Posts tagged "DogWhisperer"

Cesar Millan Returns for 'Dog Whisperer' Season 7

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Oct 8th 2010 12:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Celebrity Pets

Cesar Millan and Howie Mandel picture Cesar Millan instructs Howie Mandel. MPH - Emery / Sumner Joint Venture

"Cesar, please, help me!" pleads comedian Howie Mandel. So begins the premiere episode of the newest season of National Geographic Channel's "Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan."

Mandel, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and did not grow up around animals, is terrified of his wife Terry's chihuahua. Millan is quickly dispatched to Mandel's Los Angeles home to meet the tiny and temperamental dog named Lola. The little pooch stations herself on the sofa beside Mandel's wife and snarls at the comedian every time he tries to approach. "I am afraid for my life," admits Mandel, and he's not joking.

Mandel isn't the only TV star in need of pet intervention. Even after six seasons, there seems to be no end to troubled canines, and celebrities, needing Millan's help. This season, viewers of the popular series can expect to see actress Rhona Mitra, who most recently starred on the ABC show, 'The Gates,' getting help for her aggressive French bulldog, Oscar. Even wildlife expert Casey Anderson -- best-known for having his 900-pound pet bear Brutus serve as best man at his wedding to actress Missi Pyle -- calls Millan to help tame the couple's two dogs.

Nor does Millan ever seem to run out of pithy admonishments and his brand of wisdom. "You can make a dog unstable by giving it only love," says Millan after observing Lola the chihuahua dominate the humans in the household.

And finally, no season of "Dog Whisperer" would be complete without stories about dogs possessed by strange obsessions. In this season's premiere episode, we meet an English bulldog named Bebe who is inexplicably driven to destroy lampshades.

The seventh season of "Dog Whisperer" premieres Friday, October 8 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel.

More From AOL Lifestyle: If you are interested in other celebrity news from the new season's TV shows, check out "The Fug Girls Pick the Best and Worst Looks of Fall TV" over at Lemondrop.

Cesar Millan or Victoria Stilwell? Who Would You Rather Have Train Your Dog?

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Aug 9th 2010 3:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Pet Training

cesar millan victoria stillwell Getty Images

You have a dog you just can't get to behave. Who would you turn to? That seems to be one of the questions raised in a recent Time Magazine article called, "Dog Training and the Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance."

The article stirs up a long-running debate among experts in the dog training and behavior world about what is the best way to work with dogs. Many experts have gone on record against Millan's use of dominance techniques -- finger jabs, quick flicks to a dog's flank and forcing a dog onto its back -- to assert control over an aggressive or misbehaving canine. "He's a charming, one-man wrecking ball directed at 40 years of progress in understanding and shaping dog behavior and in developing non-punitive, reward-based training programs." one expert wrote in a 2006 New York Times op-ed piece about Millan. (Millan will be the first person to tell you that he is not a dog trainer, but akin to a "dog psychologist.")

Victoria Stilwell, the British dog trainer and star of Animal Planet's,"It's Me or the Dog," espouses the positive-reinforcement method of dog training, and the liberal use of treats to coach an ill-mannered dog into displaying better behavior. "She uses positivity as a counterpoint to dominance theory and reserves her aggression for the poorly behaving humans," says the article's author, Jeninne Lee-St. John.

Viewers of his popular show, "The Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel know that Millan is not averse to using a bag of treats to lure a shy dog out of a kennel, for example. But the main thrust of Millan's techniques is based on dominance theory, in which the dog submits to the human.

Experts quoted in the Time article say that this dominance style is based on an outdated study of wolves. That study suggested that the alpha-male wolf emerged by displaying aggression over other wolves and the idea is that because dogs are descended from wolves, humans need to display alpha behavior (or be the "pack leader," as Millan would say), dominating their pet dogs to get them to behave.

