WE THE LOVERS OF A MASTIF CROSS BREED (WITH WHICH WE`RE NOT SURE)CALLED OSCAR ARE IN NEED OF SOME ADVICE. WE RESCUED HIM FROM A RESCUE CENTRE IN JANUARY THIS YEAR. HE IS NOW TWO YRS OLD.
HE HAS A WONDERFUL TEMPREMENT IN THE HOME,CLEAN,FRIENDLY,FUN LOVING ALSO PROTECTIVE AND VERY LOYAL.
WE HAVE PERSUDED HIM TO NOT PULL ON THE LESH (A HALTY HAS BEEN THE ANSWER FOR ME AS HE`S VERY STRONG!)
HOWEVER, OUR PROBLEM IS WHEN HE`S DISTRACTED OFF LESH HE DOES NOT RESPOND TO RECAL COMMANDS...PARTICULARY IF ANOTHER DOG APPEARS. HE BOUNDS OFF AND ATTACKS/DEFENDS. I HAVE TO ACT AS IF SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING IS HAPPENING THE OTHER WAY!
WHEN I WALK HIM ON LESH HE GROWLS OR TRIES TO WARN DOGS AWAY. HE DOES NOT SEEM TO HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO MEET AND GREET OTHER DOGS AND CATS ARE PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER ONE.
HE IS A DOG OF TOTALLY TWO OPPOSITES.HE IS SUBMISIVE IN THE HOME AND ON LESH AND THEN AGRESSIVE WHEN ENCOUNTERS ARE UNAVOIDABLE.
WHEN OUT WITH MY HUSBAND OFF LESH IN A FIELD,OSCAR HUNTED DOWN A CAT AND BEFORE MY HUSBAND COULD GET TO HIM HE HAD KILLED IT.
I AM FRIGHTENED TO TELL DOG HANDELERS WHERE WE LIVE AS THEY MAY THINK HIM DANGEROUS.

Dear Cesar,

I am an avid cat lover but I find myself looking forward to Friday nites with you and the miracles you perform with dogs. I have even suggested to some young parents that they tune in to your show to pick up hints on raising children..I find your concepts with dogs to equal that of raising children. Some people think I'm crazy but because I am a grandmother, having a 17 year old grandaughter and 3 other young ones, I find your skills not very different from raising children.

I hope you continue your valuable show as it is one of my favourites on TV.

I am sitting here listening to the Animal Planet show which is hosting another dog trainer and I just want to jump in and say.."Whoa", that's not right...you're doing it all wrong !!!

You have my 100% support of your show and I only hope the network keeps you on for a very long time..there are so many dogs out there who need you and your brilliance..I know you think of it as just common sense, but in today's world, that concept is a luxury anymore.

Keep up the good work..

Respectively,

Kitty Murray

I would like to commend Cesar for a show that explains and reinforces solid training basics, especially the re-training of owners, which is always the most important essential. The visibility of this program and its responses from viewers clearly have created benefit for owners and dogs. Although I might use somewhat different approaches with Northern breeds, for example, your behavioral approach is right on target on the whole -- and after all, you're the one with the show!
P. Hamilton
40 years in obedience instruction and all-breed rescue; 25 years in Malamute rescue; BA in learning theory and comparative species studies; MS in Communications; home of Benchmark Alaskan Malamutes; Member of the Alaskan Malamute Club Of America.

I don't know if you answer any questions or respond to comments or anything like that, but I have a problem. I find it really difficult to stay calm when dealing with my dogs. I'm certainly assertive, bordering on agressive sometimes although I try not to cross that line.

I realized how much of a problem that was today when I got back from our walk (which we do pretty well, but there are still issues there as well) there were people over eating dinner (I'm still in high school and live with my parents). The dogs refused to listen, and I'm sure it's because I automatically assumed they'd go nuts, which they did. I sat with them in the living room, still holding their leashes, and while the 5 year old shih tzu calmed down eventually, the just-over-a-year old min-pin wouldn't even sit down, and kept whining. I got very frustrated after about ten minutes and I definitely lost whatever calmness I had. I'm just very impatient.

