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 rehab like ASAP.
MEGAN: I just don't
want you to get bit.
CESAR: Do you know who I am?
MEGAN: Yes.
CESAR: Together
with my superhero pack,
our mission is to create
better humans and better dogs,
one pack at a time.
(theme music playing)
RICHARD: I'm Richard.
This is my wife, Vanessa.
VANESSA: I'm Vanessa.
We have been
married for eight years.
Nine years, I think.
I don't remember anymore.
But we are pastors at a
church down the street.
RICHARD: We have a
seven-year-old daughter
named Serena and she's
the sweetest kid.
VANESSA: And she really wanted
a dog when she was younger and.
RICHARD: We thought it was
time for our daughter to enjoy.
VANESSA: Yeah.
RICHARD: Having a family pet.
SERENA: Aww. Doggie.
VANESSA: Her name is Coco,
and she is a pit bull mutt.
SERENA: She's sweet.
VANESSA: Hey there,
little girl.
We got her at a rescue and we fell in love
when we first saw her.
She likes you.
She's been part of our
family for three years.
RICHARD: Super loving.
VANESSA: Very loving.
I love that she cuddles with me.
RICHARD: Very intelligent.
VANESSA: Very intelligent.
RICHARD: When we first brought
Coco home, she was super calm,
we thought that was
the dog we were getting.
VANESSA: But she
completely changed.
Get down.
Coco, Coco.
Her energy level went from,
like, two to, like, 100.
Get down, Coco.
You're gonna push me.
Coco, get down.
She's just so excited to see
and interact with people that
anyone who comes
through the front door...
Hi!
Will get jumped on.
Coco, no, down.
Coco, get down.
No, Coco.
Get down.
SERENA: She jumps, she licks, she bites,
she nips, she scratches.
Yeah.
That's all.
Oh, cute. Ow!
RICHARD: The fact that she
doesn't control her actions,
somebody could get hurt.
VANESSA: When Coco is
on a walk, she loses it.
She will
literally choke herself.
She will still pull endlessly.
Stop it, Coco. No.
The scarier behavior that
we've encountered was when we
have our daughter Serena go in
the pool, or we have friends
and kids go in the pool.
Coco wants to jump into the
pool, and then would start
trying to take Serena out by
nipping on her bathing suit,
pulling her out.
(barking)
RICHARD: Like, she's literally
bit her in the pool while
Serena is swimming.
SERENA: Ow.
RICHARD: Coco's a
pretty big dog.
She's about 40 pounds and
the kids are five, six,
seven-year-olds.
So, they're not big kids.
BOY: Oh! Oh!
GIRL: No, stop!
RICHARD: For us to, all of a
sudden, look back and Coco has
pushed somebody down or has
bit somebody in the pool and
they're bleeding, that, that's
just an ultimate fear of mine
that we just
can't have to happen.
No. No.
VANESSA: My biggest fear would
be that a child would end up
drowning because of our dog.
I would never want to
think of the thought that
I had to rehome her.
And this is why I think it's
so important for us to do this
now so we never have to be in
a situation where we have to
make that decision
for her and our family.
♪ ♪
(knocking)
VANESSA: Hi!
CESAR: How are you?
RICHARD: Hey!
Look at that smile.
CESAR: Come on out.
Come on out.
So, how can I help you?
VANESSA: Well, I actually had
to put in the request because...
CESAR: Thank you.
VANESSA: I saw the
frustration from him.
CESAR: Okay.
VANESSA: Our dog
loves to jump on people.
CESAR: Yeah.
VANESSA: I can't
walk her anymore.
CESAR: Yeah.
VANESSA: Because I don't
know how to control her, so.
CESAR: Uh-hmm.
VANESSA: Now, he's the
one that will walk her.
CESAR: So, Vanessa, you sort
of given up, is that right?
RICHARD: I tend to be
a pretty calm person.
CESAR: Hmm.
RICHARD: And I feel like Coco
is taking the um, worst in me.
Just gotten to a point where
I'm waiting for her to mess up,
and then I react, and just,
you know, I started yelling.
CESAR: And you're
not working together?
Coco acts up, so mom gives up
while dad gets frustrated.
RICHARD: It's a little bit of friction
within our relationship.
We have such unity.
Raising our dog is the one
area that we just do not
see eye to eye.
VANESSA: It takes a lot to
really get him frustrated.
CESAR: Uh-hmm.
VANESSA: So, I'm like,
"We, we need help."
CESAR: What I'm hearing is
that these two pet parents are
not working together.
Vanessa has lost her
confidence, so she gives up.
Richard is
handling the dog alone.
He's trying to remain calm
with Coco, but because they
allowed the overexcitement for
so long, Richard is getting
super frustrated.
So, let's start with
you and Coco in action.
Show me the walk.
VANESSA: All right. Okay.
RICHARD: Let's go get Coco.
CESAR: Yeah.
VANESSA: Let's go get her. Okay.
CESAR: Vanessa and Richard say
that Coco's excited affection
is uncontrollable.
But no dog is uncontrollable.