In the News - Dog Whisperer to Divorce, Dog and Family Reunite, and More

by Kristen Seymour (Subscribe to Kristen Seymour's posts): Jun 8th 2010 5:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News

cesar milan Lionel Cironneau, AP

Dog Whisperer and Wife Split
Cesar Millan and his wife, Ilusion, have decided to call it quits after 16 years of marriage, the trainer and TV host said on his website. While he states that they'll both remain committed to parenting their two-legged children, there was no mention of who will get custody of the dogs.

Dog Reunited With Family After Four Years
When Cooper, a coton de Tulear, disappeared in 2006, his family feared the worst. Now, four years later, he's been returned to his owners thanks to the microchip found by shelter workers, reports the Long Island Press. How did Cooper's four years of freedom treat him? Aside from his coat being matted, he's in good shape and, according to his owner, very happy to be home.

Humane Society Donates 12 Tons of Pet Food to Oil-Spill Affected Louisiana
The Gulf Coast has had a rough time as of late with the recent catastrophic oil spill, and many animals are bearing the brunt of the bad economy when their owners abandon them. The Humane Society is stepping up and delivering 12 tons of pet food to two of the hardest-hit parishes in Louisiana, reports Tonic. The food will go to shelters to be distributed to families in need so the pets can stay with their families.

Jorge Garcia Mourns Loss of Dog
Jorge Garcia, who played the character Hurley on the hit show "Lost," is having a rough couple of weeks. First, the series ended, and then his dog, Nunu, was killed, he writes on his blog. The Chihuahua-dachshund mix was hit by a car and died in Garcia's arms. She'll be buried in the Pet Garden at Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe, and in three months, visitors will find a plaque with her name on it. "If you'd like to leave a flower or a toy, I'm sure she'd love it," Garcia writes.

Cesar Millan's Beloved Pit Bull 'Daddy' Passes Away at 16

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Feb 23rd 2010 1:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Celebrity Pets

Cesar Millan's and dog pictures Gilles Bensimon/Cesar's Way Magazine

The "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan is mourning the death of his cherished pit bull, Daddy, who passed away on Feb. 19 at the age of 16. He died peacefully surrounded by the family that loved him: Millan, his wife Ilusion and their young sons, Andre and Calvin.

Daddy was a familiar face on Millan's show, "The Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic Channel, where his calm-submissive presence set an example for troubled canines and their owners seeking help. Daddy, the gentlest of pit bulls, was "one of the most loyal, trusting, well-balanced, and influential pit bull ambassadors the world has ever known," states a memorial on Millan's Web site.

Speaking with Paw Nation last year, Millan explained that Daddy wasn't as active as he had once been. "You can see the age crawling in," Millan told Paw Nation. "It's the body -- especially his back legs -- so he gets acupuncture twice a week; he swims every day; walks every day; and eats great meals for his digestion." Anticipating the inevitable, Millan last year added a new pit bull puppy to his pack, Junior, to train with Daddy and become his protege.

But as much as one prepares for the death of a beloved pet, it is never easy. Especially when there exists a special relationship, as Millan admits he had with Daddy. "[Daddy] saw me get married, how I changed when I became a dad, my children growing up, and the ups and downs along the way," Millan said in an interview last year. He is more than a member of my family -- he is a member of my life."

Rest in peace, Daddy.

How to Get 'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan to Come to Your House

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Dec 16th 2009 11:00AM Filed Under: Dogs, Pet Training

Cesar Millan with a pet picture Helena Sung

Have you ever wished the "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan would come to your house and help you with your unruly canine? You're not alone.

"We get thousands of applications from people wanting to be on the show," one of the show's producers, Sheila Emery, tells Paw Nation. "But we're only able to pick a small percentage." So how do the producers decide which dogs (and their owners) merit a visit from Millan? Paw Nation attended a "Dog Whisperer" casting call to find out.

On a sunny December afternoon in Santa Monica, Calif., Leah Pacheco and her husband Meftali Villasenor wait nervously to talk to one of the show's producers, who is holding auditions at a local grooming salon. The couple has driven two hours for the chance to be featured in an upcoming episode of "Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan." They have four dogs and are desperate for help.

