For what age: 3+
How many episodes in 1 season: 26 episodes
Demon Chihuahua Tina Madden, who works in a vet's office, adopted NuNu, a stray who was brought into the office. He attacks her roommate, Barclay Quinn, and anyone else who gets near Tina. Cesar tells them that since NuNu is a nervous dog, giving him affection while he is anxious nurtures the nervous state of mind. Cesar sits next to Tina to provoke the unwanted behavior, and NuNu goes nuts; Cesar calmly holds NuNu without giving him attention while he gets over his hissy fit. Then he teaches them to master the walk. They learn to stop the escalation of excitement before it becomes aggression. The Shiny Marina Dahlen and her son, Emmett, have a Great Dane named Kane, who is terrified of any shiny surface. He once slipped on a linoleum floor and stunned himself hitting a glass door; now he refuses to walk on shiny floors, including the school building where he used to go with Marina. Cesar walks with Kane, then approaches the school building at a trot, using Kane's own forward momentum to propel him through the doorway. They stop just inside the door to let Kane adjust, and at first, Kane slips as if he's on ice. Cesar patiently and calmly edges him into the hallway and in a few minutes Kane is walking easily. Four days later Marina takes Kane to her class to celebrate his birthday.
The Wrath of Opie Suzanne Ohanesian lives with Opie, a Lab mix who is very dog aggressive. When Suzanne tries to restrain him, he will turn and bite her. Cesar explains that dogs need to earn food and affection. Cesar takes Opie for a walk, and has his wife, Illusion, walk by them with one of their dogs. When Opie starts to fixate on the other dog, Cesar touches him at the back of his body to break his attention and refocus on Cesar. He explains that once the attention is refocused, you follow up with eye contact, energy, or body language, which brings about a calm state of mind. Everything looked great, but the next day Opie bit her again, and she became overwhelmed with fear, which made the tantrum worse. Suzanne called Cesar for help. Cesar had her walk Opie; she was visibly distressed. They worked together and by the end of the session, Suzanne was feeling hopeful again. Psycho Flirt Flirt is a Chinese Crested who lives with Barbie Orr. Barbie is a comedienne who has been in a Petco commercial with another of her Chinese Cresteds. Flirt is so hyper that Barbie's friends have nicknamed her Psycho. Cesar recommends that Barbie practice relaxation activities for herself and be more disciplined with the dogs. Flirt is picking up on Barbie's exuberant energy, so she needs to learn to be calm with Flirt and to master the walk.
Scared Family Dog Larry and Ann Klein and their children have a Vizsla named Ruby who seems to live in a nearly constant state of terror. She is extremely possessive of her food, toys and treats, and cannot tolerate cameras. The Kleins have attempted to desensitize her by sitting with her, petting her and talking soothingly to her while she growls, but this strategy is not working, and they do not attempt to anything away from her once she has it. Cesar explains that they should have the authority to take from Ruby anything at any time and that they are nurturing insecurity by giving her affection when Ruby is in an unstable state of mind. Cesar suggests that they use a leash to redirect Ruby's behavior in facing what she fears. This keeps her in place and under control. He shows them, again using her leash, to take things from her. Then Cesar deals with her fear of their pool. Soon Ruby is jumping in to play with Cesar and the Klein children. Lastly, they deal with nail trimming. The Kleins are confident that now they can become Ruby's pack leaders, and make her a happier dog. Make Room for Rana Karen Adams and her daughter Alanna have a Sheltie named Rana. Rana has progressively become more and more frantic at things like the toaster popping and the phone ringing. It has become so bad that they have largely stopped making toast and answering the phone is an ordeal. Cesar has them show him what happens when the toaster pops, then he shows them that by using his leash they can force him to deal with what frightens him. Karen puts his leash on, then pops the toast and is stunned when Rana doesn't react. Cesar explains that the leash makes him submissive, and he is less frightened when he doesn't feel that he must control his environment. He shows her the increasing stages of aggression and at which point the correction must come.
