‘ Whisperer’: Dog issues often linked to people
Cesar Millan, who spent the first pivotal years of his life on a farm in rural Mexico, initially gained prominence as a dog behaviorist with the TV show “Dog Whisperer.”
The series, which ran for nine seasons, remains in rotation on Nat Geo Wild, where his new show, “Dog Nation,” will premiere tonight.
The new show — co-hosted by Millan’s son, Andre — will focus on helping organizations that are helping dogs and on showcasing canine heroes.
Besides “Dog Nation,” the elder Millan, 47, also has a new book: “Cesar Millan’s Lessons From the Pack,” a collection of stories about the dogs that have shaped his outlook on life.
“The new book is about really understanding how dogs view the world,” he said.
Yet it also represents an unexpectedly forthcoming memoir offering a glimpse into areas of his personal life rarely seen on his TV shows, including a dissolution of his marriage and his recovery from the resulting depression.
Millan recently talked about dogs and other topics.
Why do you think people interact differently with their dogs?
The formula is: exercise, discipline, affection. Or: body, mind, heart. But my clients do: affection, affection, affection. And by doing that, they’re focusing on their needs only, and, unconsciously, they enter into a very selfish fulfillment in that relationship and only one side gets the benefit.
So man’s best friend becomes a very unstable friend — and this unstable friend, a lot of the time, is brought into a shelter because he doesn’t behave the way you thought he should. But you don’t realize that you made him that way.
Is that an American thing?
It’s a modern thing, the modern world — so Europe, the U.K. Anybody that has some sort of money is going to have those problems.
In Third World countries, people don’t have problems with dogs. No. 1, nobody has leashes on their dogs. You see dogs in the streets and people think, “Oh, God!” but those dogs get to have a normal life, meaning they use their own way of learning about life and they’re not dictated by walls or when the human is going to walk them. So, yes, they’re skinny, but they don’t have psychological problems.
You know, people come to the United States because of opportunities, and opportunities lead you to money — and to chasing money. That’s one great thing about America: The fact that everybody wants more and more and more, it generates an energy. It’s what helps the economy grow.
The only thing about America is, America needs to learn to calm down. . . . America doesn’t know how to be calm, so that transfers to the dogs.
Do you feel more Mexican or American? Or equal parts Mexican and American?
For me, Mexico is Mother — that’s where I learned instincts and spirituality and tradition. And the United States for me is the place where I understood emotions. America gave me access to being able to cry. Because here, it’s OK for a man to be in touch with his emotional side. In Mexico, that’s almost forbidden. As a man, they make you suppress emotion. And in a relationship, that can come across as harsh.
That’s why dogs were so therapeutic for me because I was able to be emotional with them. I was able to be me.
In the book you talk about how you have a relatively small “at home” pack right now. Why so few dogs?
My life changed. It went from 65 dogs when I started —
Wait, 65? In your home?
Yes! I didn’t have the Dog Psychology Center at that time. When I started my profession, I had an Astrovan and that was my mobile kennel. So half of the dogs would be in there, half would be in the apartment with me. I had to be creative; I was married with a kid at that point — with 65 dogs.
I used to charge $10 per dog, which is nothing, but I was illegal at that time so I couldn’t raise the price. Half of the dogs were rescues, half were paying clients, so it was karma bank and U.S. bank. Those rescues all found homes. It was only later that I opened my first Dog Psychology Center in South Central L.A.
You really are the quintessential immigrant story. Does it feel uncomfortable right now, living in a world where immigrants aren’t being celebrated?
Look, I talk about rules, boundaries and limitations, and 100 percent I understand that whenever you go to another part of the world, you have to go through immigration.
But what’s happening right now, we have to remember that immigrants are human and we’re all looking for opportunity. We have amazing creativity and positive energy to offer. And we have this high level of gratitude — when you give a job to somebody who is so grateful, it touches your heart, not just your wallet. So being an immigrant comes with a lot of great things that are needed, because the world has become so cold, so distrusting.
You talk in the book about crossing the Rio Grande illegally. Uh-huh, yeah. If there were a wall, that probably wouldn’t have happened.
Listen, you can build a wall from here to the sky. Necessity is the mother of invention. Somebody will find a way. It won’t be as easy, but it’s not impossible.
Was it difficult for you to become a citizen because you did not come legally?
No, what was difficult for me was the marriage.
Your ex-wife is a U.S. citizen — that’s how you got your citizenship?
That’s right — but that’s not why we got married! (In the book he talks about getting married after his ex-wife unexpectedly became pregnant with Andre.)
Do you let your dogs sleep in the bed with you?
(Firmly) Yes. And I’m glad you asked me that question because that’s a big misunderstanding. There’s nothing wrong with inviting your dog onto the couch or your bed. You don’t see it in Third World countries because you sleep on the floor or on hammocks, and dogs don’t like hammocks. On the farms, they’re not even allowed inside.
But about the bed, think about it this way: It’s inviting versus invading. When a dog does it on his own, then he is going to choose where to sit, and if you try to move him, you get (makes a growling sound) — that’s because he claimed it. So, you get in the bed first. Have the dog wait, and then invite him.