"We have a year-and-a-half-old Doberman pinscher named Jordan and she's crazy," Pacheco tells Paw Nation. "She dominates our other three little dogs and bats our Chihuahua around like a soccer ball." Does the Chihuahua like playing with the Doberman? "No!" Pacheco says, "Buttercup, our Chihuahua, is terrified!" Jordan also has a scary habit of jumping on the car whenever Pacheco's husband gets inside the vehicle.

They've tried everything that Millan suggests on his shows -- exercising Jordan on a treadmill, making her run alongside as they bike -- but nothing works. "It's our fault," laments Pacheco. "When Jordan was a puppy, we spoiled her. We're hoping to get on the show so Cesar can help us."

Pitbull Puppy Joins 'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan's Pack

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Nov 25th 2009 2:30PM Filed Under: Dogs, Celebrity Pets

Cesar Millan with pets picture Gilles Bensimon/Cesar's Way Magazine

In the newest issue of Cesar's Way magazine -- on newsstands Dec. 1 -- famed "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan pens a touching article about finding the right pit-bull puppy to follow in the large, calm paw prints left by Millan's beloved pit bull, Daddy. "Daddy is 15, which means he's getting old," writes Millan in the article. "I've known for a while that I would have to adopt another pit bull."

Millan describes how he took Daddy to the home of a friend whose female pit bull had a litter of two-month-old pups. One puppy caught Millan's attention right away. The pup was adorable -- all gray with a bit of white on his chest -- and his "calm energy" impressed Millan. But how would Daddy respond to the gray puppy?

"You wouldn't believe how well it went!" writes Millan. "The puppy immediately lowered his head, surrendering to the older dog and allowing him to smell him all over."

With Daddy's stamp of approval, the gray pup joined Millan's pack and was anointed -- what else? -- Junior. "Since he was already settling into his role as Daddy's protege, we decided to call him Junior," Millan explains in the article.

Junior has already made his television appearance on the current season of National Geographic's "The Dog Whisperer," appearing in an episode dedicating to raising a good puppy. Check Junior out in this video.

'Dog Whisperer' Meets 'The Biggest Loser'

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Nov 6th 2009 11:00AM Filed Under: Dogs, Celebrity Pets, Pet Training

On Friday's episode of "Dog Whisperer" on the National Geographic channel, Cesar Millan helps "Biggest Loser" fitness and life coach Jillian Michaels with her 14-month-old greyhound mix, Seven, who has a naughty little habit of nipping at Jillian's horse.

"We're going to get on the horse while [Seven] attacks the horse from the ground," Michaels laughs, as Millan clambers atop her 2000-pound horse with a dog leash in his hand. "That's fine. I'm up for a trip to the hospital."

Will Millan succeed in teaching Michaels how to control Seven? Watch Millan work his "magic" in the preview below.

Also on the show, Millan works with a German shorthaired pointer who's an escape artist, and a Yorkshire terrier who attacks brooms and car windshield wipers.

The "Dog Whisperer" airs Friday at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel.

'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan and His Pit Bull, Daddy

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Oct 23rd 2009 3:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Celebrity Pets

MPH-Emery/Sumner Joint Venture

Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan is usually calm, assertive and in control. So what made him gasp, reel backwards and raise his hands to his face? The surprise unveiling of a huge portrait of Daddy, MIllan's beloved pit bull, that a grateful client painted to thank the Dog Whisperer.

For more than 10 years, Daddy has been Millan's right-hand dog. Viewers of Millan's television show, "Dog Whisperer," know that Daddy is the ultimate balanced dog. "I have never had a dog like Daddy," Millan writes in the inaugural issue of his magazine, "Cesar's Way." "I've been astounded by his intuition, consoled by his affection, and awed by his silent empathy."

It's no secret that the gentle pit bull is getting old. "Daddy's doing great, but he's 15 now," Millan told Paw Nation in an interview earlier this month. "So you can see the age crawling in. It's the body -- especially his back legs -- so he gets acupuncture twice a week; he swims every day; walks every day; and eats great meals for his digestion."

