01x05 - Pack Attack

[bunniefuu]

CESAR [off-screen]: When
I started my journey and

people started calling
me the dog whisperer,

the only thing I wanted to
do was to teach people

that there's no such
thing as a bad dog.

WOMAN: Oh my God!

CESAR: Give me the leash!
She's safer with me.

CESAR [off-screen]: Today, I'm
still doing what I love, but the
pandemic has changed the world.

Dog adoptions have
hit a record high.

The good news is dog
shelters are empty, the
bad news is people.

Still. Need. Help.

WOMAN: He
doesn't listen to me.

WOMAN: Like, the
problem is me.

MAN: What do I do?

CESAR [off-screen]: Mo' pooches,
mo' problems, right?

This is why he
doesn't listen to you.

MAN: No.

CESAR: So many things
you can fix already.
Tsch!

MAN: Sorry, sorry!

CESAR: Ignore the excitement.

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

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

CESAR [off-screen]: Together,
with my superhero pack, our
mission is to teach the world

to honor the "pack code",
honesty, integrity, and loyalty.

Once you get this, you
gonna have everything else!

That is how we create
better humans and better dogs,
one pack at a time.

When a dog growls, barks, even
bites people, that's serious.

It's serious.
It terrorizes people.
It terrifies people.

But when a dog kills another
dog, it's just beyond anything
you can explain,

anything you can say,
anything you can label.

This is, to me, the
worst red-zone, very
serious and very sad.

I'm on my way to meet
a family in distress.

This family absolutely
needs help ASAP.

They need help yesterday, and
I wasn't there yesterday, so
I'm going to be there today

and allow them to
see the future.

NARRATOR: It's a life or death
mission to help a red-zone dog

who began attacking
members of her own pack.

The family made a
desperate plea in hopes
of keeping the dog

a part of their life family.

SOPHIA: Nyla, sit!
MEGAN: No! Sit!

SOPHIA: Hi. I'm Sophia.
I'm the mom.

KAILEE: Hi. I'm Kailee.
I'm the youngest sister.

MEGAN: I'm Megan.
I'm the middle sister.
Um, and we.

SOPHIA: We are the Thompsons!
MEGAN: We're the Thompsons.
Ssh. Ssh.

SOPHIA: Each of my
girls have a dog.
I have a dog.

We have a family dog.
We have lots of dogs.

MEGAN: There's Nyla.
Nyla is just this
big ball of energy.

Goob, he really takes after
the name that I gave him,
which is Goobert.

Um, he's just a big
goofball, along with
Finn, Miso and Cody.

I think amongst the dogs, they
all have their own quirks.

SOPHIA: But they
are all neurotic.

MEGAN: Come on. Relax.

SOPHIA: We have little dogs,
and Nyla's our biggest dog.

Nyla used to be able to
hang out with the other dogs.
Not anymore.

MEGAN: That would
be a bloodbath.

Don't put your hand
in front of her mouth.
She's gonna bite you.

SOPHIA: They just
don't get along.

KAILEE: I do not walk
Nyla with any other dog.
I keep all the dogs separate.

When we feed the dogs, each
room is like separated with
baby gates.

MEGAN: Close it!

SOPHIA: Close! Close! Close!

MEGAN: Why are you putting her
down if it's not closed yet?

KAILEE: Nyla has to
eat in the kitchen.

Goob has to eat in his crate,
and then Miso, Finn and Cody
have to eat in the living room.

If any little mistake happens,
everything can go wrong.

MEGAN: Oh, it's so stressful.
I'm shaking.

SOPHIA: We thrive on it.

MEGAN: No.
We don't thrive on it.
KAILEE: I don't know.

MEGAN: No! No! No!
Mommy!

SOPHIA: No! No!
No, Nyla!

MEGAN: Mommy, get Finn!
Get Finn!

SOPHIA: Finn!
Oh my god!
No, Nyla!

MEGAN: Get him right now.
SOPHIA: Help me!

MEGAN: It's been like
incident, after incident,
after incident.

Nyla's attacked all
the dogs multiple times.

It just got worse
and worse and worse.

KAILEE: So my last dog,
his name was Chiquito.
He was a little toy chihuahua.

I was there when Nyla
ended up k*lling Chiquito.

SOPHIA: When I found
out the news that Nyla
k*lled Chiquito,

I was completely in shock.

I rushed home to find
my daughter holding her
dog's lifeless body.

I didn't even know what
I could do for her.

It was very devastating.

In our hearts, we love Nyla,
but I really don't want her
hurting someone else.

I mean, the worst-case
scenario for us is that,
if she doesn't get better,

Nyla could k*ll again.
And then, we could
have to put Nyla down.

NARRATOR: To assess
Nyla, Cesar needs to
see the entire pack

in their natural habitat
at home with the Thompsons.

CESAR: Buenos dias!
MEGAN: Hi.

SOPHIA: Buenos dias.
Como estas?

CESAR: Bien. Bien. Bien.
Come over here.
Come over here.

SOPHIA: In here?

CESAR: Yes.
A lot of female
power in this house.

SOPHIA: Yes.
MEGAN: It's all girls.

CESAR: I see.
I grew up with three sisters.

SOPHIA: Go inside!

CESAR: You guys are
like the Kardashians.

Yeah. Oh, wow.

SOPHIA: Now.

CESAR: You guys have a
very chaotic environment.

