03x02 - Jurassic Park: Part 2

[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.

Shh.

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

WOMAN: The problem is me.

CESAR: He needs
to rehab like, ASAP.

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

CESAR: Do you know who I am?
MEGAN: Yeah.

CESAR: Together
with my superhero pack,

our mission is to
create better humans

and better dogs
one pack at a time.

(theme music playing)

NARRATOR: Previously on

Cesar Millan:
Better Human Better Dog.

Cesar rush to a red zone case

to help pet parent Susie regain
control of her pack on primal.

(barking)

SUSIE: Wait.
I'm living in controlled chaos.

CESAR: You are allowing
a lot of primal behavior.

(growling)

Literally, you have like
Jurassic Park inside your house.

SUSIE: Uh-uh. Isabella.

NARRATOR: He learned
eight-year-old bulldog
Izzy is tense and dominant.

CESAR: Shh. She was
about to jump on him.

Shh.

NARRATOR: Which
causes fights with overly
excited pit bull puppy Tricky.

CESAR: Shh.

(growling)

Very dangerous.
She gets stronger and stronger.

SUSIE: It's only
gonna get, yeah.

CESAR: That's right.
SUSIE: Oh, yeah.

NARRATOR: And
three-year-old Connie Corso
mix Kane is the enforcer,

but his attempts to keep
the peace within the pack

amp up the aggression even more.

(barking)

SUSIE: One time, Kane grabbed
Izzy by back of the neck.

I was afraid he
was gonna k*ll her.

He let her go and then I just
had to clean up all the blood.

NARRATOR: Susie shared
her past traumas that leave
her emotionally exhausted.

SUSIE: My daughter was
in a mass sh**ting and

called me during the
sh**ting so I could hear it,

but we got her out of there.

In the middle of all this,

my husband had
severe combat PTSD.

CESAR: Mm-hmm.

SUSIE: And hurt me,
and we split.

CESAR: Okay.

NARRATOR: And with
no one to support her,

other than her three dogs.

SUSIE: I didn't have
anybody there for me.

They were what I
needed to not feel alone,

with all of the things
that I was dealing with.

NARRATOR: She's unable to
provide them with the discipline

and basic guidance they require.

SUSIE: All of this trauma
compounds, compounds, compounds.

And so I'm here already,
and now, I'm, like,

I can't even
take care of myself.

NARRATOR: So Susie decides
the next step in calming

this dangerous
dynamic is for Susie

to work with
Kane at home while he

gives Izzy an intensive
two-week rehab at the DPC.

CESAR: Look at her. See?

She went and
peed on top of that.

It just shows you
how dominant she is.

NARRATOR: And working
with puppy Tricky leads
Cesar to a surprising proposal.

CESAR: How do you feel about the
idea of offering Tricky rehab

and she will stay with me?

So I can work with her until she
is ready to go to a new home.

NARRATOR: Now, it's up to
Susie to decide whether to
split up her troubled pack.

SUSIE: It's really tough.

I feel guilty because
I signed up to help her,

but I'm sitting here
feeling like a failure.

You're right.

I don't, I can't
give her what she needs.

And this is probably
the best place for her.

CESAR: And I'm glad
you're open for this.

SUSIE: Yeah.

CESAR: Because that's just
gonna make this rehab and,

and your life
where you should be.

SUSIE: Yeah.
CESAR: Where you should be.

SUSIE: Thank you.
CESAR: Yeah.

You need to get a
break from the chaos and
a clean break from Tricky,

so you can both
heal from the past.

SUSIE: Yeah.

CESAR: We all know it's never
easy to let go of a pack member,

even when that pack is
as chaotic as this one.

But it is important for
Susie and Tricky to have a
clean break from one another

so that there is no
confusion as they continue

their healing process.

So today will be
the last day Susie and
Tricky will see one another.

SUSIE: I'm just completely
overwhelmed with these dogs.

It means a lot to me
that he's taking her.

She's a beautiful, sweet dog.

I just adore her.

So, it's hard for me to know
that she's not coming back,

but I know I'm
doing the right thing.

If I'm gonna trust anybody
to do what's best for Tricky
and find her a forever home,

it's Cesar.

CESAR: So here's the plan.

I'm gonna work with Tricky,
and then find her a new home.

SUSIE: Yeah.

CESAR: I would like to
keep the bulldog, Izzy, for
two weeks starting right now.

SUSIE: Yeah. Okay.

CESAR: You continue
with Kane at home.

Keep working on getting him to
come surrender and get him out

on walks every day so
he gets more exercise.

SUSIE: Okay.

While it's
bittersweet to know that
I'm going home with just Kane.

Um, I'm excited because
I get to focus on Kane,

but I've never not
had Izzy her whole life.

I'm hopeful that it'll give
me just some time and space

to cope with my past traumas
so I can move forward.

Come on, Kane.

NARRATOR: While Susie
and Kane work at home,

Cesar addresses
Izzy's tension issues.

CESAR: I'm throwing a
special party for you.

This is my
version of Disneyland.

Come on.

You don't have
to pay for a ticket.

In the past, Susie's emotional
exhaustion created tense energy

that was absorbed by Izzy.

