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Know thyself, dog owner: 'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan trains people first
The popular dog trainer is still helping people around the world and is not stopping anytime soon.
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Not just dogs: Cesar Millan, the world-renowned "dog whisperer", stands with some llamas, a pony, a burro, a macaw and a blue-headed parrot. Courtesy of the National Geographic Channel. (NatGeo/Courtesy of National Geographic Channel)
“I don’t train dogs,” Cesar Millan, arguably the world’s most famous dog trainer, said during a Zoom roundtable interview on Aug. 5 for his new television show, Better Human Better Dog.
His statement might sound ironic to some and confusing to others. Millan has built his professional reputation as the world’s greatest “dog whisperer” who can tame even the most aggressive dog breed. From Oprah Winfrey to Mark Zuckerberg, Millan has A-list clients who trust him to help them with their canines.
But his technique vouches for this unusual statement. In every show he has ever done, he has never taken a dangerous dog from its owner, fixed it magically into a submissive one and returned it. Instead, he always tells the owner to do it themselves.
“I train humans,” he said. “I’m interested in teaching people energy, communication, trust, respect, love,” the Mexican-American added, noting that these were the most important characteristics in keeping a dog.
His message goes beyond just the techniques and how-tos in keeping dogs as pets, and also delves into the responsibilities and commitment of the pet owner, especially during the pandemic.
Teaching the world
With hit TV series like Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan (2004-2012) and Cesar Millan’s Dog Nation (2017-present), Millan has been a household name for years. One of his shows, Cesar 911 (2014-present) even implies strongly that he is a “nanny” people look to in handling their dogs.
Through these series for more than two decades, he has been showing viewers around the world how to deal with various canine behavior, usually aggressive ones. But his intention goes beyond that. He has stated time and again that, as one of the most loyal and closest companions to humans, dogs reflect the people around them.
“I’m from Mexico. The dogs where I’m from were skinny, but they don’t have problems. [Meanwhile], dogs in America are chunky, and I get to have a TV show,” he said with a grin during the roundtable interview. “So dogs in America have everything, everything that a human will want, but they don’t behave. You see?”
He hinted that every problem he had encountered in a dog and its owner showed widespread misunderstanding and mishandling of dogs in the United States.
“The [dog’s] disconnection is where you see aggression, fear, [and] anxiety. So when a dog doesn’t feel well, he’s disconnected. But the only time he becomes disconnected is when the human is not educated,” explained the dog behaviorist.
Read also: Post-pandemic separation from owners is a dog's life
This was the reason Millan asked dog owners to look at their own behavior first, in particular how they acted toward and reacted to their pets.
“Actually, most of the people that came to me said, ‘Cesar, I don’t have a dog, [but] I love your show,’” he shared, referring to a phenomenon that rings true around the world, including in Indonesia.
“It’s just interesting to see his approach on the field,” Cut Naifa from South Tangerang told The Jakarta Post on Aug. 18 via messenger app LINE. She used to watch Millan’s show on cable TV, even though she didn’t own a dog. “Sometimes his reasoning [in dealing with dogs] is also applicable to my daily life,” Cut said.
Before helping the dogs, which sometimes involves taking them to his Dog Psychology Center in California, Millan advises their owners, first and foremost. He might encourage them to be more commanding, less demanding or more understanding of their dog’s needs.
“I’m a big believer that you’re not a bad person by nature. But if you don’t have the proper education, then your behavior can be seen as bad,” he noted.
Love and commitment
Given the reach of his shows, which have been broadcast in over 120 countries and earned three Emmy nominations, Millan’s teaching methods have impacted and helped many dog owners, including those in Indonesia.
“We adopted Juno years ago from a shelter, so he was originally a street dog,” Genta Tanjung from South Tangerang told the Post on Aug. 18 by WhatsApp. “He had [experienced] a lot of trauma. Perhaps people used to hurt him when he was on the streets,” she said. Genta and her family tried out Millan’s techniques from TV to find the right approach for their border collie Juno to help him overcome his trauma. And it worked.
As the pandemic and lockdowns continued, pet adoptions also surged as people looked for companionship. But with restrictions easing in recent months, animal shelters and pet adoption centers in the US reportedly reached full capacity because people were returning their “pandemic pets”, according to Reuters.
“A lot of these people ended up rescuing dogs [because] it was their dream to have a dog, so they used [the pandemic] to adopt a dog. But unfortunately, because people didn’t enter with knowledge, a lot of them are returning the dogs. So what that says is that the humans were not committed from the beginning,” Millan explained.
Commitment was the most important part, according to Millan. Potential dog owners needed to be aware that they needed to establish a familial relationship when bringing a dog into their lives.
“I have two kids. [...] They know that we have to enter [into] a relationship with the dog, knowing there are responsibilities until the day it passes, because the dog would do the same,” he said.
This is the crux of his new show, Better Human Better Dog, the first season of which premiered in the US on July 30, 2021 on National Geographic and Nat Geo Wild, and is available to stream on Disney+. True to the show’s title, Millan instructs clients to get to know themselves and their dogs better in order to develop a healthy relationship.
In one episode, a woman decides to spend her retirement relaxing with a pet that she loves, but her new dog turns out to be so aggressive that it even threatens her life.
Millan’s advice? “Be assertive,” he said, and trained the woman to stand her ground and not give her dog’s aggressive behavior free rein. With his help, the woman eventually managed to bring the dog to heel.
Cesar Millan: Better Human Better Dog premiered in Indonesia on the National Geographic Channel on Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. The series will be available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar on Nov. 12.
