02x01 - Best Friend Body Guard

[bunniefuu]

CESAR MILLAN: 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.

-(growls)
-(barks)

Today, I'm still doing what I love,

but the world has changed.

MAN: Problem solved.

CESAR: Record dog adoptions
have made many packs complete.

But now, more than ever,
people and dogs...

still... need... help.

WOMAN 1: We can't live like this.

-WOMAN 2: The problem is me.
-MAN 1: What do I do?

CESAR:
More pooches, more problems, right?

He needs rehab, like, ASAP.

So many things you can fix already.

-Shh. Shh.
-MAN 2: Sorry, I'm sorry.

CESAR: Ignore the excitement.

GIRL (off screen):
I just don't want you to get bit.

-CESAR: Do you know who I am?
-GIRL: Yes.

CESAR: 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.

I am on my way to Southeast LA
to see a red zone case.

This part of the city
brings me a lot of good memories.

My very first business,
the original Dog Psychology Center

was not too far from here.

I worked with a lot of dogs
in this neighborhood

with a lot of aggression,

and today is no different.

The family say the dog is biting people,

charging dogs, mounting people,

and practicing
very dangerous guarding behavior.

So I need to make sure
this dog drop his guard, literally.

GENESIS: My name is Genesis.

I live in this house with my mom, my dad,
my brother, my brother's girlfriend,

and my two-year-old nephew.

Come. Come. Come, come, come,
come, come, come, come.

Hendrix is a Australian shepherd,
husky and pit bull.

I got Hendrix almost four years ago
and he was eight weeks old.

He was very cuddly.

And he wanted everybody's attention.

I love having him around.

He is very warm with me,

and he brings so much laughter to us.

I think I kind of still see him
as my little puppy,

but I know he knows like,
"That's my mama."

Are you okay?
No, no, no, no, no, relax, relax.

But balancing life with Hendrix

and all the issues I have with him
right now is very difficult.

(barking)

So Hendrix, he is dog-aggressive.

He's people-aggressive.

He does not like people near his food.

(snarls)

And he likes to hump people.

Stop, stop, stop, stop.

So Hendrix has bit
my brother and my cousin,

and the random person
that was walking by my house.

ALVARO: I'm Alvaro.
I live in the same household as my sister.

So he bit me around this area here,

kinda hit the vein,
so I was, like, gushing.

I don't really know
what triggers him to bite,

there's no warning or nothing.

Human just seems to be his favorite dish.

(barking)

GENESIS: I don't let him next to any dog.

The way he reacts to them,

I'm sure he would bite another dog.

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

There's no doubt that if someone try
to grab food from Hendrix he would attack.

(snarls)

ALVARO: So in some cases
when Hendrix is eating,

uh, he needs more food
but I'm afraid to get in there,

so I get a broom, and then
with a stick I'm able to move the food.

(barks, snarls)

My family is living under his rules,
this is his house.

(barks, snarls)

GENESIS: Everyone feels like
they will get attacked.

So when Hendrix starts humping us
it is very scary

because we don't know
what he's capable of.

ALVARO: When you try to interfere
then he'll bite you,

so I just let it happen.

I... I'll personally even jump
over the fence

and then try to avoid him
as much as I can.

GENESIS: Relax, relax, relax.

I definitely am worried
with Hendrix and the biting,

especially for my two-year-old nephew

because he's tiny, and even my mom,

because it's hard
for her to control such a big dog.

(barking)

Everyone who enters our house
is scared of my dog.

We love him,
we know what joy he's capable of.

I just want everybody else to see how...

how amazing he is.

I feel like worst-case scenario
I'd have to find somewhere to give him to.

Relax, relax.

That'll just mean he won't get adopted,

especially with his behaviors,
and then he'll be put down.

I would be very, very sad.

CESAR: (sighs) Whew.

I'm getting emotional.

Today, I'm here with the Coretta family,

and they're Hispanic,

my heart is very happy.

I love to help people but, you know,

I can relate to-to my Hispanic community.

There's Hendrix over there.

Oh, there you go.

(barking)

See those little pointy things
on top of the fence?

That's the only reason
why that dog is not jumping,

because that fence is nothing
for a dog like that.

This kinda behavior,
even though it looks really bad,

we have to have
a lot of empathy, compassion

because as much as he's guarding his home

he's also releasing frustration.

A lot of confusion
that creates unhappiness,

that creates chaos.

No dog was born
just to live 24 hours behind gates.

For dogs, there is a difference

between good guarding and bad guarding.

Hendrix is guarding
in a very dangerous way.

To him, everything that moves
is a possible threat,

or an invasion of his territory.

Anything he sees or hears approaching
triggers him

which could lead to an attack.

When a dog is guarding
in a normal, non-aggressive way,

he should be using
his most powerful sense first.

So that's what I need to start.

(sighs deeply)

Okay.

(barking)

Do we have anything?

Something strong smelling,
I need to redirect him.

PRODUCER (off screen): I have vinegar.

CESAR: Yeah.

Genesis, stay right there.

GENESIS: Okay.

Where is he?