As a result, Izzy
gets super tense and

is easily triggered
by everyone around her.

We're going in
the other direction.

We must first address the
mental side of her tension
by exposing her to my herd.

We want her to feed
off their healthy energy,

which influence
a relaxed mindset,

so in time, she learns
to become one with the pack.

Big day. Big day.

She's exploring.

She sees Lorenzo.

Jaimito, stay close just
in case you got to step in.

(barks)

Good boy, Lorenzo.

Lorenzo just
picked up on her tension.

He's asked for
social distance,
which means respect.

If you're gonna
be tense around us,
we don't want you near us.

Because in her home,

she would attack
Tricky and she would
go into a fighting state.

But with animals that are
well-behaved like Lorenzo,

they are not going to attack,

they just gonna
ask for distance.

There you go.

Look, she's yawning right now.

So that was a beautiful moment.

When a dog start yawning,

that means it's
shifting in the brain,
going from being tense to

I can't be tense
because all these animals
are forcing me to relax.

Look, now
Lorenzo's trusting her.

So the same guy, Lorenzo,

he made it up on
himself to make sure
that he checks up on her,

to let the rest of the herd
know that she can be trusted.

What Izzy is doing
right is she's staying within

outside perimeter, right?

To show respect.

So her instincts are kicking in.

Izzy is giving
the pack distance,
which shows respect.

That's a good sign
that she's learning
to overcome her tension,

and it tells me she's
ready for the next step,

moving in closer
to integrate with the pack.

Everything that
has happened to Susie,

all of the trauma,
her animals have absorbed it,

and they don't
know how to get it out

unless they practice natural
simple profound activities.

We're gonna give her a massage,

so that way she memorizes this
moment with a nice massage.

Way, way, way,
way less tense, way,

way more relaxed.

She's doing much better
and is in a good mental state,

but she still has a ways to go.

Right, girl? That's right.

That's great. I find the spot.

Come on. Let's go.

NARRATOR: While Izzy
continues her DPC detox...

CESAR: Right now, Izzy is pretty
much taking like a vacation.

NARRATOR: Her former
pack mate, Tricky, the
overly excited pit mix,

is ready for an
important next step in
the rehabilitation process

so she can
eventually be rehomed.

CESAR: When she
lived with Susie,

Tricky was locked
in constant battle.

(barking)

So, we need to rehome her.

There is a huge overpopulation
of dogs in this country.

So, the first thing I
do whenever I'm preparing
to rehome a dog is to get

them spayed or neutered.

And in Tricky's case,
there is an added benefit.

The lack of hormones will
prevent her from having a cycle,

which is typically when
the big fights can occur.

After this procedure,

she'll have a better mindset
for continuing rehab.

NARRATOR: While
Tricky recuperates
over the next few days,

Cesar's attention
is on Izzy's tension.

CESAR: Come on, Izzy.

Now that we know Izzy is
able to work through her tension

and get into a
relaxed mental state.

I found the spot.
I found the spot.

It's time to create a
relaxed physical state.

She's a heavy girl
with a smudged face.

Whenever you're ready.
That's beautiful.

So swimming is great to burn
calories while keeping her cool
and I can monitor her breathing.

Over here,
over here, over here.

There you go.
That's my girl.

Whether it's
swimming in the pool or

going for walks
around the ranch...

Go, go, go, go.

Getting her body in
shape is just as important
as getting her mind in shape.

And as her physical
energy has drained,

she has become
calmer around my pack.

With the pack,
she's perfect, you know.

She's not showing
any signs of dominance.

I'm very proud because
I've seen her progress.

NARRATOR: Back in
Huntington Beach,

Susie addresses her
emotional exhaustion while

working one on one with Kane.

SUSIE: Hello.

So today has been
a pretty quiet day,

but I have taken him for a
walks.

Sit. Wait.

Interacting with other dogs on
our walk, or people, or animals,

he just kind of stays peaceful
and we just keep on going.

Feeling positive.

My energy feels good and
Kane's energy feels really good.

We miss the girls,
that's for sure,

but I don't miss the chaos.

That's pretty good.

CESAR: Big day for
us here at the DPC.

I asked Susie to return
with Kane to reunite with Izzy.

Izzy is not dominant or tense,

but the most important
thing is that Susie is

feeling rested, calm,
and confident.

Anything less could
cause the dogs to regress,

and that's
something we can't allow.

SUSIE: Gosh, I didn't
think I was gonna be nervous.

But now I'm feeling nervous.

I'm gonna see Izzy for the
first time in a few weeks.

I have no idea what to expect.

I'm nervous because last time I
saw her, she went after Cesar.

CESAR: Tsch.

SUSIE: And she tried to start
a fight with Kane and Tricky.

CESAR: Tsch.

SUSIE: I miss
her and I love her,

and I want her to be
part of our pack forever.

I guess I'm a little worried
that she's not gonna show

the progress that we need.

Okay. All right, Mister.

CESAR: Welcome back
to the ranch, Susie.

SUSIE: All right.

CESAR: I can
sense you're nervous.

SUSIE: Yeah.

