02x05 - Ten Years to Life

[bunniefuu]

CESAR MILLAN:
When I started my journey

and people started calling me
the Dog Whisperer,

the only thing I wanted to do
is to teach people

there is not such a thing as a bad dog.

WOMAN: Oh my gosh.

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

(growls)

Today, I'm still doing what I love,

but the world has changed.

(indistinct chatter)

CESAR: Record dog adoptions have made
many packs complete.

But now more than ever,

people and dogs...

-(growling, barking)
-still...

-WOMAN: Shh.
-CESAR: ...need...

-WOMAN: Ooh.
-CESAR: ...help.

-WOMAN: We can't live like this.
-MAN: Yeah.

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

CESAR: More pooches, more problems, right?

He needs rehab, like, ASAP.

So many things you can fix already. Shh!

-MARLON: Sorry, I'm sorry.
-CESAR: Ignore the excitement.

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

-CESAR: Do you know who I am?
-MEGAN: 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 going
to have everything else.

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

one pack at a time.

Throughout the course of this pandemic,

so many people have adopted dogs
to find happiness

during these difficult times.

But without the right guidance
and knowledge,

you can create bad behavior,

and life can become more stressful.

Today, I'm meeting a young couple,

they adopted not one but two puppies
during the lockdown.

Now the dogs are growing up
and acting out.

-FLOR CANALES: I'm Flor Canales.
-BRIAN CANALES: My name is Brian.

FLOR: I'm a therapist.

I work with kids from the ages
of zero to five

in a nonprofit organization.

BRIAN: I'm also a therapist,
and I work primarily

with young adult and adolescent males.

-FLOR: Come on, Brucey.
-BRIAN: Come on. Tch tch.

We have been wanting to get dogs.

FLOR: I always wanted a Golden,

and then Brian said,
"I want a chocolate lab.

I don't think I want a Golden."

And we got Bruce and Teddy like that
during the pandemic.

BRIAN: The decision to get both was,
like, very last minute and sort of...

FLOR: Very impulsive.

-BRIAN: Very impulsive and...
-FLOR: Yeah.

Bruce just turned 18 months,
and he's a chocolate lab.

He's very energetic, very sweet.

BRIAN: Teddy is two and a half weeks
younger than Bruce.

FLOR: Yeah. We got Bruce first,

and then we got Teddy
two weeks after we got Bruce.

And it was really nice.

I was really depressed during the pandemic
because I was missing my family,

missing being around, like, my loved ones.

And just having both of them,

their personalities have brought
so much life into the house,

and I really enjoy it.

BRIAN: I'd say 95 percent of the time,

they're wonderful, really special dogs,

but that five percent...

FLOR: Okay, guys, guys.

-BRIAN: They...
-FLOR: Go bananas.

BRIAN: They go bananas.

-FLOR: I know, I know.
-WOMAN: Okay. I know, I know, I know...

-FLOR: Teddy, Teddy, Teddy.
-BRIAN: Hey.

FLOR: They can get excited
from a one to ten really fast.

(indistinct shouting)

(screaming)

-BRIAN: They're rough and they're big.
-FLOR: Yeah.

-(barking)
-(woman screams)

FLOR: And, you know, in our family,

it's a lot of small people
and older people.

BRIAN: It severely limits

who we can invite over
and when they can come.

FLOR: We had our engagement party
here in our backyard,

and it was really stressful.

BRIAN: My nephew was running around,
and Bruce just came up and shoved him.

Like, I see that,
and I'm like, "It's not okay."

-And then they snap, I get frustrated.
-WOMAN: No, stay down...

BRIAN: What the (bleep)
are you doing, dork?

-And then it's, let's say, it gets crazy.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

BRIAN: I'm a type 1 diabetic, and so I,

I have two medical devices
that are attached to my body

with tubes and wires in my skin,

and they'll stomp on it
and rip off some of the, the machines.

And it's life-threatening.

(growling)

FLOR: Bruce, down.

Deep down, they're just animals,
and they're very caring

and loving
and innocent animals in my eyes.

Brucey, come on. Tch tch.

Bruce, leave it. Come on. Come on.

I baby them because
they're like my babies.

I love them.

BRIAN: Just stomping all over everybody.

FLOR: And I want to take care of them.

Personally, what I'm hoping is

just to be able to help them
greet people like normal dogs,

instead of just jumping on people.

It's hard, because me being a therapist,

I don't think I know anything
about dog psychology.

BRIAN: We could use some help.

-(dogs barking)
-FLOR: Brian.

Hi. Welcome.

-So excited to have you here.
-CESAR: How are you?

-Yes?
-FLOR: Yes.

-CESAR: Are you super, super happy?
-FLOR: I'm, I'm excited.

-BRIAN: Yeah. Nice to meet you. Yeah.
-CESAR: Brian.

-Nice to meet you.
-BRIAN: Nice to meet you.

(dogs barking)

CESAR: So how can I help?
What can I do? I hear that.

-That's a pretty intense bark.
-FLOR AND BRIAN: Yeah.

-BRIAN: We have a couple of problems.
-CESAR: Yes.

BRIAN: Probably the biggest one
is what's happening right now.

-CESAR: Yeah.
-BRIAN: People coming over and,

when people come over,
they just, they go crazy.

BRIAN: They tackle, they jump,

-they push.
-CESAR: Yeah.

