After recently getting a dog, I started to look into the various books on training and dog obedience to further educate myself. It’s hard to look at what’s out there without running into…one man…who, when dog’s go bad is their best friend….he “rehabilitates dogs and trains people”….he is…Cesar Millan…THE DOG WHISPERER!

He has many books and can be seen regularly on the National Geographic channel taking on problematic dogs and showing their owners how to correct them. The show is a bit formulaic and repetitive, but overall it’s entertaining and educational. It reminds me of Supernanny, but for dogs.

Some people don’t like him because his tactics can sometimes seem harsh and every now and then, he even employs the *dreaded* Alpha Roll. Personally, I think he’s great and agree with his key principles of training: Exercise, Discipline and Affection (in that order).

Let me explain each:

• Exercise: According to Cesar, this is the most important. Dogs need exercise to burn off pent-up energy and satisfy a migration instinct. It also serves to show you are leader by how you control the walk.
• Discipline: Dogs need to know who is the leader in every family (or pack). They are happy and comfortable being at the bottom of the chain as long as they know the roles. If they do not see a clear leader they will try to become it.
• Affection: Dogs generally get enough affection. Usually they get too much and it causes them to question who the leader is. The affection just needs to be balanced with exercise and discipline.

We have had great success applying these principles and techniques to our dog. In fact, I think these principles could be applied equally well to people to keep them happy and balanced.

For example, I notice that I’m generally much happier when I’m able to get regular exercise and burn off steam than on days when I don’t get a lot of exercise. The same is true for the kids. Every now and then they need to be forced (for their own good) to get off the Wii and run around the backyard to burn off energy.

As for discipline, this has to do with rules and boundaries. One of the lessons from the Supernanny-type shows and many child-rearing books is that kids need rules and boundaries. Kids without any boundaries walk all over their parents and are generally a menace to their families. As people age, they need a different kind of boundaries that I would call worldview. They need to know what’s important to them, what they believe and what principles will guide their lives.

Lastly, affection is a given. Babies need it from birth and throughout our lives we long for affection in order to be happy.

Maybe that’s why dogs are man’s best friend. While there are obvious differences, they share many of the same core needs as people and it’s in those similarities that we can relate to them.

“We have to use exercise, discipline and affection every day. Most of the time people share affection, affection, affection, and that creates frustration. In a powerful breed, that’s going to lead him into aggression. So exercise and discipline play a big role in balance.”
-Cesar Millan