The Yap Dog Kristy Thom and Jody Sherman live with a Chesapeake Bay Retriever named Boomer, who barks incessantly and demands constant attention. Cesar counsels them that they will need to change their behavior toward Boomer so that Boomer will see them as the pack leaders, and advises them not to nurture the excited, out of control behavior by showing affection while Boomer is in an excited state. He stresses that they must maintain a calm, assertive energy, and be consistent about exercising Boomer since he is a high-energy breed. The Grooming Gremlin Josh is owned by Ronette Thomlinson who rescued him from a shelter, where he would have been put down the next day. Josh is a poodle/schnauzer mix who growls and bites everyone but Ronette. He is food-aggressive and will not tolerate being groomed. Cesar tells Ronette that she and everyone in the household must become Josh's pack leaders instead of his followers. Cesar first takes Josh for a walk to establish his authority, then begins to groom him. Josh screams and bites Cesar, but Cesar gains control of Josh and is able to cut his hair. He explains that often small dogs show their teeth and people back off, which teaches the dog that they can control people with their teeth, and sometimes it isn't aggression, just nervousness.
Hell on Wheels Beverly Keeley and Janet Parker adopted Harry from their local shelter, and have discovered that he becomes very aggressive to anything on wheels, such as bikes and skateboards. It's become impossible for them to walk him because he pulls badly and since he's a German Shepherd mix, he's a powerful dog. Cesar establishes that Harry is anxious and fearful, which became aggression toward what frightened him. Cesar and Harry go for a walk, and Cesar's sons help him work with Harry once Cesar is sure Harry is under control. Before the session is over, Harry is happily running beside a skateboarding Andre, Cesar's nine-year-old son. Then Cesar stands with Harry and has Illusion and their sons go by on various wheeled vehicles. He teaches Janet and Beverly how to touch Harry to redirect his attention when he begins to lunge; they are very encouraged but realize that it will take practice to rehabilitate Harry. Bright Lights Big Problem Brooks is an Entlebucher (Swiss Mountain Dog) owned by Lorain and Chuck Nicholson. As a puppy, Brooks was taught to "chase the light" with a laser light. He became obsessed with finding the light. He is constantly searching for any light. Cesar asks questions about what Brooks was like when he came to them and established that Brooks is neurotic and that he sees lights as something he can control. He tells them that any time they see Brooks behaving in this frantic manner, they need to make him sit and calm down. They need to establish themselves as pack leaders before they can change Brooks' behavior. Chuck and Lorain explain that they let him do whatever he wants because they want him to have fun, but Cesar explains that in pack behavior dogs never walk in front of the pack leader, and they are having fun. Brooks has been through obedience training and is not walked on leash, but Cesar has them put him on leash to keep his head up and follow Lorain and Chuck. Inside the house, they work on the light fixation by correcting him when he tries to follow the light. Within a few minutes, Brooks is sitting and focusing on Chuck and Lorain rather than chasing the light, and they realize that if they work with Brooks as directed, he'll be much happier.
Stubborn Shih Tzu Eula Manocchi and her son Anthan have a Shih Tzu named Sueki who will not walk on a leash; however, when they walk her without a leash, she takes off if there is a distraction. When they try to use a leash, Sueki shuts down, sits down and will not move. Cesar takes her outside, walks away from their home, then puts the leash on her and allows her to stand and get used to it. He says the leash will take her home. He's very patient with her stops and starts, and uses the technique of tapping her back to get her moving when she stops for too long. Soon Cesar gives the leash to Eula to practice, but she is so tense that Sueki shuts down. Cesar shows her how to use her own calm energy to calm Sueki and associate the leash with something positive. One Last Chance Stella and John Albert have two Boxers, Mocha and Coach. Mocha is very quiet and Coach is very active. After nearly five years with the Alberts, Coach began showing very aggressive behavior, forcing the family to reach the decision to have Coach put to sleep. The night before this was to take place, Stella saw an ad in the paper offering help with behavior problems. They called Cesar, who comes to their house to evaluate the situation. They realize that they have been rewarding the behavior they want to stop. Cesar shows them that what Coach needs is exercise and something to occupy his mind. He advises them to take long walks with Coach to relieve some of his pent-up frustration. Cesar returns in two weeks to find that Coach does great on walks, and is well-behaved even with distractions. For this session, they work on Coach's jumping on the fence gate when people go by. Cesar has one of his own dogs, a Pit Bull named Daddy act as the trigger, while Cesar works with Coach on the other side of the fence. Coach responds very quickly to the training.