BRIAN: So this is what we'll do.
Sometimes, we'll have them in our bedroom.

They'll, they come barreling out.

-CESAR: Like a bull?
-FLOR: Yeah. Uh-huh.

-BRIAN: We call it a stampede.
-CESAR: Like Pamplona?

-FLOR: Uh-huh.
-CESAR: Stampede? Even worse.

BRIAN: That's what it sounds. Yeah.

-It's intense.
-CESAR: That bark is pretty frustrated.

So I'm talking with Brian and Flor,

and I can hear the dogs
getting loud and frustrated

in the other room, which makes sense.

These are adolescent dogs
with a lot of energy,

and they're pent-up behind closed doors.

I'll be frustrated, too.

BRIAN: Yeah, they get frustrated when...

-FLOR: Mm-hmm.
-CESAR: What about you?

-BRIAN: What about me?
-CESAR: Yes.

-BRIAN: I get frustrated, yeah.
-CESAR: Yeah.

BRIAN: I get frustrated having
to contain them and...

-CESAR: It's in your eyes.
-BRIAN: I know. I, I feel it.

-It's true. Yeah.
-CESAR: So what do you think, Flor?

What do you think the problem is
from a Latina point of view?

FLOR: For me, it's just like
I baby them a lot.

And especially Bruce, the chocolate lab.

So I think it's just me,
like, wanting to, like,

show that much love,

how, like, in the Latino house,
what we do, right?

Like, we just show the love to our kids.

-In this case, our kids are the dogs.
-CESAR: Yes. Yes.

FLOR: They're my life.

-CESAR: Okay.
-FLOR: It sounds bad, right?

In a way.

-CESAR: Out of balance.
-FLOR: Yeah.

(all laugh)

CESAR: Right off the bat, it's clear

this house is holding
a lot of frustration.

I hear frustrated barking from the dogs,

and it is obvious that Brian
and Flor are feeling it, too.

So it's time to start releasing
some of that frustration.

I am so ready to see your dogs

to experience the, what do you call it?

-BRIAN: Stampede.
-CESAR: The stampede.

-FLOR: Alright. I'm gonna open the door.
-CESAR: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

FLOR: Okay, guys.

CESAR: My goodness, Bruce and Teddy,
they're pent-up.

FLOR: Teddy, ow.

CESAR: You know, "Guys, we're here.
We have all this energy to share."

FLOR: Teddy.

-This guy is like a, like a bull.
-BRIAN AND FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: We have no rules,
boundaries, limitations.

We believe the whole world belongs to us.

This is the bull right here.

-BRIAN: Yup.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: This is your
stampede energy right here.

Yeah.

Sit. There you go.

Shh.

I leashed up Bruce first,

because he's clearly
the more dominant one.

He has the higher energy.

And once Bruce starts to calm down,

I put a leash on Teddy
to get him under control, too.

-See, this is calm surrender.
-BRIAN: Yeah.

CESAR: That's how they're supposed
to show support.

-FLOR: Mm-hmm.
-CESAR: Not by jumping on you.

-BRIAN AND FLOR: Yeah.
-CESAR: That's not support at all.

FLOR: Yeah.

BRIAN: They have never been
as calm as they were.

I've never seen them respond like that.

And I think frankly
I had lost some faith in them

and their ability to control themselves.

So to see this, I was like, "Wow."

-CESAR: Let's do it again.
-FLOR: Okay.

Take them to the room?

-CESAR: Yes. And you take off the leash.
FLOR: Okay. Come on, guys.

CESAR: No, no. Just take them.

FLOR: Got it. Okay.

CESAR: When she uses "Come on, guys,"
it creates excitement.

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-CESAR: Okay?

To help your dog get into
a state of calm surrender,

if you're using your voice,

you must speak in a calm, confident way.

And that definitely means
no high-pitch, baby talk.

FLOR: Come on, guys. Brucey, come on.

CESAR: That just get dogs more excited.

But really the best way
to project calm confidence

is to not say much at all.

Shh!

Shh!

Shh!

Shh!

He's too excited, back on the leash.

Nope. Don't move back.

So instead of you moving back, move in.

-FLOR: Okay.
-CESAR: But you doing this,

you are encouraging to keep going
in your intimate space.

-FLOR: Yeah.
-CESAR: You're practicing

in the animal world, flight.

FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: So you have to claim your space.

FLOR: Okay.

I feel a little anxious,

them acting that way in front of Cesar,

being all crazy and jumping,

because I don't know
what they're gonna do.

And it just makes it very stressful for me

when they act that way.

CESAR: This excitement is unhealthy.

To practice this excitement,

he can go somewhere else
outside the house.

You know? You're not allowed
to practice excitement in the house.

Inside the house, calm surrender.

If there's going to be
some kind of happy-go-lucky...

You okay?

(sniffling)

FLOR: Yeah, it's just hard.

CESAR: Why?

FLOR: Just seeing him leashed up
like that, it just breaks my heart.

-CESAR: But why?
-FLOR: I don't know.

I don't know.

CESAR: Flor's sudden reaction

really surprised me.

You know, she's a therapist

who helps other people every day

with tough emotions.

But it's clear she herself has
a lot on her mind.

There must be more to this story.

(Flor crying)

CESAR: You know what?
Let's sit down and talk.