CESAR: Right now,
I can see Kane has good energy,

but it's important
that you keep your

energy calm and confident, too.

SUSIE: Yeah.
CESAR: You need to release.

SUSIE: Yes.

CESAR: It's time
to start releasing some
of that nervous energy.

Come on.

I can see from Kane's calm
energy that Susie has put
in a lot of work with him,

and it's going well.

But she still seems a
little nervous and tense.

If Susie brings that
nervous energy around Izzy,

it can undo all the
hard work we've done.

So, I want to help calm her
nerves by taking a short walk.

SUSIE: Overall,
I feel very calm and...

CESAR: Okay.
SUSIE: And confident.

But sometimes,
I still feel like I'm
in this constant state of...

CESAR: Fear.
SUSIE: Anxiety and fear.

CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: And so now I'm
becoming much more aware.

CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: Of how
that's feeding into them.

CESAR: Right. Yeah.
SUSIE: Yeah.

CESAR: So I just want
you to take a little break.

SUSIE: It's nice.
I don't get one very often.

CESAR: Right?

I just want you to
experience more just

being around
calm confident, love, joy.

Susie has been emotionally
exhausted for so long that it's

not something she's
going to fix overnight.

But I am feeling her
nervous energy going down and

I think she's ready
to reunite with Izzy.

I'm gonna go and
grab your girl, Izzy.

The first time Izzy
and Kane were brought
back together at the DPC,

Izzy became tense and
Kane was too excited.

Look at Izzy.

Look how tense she
gets at the fence.

But they're supposed to
be happy seeing each other.

The key to this meeting will
be if Izzy, Kane, and Susie

can maintain their calm energy.

Let's do, sit there.

I sit here.

No touch, no talk,
no eye contact.

SUSIE: Come here.
Come on. Come here.

Sit. Hi, Hippo!

CESAR: No. No. Too excited.

SUSIE: Wait.
CESAR: Make him sit.

SUSIE: Sit. Wait. Ah.

CESAR: Control the excitement.

SUSIE: Okay. Sit. Uh-uh.

Okay.

CESAR: So that's
your typical excitement.

But we want calmness.

SUSIE: Yeah.

CESAR: When
Susie first saw Izzy,
she got way too excited,

calling out her
nickname for the dog.

SUSIE: Hi, Hippo!
CESAR: No. No.

Kane sensed that
and became excited too,

which could have
led to aggression.

SUSIE: Ah.

CESAR: I am not
surprised that Susie is
both nervous and excited today,

but dogs mirror our energy so
she must learn to control her

own energy if she's
going to lead this pack.

Izzy is doing great.

She is not tense at all.

But any excitement can
led to aggression and so
I'm gonna Heather to take him.

SUSIE: Okay.

CESAR: After all
of this excitement,

we need to
temporarily remove Kane,

so that Susie and Izzy can
reestablish their bond and

the roles in the
pack with a clean slate.

Susie has a real
opportunity to make a
positive imprint on Izzy,

so it is important to
keep her energy calm to

make sure this
imprint is a success.

Remember, no touch,
no talk, no eye contact.

Her energy is great right now.

She's exploring and
giving you a social distance.

All right. Just bring the dogs.

I want you to see
a healthy meeting.

Izzy has been living with
my pack for a few weeks now

and she's super
comfortable around them.

But I can see that
Susie is a little anxious
about the dogs interacting.

SUSIE: That's what I've
been a little nervous about

when I think about the
reuniting of the two dogs.

CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: I can feel my energy,
because of what's happened.

CESAR: Yeah, that's
why we didn't do the
meeting between Kane.

SUSIE: Yeah.
CESAR: And, and her right now.

Susie has suffered
major traumas in her life,
so it's understandable that

she's still feeling nervous
about Kane and Izzy reuniting.

Here, use this leash. Call her.

SUSIE: Isabella. Come. Izzy.

CESAR: To build her confidence,

I got a technique to assert
her pack leadership by creating

a direct connection with Izzy,

which prevents any
unwanted dominance or tension.

Put the lease on.

SUSIE: Sit.
CESAR: Put, put it on her.

SUSIE: Sit. Uh-uh.

CESAR: She's not tense
but she's getting excited,
so she doesn't wanna listen.

SUSIE: This is
what she usually...

Sit. Wait. Out! Out!

Izzy, come. Izzy, sit.

CESAR: Tell her what
you want with your energy,

not your words.

SUSIE: Sit.

CESAR: There is nothing wrong
with voice commands when they
are said with the right energy.

When Susie asked Izzy to sit,

she uses a high-pitched
tone of voice which triggers

excitement and
stress in her dog.

This can cause Izzy
to feel tense which
could lead to aggression.

SUSIE: Is she avoiding me?
CESAR: No.

She's figuring out that
she can trust your guidance.

SUSIE: Izzy. Isabella.

CESAR: Here.

You have to get her out
of this excited state before

you leash her up
but do it silently.

So I'd rather calm her down,

than go into the sit thing,
'cause sit makes her excited.

SUSIE: I see.
CESAR: Okay.

Let's do it again.
Putting on the lease again.

SUSIE: Okay.

CESAR: Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Be patient.

There you go.

SUSIE: Okay.

