03x06 - Fighting Fear

[bunniefuu]

CESAR: When my journey
began as the Dog Whisperer,

I taught the world there is
no such a thing as a bad dog.

Today, my message has evolved.

Ssh.

But it's clear that people
and dogs still need help.

WOMAN: The problem is me.

CESAR: He needs rehab like ASAP.

WOMAN: I just don't
want you to get bit.

CESAR: Do you know who I am?

WOMAN: Yeah.

CESAR: Together with
my superhero pack,

our mission is to create
better humans and better dogs,

one pack at a time.

When a dog is k*lled
in a violent fight,

it's a nightmare
for any pet parent.

But when their pack-mate begin
exhibiting the same aggression,

it's very troubling.

Today, I'm heading to Hollywood
to meet a woman who said her

Beagle has become hostile after
witnessing his brother's death.

SIERRA: My name is Sierra.

I live in Hollywood, California.

And my dog Braxton is a
six-year-old Beagle mix.

My mom was walking down the
street and she saw this little

Beagle puppy on the corner.

At that time, I wasn't
looking for a dog,

but I just fell in love
with him immediately.

I love you.

We locked eyes and literally
both friend to each other.

And he jumped in my arms and
I was like, okay, he is mine.

I am a army veteran.

I served six years in
the military and I feel like

Braxton definitely helped me
transition into civilian life.

Braxton is very outgoing,
very friendly,

very just full of life.

And he just knows like when
I'm down or if I need attention,

like, he just
snuggles up with me.

And he's like the friend
that I can like cry on when

I'm having a hard day.

When I got Braxton, I was like,

I wanna get another
dog so they can kind of,

like, grow up together.

I wanted them to be
brothers, you know,

and that's why I got Austin.

Austin and Braxton,

they were like two peas
in a pod, man.

It was magical, like,
seeing them together.

But I literally only had
Austin for two months before

he was attacked.

One day, I let my mom
watch Austin and Braxton.

And my mom has a
big dog named Shiloh.

And when I dropped
Braxton and Austin off,

all three of the dogs,
they seemed to be fine.

And she was like, oh, okay.

Well then, I'm gonna go to
the store and come back.

And when she came
back, she found Austin,

Shiloh had k*lled Austin.

My heart just sunk.

It felt like I lost a child.

Ever since that day, that's
when things really started to

change for Braxton.

No, no, no, no.
Braxton, no.

When Braxton sees another dog...

No!

It's scary.

No, no, no.

Especially huskies,
he cannot stand them.

If his hackles go up, he
starts whining hysterically.

No, no, no.

Then it turns into
growling and then attack.

Braxton, stop it.

It can get really bad.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

The last six years,
it's been draining,

especially when you
wake up in the morning
wanna have a good day,

you take him outside,
and then boom.

He's definitely loved.
Everyone loves him.

He needs a better life.
He deserves it.

But I'm scared.

My worst fear is
losing another dog.

That's why I really feel
like I need Cesar right now.

Hey, hey, hey.

CESAR: Here they come.

Right from here, you can begin
to see the energy of people.

Energy's quite passive.

SIERRA: No, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.

CESAR: Braxton is excited,
but Sierra is worse.

Stiff, her
inclination this way,

she's not adjusting to
control the situation.

She just stays in the back.

Even before meeting Sierra,

I can tell she
doesn't know how to

handle her dog.

Sierra isn't walking Braxton.

The dog is walking her.

SIERRA: Hi.
It's nice to meet you.

CESAR: Pleasure.

So, walking.

SIERRA: Yeah.
It's, it's not pleasant.

CESAR: The way you're walking.
SIERRA: Hmm.

CESAR: Immediately
tells me she doesn't
know how to walk the dog.

SIERRA: Braxton.

CESAR: She's just
holding a leash.

SIERRA: Okay.
CESAR: You see what I mean?
SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: So, it's like
driving a car and you
have no idea, you know...

SIERRA: What I'm doing.
CESAR: Yeah.

SIERRA: Yeah.
CESAR: So the car is just going.

SIERRA: Okay, now
I'm just nervous.

CESAR: Why are you nervous?

SIERRA: I've seen
what he can do.

There's been three bad
attacks and the worst attack

was this 13-year-old Yorkie,
small little thing,

and Braxton wanted to say hi.

They both wanted to
say hi and I was like,

"Oh, this is great."

And they smelled each other
and then out of nowhere,

Braxton attacked and
literally had the dog by
its throat and was like, like,

shaking it on the ground.

So I don't want that
to happen again,

especially because I've lost
a dog because of violence.

I don't wanna like
lose another dog.

CESAR: Okay.
SIERRA: So, that's my fear.

CESAR: I agree. Yeah.
That's a big one.

Sierra fears that Braxton's
aggression towards other dogs

will lead to another tragedy.

I'd like to bring a dog by
and see how Braxton reacts.

So to begin, I need to
assess a few things.

Braxton's level of excitement.

What's triggering
his aggression,

and most importantly,

Sierra's reaction
if he misbehaves.

Come over with the Husky.