Having a deep connection
with our dogs is a good thing.

But only up to a point.

I need to get to the bottom
of what's happening within this pack.

So tell me, why does seeing Bruce
on a leash trigger you?

FLOR: Bruce the chocolate,

right before we got him,
I was feeling very depressed.

-CESAR: Uh-huh.
-FLOR: And it was a lot of...

CESAR: Shh!

-Just stay there. Stay.
-FLOR: Okay.

CESAR: Yeah, don't move. Yeah.

FLOR: You know, last year,

during the pandemic,
right when everything shut down,

we moved into this house.

It was our first time living together.

He was still going to the office to work.

So it was just like 12 hours me
by myself in this house.

And that affected me a lot

until I just couldn't handle it anymore.

(sniffles)

-CESAR: Mm-hmm.
-FLOR: So at 4:00 in the morning,

like, I came into the kitchen by myself,

like, he was sleeping,
and I grabbed the kitchen knife...

...and I went with the motion
of cutting myself,

like my hand.

And it was like, you know, in that moment,
I started crying so much.

And, you know, Brian heard me cry.

BRIAN: It was... I, I was struck

by how much pain she was experiencing.

And that was when I really started
to get an understanding

of... the, the gravity
of what was going on with you.

And I didn't, I didn't...

...I wasn't able to hear it prior to that.

CESAR: Mm-hmm.

FLOR: And we drove that Sunday
to pick up Bruce,

and it was just like
an instant connection with him.

-CESAR: Hmm.
-FLOR: Like, he was the one

that was there for me.

CESAR: Uh, may I say something?

FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: You know, I can empathize
with you, because I went through it.

Yeah. I was going through
a divorce at that time,

and, you know, I felt like
I wasn't good enough,

you know, and I wasn't loved.

FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: And I tried to commit suicide...

...because I felt like a failure.

I took so much stuff
that I could have k*lled five people,

but it wasn't my time.

FLOR: Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

CESAR: I'm not ashamed to admit
that I have some low points in my life,

but it's not just me.

Look at the state of the world right now.

We're in a mental health crisis.

So, I do everything I can to help.

My lowest point came
when I lost my best friend

and right-hand dog Daddy.

Soon after, my marriage ended.
I felt completely broken.

So, I took a lot of pills,
but somehow I survived.

My work wasn't done.

After that, I knew my mission in life

had evolved to create better humans,

better dogs, and a better planet.

That's why helping both Flor
and Brian is so important to me.

And Brian, I know
you have your own challenges.

BRIAN: I'm a type 1 diabetic,
and so I'm insulin-dependent.

It's, it's incurable,
it's a lifelong illness.

So, I have two medical devices
attached to me,

and it happens somewhat frequently
where they will stomp

on either one of these and rip it out.

You know, it's potentially
life-threatening.

And even an activity as small as walking

can cause my blood sugar
to drop so low that I, you know,

sometimes there's a lot
of times where I just can't,

I can't take the dogs on walks.

CESAR: So what's missing
in this relationship is respect.

They see you as a source
of affection and trust you,

but they don't respect you.

BRIAN: Yeah.

CESAR: Okay. So here's the deal,

we got two very excited dogs
with a lot of pent-up energy,

and their disrespectful jumping
is an invasion of personal space.

FLOR: Okay. Guys, guys...

CESAR: Bruce is more dominant.

So whatever he leads, Teddy follows.

What the dogs need is much more exercise,

but that's been a challenge
because of Brian's health issues.

The bigger concern is that Flor and Bruce
have an unhealthy codependency,

because he helped her
through such a dark time,

so she only gives love
when he really needs guidance.

Being a therapist during COVID
must be extremely difficult,

but unfortunately, the dogs
are feeling the trauma

their parents are carrying.

I feel deeply connected with this pack
due to my own struggles.

And because they also dedicated
their life to helping others,

which is what I'm all about.

So whatever it is,
whatever the physical obstacle,

emotional obstacle, all has a solution.

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: You guys have to come
to my ranch, it's magical.

BRIAN: I'd love to.

CESAR: I don't train dogs, I train humans.

BRIAN: I did know that respect is lacking
in the relationship with the dogs.

My way of dealing with that
has been to get frustrated with them,

and, and that has not been helping a lot.

We have to make some adjustments,
but I, I believe in these guys.

I think they can learn quick.

CESAR: You know, it's a blessing
to be able to help young couples,

especially when they have
this type of pain.

It's an honor to be able to provide space.

So I'm gonna come up
with the right strategy,

the right day for them to connect

to Mother Nature at the ranch.

BRIAN (off screen): How are you doing?

FLOR: I think I'm, I'm feeling good.

I'm excited to see
what we're gonna learn today.

Oh look.

BRIAN: Oh wow.

-This is pretty out here.
-FLOR: It is.

-Very quiet.
-BRIAN: Yes.

(Flor laughs)

FLOR: And there he is.

-Hi.
-CESAR: How are you?

-BRIAN: It's good to see you.
-CESAR: Welcome to the ranch.

-FLOR: Thank you. It's beautiful.
-BRIAN: It is beautiful here.

CESAR: Alright. Bring them out.
Bring them out.

-FLOR: Okay.
-BRIAN: Alright.

FLOR: Are you ready?

Shh!

(barking)

No.

CESAR: Don't let him push you.

FLOR: I got Bruce.