Okay.

CESAR: That's good.
See the difference?

SUSIE: Yeah.

CESAR: Now that
Susie is learning how
to properly leash up Izzy

without creating any
excitement or tension,

I'm going to have
Susie lead her over
the obstacle course.

The dog will have to
trust Susie and rely on her
guidance to be successful.

SUSIE: Oop.
CESAR: That's okay.

Stay calm confident
and start again.

SUSIE: Come on.

CESAR: Yes. Much better.

She's following your leadership.

SUSIE: I've never taken
Izzy through anything like
an obstacle course before

but she just
followed right behind me.

Today, I feel like I'm
the boss again and I had
lost that for a bit of time.

CESAR: There you go.
SUSIE: All right.

CESAR: That's it.

SUSIE: It feels really good
to see that kind of progress.

CESAR: With Isabella, it's, it's
more about her not being tense.

SUSIE: Right.

CESAR: And acknowledging
you as her pack leader.

SUSIE: That was a realization I
had is that Kane forgot what it
was like to be part of a pack.

Izzy forgot what it was
like to be part of a pack.

CESAR: Yeah, you separated them.

SUSIE: I forgot what it
was like to be part of a pack.

And now I definitely feel
like Kane and I are a pack.

CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: Now we've
gotta integrate again.

CESAR: Yeah.

By taking them back to basics,

Izzy is beginning
to trust Susie and see
her as the pack leader.

So now it's time
to bring in Kane.

Remember, no touch,
no talk, no eye contact.

SUSIE: Izzy and Kane
are about to meet and I
don't know what to expect.

I'm hoping that it goes
really smoothly because

I can't lose another dog.

CESAR: Okay.
Here she comes.

This is good.
She's not tense.

She's showing
respectful social distance.

She's being consistent
with the behavior that
she has learned to become.

Bring her back. I want to
bring them closer together.

Yeah. He's excited.
Just keep your energy calm.

CESAR: Relax your tension.

Just drop the leash.

He recognized her.

This is good.

Izzy and Kane
are remaining calm.

SUSIE: Wow.

CESAR: When Susie
first came in to meet Izzy,

she was way too excited
which made Kane excited.

After working
through her nervousness and

learning how to
properly leash and lead Izzy,

her energy was much
calmer which made Kane calmer.

I just wanted to see
how much he was gonna do.

SUSIE: Mm-hmm.
CESAR: You know what I mean?

But, obviously, I was
ready to block if I thought

a fight was about to break out.

But he was just
excited to see her.

Kane's body language
tells me that there is
curiosity and excitement and

Izzy isn't going into a
tense dominant mode at all.

This reunion went as
well as I ever could hope.

So this is more like
the friendship like they're
going back into the memories.

SUSIE: I'm really excited.

Now, that I'm seeing
them very peacefully
reunited and coexisting,

I feel a big sense of relief.

CESAR: Mm-hmm.
This is a perfect couple.

So for your homework,

no touch, no talk,
no eye contact every
time you reunite, okay?

SUSIE: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: Read, read
the energy right.

You can, she can go for a walk
after this guy is super tired.

SUSIE: Okay. So walk him
and then add her to the walk?

CESAR: That's right.
SUSIE: Okay.

CESAR: They're
both happy-go-lucky.

SUSIE: Uh-huh.
CESAR: So it's a good reunion.

SUSIE: Good.

I feel confident
about what to do.

I feel like if I stay
rooted in my instincts,

I know that I'm gonna
have a whole new dynamic

in the home and we're all
going to respect each other,

but I'm the pack leader.

CESAR: Keep me
posted and enjoy.

SUSIE: I will.
Thank you so much.

CESAR: Yes.

Susie and her pack
have come a long way,

but the biggest
step is seeing how they
continue this work at home.

The next time I see them,

I hope that Susie is
leading the pack with
calmness and confidence.

NARRATOR: Over
the next few weeks,

Cesar and his DPC handlers work
closely with pit bull Tricky,

to tame the primal
overexcitement that
caused Susie to surrender her.

CESAR: She has no
respect to intimate space.

Shh!

NARRATOR: This behavior
must fully cease for Cesar
to place her in a new home.

CESAR: We're making some
good progress with Tricky but

we still have a long way to go.

So this is bad.

You can see it in
the pacing that she's doing
versus the rest of the pack.

Right now, we're about
to feed, and, normally,

as soon as they smell the food,

they're supposed to
go into a calm surrender
state and wait for it.

Never feed a dog excited.

Look at how she's breathing,
how fast she's breathing,

and her intensity is,
is not ideal.

We're exposing her
to different animals so

she can learn to
control her excitement.

JAIME: I've been
introducing her to the animals.

She starts to get
a little excited.

I see her tail,
her ears go up a little bit.

You see the excitement.

She starts to pull.

Those are the
things that we work on.

CESAR: Come on.

Exercise, like swimming,
is an important step in
her rehabilitation process.

This a way of draining
the physical energy.

We want her mind
to completely relax.

But her extreme
excitement still comes
out when she's near a toy.

The way she
plays with the ball,

it brings actually
her hunting behavior.

Look, she's
k*lling the toy again.