Still, Daddy can't work with Millan like he used to. "I leave it up to him [whether he wants to work]," Millan said. "Some mornings, he wakes up and he wants to go. And the funny part is, those mornings, I really need him. Daddy always helps me. It's a partnership."

In tonight's episode of "Dog Whisperer" (airing on the National Geographic Channel at 9 p.m.), Millan helps a Pekingese who's afraid of food and water, a Chihuahua who likes to bite people, and a pair of chow mixes who pick fights with each other.

Source

'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Milan Announces New Season and $250,000 Donation

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Oct 9th 2009 3:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Celebrity Pets, Pet Training

Cesar Milan with a schnauzer puppy picture

Cesar Millan with Angel, a miniature schnauzer puppy. Photo: © MPH - Emery/Sumner Joint Venture

Call it the cult of Cesar. It's an hour before the start of Cesar Millan's VIP party at Tribeca Cinemas in New York City and a crowd has already formed outside. They have paid $175 per ticket to meet the star of National Geographic's "The Dog Whisperer." Surprisingly, not all of them own dogs.

"Even though I'm not a dog owner, I watch his shows and it has taught me how to handle myself in more positive ways," Evelyn Campbell, a small business owner from Clifton, New Jersey, tells Paw Nation. "His energy [on the show] is phenomenal and it's taught me how to relax. When I become stressed, I breathe like he tells you to and it's helped me in my business."

Since "The Dog Whisperer" series first premiered in 2004, Millan has published three best-selling books, taken to the lecture circuit with his "Packpower Tour," launched "Cesar's Way" magazine, and started the Cesar and Ilusion MIllan Foundation to help shelter dogs and rescue organizations across the country.

"I have always worked with rescue organizations, even way before the show," Millan tells Paw Nation in a one-on-one interview before the party. "It's part of the karma. I always say, people who pay me keep my business going, and the people that I help keep my karma going. So the foundation is a way to extend the karma."

In addition to promoting the premiere of the sixth season of "The Dog Whisperer" and his latest book, "How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond," Millan and his wife Ilusion are in New York City to present a whopping $250,000 check to North Shore Animal League, the world's largest no-kill animal shelter. The money will help establish the "Mutt-i-grees" program, a humane education curriculum carried out by Yale University's School of the 21st Century and North Shore Animal League.

In person, Millan is much the way he appears on television -- exuding a subtly powerful presence -- but a lot more dressed up. He arrives for the party attired in a sleek, gray suit, pale lavender shirt, burgundy scarf, and a diamond stud in his left ear. When I ask if he likes getting dressed up, Millan waits a beat before quietly stating, "I love it. I smell like a dog every day, so every once in a while I like my wife to think I'm really sexy."

'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan Launches New Magazine

by Helena Sung (Subscribe to Helena Sung's posts): Sep 16th 2009 3:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Pets News, Celebrity Pets

On newsstands now! The debut issue of Cesar Millan's new magazine. Photo: IMG Publishing/Cesar Millan

Known by millions as the "Dog Whisperer," Cesar Millan has been helping problem canines and their owners for the last twenty years -- and has become a media sensation in the process. There's his wildly popular show "The Dog Whisperer" -- about to launch its sixth season on the National Geographic channel on October 9 -- multiple best-selling books, and a foundation that Cesar and his wife of 15½ years, Ilusion Wilson Millan, created to rescue dogs across the country.

Now, the Millans can add a magazine to their list of achievements.

Entitled Cesar's Way, the magazine is a joint venture between IMG Publishing and the Millans. The glossy bi-monthly publication, which debuted its first issue yesterday, features training articles penned by Cesar, health tips, real life tales, and celebrity profiles.

Recently, Paw Nation spoke with Ilusion Millan, the magazine's editor-at-large, about Cesar's Way.

How did the magazine come about?
It's a labor of love. Once we published our books, we decided we needed something to reflect our worldview of what we do, that people can subscribe to, and get up-to-date information about our lives.

How would you describe the magazine?
It's a lifestyle and pet magazine. We wanted to really engage the reader with information and just make it a fun thing for everybody to read. It's not purely educational.

What do you hope to achieve with Cesar's Way?