01x04 - Front of the Pack

[bunniefuu]

CESAR [off-screen]: When
I started my journey
and people started

calling me the dog whisperer,
the only thing I wanted to do

was to teach people that there's
no such thing as a bad dog.

WOMAN: Oh, my gosh!

CESAR: Give me the leash!
She's safer with me.

[barking].

Today, I'm still
doing what I love,

but the pandemic has
changed the world.

Dog adoptions have
hit a record high.

The good news is dog
shelters are empty,

the bad news is people.

Still. Need. Help.

AMANDA: He
doesn't listen to me.

BRITNEY: Like,
the problem is me.

MAN: What do I do?

CESAR [off-screen]: Mo' pooches,
mo' problems, right?

This is why he
doesn't listen to you.

KYLE: No.

CESAR: So many things
you can fix already. Shh.

MAN: Sorry, sorry!
CESAR: Ignore the excitement.

WOMAN: I just don't
want you to get bit.

CESAR: Do you know who I am?
WOMAN: Yes.

CESAR [off-screen]: Together,
with my superhero pack,

our mission is to teach the
world to honor the "pack code"

honesty,
integrity, and loyalty.

Once you get this, you're
gonna have everything else!

And that's how we create
better humans and better dogs,

one pack at a time.

NARRATOR: Today, Cesar
awaits a couple whose

emotional support dog
aggressively lashes out.

AMANDA: Guys, sit down.
Just relax.

KYLE: April.
AMANDA: April, Misk, no!

KYLE: April.

AMANDA: Are you
ready for this?

KYLE: No, I am not.

I'm Kyle.
This is my wife, Amanda.

AMANDA: We have three dogs:
April, Misky and Rylee.

They were all rescued.

So April, Kyle adopted
as a 2-month old?

KYLE: It was, it was 8 weeks.

AMANDA: I don't think they
adopt dogs out that young.

KYLE: They do.
AMANDA: Okay. She was little.

KYLE: Okay.

Back in 2012, I had gotten back
from Air Force deployment,

and I saw this beautiful,
playful puppy.

Picked her up that day, and
we've been together ever since.

April has been my best friend.

April! It's all right.
It's all right.

AMANDA: Guys, sit
down and just relax.

KYLE: It's okay.

AMANDA: They're like,
"Where are you taking us?"

KYLE: Yeah.

AMANDA: I'm excited
because I feel like
Cesar's really gonna help.

KYLE: Can she be helped,
I guess is one thing
that's kept me up at night.

AMANDA: April causes a lot of
stress for us in kind of a lot

of different ways.

KYLE: She is problematic.

When walking April, she gets
aggressive with other dogs.

She's pulling, tries to
lunge towards people.

AMANDA: Girls! No!
KYLE: Go, come on.

AMANDA: Girls!
Did you roll your ankle?

KYLE: Yeah.

The first thought that always
runs through my head is:

Is she going to bite somebody?

AMANDA: April will
get into fights.

Those are rough.

KYLE: Bloody.
AMANDA: You're fine.

You're fine. Shh.

I do get so nervous.

KYLE: We can't trust April.

No! See, she did it again.

AMANDA: Things
start snowballing,

and we just don't want it
to turn into an avalanche.

KYLE: We don't
know what to do.

That causes a lot
of stress, you know,

between us and
the relationship.

AMANDA: You know, it's kind
of been bumpy from the start.

I took the attention
away from April when
we first started dating.

He would be like,
"Yes, I love you,
but not as much as April."

KYLE: It's true.

AMANDA: So I came into
Kyle and April's relationship

because they are
just so connected.

I know the comfort
she brings for him.

I think he's such a clear
example of what animals

can do for somebody that's
struggling with, like, PTSD.

You know, I don't
want, I'm sorry.

This is a tough conversation.

KYLE: I was stationed in the
Middle East for two years.

It takes a toll on you.

She's always kind of been there
for me through deployments,

through hard times.

So for a long time, I
trusted her with my life.

AMANDA: I am terrified that if
something happens with April,

I don't know how
it would break him.

KYLE: It's surreal. Stay.

AMANDA: All right. Wait.
KYLE: Stay.

CESAR: Kyle. Amanda.
KYLE: Hi, Mr. Millan.

AMANDA: Good morning.
CESAR: Welcome to the DPC.

AMANDA: Thank you.
KYLE: Hello.

CESAR: I want to see your chaos,
your happiness, everything.

Okay, all right.

KYLE: Yeah.
CESAR: Okay.

KYLE: No, Misk.
CESAR: Is that all?

KYLE: April. No.
CESAR: Okay, okay.

KYLE: Sorry, we
were very excited.

Very nervous.

CESAR: They're
taking you over there?

Okay.
And this is typical?

You come out to a new
place and they take you,

and you just follow?

AMANDA: For those two, yes.
CESAR: Okay, okay, okay.

With Kyle and Amanda, what I
saw first is the whole pack is

lacking direction,
including the humans.

I want you to learn a
little bit about in the pack,

the role they play.

So right now, you
guys have it backwards.

AMANDA: Yeah.

CESAR: You guys
are in the back.

So we want to put you
from there in the front,

so you can
orchestrate things better.

When the humans are following
their dogs like this,

it shows a pack
that's out of order,

and that's how they walk
without any distractions.

To continue my assessment,
I want to shake things up

to see how they all react.

We're gonna bring
some more dogs.

AMANDA: Okay.