SOPHIA: And that's
what we don't want.

CESAR: That's what you have.

MEGAN: That's what we have.
Exactly.

CESAR: Yeah.
I see worried faces all
along all the three ladies.

And the whole body language is
concerned, worried because
they're frustrated

because they've been living
this way for a long time.

So you've got a layer of
worry, a layer of frustration,
a layer of feeling guilty.

So can you tell me about
the dog who got k*lled?
What was his name?

MEGAN: Chiquito.
CESAR: Chiquito? Oh.

MEGAN: You would
have loved him.
He was so cute.

SOPHIA: Oh my god.
He was the cutest chihuahua.

KAILEE: He was
also very quiet.

SOPHIA: Just like her.
CESAR: Yeah.

SOPHIA: He was
just very like her.

KAILEE: What happened was,
they were eating and we
usually separate them

when they're eating.

My dog, Chiquito, he
slipped through the gate and
went towards Nyla's food,

and then Nyla just,
like, snapped at him.

And she let go pretty quickly,
but she did puncture him, and
he just passed away.

CESAR: Sorry to hear that.

KAILEE: Chiquito, he
was the sweetest dog
anybody will ever meet.

The one dog that meant so
much to me because typically,
dogs don't like me,

so it was refreshing to have
one dog who like adored me.

And just seeing him
pass away like that,
it's very traumatizing.

MEGAN: Here's a video
from the other day caught
on the security cameras.

So that's Nyla in the
front right there,
and that's my mom.

CESAR: Ooh! Ooh!

MEGAN: That's Miso
right there on the leash.
She actually attacked Miso.

CESAR: Ooh! Ooh! Okay.
Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!

MEGAN: That's me right there.
CESAR: That's pretty bad.

Wow.

One fatal attack is bad
enough, but now this is a
pattern of violence.

This family's already
carrying a lot of guilt.

If Nyla kills again,
they might put her down,
and that will crush them.

And I can't let that happen.

SOPHIA: You want to
meet Nyla right now?

CESAR: Yeah.
I would like to see.

SOPHIA: You want to
meet her out here?
CESAR: Yeah.

MEGAN: On you.
Let's go upstairs.
Go.

CESAR: If you ever see me
smiling and making jokes,
it's because it's very serious.

And I'm looking at Sophia
just completely shrinking
and becoming a rock.

SOPHIA: Come here.
Nyla!

CESAR: Just open the door.
Just let me meet her.

SOPHIA: Are you sure?
CESAR: Yes.
Just open the door.

MEGAN: Ooh!
SOPHIA: Nyla!

CESAR: That's rude.
Her like just
going through you.

MEGAN: I know. I
know. I hate that.

CESAR: Tsch! Yeah.
There you go.

SOPHIA: Oh, wow.

When I saw Cesar correct
her behavior, I was like,

"Wow, it actually can happen.
I wonder if we can do it?"

Right now I have a lot of
anxiety because I know
what she's going to do.

But she looks so
happy and calm.

CESAR: You just have to, that's
what I would like to show you
because you have no clue.

SOPHIA: Yes.

CESAR: You know?
On that, how do dogs speak.

The way she was barking, she
was happy, but you have to
learn to recognize that,

so you nurture that
and you trust that.

Remember, she's a hound.
She's gonna pick
up on a scent.

She's gonna alert always.
And the "whoo whoo whoo".

SOPHIA: Yeah.
That's what she's
doing right now.

She's sniffing.

CESAR: You understand?
She's using her nose.

MEGAN: Yeah.
We try to usually.

SOPHIA: We've been
teach her to go.

CESAR: Yeah. Tsch!

MEGAN: Whoa.
CESAR: I got it.
I got it. Tsch.

MEGAN: I just don't
want you to get bit.
CESAR: No.

MEGAN: Well, I don't know.
I don't want you to get bit.

CESAR: Do you know who I am?
MEGAN: Yes. But still.
SOPHIA: It's still scary.

CESAR: Okay.
So right now, she was
entering into fight mode.

See, that's what we
got to take care of.

When Nyla first came out,
she had a happy bark, but
I could hear her shift

into an agitated bark as she
began to focus on my camera guy.

I could tell she was about to
bite, so I immediately needed
to snap her out of it.

All right.

So maybe we don't bring
my girl right now,

but I want to see your skills
on walking the other dogs.

I want to see you
guys in action.

MEGAN: We'll put Nyla.
SOPHIA: Inside.
MEGAN: In the kitchen.

CESAR: Yeah.
MEGAN: Come on.
Let's go. BRB.

CESAR: I want to see the dogs
on the walk because it gives me

way more insight about
the whole family.

Nyla can't be walked
safely with the other dogs.

So we're going to
leave her at home.

Who's the best cook?
Cause that's what I work for.
I work for food.

How the dogs behave outside.

How much of
connection, communication.

MEGAN: Go back in!
CESAR: No, wait.

SOPHIA: Oh, no!
No, no, no!
MEGAN: Come here.

CESAR: And that's going to
tell me the skills they have.

So when was the last
time Nyla did this parade?

SOPHIA: With all of them?
CESAR: Yeah.
SOPHIA: Not for a long time.

CESAR: Like how long?
SOPHIA: Like years.

MEGAN: Like two to three years.
CESAR: Years?

SOPHIA: Yeah. We can't.
CESAR: Uh-hmm.

