2024 will mark the 140th anniversary of the television career of legendary dog trainer César Millàn (20 years if you are human). First introduced as Dog WhispererMillan’s latest National Geographic Series – César Millàn: Better man, better dog – makes an important distinction in its title and reminds pet owners that they too need training to change their pet’s behavior. Season 5 of Better person, better dog started last night on Nat Geo with two new episodes every Friday until September 6th. To celebrate the day, I had the pleasure of speaking to César Millàn about new professional challenges after twenty years, the special case that opens the new season, and the stories that really touched him.
(National Geographic)
Alex: You have been on television for over 20 years, showing your work with dogs. Were there any new challenges this season, cases that you hadn’t seen before or that really caused you problems?
Cesar Millan: You know, I’ve experienced aggression, fear and escape avoidance – that’s how I can sum up the problems. Of course, fight is aggression, escape is fear and avoidance means the dog doesn’t listen to me or destroys the house. But this season I met a dog named Brunello. (His owner) entered into this relationship because she wanted a dog with some kind of disability, so she chose a beautiful white boxer. This boxer developed blindness, deafness and also had a neurological problem, but he also developed aggression. So imagine those three obstacles before I even get to aggression, right? All the dogs I’ve rehabilitated didn’t have disabilities. So Brunello will definitely be one of my greatest accomplishments, helping a dog with genetic problems and then blindness and deafness. That’s definitely something I’m very proud of, and it’s taken me so long to meet someone like Brunello. I’m about to turn 55, so I have to develop this wonderful energy, this wonderful philosophy and these wonderful actions over the years to overcome such a challenge. But I did it.
Alex: Yes, you did it! I saw the episode. It was beautiful and you got quite emotional in that episode. How often does it happen that a dog’s story or case touches your heart like that?
Cesar Millan: There are special dogs. Some people are very special. They touch your heart, your soul, your instinct, your mind. And it’s the same in the world of dogs. They come to you to release certain energies, to help you grow. And Brunello definitely touched my heart. I cried. I didn’t know why I was crying, but I had to cry. He triggered that, and I triggered his well-being, and he triggered that cleansing that I experience with dogs every now and then. I connect spiritually, instinctively, emotionally, and mentally. I have a process of how I connect. And that’s why I allow myself to be vulnerable with them. They do something for me, and I do something for them. It’s mutual help. As soon as I need to release energy, the respective dog comes into my life. I can help, and they can help me.
Alex: Many people knew you as Dog Whispererbut what I love about your current show is that the title says it all – that the human, the pet owner, needs to be trained too. Better person, better dogHave you had significantly more success in getting pet owners to accept your message because the title of the show makes that clear?
Cesar Millan: You know, when I started, people were told to train the dog. So that’s what people were thinking about 20 years ago. And then I came in and said, “No, it’s not the dog; it’s the human behind the dog.” So I became the one who changed our mindset. It took a long time for people to say, “You’re right. If my energy is wrong, my philosophy is wrong, and my actions are wrong, then what can I expect from my dog? So I need to become a better human. That means I need to pay attention to my energy, my mindset, and my actions.” But that took a long time because everyone was trained to send the dog away, assuming that someone would fix it for them, like a refrigerator. People learned to think that a dog was an accessory or some kind of mechanical thing, and sent it away. But now people are more aware of that – yes, my energy affects my home, my relationships, and also blocks manifestation. Now people are listening from all over. I’ve been saying for 20 years that I train people and rehabilitate dogs, so we’re in a good time where people are taking responsibility, especially with dogs, because they don’t rationalize. So I think we’re in a good time, in 2024, where people are taking full responsibility for why the dog is misbehaving.
Alex: In the season premiere with Brunello, his owner mentions that she worked with several professional dog trainers before you came into the picture, but you’re the first to recognize some of her dog’s sensory issues. How often do you find that the people who come to you for help have already tried another dog trainer who wasn’t right for them?
Cesar Millan: The thing is that even you as a human, if you have other things blocking you, you don’t need training; you need healing. You need to be healed. Your spirit needs to be healed, your body needs to be healed, your heart needs to be healed, and then your mind gets healed, and then you get clear. So that means you gain trust, respect, and love for yourself, and then you can be trained. If the dog doesn’t feel trust, if the dog doesn’t feel respected, he’s not going to feel the love. So how in the world is he going to learn anything if he doesn’t feel the basics of life? Because I always say, “No, no, first trust, then respect, then love. Trust, respect, love.” And then the dog says, “Oh, that human knows my ears, that human knows I need peace, that human knows I need peace.” So I provide the energies that allow the dog to feel safe. For you as a child to learn, you need to feel safe, peaceful, and loved. Then you can ask yourself, “What else can I learn?” The same is true with a dog. So if you ignore the mind, the instinct, the heart, and just want the mind to listen, the dog will say, “No, that doesn’t work for me. Maybe it works for people, but it doesn’t work for me.”
