AN EDUCATION - Cesar Millan

CESAR'S WAY: THE NATURAL, EVERYDAY GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING & CORRECTING COMMON DOG PROBLEMS, Cesar Millan
2006

I love Cesar Millan. I love him. I love him. I love him. In some circles, I am very alone. I don't care. I love him.

I used to have two copies of "Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide To Understanding & Correcting Common Dog Problems." I now only have one. I don't remember who borrowed the other, but I can understand a desire to keep it forever. It is a book that enhanced my life in such a bright, loving way, I cannot express my thankfulness.




The people who find it an insult to be called "a dog whisperer" (Mr. Millan's long-running television show, now on NatGeo Wild, is called 'The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.'), have reasons usually centered around what they believe to be Millan's 'antiquated' concept of "Pack Leader" and using physical touch and "leash pops" to communicate with dogs. I can understand the detractors' concerns, but I feel they are highlighting a small portion of Millan's techniques. When I read "Cesar's Way," I recognized my pre-teen and teenage self walking through the woods on the nearly 7 acre island on which I grew up. I am no Dog Whisperer, but the relationship I had with my dog Woof, was rooted in the Pack Leader concept. I didn't know that then. I was just teaching my dog, who lived outside year-round, to not swim across the canal unless I told him he could, and to not cross the bridge over the canal without me. Woof was the best behaved dog anyone had met - that's what anyone who met him said - and I think it was due to our respect of each other. Woof respected me and wanted to do what I wanted, and I respected Woof and his needs, adored him to no end, and had to teach him how to be safe out on those 7 acres surrounded by water. I was following Cesar - who credits Mother Nature and his grandfather as his greatest teachers - and I didn't even know it!

How I interpret Cesar Millan's philosophy is that my dogs are a mirror. If I am a confident, secure person and reflect that in all areas of my life, my dogs will reflect that back to me with their own confidence and security. If we live in balance - physically and emotionally - we will live together in balance. As I remind my dogs of the rules, boundaries and limitations in our life together, they will remind me if I go out of balance. Their "faults" are my faults and together, we can inspire balance in each other.

Cesar's formula for a content and balanced dog is simple: Exercise, Discipline, and Affection, in that order. Cesar describes himself in this way, "I rehabilitate dogs. I train people." It is people who need to make changes and their dogs will follow. "Cesar's Way" touched me by placing the responsibility of dog behavior where I believe it should be, on the humans. Of course our dogs are their own unique selves, but it is we humans who have invited dogs into our daily lives. While dogs definitely benefit from being in our lives through ease of food and shelter, many have been denied their natural animal needs. "Cesar's Way" highlights the needs of a dog and helps define the world through your dog's eyes.

One of my favorite quotes of Cesar's is, "You don't always get the dog you want. You get the dog you need." Whatever 'issues' our dogs may have, they are a reflection of us, and helping our dog resolve his or her issue actually helps us resolve that same issue in our lives. Dogs are so great.

Some quotes from "Cesar's Way"

Page 206:
"The walk is first to bond the two of you and show your leadership, second, for exercise, and third, for your dog to explore."

Page 215:
"Nature doesn't view discipline as a negative thing. Discipline is DNA. Discipline is survival."

Page 218:
"When you try to correct your dog out of anger, you are usually more out of control than your dog is. You are fulfilling your own needs, not the animal's - who will sense your unstable energy and often escalate the unwanted behavior."

Page 231:
"A dog's life is fulfilled if it can live comfortably in a pack, feeling safe and secure under the guidance of its pack leader. A dog is fulfilled if it has frequent primal exercise and, in some way, feels that it is working for food and water. A dog is fulfilled when it trusts its pack leader to set consistent rules and boundaries for it to live by. Dogs love routine, ritual, and consistency. They also love new experiences and the chance to explore - especially when they feel they have a reliable bond with their pack leaders."

Page 269:
"...we need dogs more than they need us."


I love him and I have the full Cesar Collection.



I'll buy every book he ever writes!