In the past,
Tricky's primal instincts

have caused her to
get too excited when

she sees a ball or any toy.

Look at the eyes.
Film the eyes.

They go like this.

Well, that's exactly what
happen when they k*ll an animal.

This excitement turns
a "play" situation into

one where she's chasing "prey"

and that energy can trigger
a fight with another dog.

So, today, the pack is
going to be her role model.

She'll be able to learn from
them that ball time is supposed
to be about happy-go-lucky play.

So right now everybody knows
they're about to play, but,

as you can see, everybody's
pretty calm about it.

There is no excitement going on.

They're waiting.

So before they actually play,
they have to be calm surrender.

Tricky is not.

Look, she took the ball
without my permission.

Tsch! Tsch. Tsch.

She can't touch the
ball until the human
tells her to touch the ball.

She did it again.

She doesn't understand
what I want yet.

Tsch, tsch!

So her self-discipline,
her self-control, tsch!

Her self-control is
almost nonexistent.

But with repetition,
she'll get it.

This is the state we want.

But I want you to see
what I'm talking about once
I begin to initiate the game.

All right. Let's go.
Let's do it.

(barking)

She's too close to
me and too excited.

There we go.

See, now Lucho is
telling her to stay calm.

Only to her.

'Cause Lucho is sensing that
she is a little too excited.

Look, look at them waiting.

But look at her, the pacing.

So that, that is not ideal.

That is not healthy.
Look at the intensity.

(barking)

Hey, hey, hey. Tsch, tsch!

CESAR: Tsch.

When I asked the pack for calm
surrender to start the game,

Tricky was the only
one who remained excited.

Hey, hey.

Her disrespectful bark tells
me she's demanding the ball.

If I'm gonna be able
to find her a new home,

I first need to teach
her that overly excited,

disrespectful behavior
won't get her what she wants.

Shh.

There we go.
This is calm surrender.

She's really fast.

So with this kind of dog,

you can't play in
a short distance because
they have so much energy,

they don't get the ball.

They can grab
someone next to them.

Good girl.

That's a good girl.
That's really good.

To drop the ball
that fast means she's
learning respectful play.

See, Sofia got the
ball before Tricky,

which used to be a problem.

I can see that
Tricky is starting to
learn the concept of respect.

Previously, she would
attempt to grab the ball
out of another dog's mouth.

But this time, when
Sofia got to the ball first,

Tricky let her have
it without a fight.

Her fight instincts
to get to the ball has

transformed into
playful competition.

You can see the respect.
You can see the waiting.

It's about to go down.

Tricky is learning that waiting
in calm surrender before play

will get her what
she wants, which is the ball.

She isn't exhibiting
any overexcitement that

could lead to fights,
which is a big win for her.

How do I know that a dog
that I'm rehabilitating with
a history of Tricky is ready

to begin a new life?

Number one, of course, the, the
human have to be compatible.

Number two, the
dog has to be ready.

Number three, they both
have to be in agreement.

But for that, she needs many
repetitions of calm surrender.

And so what you're
seeing right now is her
understanding calm surrender.

NARRATOR: While Cesar
continues Tricky's rehab,

preparing her for a new home.

Susie experiences some wins
with her newly-reunited pack.

SUSIE: The homework's
been going really well.

The biggest success that I've
had in the first few days is

maintaining my calmness
and just remembering, stop,

take a breath.

These dogs are gonna be fine.

I've got little Post-it Notes
popped up around just to

remind me what to do.

But I'm still a little bit
nervous because I'm watching to

see if Izzy's giving
Kane the side eye.

The only challenges
I've had to deal with are

at the front door when
it's time for a walk.

Sit.

The other day, it literally
took me seven minutes to get
her to the point to calm down.

Izzy, no!

So we'll keep working on that.

Kane is pretty much my perfect
little boy most of the time.

It's really noticing
when Izzy is getting wound up
and what I need to do to keep

her calm so that
we collectively,

as a pack, can remain calm.

Wait.

NARRATOR: Cesar's team
continues intensive rehab
with pit bull mix Tricky...

(bellows)

And sees improvement
with her ability to control

the overly excited energy.

JAIME: She's being calm.

If she was excited,
her ears will perk up.

NARRATOR: She's learning
that all animals on the ranch

are now part of her pack.

JAIME: See how her
eyes are almost sleepy.

Her ears are back.

Her tail is wagging
but it's also low.

The excitement
level is very low.

It just goes to show
you all the work that

we're putting in is
actually paying off.

NARRATOR: Toys are
for play, not prey.

CESAR: Hey! Good girl.

Never fight.

NARRATOR: And manners
also matter at dinner time.

CESAR: Look. See?
That's excitement.

She's not gonna eat until
she calms down on her own.

We're gonna wait for her.

Too excited. Tsch!

Once she relaxes on
her own, then I feed her.

She can't go into a new home
until she get this right.

Shh.

There we go.
The excitement is gone.

Now I can feed her.

NARRATOR: For Cesar,
the dog's calmness around
food is the final step in

overcoming her
primal overexcitement.

But before Tricky's
fully ready to be rehomed,

Cesar has one more big change.