-Bruce.
-CESAR: Still very excited.

(barking)

FLOR: Bruce.

CESAR: That car exit was a nightmare
from start to finish.

Lots of pushing, pulling, too excited.

So they're still disrespectful.

And again, it's Bruce
who's leading the charge.

Wow, this guy is...

-this guy gets like a rock.
-FLOR: He gets stiff, yes.

-CESAR: Yeah.
-FLOR: He does, he gets stiff.

CESAR: An adolescent Lab is strong enough,

but when they absorb
all their pet parents' frustration,

they are like a rock.

There is a pressure point
that helps them relax.

Come on, he's gonna relax and sit.

There you go. See it?

So I have to find a muscle

-that can trigger that...
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: ...and then eventually,
you just touch it, and then they do that.

FLOR: Hmm.

-Got it.
-CESAR: Yeah.

FLOR: Bruce usually starts pulling

really hard on his leash.

I mean, I knew that

we didn't have
a hundred percent control with Bruce,

but I didn't know how bad it was
until we came in here today.

CESAR: So, we're gonna go
to the Serengeti right now.

-FLOR: Okay.
-(Brian chuckles)

CESAR: Which is my dog park.

I wanna see them running,
having a good time.

-BRIAN AND FLOR: Cool.
-CESAR: Alright.

FLOR: Let's go.

CESAR: To really put an end to Bruce

and Teddy's disrespectful
pushing and pulling,

we need to teach them to start respecting
the space of others.

We're starting in the Serengeti,

because I want to see how Bruce
and Teddy behave in a setting

where other dogs have the rightful claim.

Okay. Let's bring King and Dante.

I'm gonna bring two of my oldest dogs

because this is their home,

and they actually have
a proper claim to this space.

I'm going to keep them separate
with a fence,

but I want to see how Bruce reacts.

Oh, here comes the stampede.

(growling)

Yeah. Bruce is growling.

-That's dominance.
-BRIAN: Yeah.

CESAR: Now, he's peeing
to claim this territory,

disrespecting King right to his face.

Yeah, this guy wants to fight.

CESAR: Watch my German Shepherd King
make him back down.

When King stands his ground...

...your Bruce will learn that's not okay.

-BRIAN: They're, they're backing up.
-FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: This little standoff taught Bruce
that he needs to back down.

He was crowding in, ready to fight King,

but King stood his ground,
and Bruce eventually backed off,

followed quickly by Teddy.

Bruce has learned a big lesson
about respecting space.

Their common sense is kicking in, right?

BRIAN: As their excitement goes down
a little bit, they start...

-CESAR: That's right.
-BRIAN: Yeah.

Bruce and Teddy have been in fights

where they just kind of
provoked other dogs

and then got chomped on a little bit.

So that's a little scary,
just thinking that they might get hurt.

CESAR: That's really good. Look at that.

There you go.

That, I like that.

So I was waiting for that signal,

waiting for him to surrender.

That's all I'm looking for.

So that means his brain just went
into a happy-go-lucky state.

CESAR: So now that Bruce has surrendered,

I want to bring in the rest of the pack

to reinforce these lessons
about respecting other's space.

(dogs barking)

Of course, Bruce instantly goes back

to a state of overexcited disrespect.

That's all he knows.

But I'm hoping my pack
can straighten him up a little.

Look, look at Spot.
Spot is putting him in place.

BRIAN: Wow.

-Yeah.
-CESAR: So right now,

Spot is reinforcing,

like, "Not in my intimate space,
not in my face, we don't know each other."

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-FLOR: Yeah.

-BRIAN: Like, back off.
-CESAR: Like, yeah.

Like, show respect.

Sometimes the size of a dog
makes very little difference at all.

Spot is one of the smallest dogs
here at the ranch,

but since he's a strong member of my pack,

his role is to make sure
other dogs fall in line.

BRIAN: He's a tough little guy.

CESAR: Yeah, he's a Chihuahua.

(laughter)

CESAR: He's Mexican.

See? Now, Sophia is saying,
"Get out of my space."

Benson, too.

They're all letting Bruce know
that he's being disrespectful.

Look, look, look.

-That's what I want to see.
-BRIAN: Yup.

-That's respect.
-CESAR: That's respect.

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-CESAR: That's right.

Space equals respect.

Alright. Come this way, guys.

My pack is teaching Bruce
that he has to respect

other dogs' intimate space,

and that is a lesson
that Bruce can pass on to Teddy.

More importantly, Flor and Brian
must learn it themselves.

FLOR: No.

CESAR: Bruce and Teddy
constantly push and crowd their space.

FLOR: Teddy, ow.

CESAR: This next exercise
will show Flor and Brian

how to handle them in a way
that creates clear personal boundaries

and stops all that crowding and jumping.

So now, let's go on the A frame.

Let's do Teddy first.

-FLOR: Okay.
-CESAR: Okay?

Tch tch.

BRIAN: Just two fingers.

CESAR: A loop-like leash

held away from the body
at a respectful distance.

BRIAN: Wow.
-FLOR: Very relaxed and very just like...

-CESAR: Playful.
-FLOR: Yeah, playful.

-CESAR: Right. Yeah.
-FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: I want you to do it, actually.

-FLOR: Okay.
-CESAR: Okay.

