Peltier Melissa Jo - A member of the family: Cesar Millans guide to a lifetime of fulfillment with your dog

CONTENTS

First and foremost, Id like to dedicate this book to my human family membersmy parents, my brother and sisters, my wife and my two sons. Second, I want to remember all the amazing dogs in my life that have been loyal family members to me.

Id also like to give an individual acknowledgment to one very special dog, my pit bull, Daddy. I have loved many dogs in my life, but Daddy really takes the cake. He has helped me to raise my kids, taught me how to be a calm-assertive parent, and helped me to rehabilitate hundreds of troubled dogs. Most important of all, Daddy has shown me what it really means to give for the good of the pack, expecting nothing in return, but knowing that good will eventually come. Daddy is one of the wisest beings (of any species!) I have ever known, and it has been an honor to work with, live with, and love him for these fourteen amazing years.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would not have been possible were it not for the invaluable contributions of some of the finest veterinarians in the profession. Graciously adding their wisdom, advice, and tips were Dr. Sherry Weaver of the Animal Hospital of Towne Lake in Woodstock, Georgia; Debbie Oliver, DVM, of the Blue Cross Pet Hospital in Pacific Palisades, California; Charles Rinehimer, VMD, of Northampton University in Pennsylvania (who also contributed greatly to our last book); and Paula Terifaj, DVM, of Founders Veterinary Clinic in Brea, California.

Others have helped me quench my thirst for more knowledge about canine wellness: Dr. Brij Rawat, DVM, of Hollypark Pet Clinic in Gardena, has generously supported my mission to help dogs since I was a struggling young trainer newly arrived in Los Angeles. Dr. Rick Garcia and his mobile veterinary hospital, Paws n Claws, have rushed to many emergencies where pack members or clients dogs have needed special care.

Most recently, Dr. Marty Goldstein of the Smith Ridge clinic in South Salem, New York, the premier integrative veterinary medicine clinic in the country, has had a great influence on me as I continue to explore the areas of homeopathic and naturopathic medicine for dogs, as well as tools such as acupuncture, acupressure, and massage. Also instrumental in these efforts are homeopathic doctor Dahlia Shemtob and acupuncturist Vivian Engelson. All these dedicated health professionals have been part of a solid support systemnot just for this book, but also for the Dog Psychology Center, the Dog Whisperer television series, and for all of our questions, fact checks, and emergencies throughout the years. We truly are blessed to have such a diverse and talented pool of professionals as our role models and trusted references.

The authors would also like to thank our literary agent, Scott Miller of Trident Media Group; Julia Pastore, Shaye Areheart, Kira Stevens, and Tara Gilbride at Random House; Steve Schiffman, Steve Burns, Michael Cascio, Char Serwa, Mike Beller, Chris Albert, and Russell Howard at the National Geographic Channel; Fred Fierst, Esq.; Michael Gottsagen and company at IMG; and Neil Stearns and Damon Frank at Venture IAB.

At MPH, thanks to Bonnie Peterson, George Gomez, Nicholas Ellingsworth, Todd Carney, Christine Lochman, Cherise Paluso, and especially to Crystal Cupp for her fact-checking, research, and consistently upbeat attitude. We are indebted to Cynthia CJ Anderson, moderator of the Dog Whisperer Yahoo.com fan group and coordinator of the Cesar Ambassadors program, for her help in finding our success stories.

On the Dog Whisperer series, Kay Bachman Sumner, Sheila Possner Emery, and SueAnn Fincke keep the show running smoothly, with the help of our peerless field crew and editorial staff. Special gratitude goes to the woman behind the scenes who keeps all of us at the Dog Whisperer television show looking beautifulmakeup and hair artist Rita Montanez.

Finally, Cesar Millan wants to extend his special appreciation and gratitude to Oprah Winfrey: Thank you for giving me a dream opportunity to be able to work with you and your sweet Sophie. God rest her soul; I will always value our experience together dearly and to IMG: Thank you all for believing in me and helping the world to become a better place for dogs and humans. I am so proud to be on such a dedicated and committed team.

Melissa Jo Peltier wishes to thank her MPH partners, Jim Milio and Mark Hufnail, for their consistent and immeasurable support; and Ilusion Millan for her friendship and inspiration. Gratitude also goes to her dear friend Victoria A.; her dad, Ed Peltier; her stepdaughter, Caitlin Gray; and her husband, John Gray, who is as much her muse as she is his.

INTRODUCTION

Biologists, historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists have spent years arguing over how the bond between humans and dogsnow many thousands of years oldcame to be. But since dogs live in the momentand I try to follow their exampleId like to put forth a theory of my own that relates only to dogs as they are today. Dogs and humans are alike in one way that is so fundamental to our being, neither species can survive without it. Like human beings, dogs are eternally attracted to the concept of family.

When they live in the wild, most canids naturally arrange themselves into family-based packs. Even if the dogs arent related to one another by blood, the bonds of living and surviving together turn them into a smoothly functioning unit. Within that unit, there forms a loyalty, a trust, and an understanding so deep, we as humans can only look on with awe. These are the qualities we dream of having in our own relationships with the families that we are born into and the families we create, but being only human, we often fall short. But when we bring dogs into our lives, we have access to their inborn integrity. By making dogs full-fledged members of our families, we have the ability to make those human families stronger.

In our human society, the definitions of family are always adapting and changing. In some parts of the world, families consist of many generations of related members, still bound together in tribal groups or clans in the struggle to survive. Here in America, the concept of the average household being a mom, a dad, and two-point-five kids has shifted to include blended families from various marriages and divorces, as well as single-sex couples living together, with or without kids. We have aunts and uncles and cousins; godfathers and godmothers; in-laws; stepsiblings and foster siblings. To me, even all these titles limit the true definition of family. When an owner calls me in to help a dog, what I am really there to do is to create an orderly, functioning pack out of what appears to the owner as chaos. That pack can be anything from a single woman and her one dog living in a small apartment, to a monastery filled with twenty candidates for the priesthood and their watchdog, to a college sorority house and their canine mascot, to a senior citizens home and the therapy dogs that regularly visit there. To me, a pack