PRODUCER (off screen):
Cesar, what are you doing?

CESAR: Shh, shh.

Alright. That's better,
got the nose working first.

Right now, there's nose, eyes, ears.

The vinegar can act like
a hard reset for a dog's brain.

It gets the nose working first

which hopefully snaps them
out of the aggressive guarding behavior.

I'll know if it works
if he stops charging.

And there's the retreat.

Yup, it's being reset.
I like his state of mind.

So right now, I'm gonna ask
Genesis to put a leash

and so we can capture that state.

Even though he's no longer
in a guard dog mode,

Hendrix is still likely
to become aggressive towards me.

To defuse a dangerous situation
before it starts,

I want Genesis to leash him.

Plus, I need to assess
what kinda dog handling skills she has.

(speaks Spanish) Ready?

-GENESIS: Yeah.
-CESAR (in English): I'm gonna tell you

exactly what to do.

-GENESIS: Okay.
-CESAR (off screen): Come right over here.

GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: I want you
to put this leash on him.

GENESIS: Okay. Thank you.
It might take a little bit to catch him.

-That's another problem.
-CESAR: No, no, you stay right here, look.

-GENESIS: Oh.
-CESAR: Go over here.

Lie down right here.

Come here.

-Come here.
-CESAR (off screen): They come to you.

All the way on the top.

There you go. Very good.

GENESIS: I did not think
it would happen that fast.

It has never been that easy.

CESAR: This is good for you 'cause
you're learning how to use the leash.

Don't let him bark
and don't let him lunge.

Leash up, leash up, leash up.

Up, up, up, up, up, up, and then relax.

-GENESIS: Ugh.
-CESAR: Okay.

You missed the moment.

Hendrix is not making it easy.

But really,
Genesis is clueless about dog handling

and she radiates fearful energy.

The more she struggles,

the chance of Hendrix lashing out goes up.

I want you to put a muzzle,
and I'm gonna hold the leash.

-GENESIS: Okay.
-CESAR: Okay?

I don't often use a muzzle
when I am first meeting a dog

but Hendrix is an aggressive guard dog

with a history of bites.

To keep everything safe,

the muzzle stays on
until he accepts my help.

I'm gonna just walk around a little bit,
you stay right there.

GENESIS (off screen): Okay.

CESAR: So we can get to know each other.

(Genesis sighs)

Don't worry so much, Genesis.

-(barks)
-Shh.

Alright, that's working.

There you go. A little bit of fight here.

GENESIS: Oh, my gosh.

CESAR: He thinks he is in control,
so he wants to fight me.

GENESIS (off screen):
I can see him trying to push Cesar.

CESAR: No. I'm in control now.

(low growling)

No, no, no.

Let's get you back to calm surrender.

Shh.

There you go, that.

GENESIS: Oh, he sat.

CESAR: That's all I want.

Alright, good moment.

Shh.

Without the muzzle on that would have been
a couple of bites, no doubt.

But by pulling up
and releasing the leash...

No, no, no.

...I communicated that I am here to help

and he received the message.

He sat and became calm surrender.

That tells me
his aggressive guarding mindset

stems from a lack of discipline.

No discipline means
the dog has all the power,

which is a dangerous way
of life for any pack.

Alright. Now, that we have him
a little calmer,

tell me about your pack.

GENESIS: So it's a big mix
of tension in the house with him.

There's already been three attacks,

as well as the food aggression.

So, Cesar, there's something
I really want you to see.

(snarls)

CESAR: Oh, my Lord.

See the pupils?

-GENESIS: Yes.
-CESAR: Wow.

Dilated pupils with that posture
can mean defensive aggressive.

It's like he's warning you,
"Don't get close or I'll bite,"

even when he's just eating.

-Yeah, that's dangerous.
-GENESIS: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: You have to feed him every day,
and every single day he guards his food.

So that means
you're afraid every single day.

Definitely. And I have a nephew,
he's two years old.

-So my nephew might grab his bowl.
-CESAR: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

-GENESIS: And that makes me so nervous.
-CESAR (off screen): Yeah.

Yeah, he owns the house,
the family for four years.

This is your classic aggressive case.

The way he's guarding, you can see it.

And those are the most dangerous ones.

They'll bite for no reason at all,
and anyone.

Here's what's going on with this pack.

Genesis is living in fear of her dog.

She's never known how
to control Hendrix's behavior,

so she isolated him

which turned him
into an aggressive guard dog.

GENESIS (off screen): No, no, no!

CESAR: Because Hendrix has taken
that dominant role in the pack,

he controls by biting and mounting.

And he has no respect
for the family at all.

This is very dangerous
and will only get worse

if it's left unchecked.

He needs rehab, like, ASAP.

I have no clue
how you can live with so much fear.

You need to bring him to my ranch
first thing tomorrow.

GENESIS:
There's nowhere else to go but up.

CESAR (off screen): That's right.

NARRATOR:
The next morning, Genesis and Hendrix

drive to the Dog Psychology Center.

GENESIS: Look, look, look, look.

We are here.