Overexcited usually means that
pet parents are not providing
the dog with enough
exercise or enough direction.
I need to see what's causing
this behavior, so I'm having
them take Coco for a
walk while I watch.
RICHARD: It's okay, baby.
It's okay.
VANESSA: She is
way too excited.
CESAR: She's hyper.
RICHARD: You got friends.
CESAR: Oh, no.
RICHARD: Let's go. Come on.
CESAR: She gets excited easily.
VANESSA: Uh-oh.
There's a dog coming.
RICHARD: There's a dog?
VANESSA: Yeah.
We gotta go to the other side.
No. Coco.
RICHARD: Coco. Come on.
Let's go. Let's go.
VANESSA: Keep going.
RICHARD: Hey. No.
VANESSA: No.
RICHARD: Come on.
Let's go, baby.
Hey. Let's go. Let's go.
CESAR: This dog gets way too
excited and out of control.
Oh, that's bad.
Yeah. That's really bad.
No wonder you can't hold that.
That's too much.
These people are struggling.
RICHARD: It's all right.
Oh, it's okay.
CESAR: Don't pet her.
Don't give that reward.
RICHARD: Okay, it's okay.
It's okay, it's okay.
(barking)
CESAR: Okay.
It's time to get control of
Coco before something happens.
(barking)
It's like she's possessed.
She is somewhere
else right now.
Control that demon.
She's overly excited.
(barking)
Don't try to comfort.
(whining)
Tsch.
(panting)
So, if you give affection when
she's at that stage...
(barking)
you're nurturing that.
VANESSA: I didn't pet her.
CESAR: No, he was.
VANESSA: Oh, okay.
CESAR: Yeah.
From the second they
left the house, the humans
allowed Coco to
be too excited.
They should have calmed her
down before the sidewalk.
RICHARD: It's okay, baby.
It's okay. Come on.
VANESSA: She is
way too excited.
CESAR: Instead, Richard tried
to calm her by petting her.
RICHARD: It's okay.
CESAR: The affection only
tells Coco that her excited
behavior is acceptable.
Shh.
The prong collar is a tool,
but a simple rope can give you
the reaction
you're looking for.
Okay. Don't worry about
it, I got it now.
VANESSA: I know you do.
CESAR: Hey.
Don't be overprotective.
RICHARD: She's in good hands.
CESAR: Okay, here's the
deal with this pack.
Coco may act like she's
possessed, but she's just a
young dog with a
lot of excitement.
VANESSA: Down. No.
RICHARD: Hey.
Down, down, down.
CESAR: However, there is more
going on with her parents.
RICHARD: Let's go for a walk.
CESAR: Vanessa admits
that she can't deal with the
excitement, so she
leaves Coco to Richard.
And because the dog is too much
for him to handle on his own,
his frustration boils over,
which only adds to
Coco's anxious excitement.
RICHARD: No. No.
Stay there.
CESAR: These pet parents must
learn to work together to lead
their dog with proper
guidance, especially around
their young daughter, Serena.
SERENA: Ow!
VANESSA: No, Coco.
Get down.
CESAR: Or else, the dog's
anxious overexcitement.
She is somewhere
else right now.
Could cause another bite
or a serious accident.
The first and most important
step is to show the humans
that controlling the dog's
intensity is possible,
even in a setting that has
been very challenging.
All right, family.
Let's do it.
Hello, Serena.
Nice to meet you, by the way.
VANESSA: Say hi.
CESAR: I'm gonna
help you with your dog.
SERENA: Okay.
CESAR: See that bed?
So, your dog is gonna learn to
be on the bed while you're
in the pool.
Vanessa and Richard told me
that whenever Serena jumps
into the pool, Coco
jumps in after her,
sometimes nipping her.
BOY: Oh! Oh!
GIRL: No, stop!
CESAR: It's just out of
excitement, but a 50-pound dog
climbing on a seven-year-old
in the water is very dangerous.
Now, I'm gonna put her here.
This is a weight, so it keeps her there,
so we don't have to hold her.
So, for this exercise, I'm going
to teach Vanessa and Richard
to keep Coco in a calm
surrender, so whenever Serena
gets into the pool, the
dog won't try to follow her.
There we go.
Let her do that.
And, at the same time, Tsch.
Guide her, so she
can go right back on.
And then, you go back.
The splash made her excited,
but right now, she's calm.
So, you're
shifting her belief.
And so, now, she learns the
pool means calm surrender.
RICHARD: Cesar just brought a sense
of peace pretty much instantly.
I'm ready to jump in any
second and Coco is just chill.
VANESSA: Yeah.
CESAR: Well,
Richard, your turn.
You wanna sit down.
VANESSA: Yeah.
CESAR: And enjoy this part?
Come on.
RICHARD: No, no.
CESAR: Send her back.
You need to have
big, strong energy.
Stay calm, you can do this.
RICHARD: Stay.
Oh my good...
CESAR: Richard hides it
well, but I can sense his
frustration
building inside of him.
So, I'm certain Coco
can sense it as well.
If he doesn't learn to control
that, it will cause the dog to
become anxious
and act out again.