CESAR: Bring the dogs!

[barking].

KYLE: No. No. No.
Come on. Keep going.

CESAR: You have to
be strong for this, man.

Keep going.

KYLE: Keep going.

CESAR: Do they go
to the dog park?

AMANDA: They get
aggressive at the dog park.

April's gotten into several
fights at the dog park.

CESAR: Yeah.
How bad?

KYLE: She's
drawn blood on dogs.

No! No!

Given the opportunity,
April absolutely will
get into a fight,

damage another dog,
or be damaged.

It scares me.

CESAR: Due to what?
Due to what?

Territory, what?

AMANDA: Maybe territory.
CESAR: Personal space?

KYLE: No!
No, April. No. No!

CESAR [off-screen]: April is
clearly acting out here,

but that doesn't mean
she's a purely aggressive dog.

It's possible that she
just feels protective
of Kyle and her pack.

I need to test her further
to see if she's capable of

bringing her energy down.

Welcome to the Serengeti!
This is my dog park.

KYLE: Okay.

CESAR: So this area right
here is my assessment
and evaluation.

NARRATOR: To determine the
level of April's aggression,

Cesar will challenge her with
a stranger invading her and

Kyle's territory.

CESAR: Jaimito! Ven. Okay.

At home, does she does that?
Okay.

AMANDA: Yeah.
KYLE: Yeah, they do. Yes.

April!

CESAR: Don't worry.
Don't worry. Wait.

He's gonna eventually
come in here to see if
she knows how to be calm.

KYLE: Whoa.
That's, yeah, we'll see.

CESAR: What do you
mean "we'll see," man?

[barking].

So it's his job to know what
kind of intensity your dog is

using to communicate.

KYLE: Okay. Okay.
CESAR: Low, medium, high.

Jaimito, what is
the barking saying?

JAIMITO: Medium.
CESAR: That's right.

Wait it out.
Wait it out.

[barking].

AMANDA: Okay.

[speaking Spanish].

CESAR: Open it.
Just stay right there.

Just breathe.

KYLE: I might have to
breathe more than him.

Just, yeah.

CESAR: No.
Don't, don't be nervous.

Every time you do that, you
are constantly telling her:

be nervous and tense.

Then she takes it
upon everybody.

[speaking Spanish].

Don't worry about it.

[barking].

So if you would
have been directing,

your nerves would
affect all of that.

KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR: Look,
she's calming down.

If they were aggressive,
Jaimito would be dead by now.

KYLE: Oh, right. Yeah.
CESAR: Or at least wounded.

KYLE: Yeah, yeah. Thank you.

Hey. You're okay.

CESAR: If you're nervous,
you can't really
communicate trust.

That's what's going to
solve all your problems.

Now that we've brought
April into a calmer state,

I want to see if
she still reacts to
my pack like earlier.

So you come to a dog park,
then you want it to be safe.

KYLE: Right.
AMANDA: Uh-hmm.

CESAR: You want
it to be peaceful.

Bring Talia!

To stay safe, I want to
start slowly and gradually.

First, I'm going to bring my
most gentle dog that April

will see as less of a threat.

Look, Talia is a
back of the pack.

I rescued her from a
hurricane in Puerto Rico.

So we're going to bring
a really, really timid dog.

KYLE: Uh-hmm.

CESAR: Yeah.
This is good.

That's normal,
just so you know,

that when you bring a dog
that is in the weak state,

that many dogs in a dog park
are going to go after him.

KYLE: Right.

CESAR: So this is one thing
people have to be mindful.

It was just pure instincts.

KYLE: They saw weakness.
Yeah.

CESAR: That's right.

But once she saw
Talia was not a threat,
she calmed down.

KYLE: Okay.

CESAR: That's how we want
her to meet the whole pack.

So what we say is "No, we
accept every dog here."

We're putting
her in situations,

so you can see,
"What do I do?"

Let's get some
more dogs in here.

Get your girl.

KYLE: All right.
Come on.

No. Down.

CESAR: We are not
allowed to be nervous.

KYLE: All right.
It's just, she freaks out.

You know, I'm very afraid.

CESAR: Like, people don't
realize that when they're
feeling a certain way.

Tsch!

NARRATOR: Cesar begins to make
progress correcting aggressive

outbursts from April.

But April reverts
to her bad habits.

CESAR: Tsch! Tsch. Help.

Tsch. Okay.

So we stop the charge,
we send back.

Tsch.

Every time she does
something that is not ideal.

There you go.
Okay, good.

She has to sit down, relax
the tail, lower the head,

and you have to
feel calm surrender.

Otherwise, she just
went into sitting,

excited about
what she just did.

They're charging.

So this is the part that we
need to understand that

energy attracts energy.

AMANDA: Yeah.

CESAR: If the energy is
bad, that can build tension.

AMANDA: Right.

CESAR: I suspected it, but
now it's becoming more clear.

April is confused.

She and Kyle are so connected,

and she's feeding
off of his emotions.

Every time he becomes nervous,
she becomes aggressive.

April is not a violent dog.

She's only acting out because
she's overwhelmed by the

nervous energy from
humans and a belief that
she needs to protect Kyle.

I know him and Amanda
have been through a
lot of hard times,

and April has really
been there for him,

but if I'm going to help them,
I need to understand the

relationships within
this pack, this family.

Let's have a chat.

KYLE: Let's have a chat.

CESAR: What do you think
the problem comes from?