I am feeling anxious today

because I've never trained Hendrix before

because I don't know how.

(sighs) Hendrix.

And I just hope that he cooperates.

CESAR: I'm excited.

And I just wanna give him
some freedom with a long line

because his whole life
is inside this small front yard.

Here, put this thing on.

Everybody safe?

Yeah. Just don't move really fast, okay?

-GENESIS: Okay.
-CESAR: Yeah, I got him.

Hendrix's dominant behavior
has led to a very sheltered life.

The best way to get him
out of that mindset

is to start teaching him
how to properly interact with other dogs.

And more importantly,

Genesis needs to overcome her own fears

by seeing that he's capable
of having a normal interaction.

As always we'll take safety
very seriously.

-He needs to surrender...
-GENESIS: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: ...to-to allow others to sniff him.

-Shh. There you go.
-GENESIS: Mm-hmm.

CESAR (off screen):
The Labrador wants to play.

That's Poncho. He's a playful guy.

That's really good, look at that.

Alright, this is promising.

There you go, explore.

Oh.

Stiff tail up like a shark,
that's not a good energy.

So be careful.

-Shh!
-GENESIS (off screen): Hey!

CESAR: Shh!

That was a charge.

He's acting like
a dominant guard dog again.

Hey. Shh.

We have to remind him
to go back to calm surrender.

Hey.

Shh.

(Cesar sighs deeply)

I'm not surprised that Hendrix charged.

Remember, Hendrix hasn't been
socialized at all.

So when the lab got close,

Hendrix went back into guard dog mode.

What we're gonna do is keep telling him

we don't need this dominant behavior

by correcting him in a safe setting,

or else Genesis will never learn
what kind of dog he really is.

Those little expl*sive moments,
you have to nip it in the bud.

GENESIS: I see Hendrix react to the Lab

and it just brings flashbacks to me
of all the other times

when I had him around other dogs.

No, no, no!

And how he reacts to them.

And it definitely makes me nervous.

CESAR (off screen): With Hendrix,
what just happened is not a fight.

-It's a correction.
-GENESIS (off screen): Uh-huh.

CESAR: But obviously,
it's a strong correction.

-GENESIS: Yeah. Wait, I hear him growling.
-(growling)

-(barking)
-CESAR (off screen): Shh! Grab him.

There we go. Hey!

This is why it's good to use the muzzle.

He has freedom but no one gets hurt.

Shh.

For him
excitement has always meant attack,

that's a dominant mindset.

He has to learn not to just always choose
attacking to prove his point.

GENESIS (off screen): Uh-huh.

CESAR: Because Hendrix goes back
to calm surrender quickly

after each correction,

I'll give him a bit more freedom
to meet more of the pack.

Alright. Let's get that ready.

They always go and see,
you know, "Who's this new dog?"

Are you okay?

GENESIS: I know they do that
but it stresses me out sometimes.

CESAR: I know. But that's why you keep,
keep yourself a distance.

GENESIS: Calm, happy thoughts.

CESAR: And then your job is to supervise
the reaction Hendrix is having.

GENESIS (off screen): Mm-hmm.

-CESAR: This freedom is good for him.
-GENESIS: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: Give him some space
to explore and socialize.

Just wants to be around and just...

-(barks)
-Hey. Shh! Hey!

Gotta correct that.

Hey. Shh.

Shh. Hey.

Sitting means he started to slow down.

There you go.

So we're not saying not to explore,

what we're saying is
not to growl, not to explode.

-GENESIS: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
-CESAR: Not to charge. Right?

So anything that has to do
with aggressive energy,

this-this one we're saying no.

-GENESIS: Mm-hmm.
-CESAR: And then, everything else is yes.

GENESIS: Yes.

CESAR: The corrections are working,
the lunges are stopping,

Hendrix is enjoying himself.

He wants to play.

I wanna bring this out,
his happy-go-lucky self.

GENESIS: Yeah.

CESAR: But Genesis still seems afraid.

I need her to understand
that it's nothing to fear

when a dog is in a happy-go-lucky state.

Yeah, see? This is happy-go-lucky moment.

GENESIS (off screen): Yeah.

It was so nice to see
Hendrix being in a new environment.

Making that small progress,
I see that he has that potential.

-CESAR: This is calm surrender. Right?
-GENESIS (off screen): Mm-hmm.

There is no more beautiful than this.

We got Hendrix in a happy-go-lucky,
calm surrender mindset.

It's a big change from home

where he has full control of the property,

barking, biting, or mounting
anyone who enter his territory.

This is the perfect time for Genesis

to step out of her life of fear,

and into the role of calm confident leader

by learning how to claim her space.

We're gonna replicate your front yard.

GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: And that represents the fence,
the front of your house.

We're gonna have
a lot of people coming in.

And everybody here is going to show you

how can they tell Hendrix
to give space as they walk in.

We want him to be part of it,
greet us with affection.

But we also want our family members
to represent leadership, especially you.

It doesn't matter who enters his yard,
he's not allowed to get excited.

-No charging, no mounting.
-GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: Hendrix had been
guarding both the house and Genesis

for the last four years.