So, I know what my problem is, how do I go about fixing it? I'd love a response, if it's at all possible.

I watch the show whenever I can. I have a thirteen year old pit bull who was literally a serial cat killer. I used the techniques shown by Cesar to try and get him to accept a young cat that we rescued. I'll have to give kudos to the cat for being exceptionally tenacious but she and I finally won out. I actually have a picture with her curled up in front of him in his chair. Cesar, keep educating us!

dear ceaser i have a pack of 4 very diffrent dogs 1 is a blue aussie mix and he was shot and left to die in the woods amazingly was found starved and almost dead i got him after he was brought back to health he is always on survival mode with the other dogs and is very aggressive to our rescued saint bernard there are many scary fights my aussie is 35 pounds and the saint is at least 100 pounds heavyer watching your dvds has help our family with this situation alot i dont know that there love hate relationship will ever end but you have taught us ways of dealing with it you are truley a gift from GOD to us and many other dog people i know thank you for sharing your gift with the world if your ever in virginia i would love to share my crazy diverse pack with you i know they would make you smile........misty osborne

Dear Cesar - I have been watching your show since you started, and although I agree with most of you practices there is one that concerns me. Your encouragement of the use of a treadmill. I know that it is a great way to excersize your dog, but one must note that your dog should never be on the treadmill unsuppervised. In all the show I have seen, you fail to say this. I know of a dog that strangled itself on a treadmill. The junior handler that was to be watching the dog step away to get a phone call and left the dog on the treadmill. This was a dog that had been on the treadmill alot of times, it was a show dog. So please if you could, tell people that the treadmill is great but you must stay with your four legged friend when they work out.

Thank you

Lisa

Dear Cesar-I have no dogs (but I do have 5 cats), and I absolutely love your show! The techniques you use on the dogs actually work very well on my cats. Recently I adopted a 3 month old kitten. Before bringing him into the house I made sure my 4 other cats were calm and relaxed. Then, when I did bring the kitten into the house, I held him in my arms and walked him over to each cat (with his face turned away from their face) and allowed them to smell his rear. I also 'claimed' him in front of them and I have to tell you, it worked like a charm. There have been no fights or mishaps of any sort. I sincerely believe they understood this kitten was an extension of me and was off limits. And now (as the turn of events would have it) I have to correct the KITTEN when he has one of his 'beat up on the big boys' moments!! I give him a soft "bite" and a shhh and he calms down. It is amazing how empowered you feel when you 'get it' and when the animals 'get it'. Thanks for who you are and for caring enough to share your insight with the public. Your methods and theories are not only a valuable tool for dogs, they are valuable life lessons as well.
Keep up the good work! (Say Hi to Daddy for me!)

Diane

Dear Cesar:
In need of some advice!!
I am living with a few friends at the moment who own a 6 year old female jack russel named Lady. She likes to cuddle a lot and when given the space, can run forever. My friends have only had for a few months now, Lady is from B.c and is used to the great outdoors and much more excerise. Being in the city lacking a fenced backyard, I don't think she is very happy. Mind you, they treat her well, of course. When they leave the house, they used to put her in a small carrier, so she wouldn't run rampant in the house or possibly go to the bathroom. We would end up coming home to a fecal infested Lady. So we they decided to keep her in the basement, only to come home today to the same situation. She had done her business and out of anxiety, freaked out and had it all over here and trailed it every which way. Their reaction of course was anger - who wants to clean that up! But, I think that she should be taken to the vet in regards to her anxiety. It is one thing to simply go to the bathroom because she is locked inside, and the fact that my friends are yelling at her doesn't make me feel any better. It is not going to make her stop and it just shakes her up even more. If she is suffering from anxiety out of lonliness, she deserves to be helped. My mother recommended giving her a baby gravol to ease her. Or taking her to the vet, but my friends don't think anything of it. I told them not to yell at her, but they don't get it. What do I do and how can we help her?

Cesar, first of all I would like to say you: thanks for your program. You are giving us a good chance for learning how to treat dogs. I had a dog during my childhood, and due to not treating completely as a dog, the only leather for him was my father. I have had the change to treat with another dogs of my family later and I thing they have been more balanced because of treating them as dogs and giving them discipline in a correct manner.

