I really think Cesar is great and his comments are so insightful. I bought his book and it's terrific too! Cesar, you are a genius and a lovely person! Keep up the great work! Love, L

Hey, Ceaser!!
If you don't mind me calling you that??
Well I am watching your show right know, because I like your show and it is the 30th and it is almost 10:00 pm........
Talk to you later....

Love,
Rachel Riley

i was wondering if you could help.. i have 2 females and they fight all the time. i have to keep the house gated up to keep them apart..i'm about to lose my mind. if they get see the other one that attack. please some one help me

Aaron,
I suggest checking out the episode with "Lucy" the dalmation from Season 1. Cesar shows how to SLOWLY claim the food from a dog that is food aggressive. The main thing that is stressed is to remain calm. If you have any fear whatsoever, you should not attempt this technique b/c it can lead to a bite.

However, feeding by hand is another great way of handling food aggression. Make sure you are holding the dogs normal food bowl and putting your scent (meaning putting your hands all over the food) before feeding him. When he growls, make sure to address it every time by either making him submit to you or telling him "No". There must be a consequence for every time that he growls at you.

You also want to make sure that he is EARNING that food. Take him for a nice long walk, let him cool down, and THEN hand feed him or if you are comfortable enough to allow him to eat out of his bowl, just practice claiming the bowl at least one time during his feeding.

I need some advise on a dog that I adoped a year ago at the age of 7 years. I don't know her past but I have a feeling it wasn't always good. She is very needy, what I call 'high maintenance'. She would whine and bark at the door to be let into the house constantly when we first got her. That has calmed to only doing it if she hears the garage door open and close like when I come home from work. The problem is she sounds like a sea lion and it echos thru the neighborhood. Quite frankly I'm surprised I haven't had complaints.

I have taught her 'go to your room' meaning to the basement room thru the doggie door and 'go night night' and 'bye bye'. When I say these she knows I'm leaving the house and she's staying. But I want to come home to a quiet dog that waits for me to invite her in the house when I'm ready for her... Am I being selfish? Or wrong to want this? I feel like she's demanding my attention and I being alpha am not appreciating her demands.... I can understand she's excited or hungry or whatever and she wants what ever it is that she wants but she's too much at times.

ie: Yesturday I came home from work and I let her bark til I'd had enough and I opened the door, when she approached I put my hand on the back of her neck and put her to the floor for a few seconds then I told her to 'go to your room'. She went to her room and I went back inside for about 5 minutes. She was quite that 5 minutes so I opened the door and she was allowed in the house and got lovin' pets.... Is this the approach I should be taking? This works for a while then I have to revisit the lesson over and over again...like I said I've had her a year now. If this isn't the approach I should be taking then what approach should I take with her?

I, too, am interested in the question about the amount of exercise a Yorkie needs. We have a two story home and she can get exhausted just running around or going down the block and back for a walk.

Also, in the episode about the Yorkies, there was a major complaint about the housebreaking problems they had with their Yorkies. I notices that for the first time in all the episodes I've watched and so enjoyed, Ceasar never once addressed that particular problem...and I deal with the same problem on a daily basis. Any ideas or suggestions.

Hi,
I have a lovely Yorkie. His name is Max and he is 1year and 3 months old. When we first got Max he only 1.5 lbs. From the begining he had idestive problems, I think I feed him to much because the breeder put the fear of god in me --he said that because Max was so small that going one day without eating would kill him.? Anyway he is better now. However, as a result of allowing him constant access to food, he started pooping on the carpet in the middle of the night. I did not want to punish him because I had no idea when he pooped. I always thought that when you punish a dog after the fact he would get confused? So, I have him on a new feeding schedule of wet food twice and he seems to doing better. I take him out twice a day and he is pooping outside. I have to admit that he very spoiled. I got sick a couple of years ago and my husband (Nathan) was working all the time so we decided to get Max. So I spend all of my time with Max. To make very long story short - when Max whines at me I have no idea whether he wants me play with him or whether he needs to go out. Can you please give some advice on this problem??

