Millan - Be the Pack Leader

Contents

PART ONE
Balancing Your Dog

PART TWO
Balancing Ourselves

Dedicated to my wife, Ilusion, who is the inspiration
and the source of my leadership
and
to you, the reader, because I genuinely believe if we can change
our own lives and become better pack leaders to our dogs, to our
families, and to ourselves, then together we can change the world

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I n my last book, Cesars Way, I thanked my family, my role models, and all the people who have helped me on my amazing journey to becoming the Dog Whisperer. Of course, I remember them always, and without them this book would not have been possible. For Be the Pack Leader, however, I want to acknowledge all women, and the special power that all women holdeven though they may not realize it yet. I worry about the fact that my kids are growing up in a very unstable world; a world that is going to require some incredible pack leaders if it is going to be made right again. I believe that women hold the key to helping put our world back into balance. But they cant do that until men truly acknowledge and honor the unique wisdom and the leadership women have to offerand until women can embrace the pack leaders within themselves. More than most men, many women seem to instinctively know that leadership doesnt mean negative energy. It doesnt mean pitting one person against another, one country against another, one religion against another. I also believe that women are more likely than men to act for the good of the pack. And like dogs, we humans need to remember that without the pack we are nothing. I have seen more compassion from women in my life than I have seen from men. Women have taught me true calm-assertive leadership, and because of them I have become a better, more balanced leader in all areas of my life, not just with dogs.

Dogs are all about the pack. They are guided by an instinctual way of being that we humans can have access to if we simply say, I am here to live every moment to the fullest; to fulfill my own life and to help fulfill everybody else around me. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to dogs for the values they have taught mesuch as honesty, integrity, consistency, and loyalty. These are the qualities that make a true pack leader.

IN ADDITION, MY co-author and I wish to thank:

Scott Miller, our literary agent at Trident Mediayou are the epitome of class. At Random House, Shaye Areheart, Julia Pastore, Kira Stevens, and Tara Gilbridewere so blessed to be working with you again. Laureen Ong, John Ford, Michael Cascio, Char Serwa, and Mike Beller at the National Geographic Channelwere proud to be starting our fourth season on the network. And once again, Nat Geos crack publicity department under Russell Howard has outdone themselves, especially Chris Albert, whos been with us through all the ups and downs yet always manages to keep smiling. At MPH, thanks to Bonnie Peterson, George Gomez, Nicholas Ellingsworth, Todd Carney, and Christine Lochmann for your help in compiling all the photos and graphics, and to Heather Mitchell for fact checking and research. Special gratitude to Alice Clearman, Ph.D., and Charles Rinhimer, D.V.M., for your invaluable expertise and input, and to Tom Rubin for your legal assistance. Clint Rowe, it was an honor to work with you and Wilshire, and we are very grateful for your wisdom and insight. Thanks also to producers Kay Sumner and Sheila Emery, and to SueAnn Fincke, who is the Dog Whisperer show. And of course, endless praise for the hardworking Dog Whisperer staff, crew, and editors.

MELISSA JO PELTIER wishes to thank:

Jim Milio and Mark Hufnailits been a long, hard road yet here we still are! Yes, you guys truly are the two best partners in the known universe.

As always, gratitude for my dad, Ed Peltier, and thanks to my incredible circle of supportive friends (in Manhattan and Nyack), especially Tamara, Gail, Everett, and, most important, Victoria A. My beautiful stepdaughter, Caitlin Gray, never fails to make me smile, even when Im stressed.

And to my amazing husband, John Gray, thank you for being both my Safe Harbor in every storm as well as my forever partner in our Moveable Feast.

Last but not least, Ilusion Millan, I am so grateful for your generosity of spirit, and, Cesar, bless you for changing my life and helping me to become a much more calm-assertive, stable, and balanced pack leader to the animals and the humans in my life.

INTRODUCTION

T his past year has been exciting and a little bit overwhelming for me, my family, and the people I work with. There have been television shows to film, seminars to give, and more dogsand peopleto help. Weve all been very blessed. But between my first book, Cesars Way, and this one, my canine companions have been continuing to teach me new lessons about dog behaviorand about human behavior as well. Over the past year, I have experienced so many new types of cases and learned so many new things. I have studied more behavioral and scientific research, and joined forces with and studied techniques of those who prefer other methods of helping dogs. All this has deepened and enhanced my perspective. I also took to heart some of the criticisms I received about the last book. Some readers wanted more case studies; others wanted more hands-on, step-by-step instruction. The last request is the hardest to accomplish, since I am not a dog trainer. To train your dog to sit, stay, or roll over, there is a very specific progression of steps to go through. To rehabilitate an unbalanced dog, I almost always work from instinct with the dog right in front of me, and my core fulfillment formula of exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order, are still the backbone of my methods. That said, we will be providing easily remembered, practical tips throughout this book, and are adding an entire, easy-to-reference section at the end of the book, with step-by-step suggestions for very specific situations.

We will also be including some amazing true success stories throughout the textmany of which I didnt have access to until my show became more popular. We receive literally thousands of letters each month and the stories are truly amazing, reminding me to give thanks that our work is now accessible to so many more people. These letters were what inspired the promise of this books subtitlethat youll be able to use Cesars way to transform your dog and your life. In fact, many people who began using the power of calm-assertive energy to help have better relationships with their dogs are reporting that their human relationshipswith their kids, their bosses, and their spousesare becoming more manageable as well.

The goal of this book is to help you strengthen the bond between you and your dogbut I hope it will also show you how closely linked humans and dogs areand how much our dogs have to teach us all. The power of the pack idea doesnt just apply to dogs. It applies to another species of pack animals whose destinies have been intertwined with those of dogs for tens of thousands of years. That would be our very own species, Homo sapiens.

After you read Be the Pack Leader I sincerely hope you will feel more strongly the link between you and Mother Nature, and learn to become more in tune with your instinctual self. My goal for you is that you use the power of calm-assertive energy to become the pack leader in every area of your life, and open up to you a new dimension of living that you never before realized was possible.