SIERRA: Okay. Braxton, no, no.
CESAR: Okay. Okay.

(overlapping chatter)

CESAR: Ah, you got
panicked there. Right?

SIERRA: Yeah.
CESAR: Yes. Okay.

Ssh, hey, ssh, ssh.

So when he did that and
you pull back and you panic,

with that energy,
you become part of the problem.

SIERRA: Okay.
CESAR: Right?
SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: My first impression is
that Sierra was traumatized by

the violent death
of her other dog.

So now she gets fearful
and anxious around dogs.

Braxton feels that
fear and interprets
that his pack is in trouble,

which leads to
the nervous aggression.

The reason why you're seeing
aggression is excitement,

anxiety, and then the tension,
and then you panic, right?

SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: And then whatever you're
holding from the past, poof,

that's part of the atomic b*mb.

I don't really
focus on the past.

SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: You know,
because it did happen.

SIERRA: Right.
CESAR: I honor it. I understand.
SIERRA: It's over.

CESAR: But then, yeah,
it's over, you know,

it's how you wanna
live from this point on.

SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: To help Sierra overcome
her fearful mindset that's

causing Braxton's aggression,

I need to bring
them to my ranch.

Let's go to the, to my ranch.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: And so, so
you can start fresh.

All right, so you're ready?

SIERRA: Yes.

I do think of myself
as being a calm person.

But apparently, I'm not.

There's a real issue here
because I know he won't just

bring anyone to ranch.

It's serious.

CESAR: Let's go to
my beautiful land.

SIERRA: Okay.

There it is.

CESAR: Okay.
So he's calm and curious.

All right, let's move into
the dog park with the idea of

no aggression, no fights.

SIERRA: Right.
CESAR: No bad moment.

Sierra is nurturing that
fearful mindset when she

worries that he's
gonna start a fight.

I need to show her that
when she remains calm,

Braxton will behave
around other dogs.

So it's excitement, okay?

So eventually, this pulling
should never happen.

SIERRA: Right.

CESAR: Because excitement
can lead to aggression.

SIERRA: Ouch, Braxton.
Braxton. Hey, no.

CESAR: And lesson number
one is very simple.

Whenever you are nervous
or your dog is excited,

the solution could be
to just wait it out.

I want you to study your dog.

Look.
See, see the energy there?

Look at my pack, they
have a different energy.

It's calmer, respectful.
He doesn't have that.

So, we'll wait until he's calm.
Deep breath, calm and confident.

That's it.

SIERRA: So I have to be patient.

CESAR: Don't we all?
All right, he's calmer now.

Let's let him in.

Now we supervise.

I want you to stay
calm confident.

SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: Come on.
SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: He's doing great.
He's ready to play.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Once you find
yourself, I'm tense.

Breathe it out.
Don't hold it.

Don't hold it because
that affects your dog.

SIERRA: Right.

CESAR: So it mirrors
your trust and you.

SIERRA: Oh.
CESAR: He's playing. Stay calm.
SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Anything that he
learned in the past is not what

is happening right now.

SIERRA: Yeah.
CESAR: Right?

He is doing what most
people want a dog to do at,

at a dog park which is to play.

Braxton is just trying to play,
but Sierra's fear of a fight is

sending him the wrong signals.

She needs to trust that
Braxton can be happy-go-lucky

around other dogs.

This is what I call
happy-go-lucky moment.

But even in the
happy-go-lucky moment,

you still have to control
the intensity because it can

get out of control.

SIERRA: Right.
Oh, oh, oh, Brax.

CESAR: Breathe it out.
Don't get nervous.

SIERRA: Sorry.

CESAR: Because he
can sense your fear.

Hey, ssh, ssh.

♪ ♪

CESAR: Ssh.
SIERRA: Sorry.

CESAR: Ssh, ssh.

So now we're saying
that expression,

we don't agree with it.

Braxton was doing fine.

He was even playing
with my pack.

SIERRA: Oh, oh, oh, Brax.
CESAR: There you go.

But Sierra couldn't control her
nerves so her dog acted out.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Breathe it out.
SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: So it's like,
don't hold it.

Don't hold it.
See what I mean?

I'm watching you and
I'm watching him,

so you're making me work double.

SIERRA: It was a little
nerve-racking taking him

in a dog park.

I had to remind myself, like,
these dogs are well-behaved.

CESAR: You have to control
your energy as much as you

want him to control himself.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Breathe it out.
Don't hold it.

SIERRA: A lot of
things are running
through my brain and, like,

I think, I think that
my energy, I'm like, okay,

I'm not nervous.

I still, I guess, it's
not coming off that way.

CESAR: You could see how Sierra
is overthinking everything.

She's not living in the present.

She's stuck in the past.

So we need to slow down and
hear directly from her whether

she's able to move on from
Austin's tragic death.

To heal, we must address
the incident to acknowledge

how it has affected you.

SIERRA: Well, Braxton
and Austin were like two

peas in a pod.

CESAR: Uh-hmm.

SIERRA: Like, they
loved each other.

CESAR: Uh-hmm.
SIERRA: They sleep together.
CESAR: Oh, that's good.