AMANDA: I just feel
like she's got PTSD,

but because he was in
the military almost.

You know, it's caused a lot
of tension between Kyle and I.

It's difficult to feel like
I'm between Kyle and April.

I know they've got a
really strong bond.

I don't want us to get to the
point where something really

bad happens, and
then we're forced with,

like, an
unimaginable decision.

Having to let her go,
you know, in any form.

You know, I don't know how
Kyle will do without her.

I know that he did get
her at a very low point.

CESAR: Yeah.

AMANDA: Like, I don't know if
he would have pulled through

some of those PTSD
moments without her.

KYLE: I owe her my life.

You know, she kept me
alive in times where it
wasn't going to be possible.

She's given me my life
back and a great life,

and I just want to be able
to provide the same for her.

AMANDA: I owe April
everything I have now
because I wouldn't have Kyle.

And I want to honor and respect
like, their bond and their love.

CESAR: What is
your take on that, brother?

KYLE: It's just been tough
that I feel like I put us in

this situation
just the way that,

you know, I raised April.

I feel like I failed her.

CESAR: But wait, have
you ever had any training?

KYLE: No.
CESAR: So you haven't failed.

KYLE: No. I mean, I
guess in that sense, no,

I haven't failed.

CESAR: Yeah. Because you
haven't even started.

KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR: It's heartbreaking to
think of how low Kyle was,

but that's the
great thing about dogs.

They can pull us out
from our darkest time.

But we have to remember,
they also need our leadership.

I worry that
because of their history,

Kyle and April have
become co-dependent,

which is unhealthy
because the dog can
actually forget it's a dog.

All right.

Kyle needs to lean on
Amanda instead of April,

so the people can
lead this pack together.

People in front.
Dogs in the back.

NARRATOR: With a clearer
understanding of the
family dynamic,

Cesar sends Kyle and
Amanda home before the

next step of their
rehabilitation.

CESAR [off-screen]: Some
of the most urgent cases
don't even involve dogs

showing aggressive behavior.

Instead, it is the dog's
bad habits that put its
own life at risk.

This morning, I've got a
dog coming to the DPC,

so I can fix a big problem
wrapped in a small package.

BRITNEY: Millie, I know you
have no idea what's going on,

but I for one am
pretty excited about today.

My name is Britney,
and Millie is my puppy.

Millie is a short-haired
miniature Dauchsund.

She just turned seven months.

Let's go.
Come on.

I always knew
that I wanted a dog.

I just was never at the right
place in my life to make that

leap until this year in
the middle of the pandemic.

The second I saw her,
I broke down in tears,

and I knew she was exactly
what I was looking for.

I know I'm always asking
you to be a really good dog,

but today I need you to be a
little bit naughty so that

Cesar can see all of the
things we're trying to fix.

From the second
that I got Millie,

she was the sweetest puppy,
but every time we go out on a

walk, this dog acts like
she's never eaten before.

Ow. Hey!

If it's on the ground, she
assumes that it's A: For her.

And B: Food.

On any given walk, she
tries to eat 15 to 20 things.

Hey. What did you just
eat right there?

Salt and pepper packets,
a cigarette butt,

chicken bones, a battery.

She wants them and does
not want to drop them.

Excuse me.
Can I have this, please?

Drop it.
What did you get? Gross.

It's a constant battle of me
down on the ground trying to

pry it out of her mouth.

I literally walk down the
street with my head down,

staring to make sure
she's not eating something.

But her nose is so
close to the ground,

that it's next to impossible
for me to stop that.

She is vacuuming
up off the floor.

Hey. Back on the
sidewalk, please.

Come on.

But at one point, I
don't know what she got,

but she was so sick and had
vomited so many times that

I ended up having to take
her to the emergency vet,

and they kept her overnight.

That is such a scary feeling
to have to think that I'm

always on the verge of racing
across town to drop a dog off

because she
swallowed something awful.

The stress of walking
her and that constant

"What is she gonna get?
What is she gonna eat?"

It is physically and
mentally exhausting to
take this dog on a walk.

I need her to stop.

Are you ready to
go on an adventure?

Yeah, let's do that.
This way please.

Millie. This way. Come on.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Leave it.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Millie what did you eat?

CESAR: Welcome both of you.
BRITNEY: Thank you.

Millie, stop it.

CESAR: How are
you doing, Millie?

I built this place for you.

BRITNEY: Can you
say thank you?

CESAR: You're welcome.

BRITNEY: We brought
some examples to show you,

the kinds of hazards
that she tries to eat
around our neighborhood.

CESAR: Yeah.

BRITNEY: So this is a
good example of a regular
occurrence on our walk.

CESAR: Ew.

BRITNEY: And then this
is a good example of
something really bad.

It's part of a
broken beer bottle.

CESAR: Wow.
That's wild. That's.

You know, most dogs just
follow or find just very

particular things:
rocks, sticks.

But Millie is just
grabbing everything,

including glass.

I've never seen that.

I've seen how you communicate,

like "leave it" and
stuff like that.

That is good, but you have to
bring something that has the

incentive to create
the same outcome.

BRITNEY: Sure.
CESAR: Let me show you.

This seven-month-old
Dauchsund is smart.

She has the ability to
follow directions if
she's led correctly,

and the easiest way
to do that for Britney is to

use the halter leash, so she
can guide Millie's nose away

from harmful objects.