SOPHIA: We can't because what
happens is Nyla lunges at
bicycles,

so it's very
stressful walking her.

Come on.
Come on.
Stop. Stop.

CESAR: Wow.
Look at your mom like.

SOPHIA: Shhh. Stop.
CESAR: She's
like a g*ng member.

SOPHIA: Stop. No!
Oh my god.

MEGAN: Because they
slip out of the gate.

CESAR: Yeah.
It's bad.

SOPHIA: No, no, no!

MEGAN: Ugh!
I hate these dogs!

Oh my god, a second time.
No, come on.

CESAR: We were walking
after less than one block,
I had to stop it.

This is way too
out of control.

Somebody's going to get bit or
pulled in front of a moving car.

All right.
That's it.

You know, the Thompsons
called me for Nyla, but their
problem is much bigger.

All of this chaos,
including Nyla's aggression,

is in response to the
Thompsons' frantic
communication

and nervous energy.

One dog is already dead.

If something doesn't
change, it's not if, but
when, Nyla will k*ll again.

I got you.

NARRATOR: The next day,
Sophia, Megan and Kailee
arrive at the ranch.

CESAR: Welcome to the
Dog Psychology Center.

NARRATOR: For the first
day of work with Nyla and
the rest of the pack.

CESAR: Whenever
you're ready, Andre!

We're gonna put them
in there with my pack.

I'm going to use my pack to
test how the Thompson dogs
behave up close with new dogs.

I spent years training my pack
how to safely be around
aggressive animals,

so they'll never
be in harm's way.

We know Nyla's had the most
serious issues, so I want to
start with her first.

Andre, you come up
and supervise, okay?

She has to be super calm.

See this is really good.

Went all the way to a
calm surrender state.
Ready?

KAILEE: Yeah.
CESAR: Breathe! All right.

By Nyla not showing
any aggression,

she's telling me she's
comfortable with my pack.
Tsch.

I'm gonna let her in, but I'll
keep her on a short leash.

KAILEE: I was
extremely nervous.

I was just scared that Nyla
would attack one of them.
I didn't trust her at all.

♪ ♪

CESAR: This is the
response that I want.

Woo- hoo! She's actually
surrendering. It's beautiful.

That's good.
What do you think?

KAILEE: I'm scared.
CESAR: You're scared? Yeah.

Your whole family is scared.
Your last name
right now is fear.

MEGAN: Ha-ha.

CESAR: That was
very interesting.

I didn't see any
aggression from Nyla,

even though she's the
one who's supposed to
be on a hair trigger.

Now I want to see how the
other four dogs react to my
pack without Nyla around.

It looks like Goob is
very chaotic, very frantic.
Tsch.

NARRATOR: Goob, the beagle
mix, doesn't have Nyla's
history of violence,

but now he's showing
over-excited aggression.

Cesar splits him off
to see how he reacts
to the pack first.

CESAR: Tsch. Tsch.

Tsch. Hey!

Tsch. Tsch. Close the door.

Hey. Tsch.

Tsch. Yeah.

So if he goes, we have to
address it and let him know
that's not allowed.

So this guys, on the
other hand, this is
like your cheerleaders.

MEGAN: Yeah.
CESAR: That's pretty
much all they're doing.

Because watch what
happens when they're in there.

They mean no harm.

Come on, come on.

So what happened right now,
why I let these guys go,

because these guys
are just "ahhh!"

They're just imitating what's
happening in your house.

SOPHIA: Yeah.
'cause they're fine.

I've never seen
them like this.

MEGAN: Cody doesn't
care about anything.

CESAR: Who?
MEGAN: Cody.
The one in the blue harness.

He just does not care.

CESAR: He does.
He cares in a different way.

MEGAN: Yeah.
All he wants to do is explore.
No, no, no!

CESAR: Hey. So you don't just
have a problem with Nyla.

Huh. Goob is a big problem.
Big problem. Tsch.

CESAR [off-screen]: I can tell
that Goob is a frantic
aggressive type.

He sees the family as
nervous, and so he
tries to protect them

by attacking any dog
that approaches them.

Hey.

So you don't just have a
problem with Nyla. Huh.

I don't think they realize
that Goob is a big problem.
He's a big problem.

Goob can trigger
the wrong energy.

So a little dog can trigger a
German Shepherd to retaliate,

but they're gonna blame
the German Shepherd

because the German Shepherd
is gonna punch harder.

SOPHIA: Yeah.

CESAR: So I don't go
and fight Mike Tyson.

But right now, Nyla's
responding way better
than Goob.

I've seen enough and honestly
these two dogs shouldn't
go back home today.

Just taking a
break from the family.

I would like to keep Nyla and
Goob with me without you guys
influencing.

SOPHIA: Be a good girl, okay?

I'm not gonna lie.
It made me really sad
to leave Nyla behind.

I know it's gonna be good
for her, like that's not
even a doubt in my head.

But does it make me sad?
Yeah, it does.

MEGAN: Bye, ugly.

CESAR: Ciao, ladies.

NARRATOR: The next
morning, Cesar begins his
first exercise to address

Nyla and Goob's aggression.

Since Nyla attacked
Chiquito months ago,

she's largely lived
separately from the other
dogs, including Goob.

CESAR: This is the first time
these guys have been together
without a gate in months.

NARRATOR: To break this pattern,

Cesar wants to forge a
more trusting bond
between the two animals.

