How to Raise the Perfect Dog (33 page)

But the challenges are not just physical ones. When he travels with me, Junior is playing the role that Daddy has played for the first five seasons of
Dog Whisperer
—he is modeling calm-submissive energy for unstable dogs with many different issues. The energy that another pit bull might channel into fighting is channeled into self-control and healing, and to accomplish that—for any dog—is very, very hard work. And those mental exercises that I put him through constantly reinforce my position as his leader.

Clint Rowe has the same observation of the dogs that he has trained for Hollywood films. “Often, the best way to challenge an adolescent is to work him mentally. Do some structured training while walking; do sit, stay, down, wait; and have him thinking and watching you. Make it fun. If he will fetch, do a few retrieves but again, structured so he has to puzzle it out for himself; he has to sit before being sent for a retrieve, or sit and down and then come back to a sit. Vary it so he has to concentrate. And stop when he is still happy doing it with you. You start the game and you stop the game. That is what leaders do.” The more consistent leadership you practice with your dog, the less erratic behavior you will see.

SOCIAL SLIPS

At seven months of age, Mr. President was among a group of powerful-breed dogs I was working with for a recent
Dog Whisperer
episode. Being new to the Dog Whispering game, Mr. President and the other puppies didn’t yet understand what Daddy and Junior had learned—that we accept new dogs into our pack and help them adjust. Instead, when I wasn’t watching, Mr. President reverted to his natural desire to tell strange dogs to go away, attempting to convey that message to Troy, a large adult German shepherd. Unlike the previous adult dogs in Mr. P.’s life, Troy did not view Mr. President’s outburst as the move of a cute, nonthreatening puppy. When Mr. President pushed his buttons, Troy pushed back and nearly got in a bite! I stepped in right away, but it was clear to me that Mr. President was actually revved up for more. He was breathing heavily, his eyes were red—he went from dog to bulldog in a split second. By the end of the exercise, they were walking together like old friends, but Mr. President’s actions were typical of the potentially calamitous social slips dogs can make during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Now that he’s nearly grown, when Mr. P. shows too much of that bellicose bulldog style, he’s in serious danger of ticking off other dogs. It becomes even more crucial that I supervise his social interactions during this phase, until he begins to understand that adult dogs expect a different set of manners from him now than they might have when he was a puppy.

Chris Komives faced a similar social hurdle with the newly spayed Eliza when he brought her to the dog park. “As Eliza became an adolescent, she lost her timidity and became more forward,” he says.

When she was a puppy, I was concerned she was avoiding interacting with other dogs and so encouraged her to get out there. Now that she’s an adolescent, I have to remind her to slow down her approach with other dogs, or she can be overwhelming. If she’s on leash, she’ll get excited to meet the other dog, then gets frustrated when I restrain her. She begins huffing, growling, and spinning, which sounds intimidating to the other dog owner. To work on this, I took her to different dog parks and kept her on leash. I corrected her when she’d start huffing and growling and rewarded her when she entered a calm state by letting her run and play. We’ve made great progress, but I had to learn to ignore the woman who yelled that I was a control freak and should just let my dog play and the couple I overheard saying they hate people who do dog training in the dog park.

As Chris learned, it can take real commitment to remain a calm-assertive pack leader in the face of unpredictable adolescence. The rebellion is a natural part of the process. As a leader, you always have to be aware of what is happening with your dog. You have to remain calm and confident, assertive and positive, to ensure that you are in a position to minimize problems and that all conflicts end with good behaviors being reinforced. Be ahead of your dog; see potential problems coming and avert or manage them so that you always remain the leader in his eyes. “What we have to realize is that behavior is always changing and dogs are always learning. Training happens twenty-four hours a day and training never stops—maybe adolescence never stops—we all become older teenagers,” Martin Deeley observes. “If we accept this as a normal phase in our dogs’ development, then we can be prepared to work with them to ensure that good habits are not lost and even better ones are created for life.”

TIPS FOR TEENAGERS

• Be consistent
  . If you set a rule, boundary, or limitation, don’t waver from it. Intermittent reinforcement creates an unpredictable dog.
  

• Follow through
  . Don’t give a command you’re not prepared to back up with a consequence. Make sure all interactions end on a positive note, with the right behavior being modeled.
  

• Be persistent
  . No matter how rebellious your teen, prove to him that nothing in his behavior can rattle your calm-assertive authority.
  

• Be patient
  . Your dog won’t be an adolescent forever. The results of your hard work will be more apparent with every success you share. By the end of two or three years, you will have established the good habits to make your dog your ideal life companion.
  