Just remind her to keep the
nose and the eyes away from

the ground.

How we humans
learn is ears first,

then eyes, then nose.

But a dog's
senses are opposite.

Come here, Spot.
Let's show them.

So people fail when
they try to control a
dog with the ears only.

The most powerful sense
a dog has is its nose.

If you control the nose
first, then the eyes,

then the ears, then
you're home free.

Right, Mr. Spot?

The halter moves the
nose away from the ground,

and it keeps the
eyes in one direction.

That's a good girl.

The halter is key
because it addresses the nose,

but to work properly, Britney
must send the right energy

through the leash.

If she doesn't, Millie's
instincts will continue to

lead her into danger.

Let's get, Sophia!

NARRATOR: Cesar
introduces Sophia,

his most obedient pack member,
so he and the dog can teach

Britney the
fundamentals of dog walking.

CESAR: Here, Britney.

You grab Sophia, so
you can train yourself.

Sophia is like your teacher,
so you're gonna see how Sophia

is gonna stay moving forward.

Keep the leash relaxed.
Slow it down.

Slow it down.
Don't look at the ground.

The ground is not
going to go anywhere.

Uh-uh.
Don't, don't pull up.

BRITNEY: Oh!
I did it. Okay.

Loose. Got it.

CESAR: Yeah.

The only reason why she's
pulling down is because you

keep putting
tension on the leash.

You're doing this.

BRITNEY: Yeah.

CESAR: So you're putting
so much tension that you're

asking her to
pull in the ground.

So the tension should
last one second the most.

The leash sends a
message to the dog.

We keep the leash loose until
it's time to communicate.

One quick pull
tells the dog "No".

Then you relax
the leash again.

If Britney can't get
that with my best dog,

Sophia, then Millie is
going to be in trouble.

Let's go back again.
Don't ask permission, just go.

BRITNEY: Let's go.
All right.

CESAR: Uh-uh.
Don't let her touch the floor.

BRITNEY: Hey.

Every time we start to walk,
that's the first thing she
wants to do.

The second I even think, like,

"Oh I could do this right with
a dog who knows what to do,"

she immediately is
going for the ground.

The problem is me.

Let's go. No. Nope.

CESAR: Sophia!
BRITNEY: Hey, hey, hey, hey.

CESAR: Don't teach
my dog bad habits.

BRITNEY: Obviously, I, it's,
like, the problem is me.

CESAR: As soon as
you grab the leash,
your elbow goes this way.



BRITNEY: Yeah.
CESAR: You're saying,
"I'm tense."

Just the way you hold the
leash it tells what energy

you normally practice.

Tension creates that reaction.

And so the right way to
hold the leash is relaxed,

when it feels light.

If a dog gets distracted, just
a little bit of motion should

keep a dog on track.

BRITNEY: Should be enough.

CESAR: Forget
about walking Millie,

I'm not even going to let
Britney look at her until she

figures out how
to walk Sophia,

who is a super easy
dog to walk with.

She needs to keep the
leash loose and relaxed,

so Sophia will feel her
confidence and follow her lead.

So I just want you to do at
least one time going down and

coming back, perfect.

BRITNEY: Okay.
All right.

CESAR: Yeah.
You're so tense here.

BRITNEY: All right.
Let's go.

CESAR: All right. Go.
Don't hesitate.

Relax the hand.
Yep, yep. Yes.

Turn around, turn around. Yes.

Shoulders high. Yes.

Breathe. Yeah.
Better, much better.

BRITNEY: Yes.
It feels better.

CESAR: Yes. Yes.
Now it's time for your girl.

BRITNEY: Okay.

CESAR: We waited
for this moment.

All right.
Let's switch.

Millie, be kind to your mom.

Okay. Yes, yes.
Relax the hand.

How's it feel?

BRITNEY: I feel like.
CESAR: No, no, no.

Don't.

BRITNEY: I need to
look at the ground.

CESAR: I don't know why
because it's not going anywhere.

Unless it's an earthquake,
I understand to look at
the ground.

Turn around
slowly, slowly, slowly.

Give a little bit more leash,
a little bit more.

Yay. Keep going.

BRITNEY: Okay.
CESAR: Relax the hand. Yes.

Remember, as soon
as you finish that,

your excitement has
to go to a high level.

Yeah!

BRITNEY: Good girl!
Good girl!

CESAR: Yeah.
BRITNEY: Oh, my gosh.

I am so proud of Millie.

Watching her just learning to
walk forward without pulling

has been wonderful.

I feel successful.

CESAR: Okay.
Okay, that's good.

BRITNEY: And, like, even
progress just from five

minutes ago doing
the same thing.

CESAR: That's right.
There we go.

What you're saying to me is,
"My confidence is going up."

BRITNEY: Yes.
Absolutely.

CESAR: So when my dog is
following me perfectly fine,
that means.

BRITNEY: I'm doing
something right.

CESAR: That's right.
BRITNEY: Yeah.

CESAR: So if you don't
start from calmness.

BRITNEY: No!
CESAR: That's it.

BRITNEY: She spit it out.

CESAR: Yep.
That was a perfect correction.

BRITNEY: Love it.
CESAR: Yep. There you go.

Millie is progressing fast.

At one point she
grabbed a rock.

Britney didn't panic and
dig around Millie's mouth.

Instead, she used a
gentle quick tug,

and Millie understood
that was a correction.

And what did she do?
She spit it out.