CESAR: See that
movement that she made?

That little tense
and move back.

They're still not
trusting each other

'cause that's really the
vibration that's in the house.

They don't trust.

[whistles].

I want to continue
the shock factor.

This is what I'm doing:
I'm letting my dogs run
in all at once

before Nyla and Goob can
get comfortable with them.

We're gonna see the reaction.

How are they gonna feel?

It's a wave of dogs
coming to shock them in
a good, healthy way.

I want them to
depend to each other.

I want to see, we're not
familiar to these dogs, so
let's just work together.

Look at Nyla.

Just chill, relax.
That's really good.

NARRATOR: Though Nyla is at
ease around the other dogs,
Goob remains aloof.

CESAR: Let's get
Goobert in it.

Goob has it all backwards.

He deals with the stress of
these new dogs by putting
distance between them.

That's a territorial behavior
that leads to fights when his
space is invaded.

So I need to eliminate
his territorial mindset

and coax him closer to the
rest of the pack.

Tsch! Hey.

He got tense and went into a
little bit of moving him out
of the picture with the bite.

Just like yesterday, Goob
lashed out when another dog
nosed into his territory.

Now that I've corrected
him, I wanna bring him
closer to the pack.

Instead of finding comfort by
claiming territory, I want him
to find it in a familiar face.

Nyla.
So she's adjusting way
quicker than this guy.

So they can help each
other with the tension.

Look at this.

Whew!
That was very cute.

You can see that after he
wasn't allowed to lash out,
Goob looked to Nyla for comfort.

I'll continue to keep an eye
on Goob's territorial impulses,

but since Nyla feeds off
his energy, a calmer Goob
means a calmer Nyla.

This is a huge first building
block on the way to recovery.

Look.
They're drinking
water together.

Oh my god.

That's the Lady and
the tr*mp right there.

NARRATOR: Working one
on one with Cesar,

Nyla and Goob have quickly
shown huge improvements.

But Cesar notices that
around the Thompsons,

they behave very differently,

feeding off the
family's chaotic energy.

SOPHIA: Tsch.
Hey. Hey, hey, hey.

NARRATOR: To be safe enough to
send Nyla back into the
Thompson home,

Cesar needs the family to
address their issues head on.

CESAR: Bring them in.
Bring them in.

What Goob and Nyla are
doing right now is
pretty spectacular.

SOPHIA: Can't wait.

CESAR: So I want
you to breathe.

I want you to relax.

the Thompsons are
caught in a
vicious cycle.

Their anxiety makes Nyla
and Goob aggressive,

which just makes the whole
family even more anxious.

So I want to find out
when that worry first began.

So, you guys are
working together,
but with a lot of fear.

Sophia, is anything
holding you back?

SOPHIA: So, um, there
was some domestic
violence stuff going on

when my ex was there,
and their dad.

All of the dogs saw the
turmoil and all of the chaos

and the bad things that
happened in the house.

CESAR: Mmm.
What happened to you?

You get quieter, or
what goes through you?

KAILEE: I don't know.
I don't really
express my emotions.

CESAR: But what do
you feel inside?

Even if it doesn't come
out, you're still feeling it.

KAILEE: I'm angry.

CESAR: Yeah. Yeah.
Makes sense. Yeah.

SOPHIA: I know for Kailee,
she didn't have the
physical abuse from him,

but the verbal and the
emotional was really bad.

We all got these dogs
because we all needed
the emotional support.

CESAR: Uh-hmm.
SOPHIA: We use
them as a crutch.

The dogs were there for us.

And when Chiquito
passed, I didn't know
how to deal with it.

CESAR: Uh-hmm.

SOPHIA: I just
kind of put it aside.
I didn't comfort her.

I didn't know how to say,
"I'm sorry your dog passed."

And it was at the hands
of one of our other dogs.

And that was something
she loved so deeply.

And all of us felt
different emotions,
and we pushed it all in

because we want to be strong.
We're really strong women.

CESAR: Yeah.
SOPHIA: You felt that when
we first came, and we are.

CESAR: Oh, yeah.
SOPHIA: We are.
CESAR: I almost peed on myself.

[laughing].

SOPHIA: So our family
has gone through a lot.

CESAR: Yeah. A lot.
KAILEE: Yeah.

CESAR: Thank you so
much for sharing.

This is part of what I need to
make sure that I get, so I
know where you are.

You know?
I know the dogs are
sensing something.

I just didn't
know what it was.

SOPHIA: This is really the
first time that the three of
us have talked about it.

CESAR: Well thanks for
feeling safe with me.

This pain goes so much
deeper than I realized.

I really understand that pain.

Because I had my
own dark times.

But one thing that helped
me go through it is my dogs.

I always say, "Dogs
don't live in the past,
they live in the present.

It's people that
live in the past."

the Thompsons need to learn
from their dogs and let go
of that past.

NARRATOR: Cesar wants to keep
Nyla and Goob overnight again

to make sure they
don't backtrack.

And the next day, Sophia's
back for a one-on-one session.

CESAR: Welcome
back to the ranch.
SOPHIA: Thank you.

CESAR: I have a few
surprises for you.
SOPHIA: Okay.

I got the call from Cesar
that I'm supposed to come
by myself to the DPC,

and I don't know
what to expect.

So I'm definitely very anxious
and nervous about today.