Thank,
Trish

ok my grandma cant walk very well so she cant walk her dog every day and its deathly afraid of the tredmill any more indoor exercises

My Yorkie is over 10.She has been through the worst digestive problems ( lamb or salmon dry food only). She has a new inside dog now and can be nasty, specially over food, though he is over 2 times her size.
I empower them both. They eat best when they think I am not watching. They play by competing with me,though have to go out to potty together and have to sleep near each other . Cesar has taught me that I am the pack leader, and they each comply.
All my dogs, including the bigger outside ones, get along. Because I am the leader.
And they are all spayed or neutered.

Linda,
The fighting has most likely started because they are not neutered/spayed. Has your female gone into heat recently? If yes, then it is only natural for 2 males who do not know their place in the pack to fight for alpha status in order to breed with the female. If you are only "thinking" of breeding them and have not done the research necessary for responsible breeding, I would strongly urge you to have your animals altered. There are so many unwanted pets in the world and I'm sure you have heard this speech over and over, so I will not harp on this too much. But I hope you will think about it.

Alright, back to the fighting males, you must establish yourself as the pack leader. And tolerate no aggression in your pack. When one male attacks the other, the consequence is he must submit to you with the other dog standing over him. If you do not feel comfortable doing this discipline ritual, I would suggest bring in an animal behaviorist. Good luck!

J,
The roller blades Cesar wears on his show are "Landrollers". Just google them. They run about $250 I think.

Thanks Kate. I try to mixed his food but he picks the dry food out and only eats the wet?
Also, I thought out this after this blog last night-- Max is small so I put him in the sink to put his harness on --then I carry him to the door - so I have a feeling he has no idea where the door is.

I have a 5 yr old lab with several obsessions-a strong obsession with the loose neighbor's dogs; the chewing of the metal snap of a leash; and he thinks he must be walked by me only.
When I am walking him in an 11 acre fenced area around my barn, the loose dogs charge the fence with very aggressive barking and running at the fence line.
I live in rural Alabama and loose dogs are common---neighbors don't fence their dogs or try to control them. I am trying to master the walk and try to remain calm assertive, using the shhht sound, foot taps and leash corrections. My dog will still react with excited body language, focus on the neighbors dogs (great pyrenees and basset hound), and tries to pull toward the fence. I have him under fairly good control physically as he doesn't get loose or bark and he walks with me past the dogs, although not willingly. Last year, he was injured when he ran the fence with this great pyr and ruptured his ACL (knee) which required extensive surgery (TPLO) at a cost of over $2000 and a lengthy rehabilitation. He gets a free turnout in another fenced area (3 acres) after our walk so he can burn off excess energy. I continue to walk with him loose in this area. I walk with him on leash for about 40 min, and then he has about 25 min free. I then leash him for a 10 min walk home. Any suggestions to help him with the dog obsession? The chewing of the metal snap of the leash is something he does when very anxious. I have used the shhht sound and leash correction which seems to be working. I am grateful for this since I have tried other methods which failed. He only wants to be walked by me---claims me--and lunges to return to me if my husband (or anyone else) walks him. We both are trying to master the walk and he still reacts when I take the leash back and he is anxious when he is walked by my husband. We are continuing to work on this, but he hasn't given up the anxiety yet. I have made him sit, or down, and used the shhht sound to try to calm him. Any help would be appreciated.

Cesar,
I have a bichon and her name is ,Twinkie, she is wonderful, except that she is agressive twords my other dog,Sugar,a maltese. What should I do?

Oh and, I LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE your show.

I have a three year old Cavalier King Charles. Up until about two weeks ago he seemed fine. Occasionally he would display light chasing or staring at the air conditioning vents in the floor. It seems overnight our life has become upside down. He has developed compulsive disorder over everything! This is now occuring from the time he wakes up till he goes to bed. It is what ever is in his sight. A chair, the toilet, a bookcase, the door frame, flower pots, boxes, and everything else in my house. He use to be this very calm, happy little guy and now he can't control himself long enough for hugs. I am a stay at home Mom, and we have one little girl who is six. He has an electric fence on an acre lot. He is free to come and go outside all day. I feel he gets plenty of excercise, as we are outside people, and we love to throw his ball and play with him. I have read medication can help. Do you have any other ideals? Thank You. I missed this episode and hopefully I will catch the repeat. Marie

Jennifer,

You have a very challenging situation there. Always remember calm, assertive energy. When someone is about to come, sit your dog down, no tension on the leash, head up high, and wait. At the slightest movement of your dog's body, give a sharp touch, a universal sound, and make that correction. Remember the energy, and you'll stop trouble before it happens. A WOMAN HANDLING A ST. BERNARD?? I know it sounds crazy, but anyone can handle any dog with the right discipline.