CESAR: Guys,
update about my girl.

We changed the name.
Her name right now is Miso.

Because Tricky was
a little too strict.

We needed to give her
something more yummy because

she is definitely a sweetheart.

My girl is doing fantastic.
She's doing great with my pack.

She's great with
all the farm animals.

With humans, the most
incredible girl in the planet.

You're never gonna
get hurt from this girl.

Maybe just lick you to death,
but that's pretty much okay.

Producer: Would you
ever consider keeping her?

CESAR: No. I can't fall in
love with every single dog.

If I can't fall in love
with every single woman,

I'm not gonna fall in
love with every single dog.

It's not allowed.

Okay.

It's a big, big, big, big,
big day for Miso AKA Tricky.

When we first met,
she was overly excited
in a very primal way.

Look at the eyes.

That's exactly what happen
when they k*ll an animal.

She was influenced by the
tension and chaos in her pack

and was on her
way to a violent end.

Tsch!

(growling)

But now she's
practically zero aggression.

So it's time for us to
find a home, a forever home.

And one of our production
members want to give it a try.

And I'm gonna see if
they're a perfect match.

It has to be compatible
where the dog is gonna

shine for the rest of her life.

Hey, guys.
You must be Milena and Matt.

MILENA: Hello.
MATT: Hi.

CESAR: Come on in, guys.

MILENA: I work on the show.

And instantly when I saw
footage of Miso, I don't know,

something about her.

Maybe it was her
beautiful green eyes.

Just warmed my heart.

And I'm so excited to
meet her and I really
hope today goes well.

CESAR: Let's find out
about your lifestyle.

MILENA: Okay.

CESAR: You wake up in the
morning and then what happen?

MILENA: Um, we have
very opposite schedules.

CESAR: Okay.
MILENA: He works nights.

I work all day.

CESAR: Okay.
MILENA: Um...

When he comes home, him
and I have an hour together,

so we go for walks.

CESAR: Oh, nice.

MILENA: That's,
we love our walks.

MATT: We do.

CESAR: So do you have
experience with dogs?

MILENA: I've always
been a huge animal lover.

CESAR: Are you?

MILENA: Oh, we were
raised with animals.

I volunteered at
a no-k*ll shelter for
11 years in the Valley.

CESAR: Oh. Still?

MILENA: I, so I was up until
about five, six years ago...

MATT: Yeah.
CESAR: Okay.

MILENA: We had a
major thing happen where we
found out I was really sick.

CESAR: Okay.
MILENA: Sorry. Um...

MATT: It's okay.
MILENA: Oh, my God.

CESAR: This is,
this is the place.

This is the place.

MILENA: Um, and so, um,
my life completely changed.

CESAR: Yes.

MILENA: And we had to
make some big decisions.

And I've always wanted
to go back but it was just
something where like once you

find out like you're
really sick, everything changes.

CESAR: Yeah.
MILENA: Long story short...

CESAR: Yes.

MILENA: I ended up having to
do two years of chemotherapy.

CESAR: Okay.

MILENA: My health
is much better now.

CESAR: Yay!
MILENA: Yay, it's stable.

MATT: And now we're
finally at a good place
where we think we're...

MILENA: It's like normal again.
MATT: It's settling.

And, yeah, we're, we're,
we can breathe.

MILENA: And I feel
like I have a second chance
in life so I wanted to have

a second chance to give
life to a, a dog as well.

CESAR: Yeah.

I am so inspired
by Milena's journey.

She beat the odds but she still
has a long road ahead of her.

And yet she still wants to
open her home and rescue a dog.

That says a lot
about a person.

Well, it is absolutely important
to find the pet parent,

the right pet parent for this

gorgeous-looking girl with these
beautiful eyes, green eyes.

MILENA: What are
you looking for?

CESAR: Well, I'm
looking for someone with

a little bit of knowledge about
what does prey drive look like.

You know what I mean?

The home that she was
living in was pretty chaotic.

What the dog needs is exercise.

What's second is rules by
limitations or, or to be put

into situations where
the mind is challenged.

MILENA: Well, let me ask you,

'cause obviously he's
still going through treatment.

CESAR: Yeah.

MILENA: And I have
bouts of tiredness and I'm...

CESAR: Yeah.
MILENA: Still healing.

Do you feel like this
would be a good match or

do you feel like she
might be too much for us?

What's your instinct saying?

CESAR: Definitely, it's, uh,

not ideal because of
what you're going through.

I would rather
find you something a
lot in the, uh, low energy.

MILENA: Yeah.
MATT: Yeah.

CESAR: Placing a dog
with a family isn't only
about everyone getting along.

Miso needs someone who can
give her lots of exercise.

And with Milena's health, I'm
not sure they're the right fit.

The family is not
together most of the time.

You know what I mean?

MATT: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: So you need
something that naturally waits.

MILENA: Okay.
CESAR: She doesn't have that.

MATT: Right.

CESAR: She has
early the morning,
"Let's conquer the world."

MATT: Right.
CESAR: You know what I mean?

But if you have low energy,

they can adopt to
that lifestyle better.

MILENA: Got you.
MATT: Got you.