All the members of the Barnes family are delighted to report that the payoff for seeing a dog through a sometimes rocky adolescence can be enormous. At ten months of age, following his neutering at six months, Blizzard the yellow Lab has actually grown into an even more laid-back, happy-go-lucky version of his puppy self. Christian and Sabrina noted that he seems to have formed a more complete understanding of his boundaries in the house, he has become a more accomplished retriever, and he now responds in a more mature way to the other dogs at the dog park. “He’s still at such a young age,” their dad, Terry, marvels, “but his breed, his Labrador breed, is coming out where his fetching and his walking next to you is just automatic. It’s really amazing to see the whole process unfold.”

PASSAGE INTO ADULTHOOD
The Perfect Dog Revealed

As the adolescent phase nears its end, your dog will challenge you once again. This time, you’ve got more to fall back on than just those eight crucial months of puppyhood and the blueprint you created; you also have two to three years of successfully met adolescent challenges behind you. When your dog asks you with his behavior, “Okay, can I do this now?” you have a whole lifetime of a balanced upbringing to support you in your response. I silently ask my dogs, “What are you going to listen to? What you want in this moment? Or what you’ve learned in the past three years?” I know the answer, because I believe that every test gives me a new opportunity to strengthen my leadership position.

The compensation for your hard work and caring these many months is a mature dog that demonstrates a steadiness and calm confidence that the younger one did not have. He is able to maintain focus and an open, submissive state of mind in a range of both familiar and new situations and environments. “When they’re young, a butterfly can take over their mind state. That’s all that exists in their mind, their world,” Clint Rowe explains. “When they mature, they’re able to watch a butterfly and also be aware of other things in the environment. One particular stimulus usually does not dominate them. They have awareness of their own states more readily. Awareness and wisdom just keep expanding.” This is the end result of spending the first eight intensive months of puppyhood, then another two or so years in adolescence, fulfilling your dog’s needs through exercise, discipline, then affection—and setting and maintaining basic rules, boundaries, and limitations that establish your permanent leadership. It’s that relentless consistency that creates a Daddy or a Junior or whatever role model you want to shape your dream dog to emulate.

This is your reward when you set out and follow through on creating the perfect dog. Congratulations. It’s now much more than a possibility—you’ve actually accomplished it.

10
EPILOGUE

The Puppies Grow Up

Cesar with Junior and Daddy

O
ver the course of this book, I’ve had the joy of watching all the puppies featured here mature from clumsy childhood to gawky then almost graceful adolescence. All the dogs I have had the honor of raising educated me further about the nature of both their breeds and their species, adding new insight and depth to the work I do every day. Blizzard, Angel, and Mr. President each left me with such special gems of wisdom. And now, nearly a year after my “puppy project” began, these puppies continue to impart their wonderful gifts to the new humans in their lives.

BLIZZARD THE YELLOW LAB

Adolescent Blizzard

The first member to join the puppy pack has found pack life to be so good that he’s going to stay. As the newest member of the Barnes family, Blizzard now spends his days hanging out with Adriana Barnes, the director of my new forty-three-acre Dog Psychology Center, which means he’s got the great outdoors to romp in and a bunch of boisterous fellow canines for playmates. That suits Blizzard fine, because he has matured into the ideal yellow Lab: happy-go-lucky, friendly, slightly goofy, and amenable to new adventures. He’s always popular among the pack—the regular fixtures and new visitors alike—although if his energy level gets a little too high, there’s always someone like Junior or Angel to remind him to tone it down.

Blizzard is as warm and welcoming to humans as he is to members of his own species. At night, he cuddles up with the rest of the Barnes family, including Molly the dachshund, to enjoy one of their favorite family activities—watching movies together. He’s overcome his fear of the water and loves to splash around in the pool with Christian, whose pack leader skills are gradually improving. Blizzard has truly become what I had hoped he would grow up to be: the model yellow Labrador and living proof that there is indeed a better way to raise Marley!

ELIZA THE WHEATEN TERRIER

Teen Eliza

A full-fledged teenager now, Eliza has grown into the physical “springiness” that her breed is known for. She now flies through the air on jumps at her weekly agility classes and gracefully sails over the blockades in the house that used to keep her in her place. Chris and Johanna Komives learned to set stronger boundaries—and also bought taller gates (“We had to buy one designed for Great Danes,” Chris marvels). Chris says Eliza is the perfect dog 80 percent of the time, but he is still working to balance her ebullient energy when she’s around other dogs. “My goal is for both of us to be calm enough that she can hang out with Cesar’s new pack while we’re shooting this season’s
Dog Whisperer
. Her excited energy could get her into trouble with some of the red-zone cases. When she’s more like Junior and Daddy, I’ll feel more confident in having her with us.”