To empower Flor to overcome
her codependent relationship with Bruce,

I'm actually gonna have
her start with Teddy.

He's more of a follower,
so leading him will be a good start.

Yeah.

-Oh!
-(Flor laughs)

-FLOR: Teddy.
-CESAR: Okay. That's handling skills.

That means he had to stay on it.

FLOR: Okay.

CESAR: Yeah. And then stay
right next to him so he doesn't fall.

FLOR: Okay.

-BRIAN: Wow.
-CESAR: Yeah.

Do it again.

One hand. Yay.

BRIAN: Wow.

CESAR: See how, how the brain
already understanding the mechanics?

BRIAN: Yup.

FLOR: Seeing proper technique
with the leash,

that's something that we have been missing

in our household with the dogs.

I think it was more me realizing

maybe I've been the problem

and I have control over them.

CESAR: Use your body to claim space.

(Brian laughing)

-BRIAN: Bruce.
-CESAR: Monkey see, monkey do.

BRIAN: Yeah.

-(Brian and Flor laughing)
-CESAR: Yeah.

I wanna keep things light,
so they don't get more stressed.

But Bruce's behavior here
is no laughing matter.

He's not copying Teddy.

He's trying to assert
his dominance by interfering.

It's very disrespectful.

-BRIAN: So?
-CESAR: So now, it's your turn.

BRIAN: Pressure's on.

CESAR: Why don't you take Bruce
over the balance bridge?

Now, I want Brian to do
the same thing with Bruce

on the balance bridge.

It is especially important

that Brian learns to protect
his personal space

with strong handling skills.

His diabetic equipment
can get pulled out of his body

by a pushy dog.

That could not be allowed.

BRIAN: Bruce.

Oh!

CESAR: That is exactly
what we don't wanna see.

Bruce came really close to Brian's body,

which can dislodge his diabetic equipment.

He needs to handle Bruce
with more confidence

and create more space with his arm.

-See, once he got here...
-BRIAN: Yes.

CESAR: ...he got scared
and pushed into your space.

And then he realized,

-"Okay, what, what's next?"
-BRIAN: Oh (bleep).

CESAR: Yeah. And then he jumped.

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-CESAR: So, you gotta do that again,

because that's incomplete.

BRIAN: Okay.

CESAR: Okay. Well, I like that.

Yes. Stay right... Relax.

There we go. Okay.

So, go again.

Good.

There you go. Use your arm to claim space.

Stay right there, stay. Relax, relax.

Okay, relax. Relax.

Stay right there.

Give him some time. There you go.

Let him figure it out.

No. Just...

(whispering) Wait, wait, wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

CESAR (whispering): Wait, wait, wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

Go a little bit.

That's it, right there.

-(Bruce yelps)
-FLOR: (bleep)

CESAR: Put it back, put it back.

There you go.

The balance obstacle literally keep

the dogs on the straight and narrow.

If they still exhibit
disrespectful space claiming,

gravity teaches them a lesson.

But of course, we're there
to catch them and begin again.

The most important thing
to Bruce's success

is Brian calming down his tense energy.

Look.

-BRIAN: Yes.
-CESAR: Look.

-BRIAN: I think I'm too tense.
-CESAR: That's right.

-BRIAN: I just, I, I tighten up...
-CESAR: You think?

BRIAN: ...whenever I start.

(Flor laughing)

-CESAR: Boom.
-BRIAN: Yeah. Wow.

I can get really tense
and be completely unaware of it,

and it has an effect on not just me,
but everybody around me.

CESAR: Yeah. You're stuck
with tension inside of you.

BRIAN: Yeah.

Seeing Cesar immediately succeed,

my first reaction is to get frustrated,

because I wish I could do that.

But priority number one is
paying attention to my tension

and loosening up a little bit.

FLOR: Brian, just shake it off.

(exhales forcefully)

CESAR: Don't let him quit.
Don't let him quit.

Yes, sir!

BRIAN: Yay!

-FLOR: Yay!
-CESAR: Yes, sir!

Yeah!

Yes, sir! Yes, sir!

-FLOR: Good job!
-CESAR: Yeah!

So Brian takes a deep breath...

(deep breath)

...which relaxes his tension

and gets him into
a calm, confident headspace.

Then Bruce goes over
the obstacle, no problem.

That is not a coincidence.

So now, Flor, let's go on the treadmill.

FLOR: Okay.

CESAR: These adolescent dogs need
to burn off energy.

But Brian's diabetes often prevents him

from taking them on long walks.

The treadmill is the perfect solution

because it provides safe exercise,

and a tired dog is a respectful dog.

So mastering the treadmill is the key

to creating the respectful boundaries
that Bruce and Teddy need.

This is where the calm, confident energy

needs to be already there...

and here.

FLOR: Okay.

CESAR: Even though
my safety handlers are nearby

and Bruce is in no harm,

this exercise is going to be
a big challenge for Flor.

A debilitating codependency with Bruce

formed when he supported her
through the darkest time of her life,

and that has led to Flor babying him.

FLOR: Brucey, come on. Tch tch.

CESAR: So keeping him focused

on the treadmill
will take true leadership.

Alright. Breathe.

(deep breath)

Very good.

-BRIAN: He's afraid.
-CESAR: Well, the floor is moving.

-BRIAN: Makes no sense.
-FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: So, only in the beginning,
they struggle.

