I recently started watching episodes of the Dog Whisperer.
If you don’t know who the dog whisperer, Cesar Millan, is, then I must ask where have you been all these years.
When episodes of the Dog Whisperer first started to appear on TV, I would coincidently start watching because it started immediately after a previous tv show I was watching had finished. Back then, my idea of a guy whispering to dogs wasn’t a topic that interested me in the slightest.
I may have watched a few minutes of the Dog Whisperer episodes, but I would have eventually resorted to switching over the channel. I had never watched a full-length dog episode until 2020. Yup, January 2020, to be precise, is when I watched a full thirty minutes.
They say when the student is ready, the teacher appears. I think my decision to finally pay attention to Cesar Millan’s work is a true reflection of this statement. I’m ready.
I have some family members who are afraid of dogs, so I decided to watch one of his videos on YouTube when I was looking into how people can overcome the fear of dogs. I watched a Cesar Millan interview with Lee Hawkins, from which I gained so much insight into how a dog potentially perceives humans and the human world.
The way Cesar Millan explained the nature of dogs and their relationship with humans was remarkable. In the video, he went on to unravel the human-to-dog relationship dynamic and how it should be structured. He also went on to give advice about how people can overcome their fear of dogs. He uses a narrative approach that makes it easy for someone learning from him to understand and implement the actions he suggests.
Cesar Millan’s personality transcends his profession. He certainly has an extroverted, eccentric personality that leaves a lasting impression on people he interacts with. His character has also made a feature appearance on the dog whisperer South Park episode, emphasizing my point that Cesar Millan transcends his profession. This is a characteristic that all exceptional people in their field of expertise possess. Take a look at the likes of Michael Jordan, David Beckham, Tiger Woods, Muhammed Ali, or Steve Jobs, and the list goes on and on. Furthermore, Cesar Millan has made the phrase “dog whisperer” synonymous with the ability to communicate with dogs. He is almost like your real-life Doctor Doolittle for dogs.
Cesar Millan’s reaction to the dog whisperer South Park episode
The phrase dog whisperer is now so packed with connotations of a person possessing the ability to understand, tame, train, and handle dogs, to the extent that dog trainers calling themselves the dog whisperer are popping up all over the world. A google search revealed one so-called dog whisperer in the UK.
I wasn’t surprised to discover that this was not Cesar Millan; furthermore, this UK dog whisperer does not have any association or affiliation to Cesar Millan. Yet the UK dog whisperer is a dog trainer who has exceptionally good Google reviews for the service he has provided, resulting in an average rating of 4.9 stars. The comments that dog whisperer UK received from clients can be seen in some of the customer review snippets below.
I’m very happy with the 2 sessions we did with my 2 German Shepherds rescue dogs. They changed their behavior big time. Thank you, Bruce. I would recommend him to everyone. made a big difference to how they behaved, and importantly how we behaved to communicate with them (food bribery!). The way he handles dogs is pretty amazing. Sometimes we’d go out with him with 10 or 12 dogs, round Nonsuch Park, most of them off the leash, but all controlled and loving it. Quite an experience! Ultimately we never quite got ours to calm down as much as we’d hoped, but I suspect that was as much down to us not following Bruce’s advice as to their wild side. You have to commit to following the rules yourself! Recommended.
Bruce spent time ( so much patience) to help her overcome not only her fear of men but also her fear of life. My baby has transformed into a wonderful socially outgoing little mischievous ball of fun, and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The one true dog whisperer
It may seem like I’m rambling about other so-called dog whisperers, but I’m going somewhere with this, so please be patient with me. I reached a decision to get a dog and started doing preparatory research. Prior to this decision, I had encountered Cesar Millan’s work and celebrity personality, but his work didn’t resonate with me. I saw him as the guy who was just simply good at handling dogs.
I may have even thought that his work was slightly gimmicky or that he had, through persistence, mastered the skills of dog handling, but how wrong was I? I confess that I may have previously underrated and undervalued Cesar Milan’s gift. That’s right; I believe Cesar has a gift for handling and forming bonds with dogs.