Yeah, I'm disappointed
'cause obviously,

she looks like a,
you know, fantastic dog and...

CESAR: And I'm sorry.
MATT: No, don't be sorry.

MILENA: It's okay. It's okay.
MATT: It's okay.

CESAR: Honesty is
always best for me.

MILENA: Yes, I agree.
MATT: Absolutely.

CESAR: Good?
MATT: Yeah. We'll find a match.

CESAR: Of course.
MATT: We will. Absolutely.

MILENA: We'll find one, so.
CESAR: Yes.

Now, that I know you
guys and your schedule
and all of that stuff,

I would like to definitely
find you the perfect dog.

MILENA: Got you.
MATT: Got you.

CESAR: And I feel
small-sized is perfect, right?

MILENA: Or medium.
CESAR: Or maybe, okay.

MILENA: I like a little bigger.
CESAR: So like Sofia?

MILENA: Oh, I love Sofia.

CESAR: Wait, wait.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.

MILENA: I won't take
Sofia but I do love Sofia.

CESAR: Yeah. Okay.
So medium like Sofia?

MILENA: Yeah.

CESAR: I'm gonna give
you the perfect dog.

That's, that's
what I'm known for.

MILENA: I have no doubt.
CESAR: All right.

MILENA: I have no doubt.
MATT: Exactly.

CESAR: Thank you, guys.
Appreciate it.

MILENA: Thank you.
MATT: Thank you so much.

CESAR: All right.
MILENA: Thank you.

CESAR: You're staying.
You're staying.

(barking)

Well, guys, we're still
looking for a home for Miso.

Vincent, please.

We...

Well, I guess we can
all agree for Miso to
be extremely successful,

she needs a home that can
handle her high-level energy

so she doesn't revert
back to her previous behaviors.

In the meantime,
this is home, the DPC,

which is not
a bad home to be at.

Pray for your home
with a whole bunch of
kids and goats and chickens.

It is hard to say
no to such an amazing

potential adoptive family
like Milena and Matt

who clearly have a lot to offer,

but I have to stay true to
what I know is best for Miso.

I am confident I will
find the perfect dog for
them that will complement

their family and their needs.

So, for now, while we
search for Miso's forever home,

this little pit puppy
will be a part of my pack.

NARRATOR: While
Miso settles in for her
extended stay at the DPC,

the next week, Cesar
heads back to Huntington Beach

to see if pet parent
Susie has been able to form

a peaceful pack with her
two dogs, Kane and Izzy.

CESAR: The first time
I visit Susie's home,
it was absolute chaos.

Ooh.

I literally felt
the tension in my chest.

Very strong.

Izzy will become tense and try
to dominate Kane and Tricky.

Then Kane will
try to enforce peace.

That led to fighting
that was so intense that

Izzy eventually
ended up getting hurt.

So I knew this pack
was in dire need of help.

After working to reduce Izzy's
tense dominance at the DPC...

Way, way less tense.
Way, way more relaxed.

And reuniting her
with Susie and Kane.

They're both happy-go-lucky.

SUSIE: Uh-huh.
CESAR: So it was a good reunion.

I also saw Susie begin to move
pass her emotional exhaustion

and start to build
the leadership that her
pack so desperately needs.

I am hopeful they have
continued to work on their bond

and that I see
calmness in this home.

The final challenge starts
when I knock on that door.

(knocks)

SUSIE: Hello.
CESAR: Oh, wow. Look at you.

So everything is well, amazing.

No one is barking.

Izzy and Kane are
both staying calm.

That's good.

What an incredible
difference from the
last time I was here.

(barking)

In the past, when
I walked in the door,

there was chaotic barking.

Susie had no discipline
with her dogs and Kane and Izzy

had to be separated for
fear of a fight breaking out.

I remember walking through
the door, them getting excited,

you know, and then that will,
that can trigger a fight.

So we're gonna have some
people walk through the door.

You just keep
them calm surrender.

SUSIE: All right.
CESAR: Good?

SUSIE: Yup.
CESAR: You're ready?

SUSIE: Let's do it.

CESAR: For my
first challenge today,

I wanna see if Susie can keep
Kane and Izzy in calm surrender

as a few visitors
walk through the door.

Let's do it.

SUSIE: I'm a
little nervous because

I'm not really sure
what's gonna happen.

When they open the door,
sometimes Izzy just shoots
out like a lightning bolt.

So I'm not, not really
sure how it's gonna go but

I'm still pretty confident that
whatever happens, I've got it.

I didn't have that before.

(knocks)

Come on in.

CESAR: Stay calm.
Stay confident.

SUSIE: Uh-uh. Sit.

MAN: Hey.

SUSIE: No touch, no talk,
no eye contact.

MAN: Very good.

CESAR: Perfection.

Let's bring more people in.

Next guest.

(knocking)

SUSIE: Come on in.

No touch, no talk,
no eye contact.

Hi.

CESAR: That's good. That's good.

And look it.
Oh, my goodness. Beautiful.

SUSIE: Welcome
to the calm house.

(laughter)

This is amazing.

CESAR: This is amazing.

Kane is in complete calm
surrender and Izzy is just,

you know, enjoying herself.