He's biting and mounting everyone
who comes near as a form of domination.

We'll start changing this guarding habit
by teaching him

that he doesn't have to protect Genesis.

Once he understands that,
it'll be easier to teach him

not to guard at home.

Let's bring my family members.

Fair warning, some of my family members
are furry than others.

(moos)

-We're gonna bring a cow.
-GENESIS: Oh, okay.

CESAR: Right. That's right.

The cow represents a family member
entering your front yard.

Look, excitement?

GENESIS: Oh, definitely,
I see the ears moving.

CESAR (off screen): Shh.

-That's a nervous thing.
-GENESIS: That's true.

At home, Hendrix runs the show
and everyone's in fear.

If you're feeling
a little nervous or like...

-(exhales) ...breathe it out.
-GENESIS: Uh-huh.

CESAR: If he senses your fear
he'll want to protect you,

he'll try to dominate.

Control your fear
or you'll never control him.

-GENESIS: Yeah.
-CESAR: Today he's changing.

-GENESIS: Yeah.
-CESAR: Yeah.

Stay calm. You can do this.

We're gonna bring the cow
all the way here.

-GENESIS: Okay.
-CESAR: Okay.

My handler Lisa will demonstrate
how you need to claim space.

All the way, yeah.

There you go.

When Hendrix approached the cow

he started to slip back
into that dominant state.

So Lisa stepped toward him

and he got the message
to respect her space.

This is the opposite
of how he reacts at home.

-That's it.
-GENESIS: That's great.

It was very eye-opening.

I can see why claiming your space
is very important

because Hendrix needs to learn
what behavior is allowed.

So that distance...

CESAR: That distance means respect
and being respectful.

Genesis has to learn to control
by claiming her space

which will stop
Hendrix's disrespectful behavior.

So when your mom walks to it
and he mounts,

don't let him get close to the target.

-GENESIS: Yeah.
-CESAR: Same thing here.

If Hendrix look at the cow
like a target, block him.

He won't mount if you claim space.

GENESIS: So it's my space, not his.

CESAR (off screen):
Well, it is your house, so, like...

GENESIS: Yeah. It is my zone.

CESAR: In reality, in real,
like, in paper it is.

GENESIS: In reality, yeah, yeah, it is.

Mm-hmm.

-CESAR: Yeah.
-GENESIS: Yeah.

CESAR: I can sense you're nervous.

GENESIS: Uh-huh.

CESAR: Focus on positive thoughts.
Two legs here.

If I can sense her anxiety,
you better believe Hendrix can too.

If Genesis can't let go of her tension,

Hendrix could go back to domination mode

and aggressively lash out.

If he starts to guard again,
claim that space.

-Shh. Hey! Shh!
-GENESIS: Shh!

CESAR (off screen): He needs to surrender.

Right now, Hendrix just disagreed.

He felt that the cow was too close,

and then you got tense
and you're in your head.

Genesis is starting to understand

that she needs to claim her space
but she's still hesitant.

Hendrix sensed that
and returned to a dominant mode

and charged my cow.

The way to teach Hendrix
he doesn't need to protect her

is for Genesis to overcome her fears

by gaining confidence
and controlling how her dog

interacts with other people,
animals, and especially her family.

This is the equivalent
of any family member.

-They're-they're not doing anything wrong.
-GENESIS: Yeah, they're not.

CESAR: So there's no need
for your dog to bite them.

Let's do it again.

Now, watch his reaction
when the cow comes back into the gate.

-He's on guard.
-(growling)

-Before he moves, snap him out of it.
-GENESIS: Shh.

CESAR (off screen):
I need more confidence.

I need that confident side of you.

GENESIS (off screen): Okay.

CESAR: Go towards the cow,
don't let him pass you.

GENESIS: Okay.

Calm confident, shoulders up, head high.

If he goes in front of you
then block from moving in.

-GENESIS: Okay.
-CESAR (off screen): There we go.

Block. That's it.

Yes, yes, that's good.
Feeling good, right?

GENESIS: Feeling great.

CESAR (off screen):
You saw the distance, right?

-GENESIS: I did. I did.
-CESAR: Yes.

GENESIS: He feels calmer.
I can feel that difference.

-CESAR (off screen): Yeah.
-GENESIS: Yes. Definitely.

It's going great.

What I learned today
is that I have to keep moving forward

and not focus on what has happened before.

CESAR: Alright. Another animal. Yes.

GENESIS: Just correct what has been done
and keep it going.

CESAR (off screen): That's good. Yes!

Shoulders up, Genesis.

GENESIS: I would never
get that from him before.

CESAR: Even though Genesis
has now seen for the very first time

what both she and Hendrix are capable of,

the dog still isn't ready
to go home with her yet,

not with a history like his.

Without a doubt, you have a red zone case,

I mean, your dog has bit a few people.

Okay? So I'm gonna keep him,

especially because
the food thing, you know.

I wanna make sure that
that is out of the picture.

But this time away
isn't just gonna be for him.

I also want you to use this time

to work on building up your confidence.