SIERRA: And one day,
asked my mom if she can watch

both of them and my
mom has a dog, Shiloh.

So, I come home and I'm like,
"Where is Austin?"

And she told me that
Shiloh k*lled Austin.

But losing a dog, you know,
really, really tore me.

That's why I think
I'm so, like, like, expressive,

I'm like, you know, I'm like,
are you okay, like?

CESAR: You're
doing it out of fear.

SIERRA: Yeah. Yes.
I'm doing it out of fear.

Like, I don't want what
happened to Austin to Braxton

and I don't want that to
happen to another dog.

CESAR: Correct.

The thing about fear is
it just grows, fear grows.

SIERRA: I didn't know my
fear was causing the problem.

I have good meaning.

CESAR: Right.

SIERRA: But I, I understand
now that it's hurting at

the same time.

CESAR: I am glad Sierra is
starting to understand the

connection between her own
fear and Braxton's aggression.

But the only way out of
fear is to go through it.

I have a surprise for you.

So, I am bringing back the
Husky from earlier at the park

because that dog's
energy challenged them.

SIERRA: Okay. Braxton.

CESAR: So this exercise would
really test the human and dog,

I want Braxton to have a
buddy to provide support.

We're gonna use Oreo.

He's gonna hang
out and be, like,

an ambassador of
happy-go-lucky energy.

So Braxton focus on Oreo
while the Husky is present.

SIERRA: Oh, okay. I see.
CESAR: You see it? Okay.

All right, let's,
let's get the Husky.

He's not sure about that dog.

SIERRA: Oh, oh, oh.

CESAR: There you go,
there you go.

The Husky creates
nervous aggression.

Because Braxton has been
allowed to react with nervous

aggression for so long,
correcting that will take time.

We'll start with simply
teaching him when he's allowed

to approach and when he's not.

He can't move towards the
Husky with that energy.

Ssh.

So I'm blocking him. Okay.
I'm gonna bring him to him.

You can move towards the Husky.

SIERRA: But he can't.

CESAR: But he can't
move towards the Husky.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: So he learns that
humans will lead him over only

when he has a lower
level of excitement.

Make him sit to
control the excitement.

Ssh.

So he can't move
towards the Husky.

Ssh.

If he starts to move,
gently tug on the leash.

Ssh.

There you go. See?
This is calm surrender.

Your turn to do it
exactly how I did it.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Stay calm.
Don't be scared.

SIERRA: Ssh.

CESAR: Make him sit.

SIERRA: Sit. Ssh. Sit.

CESAR: Now relax the leash.

SIERRA: Sit, sit, sit.
CESAR: Not so much tension.

SIERRA: Braxton. Okay.
CESAR: Bring him back.

There we go.

SIERRA: Okay.

It definitely made me scared
being that close to a Husky.

But I knew we had
to do it because we
have to fix the problem.

Sit, Braxton.

CESAR: Watch.

Ssh. Give space. Relax.

Look, no tension on the leash.

See?

I am the source of
what he's doing.

SIERRA: Mmh-hmm.

CESAR: So he learns to
be next to the Husky.

They're not friends yet.

SIERRA: Right.

CESAR: But at least they're
tolerating each other versus

fighting with each other.

SIERRA: As soon as
they see each other.

CESAR: That's right.

My relaxed energy in front
of the Husky tells Braxton

I'm not afraid of this
new dog and there is no need

to be aggressive with him.

It's the calm relaxation
with the leash that I want

Sierra to get down.

You do that one more time.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Now, lead Braxton away.

Good. Relax the leash.
That's right. No more fear.

So you have a relax moment.

You know you can feel
it through the leash.

SIERRA: This is the first time
I've been next to a Husky,

and I wasn't scared.

I'm learning how Braxton
feeds off my emotions.

So today was a really
huge milestone,

for not only just
me but for Braxton too.

CESAR: Remember what
happened at the park?

SIERRA: Okay. No!

Yeah.

CESAR: We are erasing it.
SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: So that way
you have a new memory.

Sierra has a lot of work to do
to fully overcome her fear when

Braxton is around other dogs.

But now that she knows how to
keep Braxton calm on the leash,

she can practice with him until
those fearful memories are

quieted in her mind.

Come back in a few days.

Until next time.

NARRATOR: The next day,

Cesar heads to Eastvale to
help a family with their fearful

Belgian shepherd mix
they rescued from the

streets of Tijuana.

FLOR: I'm Flor Castillo.

I live in Eastvale with
my husband, my two kids,

and my two dogs,
Logan and Mateo.

Mateo is literally my
little prince charming.

I spoiled him from the
get-go, and he knows it.

I love you. I love you.

Logan is two years old
and the Belgian Shepherd and

he is just a total goofball.

Yeah.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

He is sweet. He is loving.

Oh, oh, oh.

To be able to hug
that big old dog is,

I love that comfort and I know
that he's needing that comfort.

Just look at you.

Because when my husband
Luis found Logan,

he was tied to a
pole in Tijuana.

He was probably about
three months, and unfortunately,

Logan did not
look healthy at all.