So a dog with the right
guidance is going to give
you exactly what you want.

Right. Come on.

BRITNEY: Let's go.
CESAR: Now relax the hand.

There we go.

NARRATOR: Cesar sends Britney
home to practice her
new found confidence.

The following day,
Cesar awaits the return
of Shepard mix April,

whose co-dependent
bond with pet parent Kyle

creates confusion
within their pack.

CESAR: Listen, I understand
how important April has been

for Kyle's PTSD, but it is
not the first time I've seen a

support animal turn
into a co-dependent dog.

CESAR [off-screen]:
What our dogs need is
to live in a hierarchy.

Let me explain "pack order"
once and for all.

In the dog world, there
are front of the pack dogs,

who are natural-born leaders;

middle of the pack dogs,
who are like human resources,

and they're supposed
to keep the peace;

and the
back of the pack dogs,

who are sensitive and
alert to any danger.

April is a
middle of the pack dog,

but she's been taken
out of her natural state.

She thinks she needs to be
in the front of the pack.

She thinks "I have to protect.
I have to make the rules,

and I can invade my human's
space any time I want."

But that level of
responsibility makes her

anxious and fearful.

So how do we fix this?
April needs boundaries.

And we need to shift
power away from April and
give it back to Amanda,

so the dog learns that
Amanda belongs up in
front next to Kyle.

Welcome back, guys!

Amanda, it's your
turn to work with Misky.

AMANDA: Let's do it.

NARRATOR: Cesar has
Amanda lead her dog, Misky,

through an agility course,

while Kyle and
April quietly observe.

His goal is to elevate Amanda
into a leadership position in

the eyes of the pack,

while keeping April in a
calm, surrender state.

CESAR: We're gonna watch.

All right.
Take it away, Amanda.

She has to be able to say,
"Listen to me and not your dad."

Let's see, let's see
how you're doing it.

Have fun. Enjoy.
There you go.

This is where you can use the
nose, the eyes, the ears.

You know, the excitement.
All of it.

AMANDA: Come on, Misk.
You ready? Come on.

Misk. Distracted.

No, Misk. Try again.

Misk!

Misky's pretty good on
the agility course we
have in our dog park,

but I think
when you're around,

I think she actually
gets more anxious.

KYLE: Yeah.

AMANDA: She does so
well when he's not here.

CESAR: Yeah.

AMANDA: Like I can get
her to do it just around
and around and around.

CESAR: Yeah.

AMANDA: And there's
not, even with other dogs.

CESAR: Yeah.

AMANDA: Like in the
dog park next door.

But as soon as Kyle
is there when I'm trying to do

the agility course, like
not so, not so much.

CESAR: It's unfortunate,
but things might be
worse than we thought.

Kyle's energy hasn't
just been affecting April.

It's affecting Misky as well.

He's like a magnet that
keeps pulling Misky
away from Amanda,

who is doing everything
she can to keep the dog
focused and engaged.

So, here's where
the plan changes.

Now, we empower Kyle.

AMANDA: Misk!

CESAR: So the way you are
gonna fix it is by being more

comfortable being in control.

Give the command of
what you're looking for.

Send her back.
Send her back.

KYLE: Go.

CESAR: Yes.
And then come.

AMANDA: Come.

CESAR: I want him to become
co-leader of his pack with

Amanda by showing
authority to Misky.

Yeah. Oh!

When he asserts authority,
the whole pack can see that
his energy is changing,

and that Amanda and Kyle
are now in control.

AMANDA: Misk.
CESAR: Just say go.

KYLE: Go!
AMANDA: Misky, come on!

KYLE: Go!
AMANDA: Let's go.

Come on, Misk! Misk.

KYLE: Go.
CESAR: There.

AMANDA: Misky, come!
Come!

KYLE: Tsch. Tsch!

CESAR: Send her back.
That's right.

KYLE: Go. Misky. Go!

AMANDA: Misk, come.
Come on. Good girl.

CESAR: Yeah.
Teamwork, baby.

That's teamwork. Yeah!

KYLE: Yeah.
AMANDA: Good try.

KYLE: You know, we haven't
had much teamwork when it
comes to the dogs.

It's always kind of
been a separate endeavor.

It was great to be
able to work together.

AMANDA: This is probably
the first time we've had good

teamwork and get like, actual
positive results with the dogs.

KYLE: Yeah. Yeah.
AMANDA: Good girl.

KYLE: Yeah.
The teamwork.

AMANDA: It made a
huge difference.

Come on, Misk.
Come on, mama.

KYLE: Go!

CESAR: This is the most
relaxed I've seen you guys.

KYLE: Yeah.

AMANDA: I think
she's getting tired.

CESAR: Hey, we did a
lot today for sure.

KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR: Okay, so I think
we're getting somewhere
with the support.

KYLE: Yeah.
AMANDA: Yeah.

KYLE: I mean, it's a good thing
to know now we have that ability

of the "go" and "come"
and be able to do it as a team.

CESAR: Yep.

I want to see a new
level of commitment
of following through.

KYLE: Uh-hmm. Yeah.

[barking].

CESAR: Hold on.

Now she's getting too anxious.
Now we've got to fix that.

KYLE: April.

[barking].

CESAR: Wait, now she's
getting too anxious!

We've got to fix that.
Tsch. Yeah.

KYLE: April. No.

CESAR: Too spoiled.
KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR [off-screen]: April and
Kyle, by the history that they

have together, that's very
co-dependent to the point that

April has developed
separation anxiety.