GENESIS: Okay.

I do feel sad
because I've never been without my dog.

But I also know that a lot is at stake

because I don't want
my nephew getting bit.

And I-I know he's already attacked
other family members.

So I know that he really needs this help.

Guys, follow me in that direction and...

-GENESIS: Thank you.
-CESAR: God bless.

I want Genesis and her family
to get a detox from the fear

they've been living in
for the past four years.

Most importantly,

I want Genesis to practice
building her confidence

so she can show Hendrix
he no longer needs to be dominant.

While she's doing that,

I will continue working
with Hendrix here at the ranch.

NARRATOR:
Over the next week, Cesar puts Hendrix

through an intensive
rehabilitation program.

CESAR: Very tense. That's why he bites.

He's not ready to be without the muzzle
with my, with my little ones.

NARRATOR: Working round the clock,

Cesar aims to overcome
Hendrix's guard dog mindset...

CESAR: Shh!

You chased that little goat a little bit.

NARRATOR: ...and disrespectful
dominant behavior.

CESAR: See that head on the top?
It's not good.

Shh!

That's just a sign, "I wanna dominate."

Some things are improving. Yes, sir.

He's slowly understanding
my guidance with the leash.

Not too shabby.

Hendrix still has moments
where he slips back into dominating.

(shushing)

Hey, hey. Psst!

In my opinion, the biting

and the mounting
Hendrix has been displaying

are both super dangerous
and disrespectful.

It is the epitome
of dominant or owning his humans.

GENESIS: Stop, stop, stop, stop.

CESAR: In his mind he's guarding them
but it's very unhealthy.

Because Hendrix
is part Australian shepherd,

I wanna tap into that shepherd in instinct

and teach him
to channel his guarding into herding

in a respectful way.

There you go.

Look, he's never seen a sheep in his life.

He's curious, but he has no idea
what to do with it.

Come on, let's go.

Before Hendrix gets a turn,

I want him to learn
from my most respectful dog Sophia.

That way he sees
how to herd them, not hurt them.

That's what we want, see?
That's what we want.

That's right, Sophia,
show him how it's done.

Look at Hendrix,
he's getting a little excited

but still playful.

(high-pitched barking)

Shh.

Not that bark. Hey, hey, not that bark.

That's an excited dominant bark.

I gotta correct that.

Hey. I'm trying to redirect him
back to calm surrender.

So the sound of
the shepherd's staff on the ground

will snap him out of it. Hey.

For Hendrix, the really high pitch bark

tells me his excitement is at a level ten.

(high-pitched barking)

Hey.

Because he easily
went back to calm surrender,

now I want to give him a chance
to herd the sheep with Sophia.

To make sure everything is safe

I'm using the leash and the muzzle

in case Hendrix
become dominant or aggressive.

Come on, Sophia.

There you go.

Good job, Sophia, that's playful.

Nope. He's putting
the head on top of the sheep,

that's the first sign
that he's going to mount.

Shh! He's trying to dominate.

If Hendrix becomes dominant,

I have to bring him back
to calm surrender.

Repeating this herding exercise
until he gets it right

is the only way he's ever going to learn.

Let's do it again.

Move 'em, move 'em,
move 'em, move 'em.

This is better.
He's starting to herd, not dominate.

The circle he's making around them,
that's perfect herding.

Nice.

Yeah.

He's doing it. He's herding.

Yeah.

Yes!

That's it, that's it.

Hey-hey. Hey.

Hendrix has finally learned
how to herd the sheep with respect.

Because he's so quick to learn,
that tells me

he's in the right mindset
to continue his lessons tomorrow.

That's enough for today.
I knew you can do it.

That's my boy.

NARRATOR: The next morning,
Cesar continues working

on what Hendrix's family believes
is his most dangerous behavior.

CESAR: Let's go, buddy.

NARRATOR: At home, the dog dominates
over everyone and everything,

even his food.

(barks, snarls)

But Cesar has a method
to feed aggressive dogs

that keeps him in full control.

CESAR: The technique
that I'm going to teach Genesis,

uh, to-to feed him is hold the food.

This keeps him from towering over his food
in a protective stance.

And then what you are avoiding
is a brain getting into the idea

to be territorial about it.

If the brain gets into that state,

you're more likely to get bitten.

This is a method that only
a trained professional should attend

until the dog is truly ready.

Once he understand
that the human is in control,

Genesis will feed him this way.

You have to be
at the highest level of calmness,

the highest level of confidence.

Okay? That's the most important...
You can't feel nervous.

You can't feel insecure. You can't.

Let's do it.

Come here, Hendrix. (smacks lips)

There we go. There you go.

(low growling)

Shh.

-Shh.
-(growling continues)

Quiet.

(softly) Shh.

He can't eat
unless there's an invitation.

Yeah.

See how he responds.

He's not drooling.

The pupils are not dilated.
That's a good sign.

So I'm gonna do a little bit of eating
and then a little bit of pause.

-Shh.
-(low growling)

There you go.

-(whines)
-Shh.

So that way, we also
are controlling the mind while he eats.