So when we first
brought him home,

it was a good two months
of not walking him,

just trying to get
him to look healthy,

get him used to being
around Mateo, and thinking,

"Okay. I'm in a
happy family now.

Like, you know, the
past is in the past."

And now, he is one
strong, strong dog.

But unfortunately, when I
put on the leash, he freezes.

Come on. Come on, Logan.
Come on.

He drops to the ground and
he just doesn't move at all.

So, unfortunately,
Logan never gets walked.

Come on.
Let's go for a walk.

We've never been able to
get Logan out in the street

and it's been two years.

You got it. Come on.

FLOR: Come on, come on,
come on, come on, come on...

FLOR: You got it.
Ay-ya-ya.

I would hate for any aggression
to build up in Logan because of

the lack of exercise.

I've done everything
I possibly could.

Come on this way.

But he feels as if, no?

He was still tied to
that pole in Tijuana.

♪ ♪

CESAR: You know, with
a dog like Logan, I,

I like to evaluate at a
distance because it sounds like

he's a sensitive dog, so I
don't wanna influence anything.

I wanna see what Flor is doing
right or what she's doing wrong.

So I'm gonna look from here,
and then we're gonna help her.

FLOR: Come on. Come here.
Logan. Logan.

CESAR: Okay.
So that's already bad.

FLOR: Sit down.
Sit down. Sit down.

CESAR: He's excited,
running away from her.

That is the wrong way
to leash your dog.

Yeah, she's the
source of pulling, so
he's gonna pull back.

Wow.
Look, they're coming out.

FLOR: Whoa. Ow.
Wait up, Logan.

Wait, wait, wait.
Ah, hold on.

CESAR: She has zero control.

The dog is not frozen,
but he's panicking.

That's a mess.

FLOR: Whoa. No.
Hold on.

Okay. Hold on. Hold on.
Hold on. Wait.

Oh. Logan.
Logan, Logan, Logan. Hey.

FLOR: Calm down!

FLOR: Wait for me.
CESAR: That's a big guy.

FLOR: Yeah.
CESAR: Hola, Flor.

FLOR: Hi, Cesar.
CESAR: How are you?

FLOR: Can you help me?
CESAR: That's why I'm here.

FLOR: I mean, this is a
miracle that he's out.

Usually, he throws himself
to the ground and you can't

get him to get up.

Okay. Ooh.

CESAR: He's never out here.

So at this point,
he wants to explore.

It's good to nurture when
he does the right thing.

This is Logan's first time
out of the backyard in years,

and his body language
is telling me that
he wants to explore,

but the leash is causing
him to freeze up and panic,

possibly because he
associates that tension with

being tied up to
a pole in Mexico.

You have no curiosity to
go and smell over there?

FLOR: Yeah.
CESAR: But he does.

So a long leash will
keep him safe without
triggering bad memories.

Right now, we're giving
him a little bit of the

freedom of explore.

So what you have is a big dog,

but in reality, he's timid,
you know, which is good.

FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: It's good for you
because sensitive back of the

pack dogs can change quickly.

Okay.

Let's walk and let him explore.

And see, once you take away
the tension of the leash,

he doesn't pull.

So eventually he associates
going out with explore or play.

Right now, the reason why you
got the shutdown is because

he's not associating it
with anything positive.

FLOR: This makes me
so happy right now.

I always thought keeping
the leash short was the way to

kind of try to get
control from the dog.

And Cesar actually was
embracing the exploring phase

in Logan, and I didn't
even know that was a thing.

CESAR: So now, we're gonna
shorten up the leash.

And now, he can't explore.

He's just gonna be
in a follower state.

FLOR: Okay.

CESAR: So his brain
enters into follow.

FLOR: He's never done this.

CESAR: Right.

FLOR: This is legit I can say
his first walk in his life.

Walking Logan with Cesar is
just something I didn't even

think was possible.

All he knows is our
backyard and being tied to a

pole in Tijuana.

So it felt so good and brings
so much tranquility to me.

He looks so good.

I'm so proud of you, Logan.

CESAR: It's important that we
give Logan this experience,

but it's unfortunate this
is his very first walk.

Puppyhood is when dogs learn
to follow, play, and explore.

But in Tijuana, Logan was
only experiencing the life

of a mistreated guard dog.

Fortunately, Flor and her
family rescued him and tried to

give him a life of
freedom here in the States.

But they took pity upon him
and allowed him to stay stuck

in the backyard, that
only nurtured his negative

association with the leash.

Thankfully, they
reach out to me,

so I can teach Flor how to
be the calm confident leader

Logan needs to create a
new memory with the leash.

FLOR: I just felt sorry for him
the moment I saw him and just

carried that on
through all his life.

CESAR: Everybody feels
sorry for his past,

but the past is past.

FLOR: Yeah.
CESAR: It's gone.

FLOR: Yeah.
CESAR: You know what I mean?

You're feeling the story,
you're not feeling the reality.

The beautiful part
about animals,

they live in the moment.

If you pity him,
he'll never follow you.

FLOR: So how do
I take lead again?