I noticed that on the Yorkie 911 episode, which I watched 4 times now, the problem of the dogs toileting in the home was not addressed. I have 5 dogs, but my 3 males, all neutered, seem to have started the same problem in my home and I'm not sure how to correct it--even when they wake me up at every morning at 3:30 to go outside, they still urinate in the living room during the day. We could still use your guidance and advise in this area Cesar...Sincerely, "mopping it up at Myrtle Beach"

Also, as K9Kimmy, I provide homecare for pets in the Myrtle Beach area; however, I have more success with my clients dogs than I do with my 5. I have a (f) Rottweiler and a (f) English Bulldog,(neither are fixed) 3 and 2 yrs old, respectively. Six months ago, my Rottie turned on my Bulldog, and since then I have been living 2 separate lives: 1 with just my Rottie, and 2nd with the other 4, of which are 3 (fixed) males. I divide my time equally; however, could I be making it worse by allowing my Rottie, Sadie, to get my undivided attention without social interaction with the other dogs? Will I ever be able to reunite my little family of K9's safely? Any advice is appreciated, greatly!!

Hi Cesar, I just love you and your show. I thank God for the gift you have. I watch everytime you're on and I call up friends so they can watch too. You are so amazing and I wish everyone had National Geographic so they could get your show.
Thanks for being there.

dear caesar.
my husband and i watch your show every chance we can.we have a wonderful dog named jake.he is a boxer lab mix. he is everything anyone could hope for in a dog. he knows we are the pack leaders,my husband is the alpha and then me. the only problem we have is seperation anxiety. we are going to try to tire him out before work, and hopefully that will work. we love ya.! it is nice to see that other people love their dogs as much as we do. deb

my oldest cocker saki boo i do not put a leash on because he walks right next to mom no problems, he listens all the time even in the house, sasha poo and luther don't but all three get alone well together.

I love to watch dog whisperer so much. I have a shihtzu. she is 7 months old. I watched the show about the two yorkies. One of the issues was that one or the other of the owners had to stay with the yorkies during the night - so that the rest of the family could get some sleep. I must have missed some of the show, because I didn't get the answer. I get up to sit with my dog during the night to let my husband get some sleep. What do I do???????????????? I am so sleep deprived.

Hi Jill,

I can share something that worked for us -- I will warn you, tho, that it is NOT a Cesar method...

We have a Great Pyrenees named Moe -- he is our son's service dog.As a service dog he must be silent and perfectly behaved at all times when in public. When we first had him we took him to a play and he woofed when an actor knocked on the door -- DUH, he does that at home, how was he supposed to know not to do it at a play??

So we had to come up with something, so we used treats and de-sensitized him. We'd knock on anything we could think of and give him a treat before he had a chance to bark. Eventually he'd look at us, waiting for a treat, whenever he heard knocking, at the door or otherwise. We made him wait longer and longer for the treat and eventually somebody knocked at the door and all he did was look up at me and I gave him a treat just like always.

We very gradually weaned him away from the treats, now just a pat on the head and a "good boy" does it for him.

So, since the pack leadership and exercise issues are under control, just thought you might want to give this a try -- worked beautifully for us!

Jill, Learn how to "claim" the door. The way to do this is to stand in between the door and your dog, and face your dog. Walk towards the dog and make him back up into the room a few feet, then have him sit/stay. Every time you exit the building, or any doorway of any kind (gates, too) you must go first. The way to accomplish this is as I just described. If you practice it for several days EVERY time you walk through a door, your dog will eventually understand the new routine. You need to have a bit of an "attitude" when you do it. What I do is I "barge" up to the door and "strut" and stand real tall and puff up like Cesar does on the show. I try to imitate Cesar, actually. And I just walk up to the door and act like it's mine ('cause after all, it IS). Now that I've got the dogs realizing that the door is mine, all I have to do is point one finger in their direction as I'm walking towards the door (no words, no talking and I don't even look at them). They see me point my finger and they know this hand signal means they have to sit and stay. Then, if, and only IF I invite them to join me are they allowed to come to the door or exit the building. If I do not invite them after the sit/stay, then I usually will say out loud "Stay" to make it clear that they are not coming with me.