So the brain never gets
to a very excited point.

Pausing also reminds him

that I am in control
of the food and the bowl.

(low growling)

Shh. Hey. Shh.

Too rough. Gentle, gentle.

Shh. Shh. There we go.

So I always leave
a little bit of kibble...

Shh.

...so he always know that the human
actually told him when to stop.

Shh.

Shh.

This point, he can't touch anything.
This is more for the mind.

He can be tense about it,
obsessive about it, none of that.

That's a good way to finish the exercise.

Look at my boy.

You're doing good.

He's learning it's okay
to let the human control things.

Alright. Good boy.
We'll keep practicing this.

Come on.

NARRATOR: In Southeast LA,
Genesis follows Cesar's advice

to take some personal time
to work on herself.

GENESIS: Fast, fast, fast.

Súbela, súbela.

Cesar wanted me and the whole family
to really detox from that fear

we had of Hendrix dominating the house.

Woo-hoo! I love you. Good job. Good job.

And he also wanted me
to build my confidence.

I've been doing a lot of things
like working out,

getting a lot of self-care done

in order to be that calm, confident person
for Hendrix.

It's been great,
but I do really miss Hendrix

and I just hope that we're both ready

to really reunite
and see each other again.

NARRATOR:
Cesar has made enough progress

with Hendrix's dominant guard dog behavior

that he feels it's time to reintroduce him

to his pet parent Genesis and her mom.

-CESAR (speaking Spanish): Good morning!
-GENESIS (speaking Spanish): Good morning!

-CESAR (in English): You brought your mom?
-GENESIS (in English, off screen): Yes.

CESAR (speaking Spanish, off screen):
How are you, well?

-MOM (speaking Spanish): Well, yes. Yes.
-CESAR: That's good, that's good.

-(in English) Ladies, follow me.
-GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: When I first met Genesis,

she and her family were held c*ptive

by their fear of Hendrix's dominance.

(growling, barking)

He owned the house and he owned them.

GENESIS: Stop, stop, stop, stop.

CESAR: Over the last week,

Genesis has felt what it is
like to live without fear

and is starting to believe
in her own abilities.

So now, both she and Hendrix
are ready to tackle the ritual

that has caused the most fear
and aggression in their household.

Come on. (smacks lips)

Now, we're gonna do the feeding ritual.

I'll be watching to see if Hendrix
can maintain respect

or if he slips back into dominating again.

So I want you to see
that-that he's practicing

not being aggressive
around dogs and people.

-GENESIS: Uh-huh.
-(dogs barking)

CESAR: Yeah.

I brought in my pack,

because this will mimic her family

being around the food bowl at home.

Right. So you have excitement
then we gotta bring the excitement down.

-So when you feed, always calmness.
-GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: So I wanted you to see

how are they're supposed to behave
when there's food around.

-GENESIS: Yeah.
-CESAR: Attentive, but also very patient.

GENESIS: Mm-hmm.
I'm like taking it all in.

-Because I've never seen it before.
-CESAR: Right. Right.

Right. I can tell you feel calm confident,
so you're open to learning.

Don't-don't ever be in a rush,

'cause a rush adds
another element of excitement,

knowing they're about to eat
is exciting enough.

GENESIS: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: Shh!

GENESIS: Hmm.

CESAR: Shh.

-Gentle.
-GENESIS (off screen): Yeah.

I see that you're, like, showing him
and then you take it away

and he doesn't even try to keep going.

CESAR: No. So the food doesn't just have

a physical meaning,
it has a mental meaning.

-Food means trust.
-GENESIS: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: Genesis must learn
to maintain calm confidence

and claim the bowl.

Otherwise, Hendrix
could try to claim it by biting.

(barks, snarls)

If that happens, Genesis goes back
to her fearful mindset

and the dog goes back to owning her.

Your turn.

Hold the bowl in front of him.

Right there. Shh.

GENESIS: I'm anxious.

I've never been that close
to Hendrix with food before.

I-I don't really touch
his bowl when I feed him.

CESAR (off screen):
He's taking over the bowl.

To claim it, you have to lift it up.

Lift up. Shh. No, you're pulling it.

Just keep it right there.

MOM (speaking Spanish):
Relax, relax, relax.

(clears throat)

CESAR: Hold on. Hold on.
You are too tense.

-(low growling)
Shh. Hey.

Instead of acting with calm confidence,

Genesis got tensed
and overanxious with the bowl

causing Hendrix to tense up as well.

I need to address her energy first

then we'll fix her technique.

So right now you're feeding like this.

-GENESIS: It's 'cause, you don't hear her?
-MOM (off screen): No, no, no.

-CESAR: Why?
-GENESIS: She's like,

"Quieto, quieto, quieto."

Like, she's the one that's nervous.

-CESAR: Oh, got it.
-GENESIS: So, it's throwing into me

-and I'm calm when I'm next to you.
-CESAR: Okay.

MOM (speaking Spanish):
I'll be quiet then.

CESAR: So I didn't hear it.

GENESIS: That's my whole life,
of course I can hear it.