RICHARD: No. Coco. Coco.
CESAR: Don't
lose your patience.
RICHARD: She's not getting it.
(groaning)
Coco. Come on.
CESAR: Let's try it again.
Without the frustration,
without the anger.
It's just about
being definite.
This is what you want.
RICHARD: No.
Tsch.
CESAR: Good.
Way better.
This is beautiful.
You see?
You communicated to Coco what
you wanted without yelling.
RICHARD: Without... yeah.
Being able to correct Coco
and her listen are...
was a new feeling.
As a father seeing that
Coco can actually sit still
while my daughter is enjoying
herself being a kid,
just living free.
That, that's just
very relieving.
CESAR: This is good.
Richard is starting to learn how
to put Coco in calm surrender,
but it will take
a lot of practice for him to
keep his frustration at bay
in order to get her there.
The next step is to
work with them at the DPC.
You guys, next time that I see you,
I want you to come to the ranch.
VANESSA: Okay, great.
CESAR: Until then, Vanessa,
keep helping with Coco so
Richard doesn't
get so frustrated.
VANESSA: Okay.
After today, I hope that the
dynamic in the household is
gonna change where
Richard isn't frustrated.
I have to help Richard because
I'm like, "I know if Cesar can
do this, he can teach us and
we'll be able to finally do
this with her."
CESAR: Bueno, gracias.
Thank you so much.
VANESSA: Gracias.
RICHARD: Por todo!
CESAR: It was a pleasure.
Coco. Adios.
NARRATOR: The next morning,
Cesar heads to the port of
Los Angeles, in San Pedro,
to help a family whose
miniature dachshund's bark
is far worse than a bite.
MARLA: My name is Marla.
I live in San Pedro,
California with my son Anthony
and my dog, Panini.
She's a miniature dachshund.
She's a year and a half old.
Panini's got a big full name,
it's Panini Clizzie
Sausigi Fillando.
My son Anthony named Panini.
ANTHONY: Yeah.
It was a fun good name
to get someone to laugh.
MARLA: It's just, I don't know.
It just makes me
laugh, it's funny.
It fits her, though.
We just fell in love with her
right away, with her short,
little tiny legs and her
little long body and long
nose, and her little tail, and
the way she kind of shook her
butt when she walked.
She was just, like, you know,
a little queen from the very beginning.
ANTHONY: The first thing I
fell in love with Panini was
her kindness and her loving.
Just happy all the time.
And nonstop wagging her tail.
MARLA: So, when we first
got Panini, it was during the
pandemic and there wasn't too
much, you know, other people
coming in and out of our home.
But once things started
opening up, that's when the
barking really
started to occur.
(barking)
It's just nonstop,
piercing, irritating.
(barking)
No. Shh. No. Shh.
Pure craziness.
(barking)
She barks at someone
knocking at the door.
(barking)
No. It's okay. It's okay.
She barks at the
gardener outside.
(barking)
We take Panini out in the car,
she's going to bark and
just gets so upset.
(barking)
She's barking so much she's
kind of making herself sick.
(barking)
We have noticed that if she
barks for hours straight,
later it's like she's choking.
(barking, coughing)
It does frighten us, we don't
want anything bad to happen
to her, we love her.
(barking)
I do feel powerless.
It, it gets a little
stressful for both of us.
(barking)
If Cesar couldn't help us with Panini,
I don't know what we would do.
I've threatened to get rid
of her, but I know I won't.
(knocking)
MARLA: Cesar, hi!
CESAR: How are you?
MARLA: Good.
Nice to meet you.
CESAR: Pleasure.
Come on.
MARLA: All right.
CESAR: Let's go talk
about your Panini situation.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: How can I help you?
MARLA: So, Panini is a barker.
CESAR: Okay.
MARLA: She barks constantly,
and then there's just no
calming her down.
She barks so much now that
after it's, like, all over,
she, like, starts to do this, like, cough
and vomits and throws up.
CESAR: Yes.
MARLA: Which is
concerning to me.
CESAR: What do you
do for a living?
MARLA: I am a longshoreman.
CESAR: What does that mean?
MARLA: I help unload the
vessels that come in,
that bring in any type of
cargo that go to any store.
CESAR: Do you tell
people what to do or no?
MARLA: All day long.
CESAR: There you go.
MARLA: I don't know why, with
the dog, I just, I don't know.
CESAR: Or is it
because she's cute?
MARLA: I don't know.
I've worked on the
port for 25 years.
And now, I'm in charge of
telling people kind of where
to stack containers and
basically what to do.
And I come home, I have a
little 10-pound dog that
I really can't seem to
control and doesn't listen.
It's embarrassing.
CESAR: We're gonna
figure that out today, Marla.
MARLA: Right.
CESAR: So, I'm gonna have one
of my crew guys to knock on
the doors so I can
see that in action.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: Let's get this
Panini in the oven.
(barking)
MARLA: What are
you barking at?
Let's go. Come on.
Panini, come on.
CESAR: Excitement.
MARLA: Go around.
You're fine.