So this is just a
really bad obsession.

So what that
means is no limits.

KYLE [off-screen]: In
the moment where April
was barking, whining,

you know, one of the things
that isolates us at home

is she just does that.

It's frustrating,
and it's embarrassing.

CESAR: So you have to learn
that that is not the right
way to communicate.

KYLE: Yeah.
Just ignore it, or?

CESAR: Hell yeah.
KYLE: Okay.

CESAR: As much as
it bothers you.

KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR: Once she gets
quiet, then we bring her.

KYLE: Okay.
CESAR: Okay?

So we're going to
answer to that.

AMANDA: We're positively
reinforcing the quiet behavior.

CESAR: Yeah.

The separation anxiety
is an annoying problem,

but the biggest problem
is not working together
as a pack, as a family.

Is a dog capable to do it? Yes.

KYLE: Yeah, yeah.
AMANDA: Yeah. It's true.

CESAR: Your job is to make
it real. That's good.

That. That. That.

So I'm going to let her out.

That was a reward, by the way.
I waited for that moment.

So then she went, "Huh, I went
towards them when I was calm."

KYLE: Yeah. Okay.
CESAR: You see it?

KYLE: Yeah. Yeah.

She did what he
knew was coming.

He's experienced it so much he
saw this coming that she was

going to bark and bark and
bark and then calm down.

I'm definitely going to make
an effort to recognize those

calm moments.

CESAR: The homework is calmness.
KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR: You know, to really
remind each other about that.

Remember this moment.

KYLE: Uh-hmm.

CESAR [off-screen]: Kyle,
I need to see you be able
to set boundaries with April,

to address
that separation anxiety.

If she comes on her own
and you didn't request that,

or you don't have any
emotional, medical things.

You have to ask her
to give you space.

Well, they saw
what's possible today.

I give them the tools.

They just have
to make it real.

You are the authority figure.

You must be the
authority figure.

You just have to really
step up to the plate.

You need to practice
more calm confident,

and then the fear
starts going down.

And then the
trust starts growing.

AMANDA: I think seeing the
progress has definitely been

very encouraging.

And we're ready to just have
like a calm environment at home.

KYLE: Yeah.

AMANDA: And a better
relationship with each other.

KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR: So definitely
support each other more.

That's the whole point
of being a pack member.

KYLE: Yes. Absolutely.
CESAR: You know what I mean?

AMANDA: You want to
be part of my pack, babe?

KYLE: Yes. Yeah.
Absolutely.

CESAR: Yeah. Yeah.

NARRATOR: Kyle and Amanda
head home to practice their

newfound roles of
co-pack leaders.

BRITNEY [off-screen]: We're
not going that way.

NARRATOR: Across town, pet
owner Britney is only making

slow progress on her
walks with her young
Dauchsund, Millie.

BRITNEY [off-screen]:
Like, she knows she's
not supposed to do it,

but she still tries to test
her boundaries and see

what she can get away with.

Still has a tendency to
pull on her leash quite a bit.

She still sniffs everything.

Come on.
Let's go around, please.

Millie, come on.
Honey, settle.

We're not going
to run like that.

You don't do that.
She will just not stop.

CESAR: Britney called
feeling frustrated,

saying the dog
is eating trash,

and she "can't walk the dog".

But I know Britney
can walk the dog.

I've seen her
walk Millie right.

I've seen her
walk Sophia right.

Yes!

Sometimes it takes more practice
to earn the confidence,

especially when we're
surrounded by distractions.

Whether it's loud cars,
or in Millie's case,

trash on the sidewalk.

But I know just what to do.

Welcome to my dog
football field.

BRITNEY: My God.

CESAR: I need to put Britney
in the toughest situation she

could ever imagine to show
her if she can overcome this,

she can overcome anything.

This is training you
how to be in the streets.

BRITNEY: Okay.

CESAR: So here, hold her.

Because Millie's always
eating trash on the ground.

You know, it's
stressful to Britney.

She's thinking that "My dog can
die if she swallows something."

So this is a combination
of challenging Millie and

challenging Britney.

The final challenge is
a zigzag of obstacles.

We put a little
bit of everything.

And most important is the
zigzag part of it because if

you do it in a straight line,
it's a little bit too easy.

So every line you
see means calmness, okay?

So then you're gonna,
you're gonna,

don't say a word
because this is excitement.

You go around, you wait
here, another trash here.

Relax, you ask
her to come here,

and then here you celebrate.

BRITNEY: I'm looking at the
obstacle course and it's going

through my head at this point
that I don't think there's any

way she'll do it with me.

And right away, I know
it's probably going to
be a failure.

CESAR [off-screen]: All right.
So this is the final challenge.

Don't say a word.

Just gonna guide with
energy body language.

You ready?

BRITNEY: I don't know that
she's going to do that with me.

That's not something that we.

CESAR: Well then,
let's make it happen.

You gotta see it in your mind.

I want you to remember that
most important is that you're

starting in calmness.

It's more about you
teaching yourself to be
calm, to be patient.

BRITNEY: Yeah.

CESAR: All right.
Let's do it.

BRITNEY: All right.
CESAR: All right.

The calmness. Yep.

BRITNEY: Ready?

Let's try this, Millie.
Let's go.

CESAR: Nice. Slowly.
Just give a little more space.

Not so much tension.

BRITNEY: We've
talked about it.