CESAR: Today is a
very important day.
It's Sophia's day.

I'm a single dad as well.

I take care of my boys,
and a lot of times when we
are the single parent,

all the load lays on us.

SOPHIA: Yes.

CESAR: And sometimes, we
need a little bit of help.
You know what I mean?

I felt that I needed to
show you all the stuff
that you're missing,

such as the calmness.

[laughs].

CESAR: I wanted to invite her
today because as a single mom,
she is the pack leader,

but right now she's an
anxious pack leader.

The girls and dogs are
cueing off of her energy.

NARRATOR: Cesar wants to see
how calm the dogs can remain

when Sophia's in their
presence once more.

ANDRE: That a girl. That a girl.

SOPHIA: Oh my god.
I didn't even
know it was my dog.

CESAR: So you're going to go
right there in the middle.
Okay?

SOPHIA: Cesar has
put so much time in.

CESAR: You see it?
SOPHIA: What a change.
CESAR: Yeah.

SOPHIA: The most
important thing is to be calm.

I have to be very aware of
myself, and how calm I am,

because if I'm anxious,
tense, it can undo all
that progress.

CESAR: Remember, stay calm.

CESAR: It's all
about calmness.

If you're nervous
about it, they feel it.

SOPHIA: Okay.

[barking].

[growling].

CESAR: Got you.
That's it.
That's all.

Let's correct and
then let's do it again.
Tsch.

Don't worry about it.

SOPHIA: Okay.

CESAR: Tsch.

Nyla goes back in
to protect her.
Goobert tried to come back.

Nyla went right back, and
"Nope. I'm claiming her."

So nobody can come in
unless I decide that.

We just have to bring it back.
That's it.

SOPHIA: Uh-hmm.
CESAR: Tsch.

SOPHIA: Did she do
that because of me?
CESAR: That's right.

The brain is going well, if
we get close to her, we fight.

You know what I mean,
so, what they're doing
is fighting to protect you.

So you've got to be
assertive and redirect
before it escalates.

But I'm glad it happened
now, because I want
nobody to get hurt,

but I want you to see
how I respond to that.
Come on.

Nyla needs to learn that
she doesn't need to protect
Sophia from other dogs.

To desensitize her, I'm going
to have Sophia walk Goob
while Nyla has to watch.

Come on.
Tsch.
Stay.

Pass me a leash, Andre.

Now you're going to, what
you're going to do right now,

you're just going to
walk with my boy right
now and walk around her.

She can't move out of there.

SOPHIA: Okay.

CESAR: Stay.
Remind her she has to stay.

SOPHIA: Stay.
Stay.

Stay.
Tsch.

CESAR: Send her back.

There you go.
Stay.

SOPHIA: Stay.
CESAR: Yes.
SOPHIA: Stay.

CESAR: Come back over here.

You're going to give
affection here to my boy,
to show Nyla that it's okay,

and she doesn't
need to protect you.

Drop the leash, then come
here and give him affection.

That's your mom, dude.
That's right.

That's right.
You see what you
did right there?

You're showing leadership,
so they don't have to worry
about it.

I'll say today was a good day.

Goob showed no aggression.

Nyla had one setback,
but she ended up on a
great note.

Even more important,

Sophia's beginning to
understand how to take
control of her anxiety.

What is different
about you right now?

SOPHIA: I'm calm.
I don't feel tense.

CESAR: It's still early,
but improving the pack's
energy is a big step.

It's Sophia's day today.
All right.

SOPHIA: Okay.

CESAR: Just come here.
Don't call them.
We just go.

One dog k*lling
another dog often ends
up with two victims.

When I talk with owners
whose dogs have acted out
in such a terrible way,

the vast majority feel
like they have to put
their dog down.

Bear here bit several people.

His family even scheduled an
appointment to put him down.

But like Nyla,
he got a death
row pardon.

Nyla gets a second chance,
but it's probably her last
chance.

If she kills again, the
Thompsons said that they
would have to put her down.

I know how much they
love her, so that
will break them.

I'm not even going to
raise the possibility
with Sophia and the girls.

They know that the
stakes are high.

Instead, we're going to
focus on making sure
that that's a decision

the family never has to make.

NARRATOR: Cesar's worked
with Nyla and Goob on
the ranch for two weeks,

and they've come a long way.

But Cesar is still concerned
about one area: feeding time.

CESAR: I had learned that with
Nyla, she gets very
territorial around food.

NARRATOR: It was during meal
time that Nyla bit and fatally
injured Chiquito.

CESAR: For the Thompson ladies,
food means somebody died.

So to get the pack back,
they have to go through
their fears.

I'm gonna teach them how to
properly feed a pack of dogs.

MEGAN: Yeah, feeding
times get really chaotic
because we, you know,

because of the incident
that happened with Chiquito,
we are just afraid.

CESAR: Yeah.

NARRATOR: Since
Chiquito's death, the
dogs all eat separately.

Nyla and Goob in the kitchen,
with Goob inside a crate.

And the other three
dogs behind a gate
in the living room.

The family does
this because Nyla
attacks any dog

that invades her space
during feedings.

MEGAN: No! No!
No! Mommy!

SOPHIA: No!
No! No, Nyla!

MEGAN: Mommy, get Finn!
Get Finn!

CESAR: Nyla's territorial,
you know, which is normal.