Pampered Puli Academy Awards Telecast Producer, Michael Seligman and his wife, Teresa Cusick have a white Puli, named Slick, who is very timid, which causes him to show fear aggression. Cesar suggests that Slick visit the Dog Psychology Center in South Los Angeles to give Cesar a chance to evaluate Slick's behavior and how Michael and Teresa interact with him. Cesar has nearly 40 dogs at his center, all of whom were rescued and rehabilitated by him; now they help him work with other dogs. Slick seems to very much enjoy this new experience and Cesar is very optimistic about how well they will do with the changes suggested. Picture Perfect Pepper Pepper, a Border Collie/terrier mix lives and works with Chris Nelson, a professional photographer. Chris and his business partner, Scott Smith, are concerned about Pepper's territorial nipping and barking at clients when they enter the studio. This behavior has to be stopped or Pepper is likely to eventually bite someone. Pepper is very well-behaved on their daily walks, but in the studio it's a different matter. Cesar instructs Chris to teach her to sit quietly near the door while he answers it. Cesar demonstrates how to take control of their territory instead of letting Pepper "own" it. Chris must assume a more dominant, pack leader attitude within his home and studio like he does outside on walks in order to control Pepper's dominant behavior.
Bouncing Bouvier Tedd Rosenfeld and Shellie Yaseen adopted an adolescent Bouvier des Flandres named Gus, who very rambunctious. Since Bouviers are a high-energy herding breed, Cesar teaches them how to properly exercise Gus to burn off some of his excess energy, then takes them to Long Beach Herding Facility, where owner Jerome Stewart encourages Gus to herd some sheep, since Bouviers are a herding breed. After seeing how much Gus enjoys himself, Tedd and Shellie decide that he will be going weekly for herding training. Twirling Dog Ava is a Pug/Pekingese mix who lives with Nadia Krim. Ava has a compulsive twirling habit when she gets excited. Knowing that this behavior is not just an endearing quirk, Nadia calls Cesar for help. Cesar and Nadia take Ava for a walk, and Cesar explains that twirling is Ava's way of dealing with boredom and frustration. Dogs will show negative behavior like excessive barking, digging, chewing, as a side effect of lack of exercise and mental stimulation. Exercise, mental stimulation (discipline) and affection are the three things our dogs need for balance. He shows her how to keep Ava's head up while walking by putting the collar just behind the ears, like handlers do while showing dogs; this gives the person more control.
Raging Rottie Churchill is a Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who goes berserk when taken for walks. When he bit a neighbor who was petting him, the owners, Amir and Stephanie Kaspian, called Cesar. Churchill is so dog aggressive that Amir believes he cannot be socialized. Within two minutes Cesar has Churchill walking with one of his own dogs. He demonstrates that the key is having control immediately and not allowing the aggression to escalate; a calm, assertive energy is essential. Within a few minutes Cesar has Churchill walking with one of his own dogs, and soon after has both the owners walking Churchill around two different dogs, with no problems. The Little Rascal Athena Blakely and her two daughters, Destiny and Arielle, live with Maya, a Pit Bull mix. Destiny Blakely sends a letter to Cesar describing a day with Maya, and asking for his help. Maya is a good girl, but full of mischief, barking, stealing toys, and digging. Cesar explains to them that Maya needs a broader world than just her home and yard, as do all dogs. He feels that if these issues are not addressed, Maya will very likely become aggressive. He teaches them how to give Maya a physical challenge by walking with her. Three weeks later, Cesar returns to check on Maya's progress, which has been significant. He brings a backpack for Maya, the weight gives a more strenuous workout, and to give her the sense of having a job to do, which helps to focus and motivate her.
The Good, the Bad, and the Bubba Heidi and Hal Wasserman own Bubba, a Maltese who is very, very spoiled. Bubba goes to work with Heidi and Hal, but attacks their clients when they try to leave, and even though he is tiny, he will attack large dogs. He completely rules the roost, but Cesar shows Heidi how to "become the pack leader, who loves him very much." Catch It If You Can Sheila Malvasi and Joel Cohen have two German Shepherds, Keela and Garret. Garret has the compulsive behavior of chasing his tail constantly. Realizing that this behavior is harming Garret, and that it can't make him happy, they call Cesar. Cesar believes that what Garret needs is a job. He teaches Sheila and Joel how to structure the walks with the aid of a dog backpack so that Garret feels purposeful rather than anxious and excited. He shows them that they need to use their calm energy to refocus Garrett's attention when he starts to get excited and spin.