-FLOR: He's just...
-CESAR: Yeah.

-FLOR: ...really strong.
- CESAR: Okay. Let me help. Yeah.

Let me help you right here.

-FLOR: Thank you.
-CESAR: Yeah.

Flor says Bruce is strong,

but there are different types of strength

than just pulling strength.

I need to show Flor that Bruce has
the strength to be gentle

and to find his calm surrender.

-There you go.
-BRIAN: Yup.

-CESAR: You see how I'm doing it with...
- BRIAN: Yup.

-FLOR: Yes.
-BRIAN: Right over him.

-CESAR: Like a bull.
-BRIAN: Yup.

-FLOR: Yes.
-(laughter)

CESAR: There you go.

BRIAN: There he goes.

FLOR: You know,
I have a strong connection with him

because I feel like he saved me in a way.

But maybe I've been
just babying him too much.

And it's something that,
that I have to deal with.

CESAR: So this is a moment
where he's quiet,

but he's not calm surrender yet.

-FLOR: Mm-hmm.
-BRIAN: Mm-hmm.

Right now, he's still
kind of alert and focused.

CESAR: That's right.

Alright, look at that little panic moment.

-CESAR: That's good.
-FLOR: Yes, yes.

CESAR: So what people see as struggle,
I see a dog figuring things out.

Because you're supposed to see fight
or flight avoidance.

-FLOR: Yeah.
-CESAR: And then you're supposed

to see calm surrender.

-BRIAN AND FLOR: Yeah.
-CESAR: Turn it off.

There.

And he has to stay there.

-(Bruce panting)
-Shh.

This is good.

So he's surrendering to the idea

that a human could put him
on the treadmill

and a human would tell him
when to come out.

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: So this is actually more valuable
than everything we did,

because he's not tied
and he stays there on his own.

We wanna see him sit,
that would mean calm surrender.

Look. Come this way.

We're gonna trigger
the calm surrender part.

Yeah, we can wait for him over here.

What we really need
is for Bruce to sit down.

That indicates calm surrender.

And that would show me
that he's finally starting

to figure things out in his head.

The discipline and respect
that is expected of him.

Bruce is processing.

So right now, he's mentally stuck.

-BRIAN: He's frozen.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: Because he's never been allowed

to figure things out.

See, this is the moment that you wait.

When you baby somebody so much,

you, you practically handicap them.

BRIAN: Yeah. Now I see.

FLOR: And that's what I did to him,
and that's what's frustrating.

BRIAN: It's been, like, five minutes,
he's just standing there.

CESAR: He's starting
to accept calm surrender,

finding it himself.

Come on, Bruce. Sit.

Sit.

FLOR: I'm scared, I'm anxious,

I'm a little tense,

and just ready to see what's gonna happen.

CESAR: If Bruce can sit down
on the treadmill,

that will be a pivotal moment.

A promising step toward him

not only learning
his lessons on boundaries,

but surrendering to it.

Ahhhh!

-FLOR: Good job!
-(all cheering, applauding)

BRIAN: Yay!

CESAR: That's really good.

FLOR: Seeing Bruce on the treadmill,

I took away that it is okay
to just let Bruce struggle

and go through the motions
that he has to go through,

and he's gonna be okay.

And it's not my job
to baby him all of the time.

BRIAN: I'm so proud of Flor.

I'm seeing her just succeed
with these dogs so quickly.

And with Cesar's help,
it's inspiring to see how quick

the dogs can react to the ideas
that he's talking about.

It's, it's incredible.

CESAR (off screen): So in obedience,
this is what people call sit and stay,

and you can walk around them,
and they can break that command.

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: He's doing it on his own.

That's really good.

BRIAN: A huge lesson
that I'm gonna take home today

is how beneficial it can be
to be calm and not so damn tense.

FLOR: Mm-hmm. Yeah. They, like, they,
it brings back that hope in me

and that happiness and joy

that maybe was missing in our home,

and in myself.

CESAR: Alright. Let's get this boy.

Now that they're learning how to introduce

and utilize the treadmill properly...

There you go. Beautiful, beautiful.

(Cesar speaking foreign language)

...I want them to continue practicing
at home, mainly with Bruce.

If they can all master that,
then Brian won't have

to worry about the dogs'
dangerous overexcitement,

and Flor can move past her traumas

and give Bruce the love
and the discipline that he needs.

Well, it's been about a week.

So I wanna visit Brian and Flor

to see what kind of progress they made.

The doorbell and knocking
have always been triggering sounds

for Bruce and Teddy.

Hopefully, that doesn't
set them off today.

(knocking)

BRIAN: Stay.

Shh!

CESAR: Hey.

-FLOR: Hi.
-BRIAN: Come on in.

(Flor laughs)

CESAR: I'm in shock.

(all laugh)

CESAR: I am in... Wow.

Can I enjoy this moment?

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: Mm-hmm.

What about homework?
How's homework been doing?

-FLOR: Let's see. The treadmill.
-CESAR: Mm-hmm.

-FLOR: It did not go well.
-CESAR: Mm-hmm.

-FLOR: Mainly with Bruce. Teddy did great.
-CESAR: Okay.

FLOR: Bruce, he was shaking a lot.

CESAR: Mm-hmm.

FLOR: And Brian was doing it,

so he can say, like,
how his experience was.

FLOR: But for me, watching it,
that went really bad.