I mean, if she's
not lying down, that's,

doesn't mean she's
not calm surrendering.

That's great.

SUSIE: I'm so proud.
CESAR: Super. Beyond.

I see and feel a
huge change in Susie's
energy and in this house.

She stayed calm and confident
through the challenge and

that communicated to
Izzy and Kane that there

is no need to get
excited by people at the door.

SUSIE: I mean, I just feel like

a completely different
experience altogether.

Before, I would have
these wrapped around my hands.

I would feel my
energy up to here and
I'll be holding my breath.

CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: And now I'm just like,
"Okay." I feel that calm.

CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: It's just a very
peaceful existence now.

A few of my friends
they say, "It's just a dog."

It's, it's not just a dog.

CESAR: It's not
just a dog. Yeah.

SUSIE: No.
CESAR: No.

SUSIE: They're my family.
CESAR: That's right.

Without a doubt.
I'm with you on that.

SUSIE: These dogs
have done more for me...

CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: Than some of the
people closest to my life.

CESAR: That's right.
SUSIE: It's not just a dog.

CESAR: That's right. All right.

Let's continue with
your final challenge.

I wanna see you
in the pack walk.

SUSIE: All right.
CESAR: Let's do it.

You, you got it.

A walk is an important
part of making sure a pack
functions well together.

So for the last part
of the final challenge,

I want Susie to take
the dogs on a pack walk.

Susie will need to maintain
her calm confident leadership

and keep the dogs calm.

If they're able to walk
without a fight breaking out,

I'll know they are on their
way to creating a peaceful home

with Susie and the dogs are
no longer filled with tension.

SUSIE: Wait. Ah.

Sit. Wait.

Uh-uh.

CESAR: They are
pulling the leash and
getting a little excited.

That could lead to tension.

SUSIE: Tsch!

CESAR: The tension on
Izzy's leash is a little better.

They're starting to calm down.

So beginning, middle, and end,

you have a
problem in the beginning.

SUSIE: Yes.
Just the first minute.

Tsch!

CESAR: All right.
So start again,

but make sure the
dogs are calm and

you feel confident
before you begin.

SUSIE: Okay.
Come on, guys.

CESAR: The first time
Susie started walking,

the dogs were
still excited so it took

a lot of energy to get them
to listen to her direction.

This time, she needs to be
calm confident from the start

and make sure they're
both calm before they walk.

That's better. Good start.

SUSIE: Okay.

Tsch, tsch, tsch, tsch!

CESAR: Very good.

Izzy was getting excited
but she responded to Susie's
calm confident leadership.

Good correction.

There you go. Way better.

Izzy is so relax.

She's just happy-go-lucky
being with her pack.

And just look at Kane.

He's telling you how they feel.

He's happy.

He's like the guy with the flag.

SUSIE: Right.
CESAR: You know what I'm saying?

Representing how
the family feels.

SUSIE: Yeah.
CESAR: He's the one.

SUSIE: Yup. All right, guys.
CESAR: Perfect.

SUSIE: Walking up to Cesar
with my pack in control, it,

it's just such a proud moment.

And it just feels
like graduation day.

CESAR: This is peace.
SUSIE: Yes.

CESAR: There's no
tension between them.

SUSIE: None.
CESAR: It's a good couple.

SUSIE: They really
are the best of buddies.

CESAR: When I first met Susie,

she was emotionally
exhausted to the point where

she was unable to
properly lead her pack.

Today, I saw her take
control of Izzy and Kane
as a calm confident leader

that allowed both
dogs to fall back into

their natural place in the pack.

SUSIE: There's no drama.
CESAR: Yeah.

SUSIE: There's no chaos.
You know, we're a pack.

CESAR: You're happy.
SUSIE: We're a pack.

I don't get emotional
often because I don't
have that opportunity.

I've had a life
where I needed to be

the strongest leg of
the table all the time.

And Cesar was the
first person that just
saw it without me saying it

and did something about it.

CESAR: Beyond proud.
Beyond happy for you.

I can see it in
your whole existence.

SUSIE: There's a huge weight
that I feel has been lifted now.

Cesar's changed my life.

CESAR: You did the work.

That's the most
beautiful part about it.

SUSIE: Thank you.
CESAR: You know? Yeah.

No matter how much
love we give to our dogs,

we must always remember
to love ourselves first,

because if we're not
allowing ourselves to heal,

there will be no
harmony within our pack.

Like many trauma survivors,

Susie is still hurting but
she found the strength within

so she can continue
to heal herself and

become a calm confident
pack leader for her dogs.

NARRATOR: Three months later,

Miso is still at the DPC while
Cesar continues his search

for a worthy forever home.

MILENA: Ready? Go get it.

NARRATOR: And he's
close to finding a match
for perspective pet parents,

Milena and Matt.

But in the meantime,
they've made a new friend.

MILENA: This is Charlie.

We are trying very hard
to be excellent dog sitters.

MATT: All right.

MILENA: Absolutely love Charlie.

We've been seeing her
a couple times a week.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

MILENA: It just kind
of gives us practice.

And we're really
excited for the day when Cesar
actually finds us a companion.