There's Something About Emily Emily is a 6-year old Pit Bull who is extremely dog aggressive. At home she is very sweet, but while out walking she completely changes. Her owners, Jessika Palmer and her father, David Palmer, fear that she will harm or hug another dog. Cesar takes Emily for a walk, and has his wife, Illusion, walk past with their Pit Bull, Daddy. Emily goes into the "red zone" of aggression. Cesar feels that the best way to deal with this is to take her to his Dog Psychology Center for six weeks to let his "pirate dogs" help socialize her. About two weeks into her time at the Dog Psychology Center, Jessika and David come for a visit. Cesar warns them that Emily may act out since that is how she had been used to acting around them, and that they should be careful to project a calm energy; sure enough, there's an incident. But overall, Emily makes great progress in the pack environment, and hopefully things will be different after this experience. For her graduation treat, Cesar takes Emily and a number of his dogs to do Emily's favorite activities-rollerblading. It's an amazing sight to see one man rollerblading with nine leashed dogs!
Pesky Paris Paris is a long-haired Chihuahua who lives with students Nelson Chang and Jhett Brown; Paris is a tiny tyrant who bites, barks, and generally rules the roost. Cesar tells them that even though Paris is tiny and adorable and easy to carry, he still needs exercise and walks. He talks about the misconception that a dog who approaches a person may not want to be touched; they may simply want to smell the person. He also tells them that dogs are born with their nose open, 15 days later they open their eyes, 21 days later they open their ears. Cesar teaches them to have respect for Paris by treating him less like a child and more like a dog. Exercise, discipline, and affection. Hope for Hank Marsha Alexander has worked in Mastiff rescue for 20 years. Hank is extremely afraid of people, and Marsha worries that he could hurt someone if she is not able to rehabilitate him. Hank also has severe separation anxiety and has destroyed much of Marsha's woodwork. Cesar advised Marsha that what Hank really needs is to learn trust, but that Marsha is doing a wonderful job with him, and is doing all the right things to achieve that goal.
Old Dogs, New Tricks Sasha is an extremely aggressive 12-year-old Lhasa Apso owned by Lois Rubino and Barry Heck. She has been biting her owners for nearly 12 years, and they hope that Cesar can help them. She will not walk on leash, and is very toy and food protective, but Cesar assures them that it is never too late to change aggressive, dominant behavior. He teaches them some methods to regain ownership of their home by taking control of Sasha's food, toys, and walks. He explains that once a dog challenges the owner, like for food or toys, and the owner backs away, the dog is in control-she is the dominant one in the relationship. He further points out that this is a common problem with small, fluffy dogs; since they are so small and cute the owners tend to not provide boundaries and limitations. While Cesar is teaching Lois and Barry how to master the walk, he tells them that using tension to pull the Sasha on the leash on the walk passes the tension to the dog and creates a negative impact on the dog's mind. Cesar shakes a bag of treats to re-focus Sasha's attention. Showdown with Shep Cynthia Holvenstot and her sons Ricky and Jojo Lopez have a German Shepherd Dog named Shep. He is very sweet to them, but can be very unpredictable and hyper. Cynthia is in a wheelchair and would love to be able to walk Shep, but cannot trust him. She tells Cesar that her sons play with him at least 30 minutes a day, but Cesar explains that this activity is like taking a child to Chuck E. Cheese as opposed to piano lessons. Piano lessons are conducive to a calm, submissive state of mind while Chuck E. Cheese just gets them more excited. First he teaches them to master the walk; this will help drain some of Shep's excess energy. Cesar gives Shep the job of carrying a backpack for Cynthia, and he does a great job. He explains that the backpack gives a dog a psychological challenge and makes them feel useful-instead of pulling, now he carries. Three weeks later, Cesar comes back because Shep has bitten a neighbor; Cesar teaches the boys to keep the collar just below the ears for better control and to put Shep on the ground when he misbehaves in order to demonstrate that they are above him in the pack hierarchy.