But what happens when one doesn't have a pack of balanced dogs to put one's own dog in? :(

I am the owner of a Dachshund mix, which you wouldn't think would be difficult to handle, but walks are a nightmare, as he wants to rip the head off of any other dog he sees. If I didn't use a Gentle Leader, he would have probably choked himself to death by now.

Would a muzzle and daily trips to the dog park be any kind of alternative??

Cesar, I hope you will visit us in The Woodlands sometime!

Dear Cesar..........ok, we get it.....Being "alpha" to our dog is essential. And, in the house, we ARE. However, when our beautiful, high-strung vizsla, Bela, is outside, she acts like a teenager with selective hearing. And since she's only a yr. and a half old, I guess we can't expect much else from her yet(considering the fact that she's a sporting breed). We have a radio-frequency fence installed, but when she sees another animal ( dog, cat, squirrel, etc.), she bolts right through, not acting fazed at all by the 'shock'. We don't want a $6,000 fence, so any options would be wonderful. ( take her back to training........getting another correction device....??) LOVE YOUR SHOW......appreciate what you do........Cesar,-want to visit canton, ohio and teach us in person???!!! we'll show you our gorgeous local national park system if you come, Cesar!

My mom has a beagle that is the apple of her eye, her name is Precious. Precious has a mind of her own and is very prone to pout and hide, also is afraid of many things. Strange people, storms, camera flashes, loud noises, overhead fan, and Lord only knows what else. She has not been abused my parents got her when she was about 5 weeks old. Anyway she only gets out in the yard and around in the house, mom is 81 years old and dad is 74. So their problem is Precious eats household rugs, strings off her bed, and even small pieces of material that she can find. Why would she do this she has just started doing this about a couple weeks ago. Plus mom and dad moved about a year ago from the house that they lived in when they got Precious.
Thanks, Kathy

Hi Cesar,
I wrote to you the other day and I cant find my blog. My family and I are desperate for help with our American bulldogs. We have a total of nine. 1 adult male @120 lbs 4 adult bithces ranging between 80-90lbs and four puppies two boys and two girls about 4 months old. My parents have been building a kennel and are trying to complete the runs as fast as possible.
However, they have three of the adults and the male and two bithces and a female puppy. I have an adult bitch and three of her puppies with one male still for sale and the male and female that we are keeping for future breedings. My dogs are all in my apartment and I love them but I try very hard to always keep in mind all the energy that Im building by affection and my other handling methods and I try to consistently be calm assertive. I do however find myself talking to them like humans and I shame myself but my real concern is what is going to happent o my pack once they are brown. Ray the mommy is the most passive bulldog I have ever encountered. I would have never taken any of my parents dogs to the dog park but Ray and I have been a few times and it wnet really well. She appears to be a little more aggrressive now that shes had puppies.
I saw a show about an English bulldog with ownership issues with his pack leaders lawnmower, waterhose, etc. You said that ther bulldogs are a fighting breed I'll be the first to day you got that right. My big girl has never started a fight but she has sure finished a few after being bitten by another bulldog at my parents house. Another issue is that our big boy attacked the baby the other day and my mom and dad have been trying to do the right things but its so hard to think straight after they are already fighting that we do forget the right way. Also our dogs are very protective over the grandchildren the females dont like the male around them at all. We can generally tell whe they are getting ready to jump one another but sometimes it happens without warning. I read on one blog where it said to talk to your vet about someone that does positive reinforcement training with dogs. we are just a little concerned that unless someone has really had a lot of experience with this breed it might be more than they can handle. So we would greatly appreciate any help. I know Kentucky is far away but I thought maybe you might have a colleage that is closer that you trust or something.
I also wanted to tell you that my dad is a certified hypnotist and his colleage that developed the Mcfall method talked about you the other night on a conference call. He complimented you by saying that you are one of the best at SLP I think it was the abilityt to comminucate thru body language and your emotions that you give off while rehabilitating dogs and trainging the human pack leaders. Great show! and I look forward to anything you can do for my family and our pack.