How do I go in the
front of the pack?

CESAR: It starts with
putting on the leash.

Before you were chasing him,

which creates the
panic and he freezes up.

(Flor groans)

CESAR: Let me show
you the right way.

So when a dog is
afraid of leash,

the worst thing you can
do is to make the leash

come to the dog.

Just outsmart the dog
by luring the dog in,

you offer food.

Look.

FLOR: Oh, my goodness.
CESAR: You then put it on.

So this is just so he
learns to come to you.

And when he sees the leash,
it's like a gold medal.

FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: Since 60% of a
dog's brain is controlled

by the nose,

I use the smell of food to
invite Logan into the loop,

slowly replacing those
negative memories of the leash

with something delicious.

So you're just
unlocking the brain.

Let's do the leash first,
you know, with the food.

FLOR: All right, Logan.
CESAR: Stand back here.

Let him come to you.

FLOR: Come here, Logan.
CESAR: Don't pity him.

Remember, calm confidence.

Yeah.

Remember, the food moves
away and the loop stays there

because right now you're
trying to avoid this.

FLOR: I was, yeah.
CESAR: Right?

So you want him to do this.

The only thing that
moves away is the food.

Try it again.

FLOR: Come.

CESAR: Don't bend down.
That's the pity thing, again.

Tall and confident.
There you go. There you go.

FLOR: Mmm, yummy.

CESAR: Perfect.
Now, remove the loop.

Yup. Beautiful.
Move a little farther away.

Here you go.
Put the leash on.

And then once
you have it there,

with just enough tension on
the leash and then he moves.

Look, it's only two
fingers holding the leash.

FLOR: This is so
beautiful to watch.

CESAR: Flor confidently
attracted Logan to the leash

instead of chaotically
chasing him.

This is an important step
to repair Logan's relationship

to the leash and something
she'll need to continue

working on when getting
Logan out of the house.

FLOR: Yeah, I had never
been able to achieve that.

No way.

CESAR: Yeah.

It's not possible when you're
feeling sorry about his past.

FLOR: You literally just hit
the restart button with me.

CESAR: Yeah.

FLOR: And has made me
face and accept the things

that I'm doing wrong.

CESAR: Good.

There is a big, beautiful
world for Logan to explore.

And he's only just
gotten his first taste.

Now, that Flor knows
not to pity Logan's past,

she needs to practice leashing
him and taking short walks.

I like to her to come to
the DPC in a few days,

so I can see the progress.

I wanna invite you to the ranch.

FLOR: That's exciting.

CESAR: Good.
All right, Florecita.

NARRATOR: The next day,

Sierra and Braxton
are back at the DPC.

SIERRA: We are here, Braxton.

NARRATOR: Years ago, a
fatal attack on her other dog,

Austin left Sierra afraid of
also losing Braxton to violence.

On their first visit to
Cesar's Ranch, Sierra learned

that her fearful
energy from holding on

to that past trauma is the
cause of Braxton's aggression.

(barking)

Today, Cesar must determine
whether Sierra is able

to finally overcome her fear
losing another dog to violence

and become the confident
leader Braxton needs.

CESAR: Look at you.
SIERRA: Hi.

CESAR: The energy is big.
SIERRA: Better?

CESAR: Just walking in
like you wanna own my ranch.

SIERRA: Okay.
CESAR: That's good.

So how's it going?

SIERRA: He still tries
to like, you know,

walk ahead of me
but it's going good.

CESAR: The energy is better,
so, so with the exercise,

we're gonna do now, you're
gonna go to another level.

SIERRA: Yay. Okay. Yay.
CESAR: Let's go.
SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Sierra's energy is
much less fearful today.

Leading Braxton, she
seems super confident.

Welcome to my agility arena.

Next, we must embrace that
confidence with an activity

that puts Sierra in control
of how Braxton is allowed to

interact with other dogs.

Let's get the dogs.
Beautiful.

So I am bringing in my dog
pack for Sierra to walk.

Braxton's aggression has
led to three dog attacks.

To keep him from
being aggressive,

Sierra must lead
Braxton without fear.

Meet my pack.

You're going to walk with them.

SIERRA: All of them?
CESAR: Yeah.
SIERRA: Oh.

CESAR: Yeah.
SIERRA: Okay.

(sigh)

Um, Braxton has never walked
with a pack of dogs before.

Okay.

CESAR: Yeah, those
dogs already know what to do.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Sierra realized Braxton
is supposed to walk with the

other dogs and she got nervous,

that's what causes aggression
like we saw in the park.

SIERRA: No. No.

CESAR: Lead confidently without
hesitation and Braxton will

mirror the pack and
enter a follower state.

Now, Sierra must calm her
nerves and lead the pack to

create what I call follower
energy that Braxton should join.

And he'll see his mom as
a calm confident leader and

won't feel the need
to become aggressive.

SIERRA: Okay.
CESAR: Yeah, it'll work.
SIERRA: I have faith.

CESAR: Give her
Sophia, Spot, Bison.

Handler: Do you
want Scrappy, too?

CESAR: Not yet, he's a
little grumpy this morning.