Linda and Bob Weide have a Shepherd/Lab mix named Jake. Jake is dog aggressive when he is on leash; off leash at the dog park, he's fine. Cesar explains that the leash itself represents something negative to Jake. "When a leash is an uncomfortable experience, everything around it is suspect," and that Jake must be walked with structure so that his negative reaction can be rehabilitated. This is no problem for Bob since he's always walked Jake correctly, which is to be the one in control and making the decisions, having the dog walk with the him, but not pulling or walking in front. Later in the walk when the owner allows it, the dog can be allowed to wander and sniff and so on. Linda has been letting Jake make the decisions and the inconsistency is bad for him. Cesar shows Linda how to keep Jake in a more relaxed state of mind from the beginning and to redirect his attention when he starts to go on alert. Jake does beautifully once Linda takes control of the walk, rather than letting Jake walk her. Chantel Valdivieso is a 10-year-old actress who has a Rottweiler named King. She and her mother, Teresa, regard King as Chantel's big brother. Chantel cannot walk King since he pulls on leash, which is a problem because he is more than double her weight. Cesar explains that they need to interpret King's behavior as a canine rather than human. Cesar teaches Chantel to be more assertive and empowered in her control of King.
Tanya Vener and Allen Medven have nine Yorkshire Terriers, one of whom is named Scrawny. She is extremely possessive of Allen and bites anyone who comes near him. They hope that Cesar can help them with this problem. After establishing the reason for this behavior, Cesar shows Allen how to modify his behavior toward Scrawny, and not to pick her up or otherwise give in to her demands. The difference in Scrawny could be seen immediately.Liz Dietz and Ed Lopez have Capone, a Boxer, and Lola, a Dalmatian. Lola has gotten totally out of control and is difficult to walk on leash. He shows Liz that, 1) the extension leash gives Lola the control, and 2) when Lola starts the walk in an excited state, she will stay in an excited state during the walk. He also had Liz put Lola on a treadmill to get more exercise than she can get on a daily walk.
Patrick Lawlor and Karen Erbach have three dogs, one of whom is Alice, a Border Collie mix, who occasionally goes berserk with other dogs, including the two who live with her. There is apparently a pack dominance contest going on between Katie, an Akita, and Alice. It appears that Katie may actually be the aggressor, initiating the fights. Cesar takes Alice to his Dog Psychology Center to work with her in his pack. Patrick and Karen decide that they will walk all three dogs every morning to tire the dogs out before they leave for work, and that they will no longer show favoritism toward Katie. J is a Beagle mix who lives with Janet Canterbury. J nipped a postal carrier, breaking the skin; subsequently the USPS sent a letter to Janet's neighbors stating that mail would not be delivered on that street due to the presence of a vicious dog. Her homeowner's insurer threatened to cancel her insurance, and she was sued by the postal carrier. She calls Cesar for help. He teaches her to not give affection when the dog is anxious because that nurtures the anxiety. He also tells her that she needs to walk J and expose her to those situations that cause the anxiety in order to overcome it and refocus J's mind to a calm state. The aggression may be J's way of draining the anxiety. Cesar shows Janet how to demonstrate the calm assertive behavior that will calm J.
Manic Miniature Pinscher Chad Canale and Daniela Schnebly live with Caper, who amuses bystanders with her manic behavior, but they are concerned that Caper is showing compulsive behavior, particularly with balls. When they walk her she tries so hard to pull ahead that she dances on two legs. Cesar tells them that by letting Caper walk in front of them on walks, that she is demonstrating "excitement domination." He teaches them how to master the walk, and they catch on quickly. Then Cesar deals with the ball compulsion, showing Chad and Daniela how to control the ball; Caper is not allowed to chase it or play with it until she is calm. Petrified Pit Bull Brendan McKane and Sharon Noble have a Pit Bull named Julius, who is extraordinarily timid. However, he goes into what Sharon calls "hug mode" when he is in a car. He seems to be in a constant state of terror anytime he's not in the house. Brendan and Sharon realize the training is for them, as much as for Julius and they are more than willing to learn. Cesar shows them that it will be easier for Julius to lose his fear if he can feel the calm assertive energy of Brendan and Sharon.