-BRIAN: We filmed it...
-FLOR: I filmed it.

-BRIAN: ...when I was doing it.
-CESAR: Okay.

-FLOR: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-BRIAN: And, so if you wanna see it.

-FLOR: So you can see it.
-CESAR: Okay.

FLOR: Just play.

CESAR: Okay.

BRIAN: There you go. Shh. Teddy. Shh.

CESAR: Well, all the calm surrender
Bruce had at the DPC, gone.

The first thing I noticed
is that Brian, not Flor,

is handling Bruce.

It seems she still can't bring herself

to take the lead on offering discipline.

And when Bruce lays down like that,
he's in a state of avoidance.

Brian and Flor are not offering leadership
or calm confidence.

FLOR: Yeah. I mean, seeing him struggle,
it was really hard for me.

CESAR: Hmm.

-FLOR: Not physically, but mentally.
-CESAR: Right, right.

CESAR: Mentally.

FLOR: And it's hard with my own stuff

that I carry from the past.

CESAR: Yeah.

Well, the homework setback
has really shattered

Brian and Flor's confidence,

so I need to reinforce the lessons
they learned at the ranch.

With Bruce, I just wanna make sure

that what I saw in the video,
we just get to erase it

so he can go back to happy-go-lucky stuff.

-FLOR: Okay.
-CESAR: Calm surrender. That's it.

-FLOR: Good. Sounds good.
-CESAR: Good?

-BRIAN: Yeah. Let's do it.
-FLOR: Yeah. Let's get them...

CESAR: It's best
if he doesn't know anything

that we're about to do,
we're just gonna go right back and forth.

Alright. Let's go. Come on.
Tch tch tch tch.

Good boy. Good boy.

Good boy. Come on. Yeah. Here we go.

-This is the one. Right there.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: Yeah. That's, this is
the equivalent of flight.

FLOR: Hmm.

CESAR: Okay. Hiding under you.

-FLOR: Like to his parent, yeah.
-CESAR: Yeah.

FLOR: Uh-huh.

CESAR: As soon as Bruce enters
the treadmill room,

it's like his brain locks up
the rest of his body.

We need to get him
mentally unstuck. Flor, too.

-That's avoidance.
-BRIAN: Yeah.

FLOR: Hmm. Because he,
now he's not looking at you.

-CESAR: That's right. He's not.
-FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: This right here
is that codependency

that she needs to shake.

If they ever gonna grow
as a pack, it must start now.

CESAR: Uh-huh. Right.

One last one. One last one. There you go.

-(Bruce panting)
-CESAR: Shh.

Shh.

The issue with Bruce is all mental.

It's like he's mirroring his pet parents'
lack of calm confidence.

It has nothing to do with the treadmill.

He's just going to fight
or flight avoidance,

which all animals have to go.

It's important.
That's how they become wise.

-So the work here is this, the wait.
-FLOR: Okay.

-Okay.
-BRIAN: See, we didn't wait last...

-FLOR: Yeah.
-BRIAN: When we, when we did it either.

CESAR: Yeah, that's why the brain
never went to, like, calm surrender.

If the brain is not calm surrender,
happy-go-lucky,

and you already give him direction,

that's the moment that you wait.

Your job is to wait.

This is mental.

-FLOR: Yeah.
-CESAR: And this is the first time

we're, we're taking the time
for him to just let it go.

-BRIAN: Yeah.
-FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: Some things you have
to do it on your own.

There you go. Let's go.

Wow.

(Flor laughing)

FLOR: Yay. Good job.

Seeing Cesar how he broke it down

and did it through steps,

it made me feel much better

about getting Bruce on the treadmill

and learn how to be open and not get stuck

because I can be hard-headed,
so just being open to new ideas.

-Yeah.
-CESAR: Now you do it, Flor.

FLOR: Come on, Brucey, let's go. Come on.

Good puppy. Come on.

CESAR: Yup. All the way,
all the way, all the way.

-FLOR: All the way.
-CESAR: He didn't hesitate.

-FLOR: Come on.
-CESAR: There you go.

-FLOR: Yay.
-CESAR: Yeah.

FLOR: Good boy.

-Good puppy.
-BRIAN: He's getting better.

-CESAR: Yeah.
-FLOR: Good job.

-CESAR: Go for it.
-FLOR: Let's go. Come on.

Come on. Come on, you can do it.

CESAR: Right there, there you go. Yes.

-FLOR: Come on.
-CESAR: Yes.

See, he's happy-go-lucky.

Now, baby talk is the reward.

FLOR: Come on. Can you go up?

-Yes.
-CESAR: Yes.

-Yes.
-FLOR: Puppy.

CESAR: And just like
Bruce has gotten unstuck,

so has Flor.

She's able to put him
on the treadmill with no problem.

He's like a new dog,
and she is like a new person.

It's incredible to see.

FLOR: Come on, let's go.

Good job! Yeah!

I definitely feel lighter

after all this training with Cesar

because, you know, Bruce was there for me

on my hardest times

and being able to give that back to him

and being the person
that he needs me to be

in order to help him have good behavior.

We're still attached,
but I think we were attached

in an unhealthy manner before.

And I think now we're getting healthier.

CESAR: All the way to the treadmill.

-BRIAN: Okay.
-CESAR: Boom, boom, boom.