CESAR: Stress.
MARLA: Panini. Here.
CESAR: She's pleading.
MARLA: Come here. Here.
CESAR: You can
see it on her face.
Panini is, like, excited.
MARLA: Hey, hey.
Come here. Calm down.
Sit down.
Sit, sit, sit.
Calm down.
Just calm down.
CESAR: Oh, my God. No, she
just rewarded the behavior.
Oh, my God.
Now, she's giving affection.
The, the tail is
completely up.
She knows there's
somebody outside.
Yeah. Oh, my God.
MARLA: It's okay.
CESAR: Oh, my goodness.
MARLA: Panini, stop.
CESAR: Knock on
the door, please.
(barking)
(knocking)
(barking)
MARLA: Just a minute.
Stop. Stop.
CESAR: Now, this is not
a regular excited bark.
MARLA: Stop. Calm down.
CESAR: This one is gonna bite.
MARLA: Stop. Just a minute.
Oh, my God.
CESAR: Poor lady.
I wanna, I'm
ready to go inside.
I don't wanna
let this escalate.
Let's go help Marla.
MARLA: Just a minute.
(barking)
CESAR: So, this case is Marla
super stressed, she works
seven days a week,
and has a barking dog.
(barking)
Think about it this way, this dog
is not barking just for three hours.
This dog has been
barking for a year and a half.
(barking)
And it's only getting worse
and worse and worse because
she's developing this
stamina on barking.
MARLA: The more I pull her back,
I feel like the more she barks.
(barking)
CESAR: First off, let's
use a different leash.
Let me show you how to
stop this excited bark.
You gently pull up.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: So you stop the brain.
See the silence?
MARLA: Yes.
CESAR: Yes.
MARLA: I can't
believe it already.
CESAR: Right.
MARLA: When Cesar came in and
in just such a short period of time,
Panini kind of surrendered
to him and calmed down,
I mean, it's exciting
to watch and it's, like, wow.
She's a good dog,
she can do it.
CESAR: Let's head over to the couch.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: So, here.
MARLA: All right.
CESAR: She's not allowed to
come on the, on the couch yet.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: Okay.
Not acknowledging
the excitement.
MARLA: Not, okay.
CESAR: I need to understand
what's actually behind the
excited energy that is causing
Panini to bark for so long and
hard that she's
making herself sick.
This behavior is guarding.
She's guarding you.
MARLA: Which is not good?
CESAR: No. Because that
can also make them bark.
They get excited,
and they guard things.
Tsch.
Shh.
(snarling)
Shh. Tsch.
I got to win this battle.
I need to get her
to full surrender.
Tsch.
Tsch.
There you go.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: You see that
she was guarding you.
MARLA: So, she feels
it's her job to protect us?
CESAR: Yeah because you guys are
not playing the leadership role.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: See?
By petting her when she
barks, you're enforcing the bad behavior.
Although Marla is a badass
at work, who has no problem
telling people what to do,
she's not taking on the
leadership role
in her household.
So, Panini feels the need to
step in and guard the family.
(barking)
It's not a role the dog
is comfortable with,
so she gets anxious, and that
anxiety is expressed through
her constant barking.
(barking)
After a long exhausting day at
work, the barking increases,
Marla's stressed,
and she becomes tense.
MARLA: Hold on.
I'll be right there.
CESAR: Panini senses that
tension, making her bark and
guard even more.
So, the first step in stopping
the guarding is to learn how
to claim your space.
She doesn't have to be on top
of your shoe, or on top of you.
MARLA: I didn't realize it
until Cesar told me that when
she's always, like, right next
to me, she feels like she has
to guard me.
And that's kind of not
what we should be doing.
CESAR: We start small,
keep her out of your personal space, okay?
MARLA: Uh-hmm.
CESAR: You can just do it
by ignoring or blocking.
Whatever works
for you right now.
MARLA: Okay.
All right.
CESAR: So, that's pushing.
MARLA: So, blocking just,
like, kind of put my leg over?
CESAR: That with
the right leg, yeah.
There's, a little
more, more, yeah, more.
Yeah, yeah.
More, more.
There you go. That's it.
And then, bring your,
bring your feet back.
So, that's block.
MARLA: Okay.
This is so different.
Yeah.
CESAR: Yeah.
MARLA: This is good.
So, basically, like, I wanna
guide her each step so that
she calms down?
CESAR: Exactly.
And we're doing that right now by setting
boundaries for Panini.
My goal is to
remove the tension.
The laughing I love, the smile
I love, but the tension,
that will be a good thing
to remove, you know.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: That's all for today.
Practice claiming your space
with calm confidence,
and keep her calm when
people come to the door.
I'll be back.
I'll see you soon.
MARLA: Okay. Thank you.
CESAR: Yes, ma'am.
(barking)
Tsch.
NARRATOR: The next morning,
Cesar welcomes Coco and her
pet parents to his
dog psychology center.
RICHARD: All right
Cesar, ready or not.
VANESSA: Here we come, Cesar.
NARRATOR: The overly excited
pit mix bites and clings to
young daughter
Serena in the pool.