Terror Bella Elisa Francescon and her daughter and niece, Heather and Nicole have a Border Terrier named Bella, who is very aggressive toward anyone coming into the Francescon home. As he usually does first, Cesar and the ladies take Bella for a walk and Bella challenges each of them with her bad behavior on the leash. After they learn to take control of Bella and get her to walk nicely, they work on the door etiquette issue. They are taught to keep Bella on leash when people come in so that they can control her behavior. Un-crossing Jordan Bill Herrera and his sister Barbara Laporte are worried about Jordan's tendency to compulsively attack objects when they walk him. Being a Bulldog, Jordan becomes fixated and is difficult to distract from this behavior. Cesar takes him for a walk to tire him out before starting to work on the obsessive behavior, but Jordan is one tough little cookie and even makes calm Cesar break a sweat. Even all tuckered out, Jordan still tries to get the garden hose, which is one of his obsessions. Cesar returns a week later, and works with them again. It seems to come easier to Barbara than to Bill, who is not by nature very assertive, but he is trying very hard to learn to be calm and assertive with Jordan.
Beware of Teddy Steve and Lisa Garelick's yellow Lab is aggressive toward people and other animals. He acts friendly, but then, out of nowhere, snaps and bites. Cesar begins by explaining to Lisa that there are two positions with dogs, the dominant one, or the follower. When you have a high-energy dog and you don't provide the leadership, the dog's energy becomes frustration, then mix that with dominance and you can have severe aggression. After wearing Teddy out a little in the back yard, they take him for a walk. A small dog runs up to them, which alarms Lisa and Steve, but Cesar gets Teddy to tolerate being sniffed by the other dog. Cesar also teaches their small daughter to show affection to Teddy only when he is being calm and submissive. Dependent Dobie Michelle Bird's Doberman, Sunshine, has severe separation anxiety. She cries incessantly when left alone. Michelle's marriage broke up, and their household situation changed drastically from one with multiple dogs and step-children to just the two of them. She also worries that Sunshine could become a fear-biter. Cesar tells her that since she is not calm and balanced, Sunshine is not calm and balanced. Michelle understands immediately and totally commits to re-training herself so that Sunshine can be happier. Cesar teaches her to master the walk with consistency. Sunshine improved noticeably while they walked, and Cesar explains that now that Sunshine is not in control of the situation, she can relax and enjoy the walk and not feel the need to act dominant. Michelle is elated and believes she can now have a life again.
A Puzzle Named Pepsi Marcela and Bartolo Gonzalez have a German Shepherd named Pepsi and a Himalayan cat named Kitty Love. Pepsi is quite aggressive toward Kitty Love, which concerns the Gonzalez's. As a member of the camera crew finds out the hard way, Pepsi is also very protective of Marcela. Cesar tells them that Marcela's overprotective behavior with Pepsi generates the same behavior from Pepsi toward her. Cesar points out the escalating progression of behavior: excitement, dominance, and aggression. He likens Pepsi's behavior to that of a jealous man-Pepsi is possessive of Marcela, which may well cause Pepsi to bite. Cesar gets Marcela to admit that she allows Pepsi to be the leader, and that by overprotecting him she is creating a barrier between Bartolo and Pepsi. They realize that they both need to participate in the relationship with Pepsi. Bartolo works with Pepsi for awhile and both Marcela and Bartolo can see a difference right away. Spaniel Hospital Jacklyn Zeman, star of General Hospital, and her daughters, Lacey Rose and Cassidy Gorden, have a Brittany Spaniel named Goldie, who is aggressive with other female dogs. They've stopped walking her because they have a large yard, and because she is difficult to walk due to the pulling and female dog-aggression. Cesar points out that dogs still need to be walked regularly even if they do have more than adequate space in the house and yard. Cesar also tells them that from Goldie's point of view, she is number one, she controls Jacklyn and the girls, and she will not allow other female dogs to come and control her females. He teaches them how to be the pack leaders and to master the walk. Jacklyn has a problem getting Goldie to follow her; she is tense, and dogs will not follow tense energy. They work the problem out and commit to a 45 minute walk every day with Goldie.