Lisa, Wondering if you're working him a little too hard at 6 months (or when he was even a little younger) that he could see the walks as unpleasant? At 6 months, you should be walking him a Retriever-sized dog about 20 mins twice a day. Once he reaches 7 or 8 months, you'll have to increase this to 40 minutes twice a day. And once he's up to a year, try for an hour twice a day if you can schedule it in. It's possible you're doing too much too fast, and he's seeing it as too much work.

There are a bunch of good episodes on dogs who won't walk -- one is the Bassett Hound that the lady carries everywhere and literally drags on the ground. And there are two others where the owners drag the dog on the ground because they won't walk. Try to look for these episodes and watch how Cesar corrects the problem. It doesn't hurt to use a treat or a toy to entice him to move along in the meantime. Remember, he's still a puppy, so he doesn't know how to behave any differently -- he's still learning, so go easy on him. If he was already a grown dog, it would be more of a rehabilitation situation, but since he's still a youngster, this is training rather than rehab.

I have a 2+ neutered male black lab. Great dog, but is aggressive with other dogs (but not my golden retriever) and dangerously so with my cat. I have to admit, it makes me nervous when I walk him - lots of dog walkers in my area. He's large, @ 80 lbs, and powerful, so difficult to control when we see another dog. Otherwise, he is obedient and very easy to walk. Has been trained professionally almost to the point of off-lead commands. I know the trick is to show him I'm in control, but it's hard to overpower him. Is it best to keep him walking by when there's a dog passing on the other side of the street? or should I try to make him sit, controlled, until the other dog goes by?
Thanks, love the show, looking forward to reading your book.
Laura D.

Cesar, my boyfriend and I think you are great and we watch your show everynite! When he's on duty at the firestation, he even makes everyone there watch so he doesn't miss an eposide.We adopted a 1 1/2 year old Rottweiller last month, the first dog he's ever owned, and we love her. We started walking her finally last week, out in public, she had never been walked, and now realize she wants to attack every dog she sees!! She seems to be the most loving dog in our home, but agressive when we take her out!? I now feel I will NEVER be able to walk her alone :( He has a hard enough time controlling her, and he's a strong guy. I am now sad that I feel like I will never be able to walk my dog.............

I found the Yorkie episode interesting and could relate to one of the owner concerns. I have a four year old MINPIN that is housbroken, but appoximately once a month he will go on the tile floor in the kitchen or bathroom. Never on the hardwood that is throughout the remainder of the house. He is let out whenever he asks, no matter the time. This is driving us crazy and by the way he is neutered.

Katie3
Thank you for the idea, I am going to try it.
k2
I understand what you are saying and I ALWAYS go through doors first. We learned that in obedience classes. As a matter of fact she waits for me, my husband, my son and any guests we may have before entering a door or going downstairs. However, there is no calmness what-so-ever about the front door when someone is there. She will go around, over or through me or anyone else to get there and she is very strong. My husband thinks she is over protective and that may be how this started but it has gone much further than that. She acts so well any other time. This is also a door she is not allowed to go out without being invited. So when no one is there, she respects me.
Thank you so much for any more input. I will try anything!
Jill

Laura Doty, you answered your own question. Make him sit/stay until the other dog passes by. Also standing in front of him and blocking his view works really well, too.

Cesar,
I love your show and the work you are doing with dogs!
We own two rescue dogs, Mo, who is verrrrry mellow, and his sister Molly who is not. The neighbors have 3 dogs and both of our guys and one of the neighbor's dogs get into "fence fighting" and barking. Our neighbor added a second fence so that the dogs cannot actually reach each other but they still bark like crazy when this one dog is out. I have gone to the fence and claimed it and when I do that, both my guys retreat from the fence but I don't want to have to do that every time.
The second thing is that when we leave, our neighbors have told us that they both bark constantly till they were ready to call the police or animal control. When we are here, they wander in and out freely and only bark when the one neighbor's dog is in his yard. This has necessitated that everytime we go somewhere, we put them in a crate in the house. This means that we cannot be gone for a whole day (and we may need to be gone that long) and when we are gone, I worry that they have to go to the bathroom. How do I prevent our dogs from barking when we are away?