Alex: In your decades-long career as a professional dog trainer, are there things you still learn when dealing with these dogs? What I found really interesting about the Brunello episode was that the chain leash was part of what increased Brunello’s anxiety on these walks.
Cesar Millan: It’s funny, isn’t it? He was 80% deaf but could hear that exact sound and that exact sound made him aggressive. He was blind and snapping at everything. He didn’t care, he was hurting himself. So that’s something I’ve always done – being observant and in tune. I live on a ranch so I spend a lot of time in silence and quiet and observing the little things that an animal needs to see so we can help them. They’re so sensitive, the little things trigger them. If I lived in the city I wouldn’t be able to see that because I’d be overwhelmed by what’s overwhelming the dog. For me it’s more about learning how to help. For example, when I travel to different parts of the world I learn more about people because people also learn through tradition. The Germans learn differently than the English, the English learn differently than the Singaporeans. I’ll teach the same thing but with people it has to be different. But with dogs it is the same, even if the dog lives in Russia. I will just communicate, make contacts, have a good relationship, but I don’t have to learn Russian and I don’t have to learn traditions either. So what I learn – because Better person, better planet, better person, better dog – is how to help the whole world, and the whole world is influenced by its own traditions. That’s what I’m focusing on at the moment – how to become a better people whisperer.
Alex: Thank you for your time and thank you for dedicating your life to making us all better people so we can get along better with our dogs.
Don’t miss Season 5 of César Millàn: Better man, better dog. The schedule for this season is listed below. The new episodes will be released Disney+ And Hulu at a later time:
- A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FOR CÉSAR – Premiering August 16 at 8pm – César provides much-needed red zone rehab to an aggressively over-the-top white boxer named Brunello, who is violently triggered by all kinds of sacks.
- CHOOSING THE PERFECT DOG – Premiering August 16 at 9 p.m. – A teacher needs César’s guidance to tame her hot mess dog Millie. Ramona searches for the perfect mate for her son Roman.
- FOIL FRENZY – Premiering August 16 at 10pm – A Shetland Sheepdog rounds up his owners when they use aluminum foil and garbage bags. César helps a family whose golden retriever is attacking other dogs.
- PROTECTION VS. AFFECTION – Premiering August 23 at 8pm – César rehabilitates an overprotective dog who is nervous due to his mother’s past trauma and an overexcited puppy whose parents lack guidance.
- LIFE-SAVING MATCH – Premiering August 23 at 9 p.m. – César brings a dog recovering from an accident to a new owner and helps another family with a territory-defending pooch.
- EXPLOSIVE SHEPHERDS – Premiering August 23 at 10pm – César works with four-year-old German Shepherds Rain and Thunder, whose energy is too much for him, then tries to temper Milo’s bite.
- DON’T BLAME THE BREED – Premiering August 30 at 8 p.m. – A protective pet owner mistakenly trains a pit bull to target grooming objects. César wants to help, but the pet owner’s affection becomes an obstacle.
- ADOPTION PLAYBOOK – Premiering August 30 at 9 p.m. – César helps an active young couple find the perfect dog and helps a professional football coach’s rescue dog suffering from separation anxiety.
- LOVE BITES – Premiering August 30 at 10 p.m. – Dilly is a Chihuahua mix whose aggressive behavior toward men causes pet owner Kim to feel isolated in her romantic endeavors.
- RELEASE THE BEAST – Premiering September 6 at 8 p.m. – César helps a family regain the trust of their Rottweiler under house arrest, and a pet mother struggles with her social life due to her aggressive Pom Terrier.
- THE GORILLA IN US – Premiering September 6 at 9pm – César helps a laid-back pet dad find his “gorilla energy” to guide his Irish Setter, who is at the back of the pack and has bitten three family members.
- WHEN PANIC ATTACKS COME – Premiering September 6 at 10 p.m. – César helps a mother with an overprotective Great Dane mix and a couple with an overexcited dog who is obsessed with fetching things.