Nicki is a highly dog-aggressive Rottweiler who came from a horrible situation in a homeless camp. Kathleen Daniels and her son Donald rescued him and now want to get him past this aggressive behavior so that he can have the life he deserves. Cesar and his wife, Illusion, test Nicki with one of their dogs, and Nicki does quite well. They decide to evaluate him further by taking him to Cesar's Dog Psychology Center. Nicki's calm-submissive behavior away from Kathleen and Donald shows Cesar that they are not consistently demonstrating leadership. Nicki spends two weeks at the Dog Psychology Center learning to be part of a pack and being worked with daily. At the end of the 14 days, Cesar takes Nicki home, along with a few of his new doggie friends; Nicki has no trouble allowing them into his territory.
Percy's Peculiarities Percy is a West Highland White Terrier owned by Diane Engstrom. Percy will not allow anyone to touch his hindquarters, and he absolutely loves to tear up Diane's mail, which comes into the house through a slot in the front door. Cesar bluntly tells her that the problem is her lack of disciplined follow-through with herself and with Percy. Diane questions Cesar regarding possible reasons for Percy's aversion to having his bottom touched. He was checked thoroughly for any physical reason and that was ruled out. Cesar explains that a vaccination or other experience possibly caused him to snap, successfully making the person to back off, teaching Percy that he could control people with that behavior. Cesar then teaches Diane the proper way to walk Percy, making sure that Percy does not lead. For the first part of the walk, the dog needs to walk next to or behind the owner, then later be allowed to sniff and wander. With the usual terrier stubbornness, Percy didn't want to give up shredding the mail, but eventually did learn to sit quietly on lead while the mail drops to the floor.Serving Justice Robert and Elaine Bias's American Pit Bull Terrier, Justice, is quite hyper, destructive and potentially dog-aggressive. She also harasses Smokey, Robert and Elaine's other dog, a retriever/Lab mix. Cesar shows them how to channel her energy into positive activities, initially by walking. Justice shuts down-lying down and refusing to walk. Cesar uses food to encourage Justice to walk nicely, but Robert has more trouble with this. Cesar teaches Robert that using tension on the leash while Justice is tense will not work, but using small tugs unlocks the mindset.
Mixed up Chow Deborah Carmichael, Damon Carr, and Deborah's daughter, Catherine, live with Stewart, a Chow/retriever mix who barks incessantly, and from the families' description, sounds like she has multiple personalities. As always, Cesar starts by teaching them to master the walk. As they are out walking, Cesar introduces three elements that usually cause Stewart great distress: other dogs, children and mail carriers. Cesar's wife and sons, Illusion, Andre and Calvin, and one of their dogs are there to help him. The mail carrier for their street, despite her visible discomfort, also stops and allows Cesar to work with Stewart near her. He tells them how to tactfully prevent people from just walking up and attempting to touch Stewart since she dislikes it. To stop her from the door barking that is so common and annoying, Cesar shows them to put her on leash and correct her when she barks. Hose Dog Johnny and Christine Johnson, have Buddy, a Beagle/American Coonhound mix, who is absolutely terrified of water. Also, their two children, Alexandra and Ryan, can't walk him because he is pretty hyper and pulls badly on leash. Cesar has to resort to running with him to drain some of the energy. While Buddy was a little tired from the running, Cesar exposes him to a running hose, which he eventually accepts. Cesar recommends long daily walks and gradual exposure to water. After three weeks, Cesar returns to deal with Buddy's fear of baths. Ordinarily, Buddy trembles with fear while being bathed so Cesar uses food treats as a positive reinforcement to make the experience easier for Buddy. After the bath is done, Buddy flips out and tries to bite Cesar; Cesar explains that since Buddy couldn't express himself during the bathing process, he needed to vent. Cesar controlled Buddy without giving him attention until Buddy calmed down.
Lucy is a Dalmatian who lives with Caroline Baddour and Ron Gertsch. She is extraordinarily food aggressive, to the point where she snarls and chases her own tail. Cesar begins his work with Lucy by having Caroline give her food; Cesar uses his body to block her from her food bowl and takes control of it. Carolyn is clearly anxious and Cesar tells her that she needs to keep a calm energy with Lucy, because Lucy will sense and feed on Caroline's negative energy. He tells her that if she is worried and anxious about Lucy biting her, she can make it happen. Lucy responds well to this exercise and they move on to walking with her. Claudia and Michael Ortopan have a Red Tick Elizabethan Beagle named Lizzie. Lizzie has worn a deep path in their back yard with compulsive running. She will exhaust herself running in this path. She is also terrified of the trash collection trucks. Cesar tells them that when you adopt from a shelter, you should first take them for a minimum of an hour-long walk for them to get to know you as their new pack leader. Then introduce them into the home. They take Lizzie for a walk and while they are out, a garbage truck comes by; at first Lizzie is frantic, but Cesar teaches her to sit at his side while the truck passes. Cesar returns after two weeks and finds that she has improved, but still needs more mental stimulation, so they get her walking on a treadmill and she soon focuses on this new activity.