RICHARD: No, no.
Stay there.
VANESSA: My biggest fear would
be that a child would end up
drowning because of our dog.
Coco!
NARRATOR: And pack walks
pose a threat to the whole neighborhood.
VANESSA: Coco.
NARRATOR: Vanessa feels
Coco is uncontrollable.
VANESSA: Stop it, Coco.
NARRATOR: So, Richard is
left handling the dog alone.
His frustration only fuels the
dog's anxious overexcitement.
RICHARD: Coco.
She's not getting it.
CESAR: Welcome to my
version of my church.
Bienvendinos.
VANESSA: Gracias.
CESAR: Job number one
today is with Vanessa.
She lost her confidence
in herself and her dog.
She cannot be allowed to give
up and leave Coco to Richard.
Because it's Coco's behavior
around the other dogs that
partly shook Vanessa's
confidence, I need to show her
that with the right energy
influence in her, the dog can
stay calm no
matter who's around.
Go for it.
Go for it.
Straight up.
Don't look at the ground.
That's right.
Don't look at the
ground like beauty pageant.
(barking)
She's gonna get excited
because of the dogs,
so you have to control
your own energy.
VANESSA: I feel nervous.
I'm imagining Coco running
after and attacking a dog.
(barking)
I was like, "She's
not gonna do well."
CESAR: I got you, Vanessa.
(barking)
(barking)
CESAR: It's okay.
It's your first time, so.
She's getting too excited.
And we're about to go inside.
See, so the whole point of doing
this is to claim the fence.
VANESSA: Okay.
CESAR: You're in charge.
Coco's aggressive
overexcitement has caused
Vanessa to hand over all pet parents'
duties to her husband Richard.
But that approach is only
allowing more dangerous
behavior especially
around other dogs.
VANESSA: Stop it, Coco.
CESAR: Eventually, both pet
parents will need to work
together to guide Coco
into a calmer mindset.
But first, Vanessa must learn
to take responsibility by
practicing proper guidance
and correcting any misbehavior
from her dog.
And with the right energy,
she won't have to.
You have to find your calm confidence
before we open the door,
or else Coco will
continue to be excited.
Tsch.
It's here, boom.
VANESSA: Okay.
CESAR: So, that
puts her in a place.
Go inside.
Shoulders up.
Look, turn around.
Puts her in a place
where she lowers the head.
The ears are to the side.
And she goes to sniffing.
So, she goes into
a surrender state.
This is who she really is.
And because she's a new one,
she knows by nature that she
has to stay there
until they accept her.
See, calmly, gently.
Tsch.
(barking)
Tsch.
Tsch.
VANESSA: When there was a
little bit of teeth and growls,
I think I kind of
just froze for a second.
Internally, I was like,
"Not it, not it."
CESAR: Watch. We're gonna do
a follow-through right now.
Tsch.
(snapping)
There you go. Tsch.
So, she's not allowed to
show any teeth or growl.
Vanessa and Coco are
both still learning.
Shoulders up.
Mom is nervous, so she's
not exuding confident energy.
And Coco doesn't understand that
she wants her to remain calm.
(barking)
Tsch.
The bigger issue is
that Vanessa froze up.
When I corrected the dog,
she realized her mistake and
reacted well.
But it's Vanessa who has to
find her inner power which
will stop Coco from
acting out again.
Let's go and do it again.
VANESSA: Cesar showing me
that I can't give up on Coco.
I really need to
be accountable.
So, I just had to get into
a state of mind, like,
"Okay. I'm just gonna walk in confidently
and do what I'm supposed to do."
CESAR: It's like, there you go,
she, she knows what to do now.
So, Coco looks
less excited, too.
Open the door and
just go right in.
Make yourself at home.
Own the dog park.
There you go.
Much better.
Coco's happy-go-lucky.
RICHARD: Seeing Coco get in
the dog area with about
five other dogs.
VANESSA: 13.
RICHARD: 13 dogs?
VANESSA: I counted, yes.
RICHARD: You counted them?
VANESSA: Uh-huh.
RICHARD: Yeah.
This is definitely one
of my favorite moments.
Just seeing her in her element,
not aggressive with other dogs.
Really having a
playful spirit.
VANESSA: I just feel so
hopeful that she can do this
outside of the dog park.
RICHARD: What I'm seeing is more
a product of our environment.
CESAR: Yeah.
RICHARD: That's causing
her to react certain ways.
CESAR: Sure.
RICHARD: And create bad habit.
It's like us, you know,
making excuses for.
CESAR: Yes.
RICHARD: How we're raising.
CESAR: That's right.
I am glad that Richard
and Vanessa are starting to
understand how their
energy and behavior have been
negatively affecting Coco.
Now that Vanessa has stepped
up and begun to guide Coco
with new calm confident energy,
it will be easier for
Richard to address his
frustration issues when
he's with the dog.
One thing is controlling her
excitement, and the other one
is controlling
whatever is inside of you.
VANESSA: Uh-hmm.
