WHO’S THE GOOD HUMAN?
MANY OF US ADOPTED DOGS DURING QUARANTINE. NOW, CÉSAR MILLÁN TRAINS US HOW TO BE THE BEST OWNERS.
WHEN THE stay-at-home orders began in mid-March, many Americans headed to animal shelters to either foster or adopt adorable dogs.
Shelters normally faced with the task of euthanizing animals because their kennels were overflowing were able to report that cages were nearly bare.
Dog trainer to the stars and animal behaviorist César Millán — you know him as the “Dog Whisperer” — has no doubt that the dogs were fostered or adopted into loving homes. His question is whether these new pet parents are committed to the long-term task of caring for their new family members, a commitment that requires more discipline and mental stimulation than a steady diet of kisses and treats.
In May, L.A. municipal animal shelter officials said they were worried about a resurgence in pet drop-offs, in part because of COVID-19 job losses that have made it difficult for people to afford pets. Los Angeles Animal Services announced June 3 that it was opening two pet food pantries. Assistance is by appointment only at the shelters in Chesterfield Square and East Valley.
Adopting a dog to keep you company in isolation “is like getting married for all the wrong reasons or having children for the wrong reasons,” said Millán. “When the human response is to think of yourself first, then the outcome in the future is not going to be good.”
If someone has a puppy and that puppy is a problem, “then the owner wasn’t honest from the beginning,” Millán said. “People say: ‘I’m going to get a puppy. I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I want to care for them for 13 or 14 years, and I don’t know how much it will cost ... I just know I want a puppy.’ Dogs hold on to honor, integrity, loyalty, trust, respect and love ... so that puppy knew the moral code was broken from the moment it was adopted.”
Dogs are pack animals that instinctively look for a leader, and if their humans don’t provide leadership, the dogs get confused and lose respect, especially if their bad behaviors are rewarded.
“Humans are the only species who follow unstable leaders,” said Millán, who trains dogs at his Santa Clarita ranch. “Dogs live in a way that’s natural, simple and profound. If your energy is not aligned — if you live in chaos and are not calm — they will not follow you. They’ll learn to live with it, but that doesn’t mean they’re OK.”
For instance, he said, if your dog jumps on you, you can interpret that as, “Oh, my dog loves me,” but eventually it’s going to be a problem. Dogs need boundaries, Millán said, but “if your energy is off, if you’re not calm and full of love and joy, they can ignore you.”
Dogs basically have three reactions, he said — fight, flight (or avoidance) and submission or surrender. Submission is what you want, because nobody listens when they’re in fight or flight mode. “When Oprah is on TV, all those woman are in the surrender state,” Millán said. “That’s the most powerful state of mind, because you’re listening, surrendering to information. It’s what people call ‘openminded.’ ”
Millán worries that many new dog owners don’t know these things and that they may be getting frustrated with their pets because of pesky behaviors or the time it takes to walk them every day. Maybe the owners are beginning to return to work, and their dogs are causing trouble at home, especially when left alone.
The trick, Millán said, isn’t in training the dogs but ourselves. “I train people,” he said, “and rehabilitate dogs. I try to bring consciousness to the humans.”
Americans tend to smother their dogs with affection. That makes the owners happy but doesn’t do much for their pets. “Dogs in Third World countries are skinny, but they don’t have psychological problems,” Millán said. “My clients all have empathy — love is not the problem. But they’re not giving their dogs any exercise or mental stimulation.”
In fact, he said, the quarantine has given us a glimpse of what life was like for our dogs pre-pandemic, when they were inside all day while we were away. “But they never said, ‘I’m quitting. I don’t want to live with you. I’m going to send you to a shelter because you’re boring.’ They know how to adapt and they suck it up, regardless of how inconsistent you are, unconscious you are and how much you don’t know.”
Bottom line: The biggest problem with problem dogs is their owners, said Millán. But don’t lose heart. You can turn things around by putting a dog’s needs first — body, mind and heart, a.k.a. exercise, discipline and affection — in that order.
“That’s how the Marines do it. That’s how Olympians do it,” Millán said. “The celebration happens after the body and mind have been taken care of.”