Grab those three.
You're gonna grab him one side.

SIERRA: How do I even do this?

CESAR: Just shorten
up the leash.

So now, what you're saying
is you're gonna listen to me,

even though you're
close to the other dogs,

I don't need protection.

Don't allow the meeting,
just the walk.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Don't let him go in
front, just claim your spot.

Just claim your spot.

SIERRA: Okay. Yeah.
CESAR: Just claim it.

That's it. There you go.

All right, we're
gonna add another one.

Okay, here's a curveball.
Mr. Grumpy Old Man.

Keep going, keep going.
Grumpy Old Man on this side.

Go, go, go, go.

Oh.

SIERRA: Oh.

CESAR: Don't let Scrappy
make you anxious,

Braxton will sense that.

Keep going. Keep going.
Don't let the leash get tense.

It's putting Braxton on edge.

Whoa, whoa. Hold on.
Take back control.

When we introduced Scrappy,
Sierra got a little nervous,

so I need to remind her how
to claim her leader position,

so the dogs regain
their follower energy.

I'll show you.
I'll show you.

Look. Pass it to me.
See it? Boom.

Just claim the middle.

Look, if they're
pulling back, move them in.

SIERRA: Oh, wow.
CESAR: He's doing it, right?

SIERRA: Yeah.

Dogs live in packs and
they do better in packs,

so to have him experience that,

I'm really shocked
and very surprised,

but like happy, too.

CESAR: Everybody, come on.
Come on.

Now, he's sharing the box.

When they're in
a follower state,

you can put 100
dogs if you want to.

He's actually in a really
good state of mind.

Look, happy-go-lucky, relaxed.

SIERRA: I'm like
in awe right now.

CESAR: Oh, that's good.

By being calm and confident,

I was able to not
only walk the dogs but to

put them all on the
box to demonstrate to Sierra

how powerful it is when
dogs are in follower state.

Let's do it again.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: He's leading again.
Don't let him do that.

Just claim your position.
That's it.

Get comfortable with
being a pack leader.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: Don't let
the leash get tense.

Come on.
Don't let him lead.

Come on.
Bring him in. There we go.

Beautiful.
Hello, dog walker.

That's it.
That's how you got to do it.

SIERRA: Oh, snap!

Like, I didn't
know what to do at first,

I was so nervous.

But it felt really empowering
to, you know, be a leader.

This is like life-changing.

CESAR: Yeah.

SIERRA: Not just for
him but for me too.

CESAR: Yeah.
SIERRA: So.

CESAR: Because you're
letting go of your past.

SIERRA: It just like fills my
heart to see him being around

different types of dog.

CESAR: Uh-hmm.

SIERRA: Big and small and
like different personalities.

CESAR: Right.

Because Sierra controlled
her own energy,

she's becoming the type of
leader who doesn't assume the

worst from Braxton's
every interaction.

Before our next session, I like
her to practice keeping Braxton

in a follower state,

so he no longer
feels the need to become

aggressive towards other dogs.

You're doing great.
Stay great. Feel great.

NARRATOR: The next day, Flor
and her dogs, Logan and Mateo,

arrived at the DPC, where
Cesar hopes to further introduce

Flor's leash-shy Belgian
Shepherd to the outside world.

FLOR: Cesar's gonna be
very, very proud of us.

NARRATOR: Last week, Cesar took
Logan on his first-ever walk.

FLOR: He looks so good.
I'm so proud of you, Logan.

NARRATOR: So now on
his first trip away from
home since Flor rescued him,

this is the key time
to bring everything together

and fully rehabilitate Logan.

CESAR: Logan is
doing so well on the leash.

FLOR: Very.

CESAR: Wow.

FLOR: He knows he's
in a happy place.

CESAR: Wow.

FLOR: He's learning every day.

After you left, the next day,
I had my leashes in the kitchen

and he went and grabbed it.

CESAR: No.
FLOR: I swear.

So what I did, I grabbed it,
I put it on him,

and we went for a walk.

I feel like I've been
doing my homework.

I've been walking
Logan and Mateo and

everything has been good...

But I don't know if he'll act
up in front of Cesar or not.

What if that, today is that day?

Yeah, I've been practicing
that and I like that.

CESAR: Yeah.

Well, you've obviously
been doing your homework,

so I like to give you
one last challenge.

So his...

FLOR: Oh, my God.

CESAR: "Welcome to the world"
kind of thing.

FLOR: Yay!
CESAR: Come on.

Logan is much better on the
leash but since he spent two

years trapped in the backyard,

there is so much he
hasn't been exposed to.

I need to put them to
an ultimate challenge.

That's why I'm gonna introduce
him and Flor to my pack.

All right, guys,
bring out the pack.

So you got to control
the excitement.

FLOR: Uh-hmm.

CESAR: In the world
outside the backyard,

they'll face all kinds of
unexpected distractions,

so for Flor to be
a true pack leader,

she must command
Logan's respect,

keeping him focused on
her even when he's around new

people or animals.

But to make it even
more of a challenge,

she'll need to do
it all off leash.