Battle of the Boyfriends Anita Eble has a herding mix named Boyfriend, who just happens to hate her human boyfriend, David Kovach. Boyfriend has bitten David twice, but Anita doesn't want to euthanize him as David wants her to. Cesar establishes that Boyfriend was not aggressive in the beginning, but fearful; nurturing that fear can create fear-based aggressive behavior. Boyfriend should not have affection before exercise and discipline. He asks Anita how she reacts to the aggression. She says she screams at Boyfriend. Cesar explains that this does not control aggressive dogs. David reiterates that he thinks Boyfriend should be put down-he doesn't think Anita can follow-though, and that he will be bitten again. Aside, Cesar states that David is blaming the dog, and it's not the dog's fault. It's the responsibility of the owner. He asks David to keep an open mind. Anita is very anxious when Cesar enters Boyfriend's pen and Cesar reminds her that she needs to have a relaxed energy and an assertive approach. Cesar sits with his back to the dog, in order to allow Boyfriend to calm down near him. (It may need to be said here, as in the opening of the show, that one should consult a professional before attempting these techniques.) Once Boyfriend is calm, Cesar has David approach with his own dogs, who are actually the ones to start things. Boyfriend avoids rather than reacts to them. Cesar says that he is not issuing any commands, that it is his energy controlling the behavior. "The presence of a human can actually change the behavior of a dog." Cesar gives Anita homework to practice, and she is very encouraged by Boyfriend's calm behavior with Cesar, and commits to the work ahead. What's It All About, Alfie? Alfie is an English Bull Dog owned by Daisy Fuentes and her fianc, Matt. Daisy is concerned about Alfie's newly-defensive behavior toward visitors to the home. Cesar notes that Daisy's Soft-Coated Wheaton terrier, Rita. is hyper, and Alfie is aggressive, and these behaviors are caused by a lack of exercise and discipline. He says that dogs in the home get affection before anything else, which is backward. This fulfills the human's needs, but not the dog's. People need to remember that dogs are Animal, Dog, Breed, Individual Personality (name), and that dogs will not listen to a non-leader. Cesar first addresses the door issue, and shows Daisy to first stop the escalation by getting Alfie's attention, causing him to calm down, and then sending him to his "place." He also shows her how to take control of toys, and again, a Bull Dog makes Cesar work for it. He gets Alfie to give up the toy on command, and then Daisy tries it-without success! He brings it to Cesar instead. Cesar explains that it will take time and practice to re-gain a position (pack-leader) that was given up long ago.
Humping Daisy Daisy is a yellow Lab who lives with Marlene and Randy Benda and their two children. Daisy humps the kids, rushes the door and generally is hyper when the children's friends are visiting. Cesar notices that the Bendas encourage and empower their children, which is good, but they are doing the same thing with Daisy, which is not so good. They all go out into the back yard where Cesar works with Daisy. When they reenter the house, Cesar steps on her leash to hold her in place until she becomes calm and the family is able to enter the house first. Daisy's obedience training really helps the family to reach the next step in gaining psychological control. Horsing Around Rachelle Wyse has a three-year-old Golden Retriever/Sheltie mix named Sophie who chases and nips at the heels of the horses at the ranch where Rachelle keeps her horse, Jack. Cesar draws the connection of being in control of the horse without being mean, and relates that to how the relationship with a dog should be. He says that here in America we have humanized our dogs to an unhealthy degree, which is not fair to the dog. They take Jack into the arena to work out, and Cesar shows her how to stop Sophie from her escalating behavior of chasing and nipping at Jack. Cesar directs Sophie out of the arena and notes to Rachelle that he is not using Sophie's name while giving her directions; that her name is only used for a positive experience. He recommends a 45-minute power walk daily, and that she teach Sophie to respect Jack's space while he is exercising.