She's telling me like, "Slow down, relax."

And I'm like, "You're making me tense
by telling me to relax." Like...

CESAR (off screen):
That-that was a good learning moment.

Because that tension
can turn into aggression.

GENESIS: And, like, I was able to know
what triggered me to feel that way.

-And that's gonna project to my dog.
-CESAR: Oh, good. Yes.

At the moment, your energy
turns into a negative source

and then you affect everything around,
not just you.

Because she recognized
her source of tension,

she should be able to reset herself
back to calm confident

and keep her dog in calm surrender.

It is the first step
towards living without fear

and a step towards
having confidence in herself.

Now, she needs to follow through.

The other thing I saw you do

was pull the bowl
back towards you instead of up.

When you pull it back like that,
he wants to chase the food,

which makes him guarded.

But when you pull it up,
it works like a correction.

GENESIS (off screen): Oh, up?

CESAR: So you use the plate
to snap him out of him.

-He's the one that has to do this.
-GENESIS: Yeah.

CESAR: If you pull it back,
he's gonna move in.

And if you keep pulling it,
you're gonna hear "grr."

-GENESIS: Mm-hmm.
-CESAR: Come on, Hendrix. One last time.

Hold on. Not yet.

Yeah.

(speaking Spanish)
That's it. That's it.

That's right.

That's good. That's good. That's good.

Yes.

Celebrate that.

Celebrate it not having to be tense
by feeding your own dog.

-You're doing it.
-GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: Today,
Genesis had a major breakthrough.

She learned
how her energy affects Hendrix.

I brought him 90% of the way,

but it's up to Genesis
to complete the final 10%

back in their home environment.

I've given her the tools.

So now it's time for her
to follow through.

And I will continue to monitor
how they progress with their homework.

NARRATOR: Over the next week,

Genesis works to perfect
the lessons learned at the DPC.

GENESIS: My homework with Hendrix
has been practicing walking,

claiming space, and feeding.

Hendrix has really
not mounted anyone at home.

We've been practicing claiming that space.

I do feel that with this process
I have been gaining respect with Hendrix.

But there's still
a little bit of challenge with it.

Hendrix still does react
to other dogs passing by the gate.

There's still more work to be done.

But I think once we set our minds to it,
like, we'll be able to do it.

NARRATOR: One week later,

Cesar welcomes back Genesis,
her mom, and Hendrix

to check in on
all the progress they've made.

CESAR: Look at that.

I'm gonna cry.

I am blown away.

You can see
a completely different Genesis.

When I first met her,

she was clueless when it came to handling
Hendrix's dominant guard dog behavior.

-(growling)
-GENESIS: No, no, no, no, no. No!

CESAR: Now even from a distance,
you can see the confidence in her face,

the positivity, the knowhow.

And you can see the effect
that it had on Hendrix.

(laughter)

Everybody's happy.

So how's it going?

GENESIS:
We've been working on the homework a lot,

so it's been going great.

CESAR: Show me the progress.
Let's see how the feeding is going, okay?

GENESIS (off screen): Alright.

-CESAR: Come on, let's go.
-GENESIS: Okay.

-(speaking Spanish) Let's go, ma'am.
-MOM (speaking Spanish): Let's go.

CESAR: Come on in.

He was pretty aggressive around the food.

-GENESIS: Yes.
-CESAR: So...

the challenge is just to feed 'em.
I wanna see it.

-GENESIS: Okay.
-CESAR: The last time,

she was making you tense and nervous.

Right now, the-the goal
is for it to be smooth.

GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: The last time
when we did the feeding here,

the mom influenced the wrong way.

So I just wanna make sure
that we get that straight.

GENESIS: Up. Up.

CESAR: There you go.

GENESIS: Shh!

CESAR: This is beautiful.

That's right.

Wow. (laughs)

GENESIS: Shh!

CESAR: Ah.

That, you came out on your own.

You put your hand in front.
I didn't tell you to do that.

GENESIS: No, but I just like
to make sure he knows.

-CESAR: Right.
-GENESIS: That he can't have any.

-CESAR: I like it.
-GENESIS: Shh.

CESAR: She didn't just feel safe.

She felt authority, right,

to the point she's putting her hand
right in front and he's taking the cue.

So there's some things that I can't add on

because it's up to you to bring you.

You're giving food
but you're also controlling behavior.

With the same play you give him food.

-GENESIS: Yes.
-CESAR (off screen): Yeah.

-MOM (off screen): Yes.
-CESAR: Yes!

Beautiful. Perfection. You did good. Yay!

I am proud of the work
that Genesis has put in.

She's really come a long way.

She learned to feed Hendrix without fear,

and now he's showing her respect
by no longer guarding his food.

Genesis is beginning
to break the cycle of fear

that has plagued the family
since she got Hendrix.

Beautiful. I think you're ready
for your final challenge.

GENESIS (off screen): Let's do it.

CESAR: Genesis said
she's still struggling with Hendrix

reacting to other dogs at the gate.

For her final challenge,
I wanna see if Genesis can claim her space

and keep Hendrix in calm surrender

while all the animals approach.