Other than Eliza’s tendency to be a little too exuberant around other dogs, Eliza’s life is a terrier’s dream. “We get up every morning for a walk before feeding. On weekends, if I’m not up by seven, she comes to the bedroom door and waits. She’s allowed to sleep in the living room. During the day, she stays in the backyard and the back hallway. From what I see on the webcam we set up to watch her, she sleeps most of the day, gets up around three p.m. and goes outside. On weekends or days I’m not working, I take her on a couple hours’ hike to Runyon Canyon or up in the San Gabriel Mountain or to the dog beach. Basically now on my days off, I think of things I can do with Eliza. I definitely get more exercise than before she came along. In the evening I take her for a walk or run, then feed her and groom her. On Wednesdays, we go to agility class. Life’s a lot more entertaining with her around. She’s a joy to have in our house.”

Ultimately, Chris has learned as much about himself as he has about raising a puppy from his experiences with Eliza. “Even though I told myself I was being calm-assertive, the fact that my dog is excited means I am feeding that energy. Now, when she’s excited, I ask myself consciously, ‘Am I really calm?’ Then I relax, and she relaxes. I probably dote on her too much. Johanna feels if our house were on fire, I’d run in to save Eliza first and then her. I probably should work on this.”

MR. PRESIDENT THE ENGLISH BULLDOG

Teen Mr. President

As a purebred bulldog puppy, Mr. President started life genetically imprinted with a few bulldog traits that don’t always make for the best well-mannered pets: he’d throw his weight around at mealtimes, he’d hog toys, and he’d approach new dogs chest out and eyes first. I’m delighted to have coached this little guy into becoming a true canine good citizen worthy of his illustrious name. He’s learned to wait for his food and play nicely with others, and he’s beginning to meet and greet new dogs like a pro. I’m particularly proud of how Mr. President has learned to use his nose almost as well as the other members of his pack—a skill that will go a long way toward keeping him balanced for the rest of his life. He’s also developed into the best and most enthusiastic swimmer of any bulldog I’ve ever seen!

Researcher Crystal Reel had been enamored with our little English bulldog since the moment she first laid eyes on him, and after fostering him while Ilusion and I were away on our trip, she began mounting a fervent campaign to become his official adoptive owner. While I wasn’t certain at first, Crystal persisted and proved to me without a doubt that she has what it would take to be pack leader to a strong-willed bulldog. Now that he’s officially her dog, he’s still very much in the
Dog Whisperer
extended family. When he’s not on location with me and the rest of the pack, Mr. President is hanging out in the office with Crystal and the many other office dogs at MPH/CMI, including Angel, where his days are filled with naps and belly rubs.

But Crystal also learned that despite his excellent breeding and background, Mr. President couldn’t escape the curse of allergies that bulldogs are prone to. “He’s fully recovered now,” says Crystal, “but Dr. Garcia tells me that bulldogs have special needs when it comes to skin allergies, and it’s just something we’ll have to monitor through his life. Thanks to his upbringing with Cesar, however, I have to say that going to the vet doesn’t faze Mr. President one bit.”

Thanks to his adoring new owner, the adolescent Mr. President is now enjoying the classic LA lifestyle. “He hangs out in a production office all day,” Crystal says, “then he has his assistant (me) drive him to the set, where he tapes a hit TV show. I don’t think life could get any better for this bulldog.”

ANGEL THE MINIATURE SCHNAUZER

Now a full-fledged teenager, Angel has hit a few monumental milestones. First and foremost, he has found a forever home with my close friend and the producer/director of
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan
, SueAnn Fincke. After months of spending time with Angel on shoots, SueAnn knew she couldn’t part with him. Brooke Walker, Angel’s breeder, couldn’t be more satisfied with the match: “I’m so happy Angel will get to stay in the
Dog Whisperer
family.” Angel will continue to enjoy hanging out with me on location, along with the familiar company of all the dogs in my pack—including his best friend, Mr. President, from whom he is still inseparable. He remains well behaved, respectful, curious, and always eager to learn something new.

Adolescent Angel

Now that Angel has been adopted by SueAnn, she made the important decision to have him neutered. “I knew he was going to be a family pet and not a competitive show dog, so I thought it best to have him fixed,” she says. He’s also got a new name: Sir Albert Angel, or Albert for short. His favorite past-times are walking, fetching, playing with his chew toys—and going to the dog park. “In his spare time, he likes to relax on the couch, which he knows he shouldn’t do… since it only occurs if we’ve been out of sight for a while. We have given him the nickname Pigpen because although he is a fancy purebred he misses no opportunity to roll in as much dirt and mud as possible. He gives you these looks that make you wish you could read what’s going on in that funny, adorable mind of his.”

JUNIOR THE PITBULL