I have caught the show 4 or 5 times by accident when my son has left the TV on the NGC and love it. I came to the site to find out the schedule and will be watching every week from now on.

I don't have dogs, but we live next door to my parents who have a 7 year old Britany Spaniel and a 3 year old Corgie. The Corgie has an obsession with any outdoor machines such as the lawnmower, weedwacker and snow blower. My son has to tie her up with only a foot or so of rope just so he can mow in her area. I am worried that she will get hurt by one of the machines. My father already tripped over her and broke her hip when she was running around obsessively. I hope to watch a reairing of this episode to figure out what to do with her.

The Britany has a split personality. She is very docile, but as soon as she gets on the leash for a walk, she goes crazy. She loves to smell. She pulls so hard that I am afraid that she will knock over my parents and hurt them while they are walking her, or even hurt herself by pulling so hard. I have heard that Spaniels are prone to neck injury from this behavior and she pulls so hard that she gags and can't breath.

SO - today my parents are gone and asked me to walk the dogs and put them to bed. When I walked the Spaniel, I put the leash on, got into her space and showed dominence. When she started to run I stopped the leash (its retractable) caught up with her, got in her space, put my hand to her chest and said "ssht". I did this a few more times and then every time she started to pull too hard I said "ssht" and she stopped pulling! She actually left some rope and was able to do her usual neighborhood sniffing without knocking me off my feet!!!!!!! I don't know if I did it the right way, but it was the best walk I have ever had with her. I am going to have my dad call me when he is ready to walk her again tomorrow to try it again and show him what we did. Then I think I will have them both watch the show with me Friday night.

Is there a secret with the "ssht"? Or would any sound/word work combined with dominence? I'm so excited now that we may be able as a family to get these crazy (& sweet) dogs under control.

Corey

Does anyone have any insight on mounting? I have a three year old intact Doberman Pinscher. He has never humped legs, toys, people, etc. It only happens at the dog park. I have been paying extra attention to the dogs that he mounts lately. They usually are puppies or dogs that are scared or unsure about things. I know that Cesar has said, the only time I have ever heard him say anything about mounting, is that this is the way dogs try to control an unstable dog. Since they are in a paco setting at the dog park I have thought that this is natural. When he gets to obsessed with a dog I leash him. Does any one got any ideas on what is going on here or anything from Cesar that I can look at or watch. Thanks for any info.

Hi N.Landers,
I have found with my dogs that conflicts always started when the younger dog was nearing 1 year old. It seems to me that she is trying to establish herself as the dominant one in your pack, over the male. This should be a red flag to you that it is now your turn to step up and be the pack leader. If you are consistently assertive with her and show dominance by walking Cesar's way daily, making her work for her food/affection, then these attacks will be less frequent and eventually disappear. You MUST correct her every time she attacks the male. No aggression should be tolerated. To correct, if she is in "kill" mode, you will need to give her a strong correction, such as making her submit to the male. This means, she is on her back in a submissive position and the male should be allowed to stand over her. If you are not comfortable doing this, PLEASE consult with an animal behaviorist.

If you can catch her right as she STARTS to go after him, then you can give a much less severe consequence such as the two fingers to the neck correction. It might be a good idea to keep a leash on her for a little while, at least until you are better able to predict her behavior.

I would suggest creating this situation and correcing her until she gets it that you will not allow her to attack the male. This means, when you are in a calm-assertive, ready to confront this problem head on - state of mind, you should call your male over to you. If she starts to charge, you should stand up (and stand TALL, shoulder back!) and step toward her and give her a verbal correction with a finger point. If she doesn't listen, you are going to have to move to a physical touch to change her state of mind.

Remember to remain calm and assertive and FIRM. If you get nervous or frantic about her attacking, she will not respect your authority.