I'm gonna have you drop
the leash and even though

it's different species,
he should stay within it.

FLOR: I haven't been close to
animals like that in my life.

I don't know who's more scared.

Logan is not used to being
around animals, period.

When he said a challenge.

CESAR: Now we drop the leash.
FLOR: He meant it.

CESAR: Remember,
social distance or
distance is super important.

If he's approaching
the animals,

he's not respecting
your leadership.

Flor's had speedy Logan since
he was found tied to a pole

in Tijuana at three months old.

And she's never been able
to take him for a walk since

rescuing him two years ago.

Now that Flor is
learning to lead confidently
in the outside world,

I wanna put them
to an ultimate test,

leading her pack
through a series of
distractions off-leash.

At every single cone,

you're gonna have a
different species...

FLOR: Okay.

CESAR: And you're
supposed to just walk by.

It will be a challenge.

And that's good for you because
the more I challenge you,

the more you grow
your calm confident.

FLOR: Yeah. Okay.

CESAR: The pack is
different than this one.

FLOR: Okay.

CESAR: If Flor can maintain
a calm confident energy,

her dogs will follow
her even off-leash.

This is the true test of
respect for a pack leader.

Ready?

Go in front. Come on.

FLOR: Come on, Logan.

CESAR: He doesn't know
he has no leash.

Claim your animal, okay?

More confidence, I
need that confident side of you.

FLOR: Logan, come on, Logan.

CESAR: There we go.
He's respecting your leadership.

He's off leash but he's
listening more to the calm

surrender than him
wanted to be curious.

Send him away.

My crew shouldn't have to send
Logan away when he's distracted.

You need to claim him.

FLOR: Logan.
CESAR: There we go.

Ssh.
Move him out of the way.

FLOR: Logan.

CESAR: That's the
way it should be.

Avoidance, follow.

Logan got distracted by
the smells of new animals.

However, with
Flor's correction,

he snapped right back
into a follower state.

Let's do it again.
A little faster.

Yes, keep them with you,
so they don't get excited.

FLOR: Logan, Mateo, come on.

CESAR: Yes.

FLOR: For a long time,
I was stuck in the past

with Logan but, you know,
I let go of everything.

Just seeing the way
Logan walks with me,

it's so rewarding for me
because it's telling me I'm

doing things right.

He was afraid of
the world really.

CESAR: Right.

FLOR: And now look at him
gliding between these animals.

I'm in control.
I feel peace, I feel love.

CESAR: That's right.
FLOR: I'm ready, I'm ready.

CESAR: You're welcome.

Flor has worked so
hard to overcome the pity she

had for the neglected
puppy found in Mexico.

Now she sees Logan as a calm
surrender dog who has not only

embraced the leash but he's
even following off-leash.

As long as Flor keeps
working with Logan,

that pole in Tijuana will
become a distant memory.

Thank you so much.

FLOR: Changing the world.
CESAR: I appreciate it. Yes.
FLOR: Thank you.

CESAR: Now you go
change your world.

FLOR: Come on, Logan.
CESAR: Own it.

NARRATOR: Days after their
breakthrough at the DPC,

successfully walking
with a pack of dogs,

Sierra and Braxton
continued their homework
of taking long walks.

SIERRA: I've been working on
perfecting the walk trying not

to let him walk in front of me.

NARRATOR: When approaching
neighborhood dogs,

Sierra's goal is to keep
Braxton in a follower state and

to overcome a
fearful mindset which
began after her other dog,

Austin, was k*lled in
a violent dog attack.

SIERRA: I'm taking
this seriously.

You know, doing what I
need to do being more calm.

But I still get nervous when
I see a Husky because he just

goes for Huskies.

Ssh. Ssh.
Sit, sit, please. Sit.

NARRATOR: The following week,

Cesar reunites with
Sierra and Braxton to check

on their progress.

CESAR: It's literally
a walk in the park.

SIERRA: Hello.
CESAR: Tell me, how's it going?

SIERRA: It's going good.

I mean, dog and me,

we have our days where
like I get anxiety or I'm like,

uh, you know, like not today,
you know.

CESAR: Yeah.

SIERRA: But if I need
to sit down and relax,

do that and come back to it.

CESAR: That's right.

Well, I wanna put your calm
confidence to the test.

So for the final challenge,
I wanna create a,

a scenario here with a whole
bunch of dogs and you're just

gonna weave around
that and just keep the

same energy, you know.

SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: All right,
let's bring it over.

For the final challenge, I'm
gonna have Sierra walk Braxton

around the dogs.

Look at that.

She'll need to
stay calm and keep
Braxton in a follower state,

so he ignores
the dogs he walks by.

And for the added challenge,
I also brought back the same

Husky from day one that
caused so much excitement.

SIERRA: Braxton. No, no.

CESAR: Ah, you got
panicked there.

SIERRA: Is that the same Husky?
CESAR: Yeah. Yeah.

SIERRA: Oh. Oh, really?
CESAR: Yeah.

Braxton sees him, too.

SIERRA: When the Husky came,
I'm not gonna lie,

my heart kind of stopped
because that was like his

arch-nemesis the first day.