You can eat in a restaurant,
and somebody comes and takes
the food,

you're going to be
territorial about it.

You see it?
We protect our food.

We protect our home.
We protect our family.

But when you use too
much force, you can
hurt somebody severely.

This is what happened.

I'm just going to show you
how I normally do it with her.

SOPHIA: Okay.
CESAR: Let's bring some food.
She's happy to be home.

SOPHIA: Let me go
get her a bowl.
CESAR: Yeah.

First I'm going to show
the family the key ideas

for feeding Nyla
around other dogs.

Then they'll go inside
and feed them while I
watch from out here.

I want to see how they
communicate and work together.

Okay.
So here we have
to make sure that,

she doesn't get
too excited
because she loves food.

She's a foodie like me.

What's very important is as
soon as it's feeding time, she
should be the one in the back.

And she should be the
last one to be fed.

It's very important
that she is the most
well-behaved of all,

especially at feeding time.

SOPHIA: When we put
Nyla's bowl down,

what prevents Finn,
Miso, Goob and Cody from
approaching her dish?

CESAR: Well, you can always
tie them down, you know,
that's always an option.

MEGAN: So when
we're feeding them,

we should be leashing
them all up. Right?

CESAR: Yeah.
MEGAN: Okay.
SOPHIA: Okay.

CESAR: This is the first time
since Chiquito was k*lled
that Nyla will be eating

around the other dogs, so the
family's communication and
energy has to be spot on.

They need to each have
their own task and execute
the plan silently.

If not, things could get
dangerous really fast.

Stay quiet because the
excitement of the food
is already plenty.

And then each one is going
to take care of two dogs.

Kailee, you're going to
take care of these two dogs.

Megan, you're going to
take care of these two dogs.

You're going to take care of
Nyla and the food preparation.

I don't want to influence
anything, so I'm just gonna
stay right here.

I'm going to watch you
guys from here, so if
you're doing something

you're not supposed to,
I'll let you know.

SOPHIA: Okay.
Go, Cody.

MEGAN: Cody.

Okay. So how are we
going to do this?

SOPHIA: Tie them down.
MEGAN: Where?

SOPHIA: I have to do the food.

I don't like them
being together like this.

MEGAN: But you can't be like
that, you know.

CESAR: It's chaotic.

MEGAN: You're not helping me!
I'm one person.
I can't do this all by myself.

SOPHIA: Nyla.

CESAR: No.
It's not good.

MEGAN: No.
You tie her!
SOPHIA: You tie her.

KAILEE: I'll tie her.
MEGAN: Hey, hey.

CESAR: She's getting excited.
That's not good.

MEGAN: No.
SOPHIA: Nyla!

CESAR: Hey.
Guys, stop stop!

Somebody's going to get hurt.

CESAR: Tie Nyla down,
and come out here.

SOPHIA: Oh, my God.

CESAR: Did you, did you,
uh, did you understand
what you did in there?

You saw what how you
guys were communicating?

SOPHIA: It was.

CESAR: Like this.
It was like this.

MEGAN: Yes, it was just
like a lot of talking
over each other.

CESAR: This is, you
know what I mean?

It's just really fast.
It's really chaotic.

MEGAN: It gives me anxiety
when my mom's yelling at me.
CESAR: Yeah.

SOPHIA: And I'm very anxious
because nobody's doing what
they're supposed to do.

CESAR: They didn't do
the two most important
things I told them.

They need to talk less
and when they do,
speak in a calm way.

And they need to stick
to the plan of who is
feeding which dog,

so there is less
chaos in the moment.

All right, let's do it.

SOPHIA: Can we try it again?
Okay.
CESAR: Yes.

SOPHIA: Let's go.

Back off a little bit.

CESAR: Way better.
See the difference already?

MEGAN: Yeah.
I don't know.
I'm still kind of anxious.

CESAR: Yeah.
Listen, deal
with your anxiety.

It's just, it's not
coming out as a sound.

SOPHIA: Hey, hey.

Tsch.
Hey.
Sit, sit.

CESAR: Much better.

They're feeling nervous and
they're feeling anxious and
all of that stuff,

but at least they can deal
with that better, versus they
want to do it fast,

you know, the more they talk,
the faster they move, but look
at the difference now.

MEGAN: I gave Miso's food.

CESAR: That's perfect.
That's teamwork. Yes.

Yes. Come on out, ladies.
Doing good!

SOPHIA: I was very nervous,
but actually seeing it and
doing it,

I know it's possible.

So I know if we work on
it, we probably can do it.

MEGAN: I'm happy that we were
able to do it today with your
guidance.

KAILEE: It was just nice to
see them all together eating.

CESAR: This was another
important step in their
journey.

I am really proud
of the Thompsons
facing their fears.

It wasn't perfect, but the
family is putting the trauma
of Chiquito's death behind

them and making some big
improvements in their
communication skills.

Not bad, right.
Did great.

I don't have any more
worries about Goob.

He's been on his best
behavior for weeks.

So I'm gonna leave him
here with the family.

But Nyla still has
more work to do.

So I need to bring
her back to the ranch.

NARRATOR: For over two
weeks, Cesar has worked
with Nyla to eliminate

the last remnants of her
aggressive impulses.

CESAR: We got to block it.

Hey.
Hey.

There you go.
All right.

Probably going to go
a little bit faster.

Let's go, girl.
This is good for you.

