Energy is Everything

A highly energetic dog waits to play.
Dog Psychology

How To Figure Out A Dog’s Energy Level

The second of Cesar’s Five Natural Dog Laws is this: “Energy Is Everything.” It’s how dogs — and all animals — communicate with each other and how they read our intentions and respond to us. If you have dogs, you probably already know intuitively what their general energy level is; whether your dog is a hyper pup that needs to play all the time, or more of a couch potato that’s happy with a slow walk and then a nap. But how can you tell whether a new dog’s energy would be right? When people ask Cesar what breed of

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a dog plays fetch on the beach.
Dog Psychology

Natural Dog Law 2: To Dogs, Energy Is Everything

Because humans are intellectual beings, we communicate mostly with words. This makes it easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking that dogs also communicate with spoken language. While it may seem like our dogs understand specific words and associate them with specific actions, they’re mostly responding to the intent that we have associated with the word. If you tell your dog to sit without intention behind it, your dog won’t sit. Conversely, you can approach your dog with the intent to get her to sit and say the word ‘toaster’ or ‘lamp’ ‘ or nothing at all

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Dog Deception

If I were to ask you what one of the most frustrating things people can do to you is, I’m pretty sure that your answers would probably mostly revolve around miscommunication — whether someone doesn’t explain clearly what they want or even goes so far as to lie outright. It’s easy to take that kind of thing personally even when it’s not, but it’s also easy to miss when we do it to others. And yet, it’s the kind of thing we do to our dogs constantly without knowing it. We mislead our dogs when we are not absolutely clear

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A llama is pictured here.
Cesar Millan

Away In A Manger

It’s hard to believe it’s already only one week until Christmas. This is also the week that my pack and I go on vacation until next year, so this will be my last Sunday message until 2017. Next year is going to bring some great new things with it, so stay tuned for all the updates and surprises. It’s interesting to note that Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa all begin together this year, with the first day of Hanukkah on Christmas Eve, while Kwanzaa starts on Boxing Day, but I have a question for you about Christmas Eve — at midnight

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A dog is looking for affection.
Dog Psychology

The Power Of Disguise

Humans love to put on disguises, whether it’s playing dress-up as a child, putting on a costume for Halloween, or dressing as your favorite fictional character to go to a convention. It doesn’t even have to be what we’d call a costume — I know many people who enjoy those occasions when they have to get really dressed up, whether it’s a cocktail dress or fancy gown, or a nice suit or tuxedo. A formal outfit can be a kind of disguise as well, reminding the wearer, “This is not my every day self.” Even when we don’t get dressed

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Calm dog in a deep sleep on comfy pillow
Be Aware of Your Energy

Three Important Words

By Cesar Millan I’m now on the final days of my Latin American tour, doing my last show in Mexico City tonight, and then on to Monterrey before going home to Los Angeles. It seems like it was only a few days ago that I was writing to you about the halfway point. The end of the trip did seem to come faster than getting from the beginning to the middle. I was going to take the opportunity to answer more of your questions this week, but as I read through them I started to realize that many of you,

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Happy dog sits at owners feet and smiles
Be Aware of Your Energy

5 Steps To Becoming Calm

By Cesar Millan One of the most important things I teach people to do is always exhibit calm, assertive energy around their dogs — and it’s a good way to approach life in general. But I’m frequently asked, “How do I do that?” The good news is that once you’ve figured out how to achieve that state of calm, it becomes more instinctual and easier to do. The better news is that anyone can learn how to emit calm, assertive energy. Here are five tips to help you achieve it. Relax. Your Dog is not Misbehaving on Purpose No matter

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girl kissing a dog
Cesar Millan

Emotion And Intention

Anybody who has read or seen at least one interview with me, or has read or watched at least one of my books, shows, or DVDs, knows at least this: I am constantly pointing out the importance of energy when it comes to communicating with our dogs. Energy is Everything To a dog, energy is everything. A dog doesn’t care whether you’re a pope, a prince, or a peasant. A dog primarily knows you by two things: your scent and your energy. Now, the scent part is obvious and requires no explanation. However, one of the questions I get asked

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two dogs | canine energy
Aggressive Toward Other Dogs

Keeping Control

Recently, one of my human office pack members told me a very interesting story. He has a neighbor with two dogs, and whenever he and his dog meet up with them, all of the dogs greet each other happily and play and get along great. A few weeks ago, the neighbor was out of town and hired a dog walker and, as soon as the dog walker saw my employee and his dog, she tensed up and moved to the side. He told her that the dogs got along, but she stayed nervous and, instead of greeting his dog playfully,

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