-BRIAN: Come on, Brucey.
-CESAR: Good, good, good, good.

-BRIAN: Come on.
-CESAR: Good, good, good, good.

BRIAN: Up we go. Up we go.

CESAR: Yup, and come back,
come back, come back.

-Yay.
-(cheering and applause)

-BRIAN: You can do it. You can do it.
-CESAR: Yay!

There you go. There you go.

Yay!

So for Brian and Flor's final challenge,

I want to do a redo
of their engagement party last year.

Brian and Flor have been through
so much during the pandemic,

and they deserve a chance
to celebrate their new life together

without that distraction.

That test for Bruce and Teddy will be
whether they can meet the guests

in a calm, respectful way.

I'm gonna sit down over there,
bring people into the house,

you now, controlling the situation,
personal space,

and just keep it simple, calm,
confident, love, and joy.

-FLOR: Perfect.
-CESAR: Simple?

-FLOR: Yes.
-CESAR: Alright.

-FLOR: Let's do it.
-CESAR: Let's do it.

(knocking)

FLOR:
Let's welcome our guests.

CESAR: We know that dogs get
super excited when Flor's mom visit.

-FLOR: Bruce.
-FLOR'S MOM: How are you, baby?

CESAR: So this will be a good test to see
how far they have come.

FLOR: Tch tch. Come on.

CESAR: Yup. That's your best.

-FLOR'S DAD: Hey, Brian.
-BRIAN: Hey.

-FLOR'S DAD: Hey.
-BRIAN: Come on in.

FLOR'S DAD: Hi, Bruce.

BRIAN: Hey, good to see you.

FLOR'S MOM: Hi, Brian.

FLOR (in Spanish):
Remember to block them.

CESAR: There you go.

(indistinct chatter)

(in Spanish) But look...

There you go, that's good!
There you go!

FLOR'S MOM: Brucey!

-CESAR: Oh my Lord.
-FLOR'S MOM: Hi, baby.

CESAR: Aah!

-I miss my mom.
-FLOR'S MOM: Yeah.

FLOR: Yeah, with my mom,

she was the one that, like,
they would push her against the wall

because they got so excited.

CESAR: So excited.

FLOR: It's nice to have them
behave now better.

-CESAR: A little bit.
-FLOR: Yeah, a little better

so my parents can come in
without being scared.

CESAR: Yeah.

Brian and Flor did everything right.

They make sure Bruce and Teddy
were calm before opening the door.

Then Brian picked up Teddy's leash
to have more control.

And Bruce was so well behaved,

Flor didn't even have to do anything.

Alright. Let's get ready
for the next guests.

But now comes the moment of truth.

Brian's baby nephew.

Showing respect and calm surrender here

will be the ultimate test
for Bruce and Teddy.

(knocking)

FLOR: Bruce, no. Uh-uh.

CESAR: Good. Way better.

FLOR: Shh. Come on. Shh!

CESAR: Nice.

-(baby cooing)
-BRIAN: Hey, come on in.

-Come on in.
-CESAR: (snaps fingers) Shh!

MAX: Hey, Brucey.

BRIAN: Hey, Max, you wanna grab Teddy?

-MAX: Sure.
-CESAR: There you go.

Good job, Brian, on that one. I like it.

Safety first and then it's affection.

Meeting a baby should only be allowed

when the dog is in a calm surrender

or at a low level of excitement,

like Bruce and Teddy are now.

WOMAN: Hello, everyone.

BRIAN: Come on in. I'll get the door.

CESAR: You're using the leash
to create respectful distance.

-Perfect.
-FLOR: Yeah.

CESAR: Okay. Well, that's, that's huge.

BRIAN: Yeah.

CESAR: That's huge.

(indistinct chatter)

WOMAN: You want to say hi to Teddy?

(laughter)

MAX: Hi.

FLOR: The dogs did great.

They were able to greet people
without jumping on them.

-CESAR: Okay.
-FLOR: Give me a kiss.

BRIAN: Before, we were promoting chaos,
and now we're promoting calm confidence

and calm surrender.

And it has been
a transformative experience.

FLOR: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: So mission accomplished.
Now let's go celebrate.

Happy-go-lucky time. Let's go.

-FLOR: Woo.
-BRIAN: Let's go!

(indistinct chatter)

CESAR: They all did great.

We have two calm, confident humans

and two low level happy-go-lucky dogs.

So that means it's party time.

FLOR: We never thought
that we were gonna be able

to get to a day like this.

So I'm really happy to see
that we can do this.

CESAR: Señora.

(speaking foreign language)

BRIAN: To have all these people
over today, have our family and friends

and have an awesome time,
it's really, really special.

FLOR: I just wanna say thank you
for everyone for being here.

We get to celebrate our engagement again
with the help of Cesar.

So thank you so much, and we get
to have the dogs with us.

That means a lot. Thank you.

CESAR: Just like dogs, we humans wrestle

with fight-flight avoidance all the time.

For many of us, myself included,

those battles can lead to self-harm

and sometimes tragically suicide.

The COVID pandemic
has only made it more clear

how important it is
that we take care of our mental health.

In a dark time,
Flor found comfort in her dogs

just like I did.

But this case was an important reminder

that for all the help our dogs give us,

they need our help just as much.

I always say direction equals affection.

Healthy love is the best love of all.

ALL: Salud!