Why I Like Cesar Millan: The Dog Whisperer

I like Caesar Millan because he has an organic, natural approach to dog behavior conditioning. He asks the right questions! Imo, someone who asks the “right” questions is a very AWARE and INTELLIGENT individual.

Caesar lives by the habit, “first seek to UNDERSTAND before being UNDERSTOOD.” This is the humble way.

One of the problems of education is to know a lot about a lot, but understand little about anything in particular.

I have played drums since a child. When I started out I was a rock drummer influenced by John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and Terry Bozzio of Missing Persons. I played in pop rock bands. Then I saw Steve Smith do a drum solo with the band Journey.

Everything changed after that. Being curious, I could not understand what he did. I was blown away at what I experienced.

This led me to explore bands outside my pop/rock box. That led to fusion music which led to studying odd time signatures, working on my chops (drum rudiments), and trying to play complex music. I became a fan of Tony Williams, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Dave Weckl.

Now I was lost. I could NOT play simple rock music anymore because I was so aware of all I learned. It was too boring! Instead of serving the song in pop music, I tried to create complex rhythms that got in the way.

Playing the drums wasn’t fun anymore. I couldn’t seem to fuse the two schools of rock drumming with fusion drumming. I wasn’t good enough to play in a fusion band, but wanted to play fusion styles in a rock band.

Can you say conflict of interests?

This is what happens when we get too involved with similar subject matter and never fully develop either one. Or, you get bored with one, but never fully develop the other.

Back to dogs…

Cesar reminds me of the proverbial Latin drummer that grew up in Cuba hearing the organic rhythms of the land as a child. Then when he started to play drums, he was programmed from childhood with an authentic Cuban understanding of its rhythms.

Most drummers don't have this privilege, so they buy a book titled, “Learn to Play Cuban Rhythms.” This does NOT make you an authentic player. Most drummers memorize a few patterns and naively think they now have the style mastered.

In a word…NOT!

There are so many dog training/conditioning theories developed from a HUMAN point of view first. These are those who study dogs and have been trained in psychology. Their developmental understanding was not from living among dogs as a child, but studying human behavior first. Then they try to transfer human psychology to dogs.

I have a degree in psychology. It is natural to take what you know and apply it to what you do not know. However...this does not mean you are on a path to success. I was asking the WRONG questions because my background was not organic.

I had to humble myself, stand outside the box and ask,
"Is this natural and balanced?"

One can make Rover sit, jump, and roll over…but that does NOT mean the dog is balanced at all.

As a former school teacher, I taught 4^th grade. With a Jolly Rancher candy, I could get students to do just about anything as long as I dangled the candy in front of them.

This does NOT equal respect!

When a teacher or parent has RESPECT,
they do not need to bribe. Simple as that.

A student, child, or dog that respects the authority figure will feel safe and secure. This foundation allows them to act with a desire to please from the heart, not from the head or desire to “get something.”

This is nature’s way, respect for the leader.

In the classroom it is the teacher.

In the home the parent.

In the dog world, the pack leader.

Once respect is developed, the training is easy to do. The dog WANTS to please the pack leader. How do you know there is respect?

In a word…OBEDIENCE.

If the dog respects you as pack leader, it will obey what it already knows. The dog will NOT walk in front of you. It will NOT pee in your house. It will NOT push when it is time for feeding. It will NOT pull during walks. It will NOT ask you to come to him, but he will always come to you.

Caesar goes back to the organic way of how dogs live in the context of the pack. He asks the right questions and then transfers this to the way dogs are naturally hardwired.

Dogs cannot change how they are hardwired,
humans must change!

Respect takes time and effort and that really seems to be the main issue with American families.Well, we reap what we sow. Simple as that. How many people on their death bed will say, "Gee, I wish I spent more time watching football or buying shoes?"

The simple test is this...look at your wallet, your refrigerator, and your home. What pictures do you have displayed?

I doubt one of them is a football or a pair of shoes.

Our hearts don't cry when we lose a football...