CESAR: If you get nervous
inside and tense, that's an
energy that is gonna be
passed through the leash.
Since Coco has shown she can
interact calmly with my pack,
it's time to
increase the challenge.
We'll see if her pet parents
can work together, to keep her
excitement in check when
confronted with a different
kind of pack.
Richard, time to show me
how you keep Coco calm.
Vanessa, your job
will be to support him.
RICHARD: There you go.
VANESSA: Yeah.
RICHARD: All right. Awesome.
VANESSA: You got this.
CESAR: How are you feeling?
RICHARD: No, I feel great.
CESAR: Okay.
Then it's time to go in.
RICHARD: Yeah.
CESAR: Jaimito, stay close,
just in case you got to step in.
Stay calm and do
not get frustrated.
She's curious about the horse,
but she's staying respectful.
VANESSA: Rich, stay calm.
CESAR: Vanessa, Richard's
relax energy is keeping her
from getting overly excited.
VANESSA: You got this,
sweetie.
CESAR: She gave the
shepherd distance.
That's great.
That was practically perfect.
VANESSA: He got to see me do
it a couple of times that's why.
CESAR: Yeah. She wants
to take all the credit.
Oh, my goodness.
When I first met Richard,
his frustrated energy was
confusing Coco.
RICHARD: No. Coco.
She's not getting it.
CESAR: And in that state,
there is no way she would have
remained calm
around other animals.
But now.
Richard did a great job keeping
his frustration in check
as he entered the dog park.
And as a result,
Coco follow his lead.
They're starting to understand
how to transform Coco into the
happy-go-lucky dog
that she truly is.
But it's still going to take a
lot of work to get her there.
Homework.
Practice getting your energy
right and putting Coco in
calm surrender before
beginning any new activity.
Whatever you got to do
to stay calm confident.
VANESSA: Yes.
CESAR: All right.
RICHARD: Yeah.
Thank you, brother.
VANESSA: Awesome.
Thank you.
CESAR: Hermanita.
Thank you so much.
NARRATOR: A few days later,
Cesar returns to San Pedro
to check on stressed-out
pet parent Marla's progress
with anxious dachshund, Panini.
(barking)
Although she's a
strong leader at work.
MARLA: Just a minute.
NARRATOR: Marla's weak energy
at home causes the dog to
guard and bark excessively,
threatening the
dog's well-being.
CESAR: When I was here last
time, Marla was beginning to
learn calm confident
leadership so that Panini
didn't continue to feel like
she needed to protect her
and the household.
All right.
This is really good.
This distance she's giving
is everything that we've been doing.
If she continued to practice
that, there should be
much less barking.
♪ ♪
(knocking)
(barking)
(barking)
MARLA: Hi, Cesar.
(barking)
CESAR: That's still
a lot of barking.
(barking)
Panini's barking is almost as intense
as the first time I was here.
MARLA: Panini, stop.
CESAR: Poor lady.
I can tell that Marla's energy
is still not strong enough,
so Panini continues to think she
needs to protect the family.
I'm not gonna enter the
house while she's barking.
(barking)
Control the excitement.
Keep it calm confident.
(barking)
If a dog is barking,
it's best not to go inside.
Let the owners take
care of the chaos.
And then, once their dog is
calm, then you can come in.
That way, you can
practice respect.
Strong energy, use your
longshoreman confidence to
snap her out of
this excited mindset.
(barking)
MARLA: Let's go, Panini.
CESAR: You can put her back.
That's it.
That little, that was it.
She snapped out of it.
Take advantage of that moment
where she slows down to calmly
put her on the bed.
That's, that's the moment where
you, you can come in there.
You keep her right there.
It's not that she's choking.
That moment is a moment of,
like, "I'm calming down," and
then, that's when you
send them back into the bed.
You see it?
So, the whole point is to send
the brain to calm surrender.
Despite intense barking when I
first knocked, Marla was able
to eventually get
Panini to calm surrender.
The best way for Panini to
learn is to keep practicing.
So, I'm going to have multiple
crew members knock and the
goal will be for
Marla to keep her calm.
You just have to pay attention
to where's my level of energy
of making this decision,
low, medium, high.
If she feel that that is low,
she's not gonna listen to you.
MARLA: Oh, okay.
Before Cesar, I never realized
how much my energy affected
Panini and her behavior.
CESAR: If you're not ready
to keep her on the bed,
you can take it to the door.
Just make sure she's calm.
MARLA: Okay.
I think just being a single
parent, I carry a lot of
stress and I really
need to be aware of that.
Now, I'm just kind of trying
to take a deep breath and
just release it.
(knocking)
(barking)
CESAR: There you go.
Open it.
You need to have
big strong energy.
Coming in. No touch,
no talk, no eye contact.
Calm and confident.
There you go.
MARLA: Wow.
CESAR: Do you see what I mean?
MARLA: Yes.
CESAR: Yes.
Because she just say, "I'm
excited about this thing,
you know, and
everybody's doing this,
no touch, no talk, no eye
contact, calm confident."
MARLA: Right.
CESAR: "And so, there's no
need for me to stay excited."