We do this every day.

This is good for you.

NARRATOR: The
work has paid off.

Now she's consistently calm
and comfortable around Cesar
and his other animals.

CESAR: Look who's changing!
Look who's changing!

Come on, that
doesn't warm your heart?

NARRATOR: However the
question is how she will behave

when she is once again
around the Thompsons.

If they don't improve their
energy and communication,

it could send Nyla
right back to square one.

CESAR: This is ranch life.

So the purpose of the next
activity is just to continue
trusting our dogs.

And more than anything
it's for you girls to
practice the calmness.

Hopefully you grab all this
memory that I'm giving you.

The ladies showed
calm communication

during the feeding
exercise in their home.

But I want to see if they can
bring those skills outside

where there are a lot
more distractions and
potential triggers.

So we're going to go in there.

See, those are going
to be your neighbors.

My barnyard pack are my best
partners in teaching and
reinforcing good behavior.

These animals are experts
in handling unruly dogs.

This is Marty.

Every animal here is rescued.
You know?

They know how to stay calm,
and my team and I always make
sure they're totally safe.

I'm going to introduce the
family and their dogs to my
barnyard animals,

and have Sophia lead
the whole pack on a walk.

So this is, look, this is
the equivalent of them
going to Disneyland.

[laughing].

All right.

So I'm going to leave
her with the leash,
so if she goes,

it's easy for me to
grab her just in case.

So I've placed a halter
in Nyla's mouth which
makes it impossible

for her to really bite down.

'Cause, they're all
gonna come in right now.

All right, let's
get 'em out!

[barking].

Tsch. That's good. If they
want to go that way. Hey, hey!

MEGAN: No, no!

CESAR: Hey!
THOMPSONS: No, no!

CESAR: It's all right,
it's all right. Hey.

Hey.
There you go.

So, if you're going to say
"No, No, No!", it's best
to do something about it.

MEGAN: Okay.

CESAR: Hey! Hey.

What they're doing is
protecting, creating a space.

SOPHIA: Uh-huh.

CESAR: Right?
But then you have
to tell them, listen,

don't worry about it.
We got this.

SOPHIA: Yeah, we got this.

We have to tell them,
"Hey, we're fine, don't
worry about us."

CESAR: Yeah. Don't worry.
SOPHIA: Just keep going.

CESAR: Yes.
That's right!

We're gonna gather them and go,
and walk in that direction.
All right?

We're gonna go just one round.
Lead the pack, Ma'am!

I'll follow you.

You guys keep on
everything, okay?

If he doesn't, like, move
forward, you can just.

SOPHIA: Tap 'em?

CESAR: Yup.
Keep moving forward.

SOPHIA: Oh.
Hey!

CESAR: Hey!
Very good.

SOPHIA: Hey!
CESAR: There you go.

SOPHIA: Hey.
Hey!

CESAR: Nice.
They're following your mom.
MEGAN: I know, she's a leader.

CESAR: Yup.

It's awesome to see Sophia
really stepping into her role
as family pack leader.

Look at that,
this is beautiful.

SOPHIA: Ssh!
No!

CESAR: Nice!

She's asserting herself
and managing all five
dogs with composure.

Look.
Look at that.

Look at your dogs.
Good boy.

This lesson was another
building block for Nyla
and the family.

She had a few
stumbles early today.

SOPHIA: Hey!
CESAR: Yes.

But by the end, Nyla was
really taking Sophia's
direction well.

And that is an experience.

Just so you see it's possible.

And this guy's not trying to
k*ll the whole entire world.

MEGAN: Oh, no.
SOPHIA: Yeah.

CESAR: Yeah, all the people.
MEGAN: Thankfully.

CESAR: Thankfully!
Thank you for a great day.

MEGAN: Thank you so much.
CESAR: Appreciate you so much.

Well, today was
a huge success.
All right.

That's it for you guys today.

I'm gonna send the Thompsons
home so I can have one more
day with Nyla.

Come on, Nyla.
To finish our work together.

Sit.
Very good.
There you go.

I see a calm surrender dog, I
see a redirection is working.

There you go.
Sit. Ah! Good.

So the safety, the peace
and the calmness that this
state of mind brings.

Look at that.
That's beautiful.

Now she has a better chance
to actually go up there and
stay in their home!

I know you just got
blocked by a donkey!

Today is a new day!

NARRATOR: After four long
weeks at the ranch, Cesar
has transformed Nyla.

But for Cesar to return
Nyla to the Thompson home,

the family must have the
skills to keep her from
ever k*lling again.

So he is heading back
to the Thompsons' for
a final challenge.

CESAR: I'm gonna put them in
two different situations,
one is to do the bike.

Nyla responds,
reacts to the bike.

And, we're gonna do the pack
walk in the neighborhood
with all those dogs.

This challenge is
gonna require the ladies

to put all the pieces
together from the past month.

I need the girls to
prove me that they
can have the pack back.

Fingers crossed!

Come on, Nyla.

SOPHIA: Oh my God, hi!
CESAR: I'm back! I'm back!
MEGAN: Hi!

SOPHIA: Hello.
CESAR: Come on,
bring the guys out.

We are having our
final challenge.

So today, I would like
to see you guys
walking with the pack.

SOPHIA: Okay.
MEGAN: Okay.

CESAR: However, now
you're in charge, so
just set up in a calm way.

SOPHIA: Okay.