We've gone through it.

So I'm aware of
everything that I need to do.

CESAR: Keep coming.

BRITNEY: But actually putting
that into motion and keeping

myself in a calm state, that's
the thing that I'm actually

most nervous about.

CESAR: A little too close.

That's the obstacle
there she can't touch.

Slow her down.

BRITNEY: It's
stressful to walk her.

CESAR: Remember,
with the leash,

the tension should
last one second,
two seconds the most.

BRITNEY: Okay.
CESAR: Right?

It's just to
direct or to stop.

Relax the hand.
Yes. Yes.

And you have to
remember to control the nose.

You guide the nose and
the dog will follow.

Keep coming.

Walk in the park,
walk in the park.

Stop right there.
Ha-ha! Sit there.

Yes. Beautiful.
Right next to it.

Yay, yay, yay, yay!
She's doing it.

She's doing it.
Come on, keep coming.

Yep! There you go.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yay!

BRITNEY: Yeah!
I felt like a proud mother.

The first time this dog has
ever attempted half of these
things, and she just did it.

Flabbergasted actually.

CESAR: Yes.

Oh, that's the
best right there.

BRITNEY: That
was a sloppy kiss.

CESAR: That was a sloppy kiss.
BRITNEY: I feel pretty proud.

Now I realize how much my
stress and anxiety was really

weighing on Millie, and that's
such a simple change to get

Millie to stop eating
things off of the ground.

And it makes me hopeful for
where we can go from here.

CESAR: So let's
celebrate by, wait for me.

BRITNEY: Okay.

CESAR: Because I really want
to celebrate it the weenie way.

BRITNEY: Hey.

CESAR: I want to
celebrate the weenie way!

I've been
waiting for this day.

This is the way you
celebrate with a weenie dog.

That's right.
I'm a Mexican hot dog.

What do you think, Millie?

[whining].

This is actually the first
time I've put on a costume
for a dog by the way.

And I think Millie deserves
it because this case was
pretty serious.

We don't want bad weenies.

This is how people
think of you by the way.

The weenie dogs.

BRITNEY: Weenie dogs.

Cesar, thank you
for everything.

I could not be more happy with
the training that you gave us.

I'm not afraid to walk her.

We are absolutely leaving
here today on the right path.

CESAR: We did it!
BRITNEY: We did it!

CESAR: Yup. Thank you.
BRITNEY: Thank you!

CESAR: Let's go.
BRITNEY: All right.

CESAR: Come on.
Two weenies.

I hope we win an Emmy.

[laughing].

NARRATOR: Britney and Millie
depart the DPC with their
rehabilitation complete.

Kyle and Amanda are having
varying degrees of
success on their own.

KYLE [off-screen]: No.
Come on, April.

You are naughty.
That's why you need this.

It's been about two weeks
since we were last at the DPC.

CESAR: I love the part that
she's walking three dogs.

KYLE [off-screen]: Tsch! Tsch!

CESAR [off-screen]: This is
a huge, huge improvement.

But Kyle is pretty tense. Oh.

KYLE: Sit.
Frustrations on frustrations.

No. Sit.

AMANDA: They're
pulling again. Oh.

CESAR: Now this is really bad.
What a mess.

It's almost like he's
not paying attention.

KYLE: Sit.

CESAR: Not very
happy with that.

We're going to get to the
separation anxiety part.

KYLE: April tries to
lay down in my area.

She still follows me around.
She'll whine.

I'm not really
sure what to do.

I'm nervous.
I'm very, very nervous.

This is real now.

AMANDA: I know.

CESAR [off-screen]: The homework
was some good, some bad.

Amanda made some progress
stepping into her role at the

front of the pack.

I want to see if she can follow
through here at the ranch.

AMANDA: In the back please.
KYLE: Back. Back.

CESAR: But for Kyle, we still
have our work cut out for us.

April has helped
him with his PTSD,

but now is the time for
them to detach from this

co-dependent relationship that
is causing so much anxiety.

Okay. Show me how
they leave the car.

AMANDA: Wait.

Good boy. Misky.

KYLE: Good girl.

AMANDA: She went under April.

Wait.

Good girl, April.

KYLE: Good girls.
Good girls.

AMANDA: Better? Hi.

KYLE: Hi, Cesar.
How are you?

CESAR: Awesome.
Beautiful.

AMANDA: I was a little
nervous getting out of
the car this morning.

You know, I didn't want to
come back and Cesar be like

"Ugh! What did you
do this whole time?"

CESAR: I reviewed the homework
and that's why I wanted to see

you guys getting
out of the car.

CESAR [off-screen]: Amanda was
in complete control.

She let out one dog at a time.
No pulling the leash.

No barking. Perfection.

No doubt, she's taken her
place at the front of the pack.

So today is all
about my man, Kyle,

stepping up next to her, and
helping April find her happy

place right behind them.

Second thing I would like
to do is just to help create
boundaries with April.

AMANDA: Okay.
KYLE: Sure.

CESAR: Let's do it. Ready?
KYLE: All right.

CESAR: Let's go.

I want to work a little bit
on the separation anxiety.

NARRATOR: For the final test,
Cesar challenges Kyle to keep

April out of his personal
space using a circle of

leashes as a visual boundary.

CESAR: So you're going to
bring this into your circle.

KYLE: Okay.
CESAR: Yeah.

And she can't walk in.

Watch. Right there.

Stop her.

