The Dog Whisperer

[Flar's Freyja]

Have you all seen this guy, Cesar Millan? He is amazing!

We've been getting a free preview of the National Geographic channel. I've seen him work on everything from aggressive pit bulls to minor problems, like a poodle who was chewing up the mail as it came through the door slot.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/dogwhisperer/

Now I just need a cat whisperer who can do something with the psychobitch cat.......

[*Rain*]

There is a woman in the UK who odes the same thing, she is know as the Dog Listener.

I think these people and their methods are amazing. We implemented a lot of her strategies with our new puppy and they worked really well to calm him down.

[Rowenna]

I watch The Dog Whisperer once in a while. The guy really is great, its too bad there aren't more like him around. I'd love to find someone like him to work with my St. Bernard, who is sometimes fear aggressive towards men. I don't know all his history, he came from a rescue group and was very malnourished and underweight and had been tied on a chain outside for 3 years. I also suspect he may have been beaten, which could explain the fear and aggression towards men. Yesterday while grooming him I found a rather large scar on his side, which might not mean anything, but it does make me believe even more that he was abused. With that said, The Dog Whisperer is well worth watching for some of the tips and techniques that are shared, I love the show!

[KimberSly]

Yeah, that guy's so awesome! He's so great with dogs.

We don't get Animal Planet here anymore though so I can't watch him :(

[Flar's Freyja]

When it's on, they usually show about 4 episodes running and I noticed a pattern. Cesar's answer to almost any problem is to walk your dog! The people he's worked with follow his advice and report amazing differences.

He says dogs need

1. A job
2. To burn off energy

He recommends a 45 minute walk at least once a day. For dogs that don't walk well, he recommends that the owner leave the house or gate first. He also demonstrates starting off with a very short leash and walking with confidence and authority. You just GO and show the dog this is what we're doing.

I had a white shepherd years ago that I took to classes and I can walk big dogs. I'm dog-sitting Anubis again, our neighbor's 125 lb Rott. This time I asked them to leave a leash. His owner said "You can't walk him, he drags me down the street." His owner is about 6'2" and I'm 5' tall. I told him I felt I could and he left the leash.

At first, Anubis cowered when he saw the collar which made me think either his owner yanked him around or they only take him to the vet on the leash. Then he laid down and said "uh-uh, are you crazy?" I gave him time to get used to it before going out the gate, following Cesar's advice. I expected Anubis to take off and he tried. I just pulled him back and we sat in the driveway until he got used to it. Day 1 was a bit of a job but he was heeling on the last block back to the house. Day 2 he did even better and by Day 3 he was excited about the leash and we went for a long walk, the only problems being a puppy who followed us and when he tried to chase a squirrel. But he stops when told and did amazingly well - all in less than 2 hours total.

I already knew a little bit but Cesar's other ideas helped. I can't wait to show his owner:p and I hope they don't move away. I doubt they'll continue walking him but I plan to. I need the exercise and already feel better although we haven't exactly gone on marathon walks. And the dog loves it. Cesar and his clients all reported that simply walking your dog makes for a happy dog. His "job" when you walk is actually to walk calmly beside you, and we all know that what we love about dogs is the way they love to please their owners!