The point I really want to emphasize is that for a person to transcend their field of expertise, a musician their musical genre, and an artist their craft, they must have done something remarkable, or must be doing something exceptional. So what does this say about Cesar Millan, who I believe is the one true dog whisperer?
First, he has definitely done some remarkable things, and he continues to do remarkable things with his work. Secondly, I now understand and strongly believe that the ability Cesar Millan possesses with dogs is innate and intertwined within who he is as a person.
Now that I’ve finished my preamble, the questions I pose goes something like, “Is Cesar Millan’s work authentic? Can he really do what he says he can do?” My answer to that is yes and yes. I’ve started watching more Dog Whisperer episodes and continue to be amazed by the way he compassionately handles and trains dogs.
In one of the Dog Whisperer episodes, I witnessed Cesar Millan being bitten by a dog. If you were in that position, what would you do? I know what I would do if I were in the presence of a dog that looked like it wanted to attack me, let alone biting me. This amazing dog whisperer was bitten by the dog and just continued to try and build a positive bridge to this dog.
Simply wow. Macho man epitomized. This response by Millan takes the definition of macho to another level. The guy got bitten by a dog and acted as if it was just a scratch, as if nothing had happened. That’s a big thumbs up and round of applause, especially because he was able to eventually positively bond with the dog. I conclude to say Cesar Millan’s work is impressive and one-hundred percent authentic.
Another thing I’ve learned from Cesar Millan and the dog whisperer training methods he uses is the ability to use a limited amount of vocals to communicate with dogs. His approach is based on the sensing and application of energy, and dog pack dynamics to instill behavioral, temperament lessons into dogs.
He also uses a human parent to dog dynamic to demonstrate how a dog should be handled by a human. If you haven’t seen the Dog Whisperer, I would recommend watching his YouTube videos to get some tips on how to manage or handle dogs. He also has his own website, https://www.cesarsway.com/, which serves as a good resource to learn about dog parenting.
My desire to understand Cesar Millan the person led me into researching his life story. Based on my findings, I came to the conclusion that Cesar Millan was born to do what he does. One of the things that amazed me was the stories and pictures of him walking with a pack of unleashed dogs.
Can you, for a second, just try and picture this? When a young Cesar would walk around, packs of dogs would follow him home. Some of the interesting facts about Cesar Millan and his relationship with dogs started from an early age, where he seemed to possess an almost esoteric ability and knowledge of dog handling that was passed down through generations of his family.
The rise of Cesar Millan, dog whisperer
The bold and daring Cesar smuggled himself into the USA from Mexico. On his arrival in the USA, he didn’t understand a word of English. He slept rough for a while, but eventually got a job as a dog groomer. From there, he quickly grew his reputation as someone who could handle dogs. He then started working for Will Smith and Jada Pinkett, the Hollywood power couple. The couple decided to help Millan by sponsoring his English lessons. His relationship with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett facilitated the growth of his name and celebrity to the extent that his name started appearing in more influential circles.
There is a saying that goes, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” This saying proves true in the case of Cesar Millan’s rise to fame. His profile grew to the point where he was offered the opportunity to create the Dog Whisperer TV episodes.
Final thoughts
You’ve read this far and probably wondering why I am listing all about the life and times of the one true dog whisperer. Well, my ultimate goal is to learn as much about what is required to take care of a dog, and when I started learning and studying Cesar Millan’s approach, I’ve come to appreciate his work and the amount of value he provides. His work goes a long way in practically helping people that are less experienced with dogs understand a dog’s true nature.
When I started on this journey, I wasn’t even aware of some of the things that I needed to know. I’m now at the stage where the guidance of The One True Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, is helping me understand how the pieces of dog parenting can begin to fit together. Cesar Millan has twenty-five years of expertise as a dog behaviorist, so my opinion is that Cesar Millan, Dog Whisperer, is a perfect inspiration and ideal starting point for anyone who has a keen desire to learn about how to care for and give a dog a fulfilled life.