Your dog should be able
to stay calm surrender.

-GENESIS: Okay.
-CESAR: In the middle of all that chaos.

GENESIS: Okay.

CESAR: Let's bring the first dog.

GENESIS: I do feel
a lot more confident with Hendrix.

But there is always that possibility

that Hendrix could lunge at the fence.

And I don't wanna
give Hendrix that energy

where he begins to tense up
and wants to be dominant.

I am definitely worried
that I will start getting nervous.

CESAR (off screen): He's too excited.

-(shushing)
-(whining)

-(whining)
-GENESIS: Shh.

CESAR: Calmly take control
of the situation.

-GENESIS: Shh.
-(whining)

(Genesis shushing)

CESAR: Feel calm surrender.

GENESIS: Shh.

(whining)

CESAR: Don't forget to breathe.

(exhales deeply)

GENESIS: This challenge is
really important for me to complete

because it is a behavior
that is still occurring

and we need to fix it right now.

Hendrix still does react to other dogs.

Hendrix will go to the fence
and start barking

and he will jump up
and try to reach them.

-(whining)
-Shh. Come on.

MOM (off screen): To control...

CESAR (speaking Spanish):
She is to control the excitement.

(in English) The excitement.

MOM: Yeah.

-CESAR: She's excited about it.
-GENESIS (off screen): Shh.

CESAR (off screen): Control the fence.

Here, you're having a little resistance.

(whining)

-Stay right there until you get it.
-GENESIS (off screen): Okay.

-(whining)
-Shh! Shh!

(shushing)

CESAR (speaking Spanish): That's it!

(in English) Wow. So, you came,
you came close to the gate because?

GENESIS: To see if he wanted a sniff.

CESAR (off screen): Yeah, that was great.

-(Genesis shushing)
-Yup.

That was great.

GENESIS: Shh.

CESAR: Perfect.

Not only is Genesis claiming the gate,

she's intuitively leading Hendrix
to smell the other dog.

And it's totally on her terms.

This was never a reaction
I would have with him

with other dogs, um, anywhere.

Shh.

CESAR: He's doing really, really good.

So we got one more challenge.

This is gonna be a little bit tougher.

GENESIS: Okay. Ready.

CESAR: Genesis has shown that she can
control Hendrix's guard dog behavior

with animals outside the gate.

But remember, he was also
dominating the family inside the yard.

So now I wanna test
whether she can keep him from regressing

when we bring an animal
that almost always excites any canine.

(Hendrix whining)

GENESIS: Getting too excited.

CESAR: Hendrix, meet my son.

-(quacks)
-GENESIS: Shh.

CESAR: He's getting anxious.

GENESIS: Can you bring him further?
Come on.

-CESAR: Yeah, use distance.
-(Genesis shushing)

So this is the equivalent of a baby.

-GENESIS: Yeah.
-CESAR: You know?

(Genesis shushing)

Yes.

When Genesis moved Hendrix
away from me and the duck,

she created distance between us

that made it easier for her
to get Hendrix back into a calm state

and tells him to be respectful.

But if she can get him to lay down

that will show complete calm surrender.

-GENESIS: Let's see if he lays down.
-CESAR (off screen): Mm-hmm.

(Genesis shushing)

GENESIS: Good job. Shh.

-Good dog.
-CESAR: Good job.

-MOM (off screen): Yeah, bravo.
-CESAR: I love it.

I love it.

And she did it!

She claimed the bowl.

GENESIS: Shh!
-CESAR: She claimed the gate.

Perfect.

And she claimed the duck.

Yes.

And by doing all of that,
she claimed her leadership.

You are controlling the excitement.

You aced the final challenge.

This is, this is a,
a beautiful moment of claiming...

-(quacks)
-Oh, the duck.

He doesn't know we're doing a TV show.

He wants to say hi to everybody.

(quacks)

I'm, like, inside, like, "Yeah."

I'm just having that moment
where I, "Wow, this is amazing."

Genesis is using
all the tools I taught her,

and she controlled the dog's excitement

with the duck in my arms.

If she can maintain that level of control,

there should be no more mounting,
no more biting,

and no more unhealthy guarding.

-GENESIS: Yes.
-CESAR: Good job.

-Thank you so much.
-GENESIS: Thank you.

CESAR (speaking Spanish): Ma'am.

-MOM: Thank you.
-CESAR: It's been a pleasure.

ALL (speaking Spanish): Let's go.

GENESIS:
So before Hendrix was definitely

taking the guard dog position on his own,

would literally call all the shots,

and we really just
lived our life around him.

But now, we no longer
feel like hostages in our own home

because I'm able
to be that leader he needs.

CESAR: I believe one of the worst thing
you can do as pet parents

is to fear your own dog.

The human fears aggressive behavior.

The dog senses anxiety
and acts out to guard his human.

Eventually both, the pet parent and dog,
become prisoners in fear.

The key to escaping that prison
is to overcome your own fears first.

With the right energy,
the right philosophy,

the right activities,

you'll be free to become the leader
your dog wants to follow.