MARLA: Right.
CESAR: That was good, but she
was a little too excited at the start.
MARLA: Okay.
CESAR: Let's do it again.
She's on her meditative state.
(knocking)
Same thing.
Stay calm.
You can do this.
Shoulders back.
You're doing great.
Yeah. That was it.
MARLA: Nice. Yes.
Very good.
CESAR: I am proud of Marla.
She stayed calm and confident,
so Panini didn't feel the need
to bark when my crew
entered the apartment.
Same thing.
Panini's starting to learn
that it's not her job to
guard her pack.
MARLA: This is so
huge for Panini.
And she's so calm
and it's great.
Yeah.
I am so happy
for Cesar's help.
I'm really appreciative.
CESAR: So, right now,
she wanted a massage.
Why not?
ANTHONY: Yeah.
MARLA: Panini is
so much more calm.
We're gonna continue
to work with the tools that Cesar gave us.
And I think it's just
gonna continue to get better and better.
CESAR: Well, I am very
happy to meet you guys, and...
MARLA: We are too.
CESAR: Definitely you see
it, just so what's possible.
It is my pleasure to help you.
Marla was able to take
the calm confident,
powerful leader she's at work
and project that at home,
so Panini could just
be the family pet
instead of the protector.
As long as Marla keeps working
on keeping Panini in calm surrender,
she shouldn't have any
more issues where
her barking becomes unhealthy.
Take care, bro.
ANTHONY: Thank you.
CESAR: Thank you.
MARLA: All right.
CESAR: That's all right.
It's all right.
ANTHONY: Yes.
CESAR: He
doesn't want me to go.
That's all.
MARLA: She wants you to stay.
CESAR: She wants me to stay.
NARRATOR: One week later,
Cesar returns to Chatsworth to
check in with Vanessa and
Richard on the progress of
their overly
excited pit mix Coco.
The dog's red zone intensity
on neighborhood walks.
RICHARD: It's okay, baby.
NARRATOR: Created a
frustration in Richard that
only fueled the fire.
RICHARD: Coco.
It's just gotten to a point
where I'm waiting for her to
mess up, and then
I start yelling.
CESAR: The first test of the
progress will be whether there
is any chaos when
they exit the house.
Come on out.
RICHARD: What?
CESAR: Come on out.
RICHARD: How's it going?
CESAR: Going well.
Nice and silent.
Very good.
Nice and calm.
RICHARD: Look at this miracle.
CESAR: Nice and calm.
Miracles do exist.
How's it been?
How's the homework doing?
RICHARD: Oh, man.
VANESSA: It's
been very different.
CESAR: Okay.
VANESSA: Than the first
time that you were here.
CESAR: I like it.
VANESSA: Come on, Coco.
Let's go for a walk.
I can actually take her out and
not have Richard next to me.
And I think there's just a confidence that
I'm ready to do this.
Stay calm, Rich.
Just stay calm.
We've been working really
well as a team together.
(barking)
RICHARD: Tsch.
VANESSA: Stay calm.
RICHARD: Hey. Coco.
VANESSA: Rich.
Stay calm.
RICHARD: I'm still struggling
with that calm confidence.
But Vanessa's help and encouragement
has gone a long way.
VANESSA: Yeah,
she didn't bark.
CESAR: And I see she's
doing fantastic right now.
Look at the leash, relaxed.
I mean, I love this.
The progress on the
homework is clear.
Vanessa and Richard are really
starting to work together to
manage Coco's excitement.
When Richard gets frustrated,
Vanessa has been stepping in
to give him the physical or
moral support that he needs
to try to remain calm confident.
So, the challenge is the pool.
That means excitement.
Right?
So, you guys go get changed
and I meet you at the pool.
VANESSA: All right.
CESAR: All right.
VANESSA: Perfect.
CESAR: Coco's past behavior
around the pool was super dangerous.
She would jump on
and even nip Serena.
So, I need to test whether
with Vanessa's support,
Richard can control the dog's
excitement in the toughest
setting imaginable.
A pool party full
of Serena's friends.
The way to keep a dog's
excitement low is to maintain
control from the very first
moment that guests arrive.
So, we invited some
people to, to your house.
RICHARD: Party time.
VANESSA: Okay. Let's do it.
CESAR: Party time.
That's it.
SERENA: Yes!
CESAR: Okay.
VANESSA: I'm feeling anxious.
The main thing that I'm
worried that could happen is
that Coco is not gonna listen
and she's gonna go into this
anxious barking, squealing,
crying, and she's not gonna
be able to snap out of that.
I just need to remain
calm for Richard right now.
CESAR: Yeah, look
at the brownies.
Yay, what's up, man?
(barking)
MAN: Hello. Hello. Hello.
VANESSA: Hi.
GIRL: Hello, Serena.
CESAR: Oh, her ears are up.
She's getting excited.
VANESSA: Hello.
BOY: Hi, Serena.
CESAR: Oh, there you go.
Control the excitement.
RICHARD: Tsch.
CESAR: There you go, magic.
There you go.
VANESSA: Great job, honey.
