never.

my dog likes to "hump" the blanket. What can i do to stop this behavior.

My 4 1/2 month old goldendoodle is getting his permanent teeth and is miserable. I give him cold things to chew on, Chilly Bone, Nylabone,carrots and ice cubes but he still seems to be so uncomfortable and will whine and rub his face with his paws. Any ideas to help relieve his discomfort. (vet checked and all is physically ok)

Beth,
Talk to your vet about giving him some pain medication. Depending on the weight of your dog, you can give him over the counter ibuprofen (just make sure to give him a coated version to prevent any stomache ulcers). But definitely check with your vet as to what he/she recommends. Some vets do not feel comfortable prescribing pain medication, but my personal opinion is that if I would give it to my child, then as long as it won't hurt the dog, there is no reason they should have to suffer through it.

Good luck with your little guy! I hope those teeth come in quickly!

In reference to #258 and #259, my dog humped the blanket too. It stopped once he was neutered. Never had the problem since.

Hi tianna and K2,

I want to thank both of you for the wonderful advice that you provided and apologize for not responding sooner. I do know that changing his (and my) behavior is not something that is going to happen overnight. Tianna, you are correct in what you stated regarding my doubting myself and my ability to handle him. A large part of this stems from the fact that I am afraid of getting injured again. The other factor is that I am an individual with Rheumatoid Arthritis, therefore I am in less of a position to sustain a serious injury. Though my arthritis has limited me to some degree I am still able to work full time time, drive etc. I wanted a dog not just for companionship but also to take on walks allowing me to get some exercise. My family and friends were floored when they saw the size of him and felt that I needed to get a small lap size dog. I feel that I fed on their self doubt and therefore have allowed him to take the alpha role. My roommate on the other hand does not. He knows for the most part that she is the leader of the pack, though there are many times that he does test this.
I did take him to obedience school when he was 8 months old (we got him when he was 8 weeks old) and he learned the basic sit and down commands. I did not take him to the intermediate class because I felt like the instructor did not want us to come back because he was such a hand full. Because of this I did not take him to another school since I felt he would act out there as well. I understand now that this was not a wise choice.
I do want to change and know that patience and consistency are key. My roommate has pretty much made up her mind that he needs to go because she gets frustrated with him because he is such a challenge.
K2, you asked me who walks him and how this was being done now with me in the wheelchair. My roommate takes him out twice a day-once before she goes to work and then when she gets home in the evenings. Before this latest incident she would take him out twice and I would take him out twice a day. The walks with me were a little shorter distance. I used the Gentle Leader with him where my roommate uses the choke chain. It was to the place that I even dreaded taking him out because I was not sure if we would run into a person or another dog which would (and still does) send him into a tizzy. He wants to jump on them and go greet them which is not always welcomed. When I was walking him he would pull on the leash (even with the Gentle Leader) because he would see something or wanted to go in a different direction. My fall when I fractured my humerus happened when he saw another dog and took off. I did not let go of the leash which I probably should have but it happened so fast I did not see it coming. I received the cut to my leg when we were in the house and we were playing. He jumped over my leg and his claw caught the side of the leg and cut it open. This latest fall occurred when I took him out side to pee and he decided he was not ready to come back in so he reared up like a horse pulling back and I tried to pull him toward me and slipped on the grass (wet with dew). This, of course was the last straw for my roommate and she felt that he needed to go. I know she is only concerned for my health but she said she is also tired of being stressed from his behaviors. I try to tell her that it has somewhat to also do with us and how we interact with him.
I am hoping that once I am back on my feet I can start working with him and she can begin to see the change and won't want to get rid of him. Since my fall was June 1st my 12 weeks are almost up and then I will need therapy again since I have been no weight bearing. My friends call me the energizer bunny because I just keep on going so I hoping this will be the case soon.

I want to say thank you again for your advice and I will keep you posted on how things turn out for all of us. SMILE!!!

I have been enjoying your television programs, Ceasar, and I wanted to thank you for sharing your keen insights and understandings. I sometimes think you must have been a dog in a prior life! Although I do not own a dog I love animals, and I have always wanted to understand the body language of dogs the way I understand the body language and behavior of cats. I have never known how to deal with any dog except the calm submissive, laid back type. Thanks to you and your program I am learning alot of new and helpful things. You model patience and calm understanding and these are important qualities in life. Your advice is helping me to be a more calm and assertive human. I find that your advice to people in dealing with dogs is informing me in how to be a stronger, more powerful, person while at the same time being calm, assertive, and living in the moment. These are powerful tools in getting along in life. So, you are right: you rehabilitate dogs and train people! You are a wonder, and I applaud you and your beautiful family for all the good you do for animals and people. I watch your programs, and I have bought your book as gifts for friends who do have dogs. Thank you again, and please keep up the good work.