Disclosure: This article does not contain any K-pop related topic.

Lately, I’ve been obsessing about The Dog Whisperer. It’s a show in National Geographic hosted by Cesar Millan, a renowned dog psychologist. I wasn’t watching it at first, deeming that it was just the typical “dog trainer training a problematic dog” program. But you know what? After one episode (and it wasn’t even the first one from the first season), I was hooked. I have become addicted.

The Dog Whisperer is more than just about dog training. As Cesar Millan introduces himself at the opening of the show, “I rehabilitate dogs, I train people.”

I’m not going to try to be an expert with dogs in this article.  (Gosh, I wouldn’t even come close). But I just want to share a few things/lessons I’ve learned or discovered from watching the show.

One of them was that dogs feed off human’s energy. So basically, your dog reflects who you are. If you’re giving off negative energy, it will bounce to your pet. For example, if you’re stressed or nervous/fearful (especially around your dog), the animal can sense that. That bad vibe you are emanating can either produce a stressed/nervous/fearful dog as well. That is why there are some of them who become aggressive because their nervousness can lead them to too much excitement (especially without their needed exercise). It will escalate, and then sometimes without warning, bam!, they just snap. As a result, they nip or growl, or even worse, attack.

It would probably be hard to believe that it’s the owner’s fault, but yeah, believe it. It is. The dog has a problem because the one who owns it has a problem. Not because your very own dog is aggressive towards you, be it as brawny as a Pitbull or as tiny as a Chihuahua, doesn’t mean that it hates you. Dogs don’t hate. It’s a mere product of the energy you’re giving off.

First step to turn that aggressiveness around? As Cesar Millan always reminded dog owners again and again, it’s as simple as “Breathe, and be calm and be assertive.”

Second, there’s nothing wrong with making a dog a part of the family. But of course, there are boundaries. Just like your sister can’t touch/use some of your favorite clothes, your dog cannot munch on paper or your sofa or jump up on kitchen counters and steal food. While that can sometimes be cute (or smart), that’s actually a bad behavior. It means that your dog doesn’t respect you.

Remember that you dominate the dog, not the other way around. Claim your space. Discipline. Set rules. With the correct guidance, your pet will be more than happy to follow them. After all, you are his/her pack leader.

Another thing I’ve learned from the show and Cesar Millan, is that dogs don’t hold grudges. As I just mentioned above, they don’t hate. Whatever terrible incidences happened to them in the past (for example, being abused) they forget about it. They move forward. And isn’t that such a remarkable principle to learn? We, humans, are so fond of holding on to our pasts, especially the ones that hurt us. It is probably in our nature but how marvelous it would be if we could learn to forgive easily and then move on? (Then again, that would be difficult, because it’s also in our nature to hurt.)

I really recommend you to watch The Dog Whisperer. Even if you are not a dog lover or are afraid of them, through the show, you will understand their psychology and then realize that there’s nothing to be afraid of them. Even of Pitbulls, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers—dog breeds that have been ingrained in one’s mind as vicious and dangerous.

• Care for your dog: exercise, discipline, affection. In that order.
• Remember: Breathe. Be calm and be assertive.
• When meeting dogs, apply the “no talk, no touch, no eye contact” rule.
• Don’t buy from pet shops. Most of them came from puppy mills, and puppy mills have a very cruel way of caring for dogs. Actually, they don’t care for them as much as they care for the money they’re going to earn from these animals. If you’re going to buy from a pet shop, you just gave these puppy mill operators the support that they needed yet don’t deserve. Instead, adopt. It’s free. And you’re helping.
• Selecting a puppy is not about the cuteness or whichever ran to you first, barked, and crazily wagged its tail at you. A dog that is calm or relaxed is the one you most likely need to pick. In that state, there is lesser possibility that it will become unbalanced in the future or as it grows older.
• Don’t be deceived by the size of Chihuahuas. While they come in small packages, they have the ability to dominate other dogs as burly as a Mastiff.
• Disciplining your dog is one way of showing how much you love it.
• Exercising your dog is also one way. Take it for long walks outside. The closer it is to nature, the happier it will be.
• Dogs tell you what you really feel. If something changed in your dog’s behavior, it’s because something changed in you. Take the time to assess yourself. If you’re stressed, claim it. And then do something about it.
• It’s good to have a dog in the household because they remind us of the simplicity of living.
• Last but not the least, be the pack leader.

Oh, and another thing, I think Cesar Millan is hot.

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Note: I own the article. I do not own the photos.