With the leashes, I'm giving
Kyle a point of reference,

so he can begin to tell
April not to come that far.

So here, watch this. Go.

Because he has no boundaries.
She has to go.

He has no rules.

KYLE: Go. Go.
CESAR: He has no limits.

NARRATOR: Cesar works with
military veteran Kyle and his

emotional support dog
who have formed an
unhealthy relationship.

CESAR: So separation anxiety,
the point is that when a dog

comes in, the human
claims his intimate space.

And the dog comes here,
smells, relaxes,

then the human
invites into intimate space.

So when the human
doesn't want them any longer,

the human can actually ask
to go into social space.

KYLE: Mhmm.

CESAR: So you're going to
bring this into your circle.

KYLE: Okay.
CESAR: Yeah.

And she can't walk in.

NARRATOR: Using the
leash as a boundary,

Cesar instructs Kyle
to keep the dog out of
his personal space.

CESAR: Watch.

NARRATOR: In hopes of
overcoming her extreme

separation anxiety, but
Kyle is having trouble.

CESAR: Right there.
Stop her.

So it's calm confident.

Separation anxiety is
very emotional for people.

Of course if a dog has done
something very heroic like

what April has done for Kyle
with his PTSD, it's like,

"No, no, no. I don't want
to hurt her feelings."

But this is not
about feelings.

This is just about a dog
understanding that every

once and a while, you
guys have to detach.

NARRATOR: April must learn to
respect Kyle by backing away

and coming to what Cesar
calls a calm, surrender state.

It's the only way
for them both to heal.

CESAR: This dog
saved your life,

so now it's your
time to save her life.

You're not rejecting her.

KYLE: Right.

CESAR: What you're
doing is claiming space,

which is something that
we all should do right
from the beginning.

KYLE: Right.

CESAR: So you
will never be here.

Do it again.
Send her away.

KYLE: Go.

Tsch.

CESAR: This is good.
That's an obedient sit.

KYLE: Okay.
CESAR: Okay.

So they do this.

KYLE: Uh-hmm.

CESAR: So what we
want right now,

is for the mind to
completely shut off.

KYLE: Right.

CESAR: And just
go to their place.

Stay right there.

She's going through it.
When she looks like this.

KYLE: Uh-hmm.
CESAR: You can see it.

KYLE: Uh-hmm.
CESAR: Look. Look. Look.

See? You saw it?

KYLE: Yeah.
CESAR: Yeah.

She's walking away from you.

KYLE: Uh-hmm.

CESAR: As soon as you
move with the plate,

I don't want her
to follow you.

KYLE: Okay.
CESAR: Okay.

Stop her right there.
Send her away.

KYLE: Tsch. Go.

CESAR: There you go.
There you go.

Beautiful. Beautiful.

Yes! Yes!

KYLE: It's amazing to
see her go and sit by the,

you know, rest of
the pack and Amanda.

It gives you that sense
that it is possible to
make the changes.

CESAR: Let's do it again.
Go back in there.

There we go.
Walk around.

AMANDA: I think that creating
a boundary and making sure

that they aren't
invading our space.

CESAR: Tsch.
Right there.

AMANDA: Will definitely help
Kyle and April function in a

much more healthy way.

KYLE: Go.
CESAR: Yes, sir!

Yes, sir.
That's it. That's it.

AMANDA: But also in
repairing a relationship.

CESAR: Just, this is, this
is the pay out right here.

AMANDA: Everybody's calm.

CESAR: Everybody's calm,
including you.

Now they've got rules.
They've got boundaries.

And they have limits.

CESAR [off-screen]: Okay,
guys, let's see your
leadership in action.

We're seeing a loving family
who knows how to detach from

unhealthy love, and we've got
the pack in the right order.

Go ahead, Kyle.

Take it away, brother.

Humans leading, and
happy dogs following.

That's right.
Look at him.

KYLE: I feel good being able
to comfortably walk all three
of them without struggling.

You know, walk as a pack.

AMANDA: There you go, babe.

CESAR: Yes! Yay!
AMANDA: Good job, babe.

KYLE: Yeah.
This is a lot better.

CESAR: Ah-ha, you're welcome.

KYLE: Because I myself
have made some progress,

and realizations,
and self-reflection.

April's kind of given up
that protective stance,

and kind of let go
and become, you know,

the follower that
she needs to be.

CESAR: You have one
hand walking three dogs.

KYLE: Yeah.

CESAR: So in the
dog-walking world, you
have $150 right there.

Now in the other hand,
another 150, baby.

You got 300.

KYLE: Oh, yeah.

AMANDA: Feels good to be
walking as a family like this.

KYLE: Oh, yeah.

AMANDA: You did good.

KYLE: You know, we are
working better as a team.

We have hope again
for you know, a safe,
loving household.

We've already seen
changes that we
couldn't have imagined.

AMANDA: Comparing it to
the last time we were here,

it does make me feel
like we're a stronger pack.

KYLE: Cesar, thank you.

You really have
changed our lives.

We can't thank you enough.

CESAR: This is the
life that I'm looking.

AMANDA: She's a lot
easier to control,
but this is nice.

Thank you, April.

CESAR: There is a reason
we look to our dogs for
love and companionship.

Through their
loyalty and affection,

they can guide us out
of our darkest times,

but in return, they
need us to guide them.

You have to guide them
away from the anxiety,

guide them away
from aggression,

and guide them
toward their best life.