CESAR: Coco got a little
excited when the first
visitors arrived.
But the most important thing
is that Richard was able to
get her back to calm surrender
before their guests say hello
to the dog.
And now that she's calm, it's
okay to introduce everyone.
This way Coco learns
to associates visitors with
calmness instead
of excitement.
This is calm surrender,
so just keep it up.
No touch, no talk,
no eye contact.
This is beautiful.
VANESSA: I think so, yes.
CESAR: Yes. Look at that.
RICHARD: What's up, guys?
VANESSA: Hi, guys.
How you guys doing?
CESAR: She's up.
VANESSA: Hey...
CESAR: Put her back
in calm surrender.
VANESSA: Deep breath.
RICHARD: Tsch.
CESAR: Yeah.
RICHARD: Sit.
CESAR: Good correction.
VANESSA: Okay.
CESAR: You like it?
VANESSA: Like it.
RICHARD: Love it.
CESAR: Yeah. Good.
Let's bring in
the other family.
Welcome to the party.
So, you'll go say
hi to everybody.
VANESSA: Hi.
GIRL: Hi.
RICHARD: Hi.
How are you?
CESAR: Very good.
VANESSA: How you doing?
GIRL: Hi.
VANESSA: Hi.
SAM: I'm Sam.
VANESSA: Say hi.
GIRL: Hi, Serena.
CESAR: Send them back.
MAN: Richard.
VANESSA: Hi.
WOMAN: Hi.
VANESSA: How you guys doing?
CESAR: Send them back.
VANESSA: Hi. How you doing?
WOMAN: Hi. Hi.
CESAR: Very good.
Richard continues staying
calm confident making Coco
understand that she needs to
stay calm whenever visitors
come over.
So, now, we're going to
increase the challenge.
So, now, the next thing guys,
is you guys enjoy the pool.
So, please go for it.
Come on, guys, everybody in.
(barking)
Bring her in.
Richard, you got this.
Calm her down.
RICHARD: Shh.
(barking)
Tsch. Tsch.
Sit.
(barking)
Tsch.
CESAR: That's a little
anxiety because her girl is in the water.
(yelp)
RICHARD: Tsch.
(barking)
No.
VANESSA: This is
what I was fearing.
That she would just get
excessively fixated with the
kids, wouldn't be
able to stop barking.
(barking)
RICHARD: Tsch.
Definitely making us nervous
because she's uncontrollably
barking and squealing.
(barking)
So, we're gonna have
to ride this thing out.
I think this was
a trial by fire.
VANESSA: Uh-hmm.
(barking)
RICHARD: Coco, settle.
CESAR: Ah. Very nice.
That's really good.
VANESSA: I was cheering
you on, from afar.
RICHARD: Uh-hmm.
VANESSA: Yes.
CESAR: I am
really proud of them.
Even though Coco became
overexcited, barking, and
crying when Serena
entered the pool.
Thanks to Vanessa's support,
Richard was able to remain
calm and confident to get her back into
calm surrender quickly.
They are well on their way to
having a safe home environment
for their daughter
and their guests.
VANESSA: Just to see her like this,
we know that it's possible.
RICHARD: Yeah.
VANESSA: It'll just be
repetitive and consistency.
CESAR: Yup.
VANESSA: It just feels hopeful
to just see this in action.
RICHARD: Yeah, I've
seen a huge miracle of, of an improvement.
So.
VANESSA: Yes.
RICHARD: You know.
CESAR: It's called a miracle.
VANESSA: Thank you. Thank you.
CESAR: It's called a miracle.
That's why I like it.
RICHARD: Internally, for me,
going through this process
with Coco, having frustrations
towards my dog that escalate
from zero to ten in a hurry,
to not have that now, it
changes my character really
to where now I can be a better
husband, a better father.
It means a lot.
VANESSA: I did not
wanna get emotional.
I've just, I see
a great change.
To see him lead our family,
lead our dog, lead our daughter,
I get emotional
because like I love him,
so I want him to come home and
have a peaceful home where
he's not frustrated and I'm
just, I'm grateful for that.
And I feel like we're gonna
continue doing this and only
have a better outcome in
the months, years to come.
CESAR: Un abrazo, gracias.
RICHARD: Love you.
CESAR: Thank you.
I love you too.
RICHARD:
Amazing, amazing work.
VANESSA: Gracias.
RICHARD: Better, better humans.
Better humans.
CESAR: Better humans.
All right.
When pet parents are stressed
out and frustrated,
that energy can not only
translate to their dogs,
but often creates rifts
within the family.
So, the first step in healing
the relationship with your dog
is to work together and heal the
issues within the family unit.
Only then, you will find the
peace and serenity that having
a dog in your life should bring.
Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?
Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register
03x04 - Barking Mad
Watch/Buy Amazon
With dog adoptions at a record high Cesar's timely return to television will give new pet parents the tools they need to teach their dogs good habits and shed the old bad habits.
With dog adoptions at a record high Cesar's timely return to television will give new pet parents the tools they need to teach their dogs good habits and shed the old bad habits.