THE DOG WHISPERER

Like everyone else, I saw Cesar Millan, THE DOG WHISPERER, on Oprah. And I’ve seen him work his magic a couple of times on his television show. Some of it looked a bit violent, and the submission techniques often seemed like brute force. For a guy who’s trying to do everything with energy, brute force didn’t make sense to me. But that’s me.

I bought the book (CESAR’S WAY: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems) to see what he had to say about my greyhounds, Violet Rays and Charles Hobson Booger, III (below). According to Millan, most of the behaviors I think are adorable are really manifestations of an imbalance in their energy. And I must say, I agree.

Though I walk them for an hour and a half each day, I now realize that they need better quality walks. And another thirty minutes would be great. Oh, and I could probably benefit from improving my leadership qualities so they stop ruling my life.

I implemented said improvements and my dogs appear to be more relaxed and they are much better at their walks. They truly use that time to exercise.

All was right with the world until I started researching Cesar Millan. The Bark has eye-opening blogs and oodles of comments by trainers and dog behaviorists.

I’m just glad my dogs don’t have serious enough problems to warrant intervention by a professional. Because then I’d have no choice but to get to the bottom of this.