CESAR: He wants to go see
them but that's not what we

wanna do right now.

Remember, if you stay calm,
so will Braxton.

Calm him.

SIERRA: Braxton, no.

CESAR: Don't get nervous.
He's getting a little anxious.

SIERRA: No, no, no.

I'm freaking out
inside definitely.

No, no, no, no, no, no.

CESAR: He's not allowed
to greet the Husky yet.

SIERRA: Ssh.

CESAR: Control the excitement.
SIERRA: Braxton.

Sit, sit, sit.

CESAR: He's still a
little bit excited.

See if he'd lay down
in calm surrender.

SIERRA: Ssh.
CESAR: There you go.

When she spotted the high-energy
Husky from day one,

Sierra became nervous
which put Braxton on edge.

SIERRA: Ssh.

CESAR: Calm him.

Sierra recovered quickly and
Braxton followed her guidance.

It's a good start but this
next test will really determine

whether Sierra can maintain
that composure when confronted

with a variety of
stimulating energies.

So your job is just
to weave around,

just go around all
the dogs are gonna be.

It doesn't matter
what energy they have.

SIERRA: Right.

CESAR: Your job is just to
tell him to ignore whatever

energy they're sending.

SIERRA: Okay.
CESAR: Okay?

Go for it. Very good.
She prepares him.

SIERRA: Ssh.
CESAR: Perfect.

Shoulders up, head high.
Good so far.

How is she gonna
handle the Husky?

Braxton looks excited.

The Husky is definitely your,
like, ten points.

(husky barking)

SIERRA: Ssh. Ssh. Ssh.

CESAR: She returned him
into a follower state.

Good correction.
He's still calm.

The perfect state of mind.

SIERRA: Ssh.
CESAR: Very good.

SIERRA: Good?
CESAR: Perfect. Not good.

Look at the Husky.

SIERRA: Sierra a month ago
would've had a heart attack.

But I felt really good
walking past the dogs, like,

I wasn't scared,
I wasn't nervous.

And it feels really liberating
to know that like I have

control of the situation.

CESAR: Um, good job.
SIERRA: Thank you.

CESAR: Good job.
SIERRA: Thank you.
CESAR: Good job.

SIERRA: Knowing that that was
the same Husky as the first day

and like seeing him react to
the dog is very heartwarming.

CESAR: That's right.
SIERRA: It really is.
CESAR: That's right.

SIERRA: Because I'm like,
wow, because it wasn't that

the first day.

It was definitely attack.

CESAR: Yes.

SIERRA: Attack, bark, bark.

CESAR: Whoever taught
you did a good job.

SIERRA: Okay.
Uh, you did.

CESAR: There is one last thing
I want to do with Sierra before

I leave and that's give her
another chance at a pack walk.

I'm gonna amp up the challenge.

This is a way to support.

Are you ready for the pack walk?

SIERRA: Yeah.
CESAR: Let's do it.

SIERRA: Okay.
CESAR: Okay.
SIERRA: Okay.

CESAR: For this pack
walk to be successful,

Sierra must keep Braxton and
my pack in a follower state.

Yeah. Perfect control.

SIERRA: Ssh. Ssh.
CESAR: Beautiful.

SIERRA: Ssh. Ssh. Ssh.
CESAR: What?

She just corrected my boy.

When I first met Sierra
and Braxton at the park,

she was completely
in her own head.

I am stunned.

And her fear of Braxton turning
aggressive towards other dogs

became a dangerous
self-fulfilling prophecy

which began six years
ago after her second
dog Austin was k*lled.

This is the perfect day for me.

SIERRA: I'm doing it?

CESAR: Come on.
Oh, you're doing it.

Your boy is doing fantastic.

But now, Sierra is learning
to leave that fear and anxiety

in the past.

To see the work
she's done with Braxton,

I couldn't be prouder.

You got it.
Boom, boom, boom.

See?
That's, that's the point.

No hesitations,
no think about it, just did it.

SIERRA: Yeah.

CESAR: That's amazing.
You did it.

SIERRA: And I'm just so
grateful for this opportunity

and everything because you
really changed my life and you

changed his life and...

CESAR: Yes.

SIERRA: I have a, like,
a different dog, like,

it's the same dog but like
we understand each other.

CESAR: Right.

SIERRA: Like we
get each other now.

CESAR: Yeah, it feels
like you really moved
on from Austin's death.

SIERRA: Yes.

Of course, it's hard to move
on and I still think of Austin,

like I love Austin.

CESAR: Yeah. Yeah.

SIERRA: But I'm not gonna let
that dictate every time I see a

dog or every time I
take him somewhere.

SIERRA: I don't wanna be
like stuck in the past.

CESAR: That's right.
Come on. Let's go.
You did it.

SIERRA: Thank you so much.
CESAR: Now you can grab him.

It's far too easy for humans
to hold on to the past but that

isn't where dogs live.

They live in the moment.

There is beauty in
letting go of the past.

Not only does it heal you,
it heals the dog, too.

And that's why I say,
"Better human, better dog."