CESAR: You know, how
we are gonna achieve
this last challenge.

SOPHIA: You guys
walk the little dogs.
I'll take Nyla.

MEGAN: I'll take Miso.
Come here, Miso.
SOPHIA: Thank you.

CESAR: Let's go.

MEGAN: How does it
feel walking Nyla, Mom?

SOPHIA: Uh, little scary, but.

CESAR: Just breathe, okay?

The first challenge is for
Sophia to learn how to manage
Nyla around bikes.

It's one of the reasons
they haven't been able to
walk her with the pack.

I've made progress
desensitizing her,

but the family will have to
continue this work at home.

I want to start by seeing how
Sophia does using her new
skills handling Nyla.

I know that Nyla has a little
reactivity towards the bikes,
so I want to challenge you.

We have someone waiting
over there with a bike.

All right, ladies,
just move to the side.

SOPHIA: Okay.
CESAR: Yes.

All right, Sebastian.

MEGAN: Oh my god!

[barking].

CESAR: Okay, here.
SOPHIA: She scared me!

CESAR: Sophia's fear and
tension is triggering Nyla
as much as the bike is.

If she relaxes and
anticipates Nyla's reactions,

she'll be able to
control her much better.

That's the important thing.

Do it again.

SOPHIA: She keeps lunging.
MEGAN: Relax, relax.

CESAR: Come on. Tsch.

She's not gonna do it there.

Ears are back and
the head is low.

We don't get tense, look.

See here.
No tension on the leash.

If she looks, that's
when you put the tension.

Try it again.
Relax.

Hey.
Okay.

SOPHIA: He told me to
keep the leash loose,

and as soon as I see
her ears going forward,
to correct her.

MEGAN: That was good!

CESAR: Yup.
One more time.
We got Sophia in the zone.

SOPHIA: So, we saw the bike,
correct her, and finally.

MEGAN: That's good!
CESAR: Yeah! Woo!

SOPHIA: Being able to control
Nyla with that bike situation,
which is my biggest fear,

gives me hope that I can
definitely face the other
fears I have,

which are less
significant than this one.

CESAR: Yeah!
Come on.
SOPHIA: Let's go, baby!

NARRATOR: Now the family must
control their pack on a walk
around the neighborhood,

a final test of all the skills
that they've learned over the
last four weeks.

CESAR: Sophia hasn't walked
Nyla with the other dogs in
over two years.

So this is a huge moment for
the family and the whole pack.

SOPHIA: I'm
feeling very nervous.

I know we're coming up
towards some houses
with some crazy dogs.

I don't know how
Nyla's going to react.

So I keep telling
myself to breathe.

CESAR: Slow.
Slow down.

Slow down.
Okay, that's good right there.

She's doing it.
Right there.
She's doing it!

She's doing it!

Keep going.
Yes.
I love it.

I love it.
I love it!

Yes. Yes!

Slow down.

Don't let her
give eye contact.

Yes.
Yes.

Absolutely.
Yes!
Wag, wag the tail!

SOPHIA: Woo!
CESAR: Yay.
SOPHIA: Woo.

MEGAN: Yeah.
No, that was
really cool to watch.

SOPHIA: Like she felt my
energy, I felt her relax,
my arm relax.

MEGAN: The leash was.

SOPHIA: The leash, the
leash was loose, and
it like felt amazing.

I want you guys to walk by.

CESAR: Your mama's challenging
you, you take the challenge.

SOPHIA: I wanted to cry.

It felt so good to have
all my dogs all together.

CESAR: Beautiful movement!

Beautiful, beautiful, yes!

SOPHIA: After today, I do not
have a fear of walking Nyla.

CESAR: Quicker.
Boom!

Show what the
quiet girl can do.

That's a perfect
state of mind.

SOPHIA: If Nyla were to attack
another one of our dogs, we
would not only be losing

the dog that she hurt, but we
would have to put her down.

But now that Cesar came along
and helped us, she can be able
to stay in the house.

We love her very much.

She's a great companion.
She's a great dog.

So, I'm really
happy and proud of her.

Oh, crap, Kailee!

MEGAN: Kailee, you
really just k*lled that.

SOPHIA: Yeah.
You just did.

CESAR: Kai-lee!
Kai-lee!
Kai-lee!

MEGAN: That was
just so easy for you.
KAILEE: I'm the best.

MEGAN: She's the dog
whisperer, not you.

CESAR: She's the
dog whisperer.
She's the quiet one.

KAILEE: I'm coming
for your job now!

CESAR: Oh, sh**t!
MEGAN: Oh!

CESAR: That's too
much, okay now.

[laughing].

There is times when I
know that the family has
a lot on their shoulders.

This is one of those families.

Now you're managing a pack!

SOPHIA: Yeah!

CESAR: With calm confidence.

This family has grief.
This family has pain.
This family has confusion.

So I'm very mindful
of that, you know.

I'm not just rehabilitating
a dog that is aggressive,
and a dog that is frantic.

I'm taking in consideration
all those layers of emotions.

Your dogs are
doing incredible.

I'm about to throw
a party right now.

This is one of those
special cases that I
did a lot of praying.

A lot, a lot of praying.

But it couldn't have
gone any better than this.

Just perfect.
It's just perfection.

My goal was to reunite
the family, and so, it
went really well.

The Thompson
family did it!

Faced their fear!