This page is dedicated to Cesar Millan (The dog whisperer) - who is my hero.

 
Cesar has saved my (Blue Heeler) dog, Kie Kie from being put down more than once.
Mistakes I made when I applied herd psychology to her instead of understanding dog psychology.  Kie Kie turned red zone dog aggressive - along with biting and attacking the horses.  Reading/watching Cesar allowed me to make huge progress with her from her lack of her social skills and my lack of leadership.  I have her under control now with the horses and working very hard with her dog aggression and hope to say some day - I am successful with her.
Cesar explains in detail the use of energy and the owners responsibility - all what we can positively use in our daily life and in training horses.  His ultimate goal is to create balance - what we and our horses need, daily.   

His web site is  www.cesarsway.com, I hope you get a chance to watch his show even if you're not a dog lover.

I get so much out of the shows how they relate to our general life and how it has allowed me to improve my training with horses.     THANKS Cesar !!!!    Ellie

IT IS MY LIFETIME GOAL to meet Cesar in person as what he does applies so much to the style of horse training/lifestyle I do.  I booked tickets to Rosemont Theatre only 3 1/2  hours away Dec 4th 2009.  I so hope I get a chance to see Daddy and Jr. 
I have had the opportunity to have spent the majority of my learning from Buck Brannaman and the absolute privilege to have rode and learned from the Masters - Tom Dorrance & Ray Hunt (the founding fathers of "natural" training). 

It would be a thrill of a lifetime if I got to shake Cesar's hand or have my picture taken with him as I consider Cesar a Master in Dog training -  besides...  Cesar has more than saved my dog, of what I have learned from him.  

Mark says it best how I feel about Cesar...

Notes from Mark Radshid Website

Three days after returning from New Zealand in December of last year, Mark had shoulder surgery. While he was recovering, we got the chance to watch a lot of TV. More than we had in probably the whole year. As many of you know, there is not a whole lot on TV, and even less during the day. Except that week, when Mark was lying around, we found that the National Geographic Channel was running Cesar Millan's  Dog Whisperer, as a marathon.   Now, Mark and I don't have a lot of spare time, and we hadn't ever really paid attention to TV.  And we didn't know who Cesar Millan was -though we do now. 

Mark says, What I noticed about Cesar was that there are a lot of parallels between what he does with dogs, and what we do with horses. Specifically, the use of energy, the stress on calmly and consistently maintaining boundaries and the focus on the dog reaching a calm, balanced state of mind as opposed to a worried or frantic state of mind.  Another similarity we noticed was that many of the really troubled dogs that were being brought to Cesar (like some of the horses that are brought to us), are exhibiting behaviors that if had been dealt with when the animal showed early signs of it, would have taken almost nothing to redirect to a more positive behavior.  Because the behavior had gone on for an extended period of time-sometimes years-by the time the dog got to him, it was either frantic, dangerous or both. The measures Cesar took to help the dog were very direct and to the point.  Although he obviously has methods and principles he follows, he dealt with each dog as an individual. 

Another similarity I noticed between his work with dogs and ours with horses is that he was as soft as he could be with each dog.  It may not have been as soft as he wanted to be, but it was important for him to be as effective as possible, as quickly as possible. While we don't necessarily agree with the language that he is using, the results he gets transcend language.  What I mean by that is that the dog understood what was happening, understood what he was looking for and ultimately returned to a learning frame of mind. The behavior that caused the dog to be frantic or worried or dangerous changed to him being calmer and in a state of mind that was much easier to deal with for everyone involved. At that point, it was easier for the dog to learn a different, more positive behavior.
From my own perspective, I think Cesar is clear, has a thorough knowledge of dogs, and gives sound, practical advice to the dogs owners.  It is also obvious (to me, at least) that he really likes what he does. In every episode we watched (and there were a lot of them), he kept a calm balanced state of mind no matter if he was walking a dog or if the dog was biting him. He remained calm whether the owners took an active interest in what he was saying, or had some sort of aversion to it. In other words, he practices (at least on the show) what he teaches.  Mark and I spend a fair amount of time not only honing our skills with horses, but seeking to understand people better as well. We have both been teaching long enough to know when someone is feeling how they say they are feeling.  It seems to me that it would be very difficult to fake a calm, balanced state of mind. I also like the fact that Cesar posts a notice that the method he is showing is not the ONLY method, and that the viewer should seek out something that feels right for them and their dog. We guess that in the end, it matters less what training method is being adhered to and more that the person has the animals best interest in mind. What matters is, that we can give the animal the help it needs at a time when it will be most beneficial.  What matters is keeping our calm balanced mind, even at times when it seems others have lost theirs.
So, after having said all this, we want to add that this is in no way an endorsement or criticism of Cesar Millan, his show, or his work. Rather, both Mark and I were struck by how similar the principles he uses with dogs are to the principles that have been guiding Mark his whole life in working with horses. It was an interesting experience to witness these principles at work in another species, and hear the rationale behind them from someone we have never met.     

We are all talking about the human becoming the leader.  Being clear and fair, attaining a calm state of mind-for both human and animal.