01x02 - One Brick at a Time

[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

that there's no such thing as a bad dog.

WOMAN: Oh, my gosh!

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

-[growling]
-[barks]

Today, I'm still doing what I love,

but the pandemic has changed the world.

[overlapping chatter]

Dog adoptions have hit a record high.

The good news is dog shelters are empty,

the bad news is people...

still... need... help.

WOMAN 1: He doesn't listen to me.

WOMAN 2: Like, the problem is me.

MAN: What do I do?

CESAR: More pooches, more problems, right?

-This is why he doesn't listen to you.
-MAN: No.

CESAR: So many things you can fix already.

Shh.

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

WOMAN [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.

NARRATOR: Cesar is on a mission
to help a woman whose out-of-control dog

is ruining her peaceful retirement.

JUDY HERNAND [off screen]: Shadow!

[Shadow barking, whining]

Hi, my name is Judy Hernand,

and my dog's name is Shadow.

And she's about a four-and-a-half-year old
Australian Kelpie.

Shadow came into my life
because I had just retired.

My neighbor goes,
"This dog really needs a home,

"since you are now retired,

you'll have a lot of time
to devote to this animal."

So we're walking up the sidewalk,

the gentleman unleashed her,

and she immediately
just ran directly into my house,

right past me, right into my bedroom,

jumped on the bed and just laid there

with a big smile on her face.

And he said, "Oh, she's picked you."

So, that was that.

But I had no idea
what I was getting myself into.

No!

This dog is 24/7.

You cannot relax.

No. Nah, I don't think I can rake today.

-No.
-[barking]

No. Ouch. She got me.

She has so many reactive issues
that I was not aware of.

-No! No!
-[barking]

Shadow, no.

'Cause, I am a little bit
on the older side.

I didn't want something that was gonna be

as much work as she has been.

Shadow, wanna go for a walk?

So to walk Shadow, it's a major project.

Let's go. Shadow, come on.

Drop it. Leave it.

Leave it.

I said leave it.

Drop it.

You know, I have some bad days
sometimes, health-wise.

Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.

No. Shadow, enough.

I can't lift so much poundage,

and I can't have
so much poundage pulling me

and she'll do this thing
that they call "skating"

where she's like on her two hind legs

and just hop, hop hopping.

I'm afraid that when she starts lunging,

she could actually really pull me over.

[Shadow barking]

Before I retired, I thought,
"Oh, I was gonna travel,

go wine tasting, enjoy my friends."

During my retirement,
I got very much involved

into ballroom dancing and swing and Latin,

so I'm a very big dancer.

But Shadow's not a really good match
for my retirement life.

[barks]

But I've bonded with Shadow,

and I see that there's
an exceptional dog in there.

If she was be able to be
part of my retirement dream,

then I would be very, very happy.

CESAR: There is the dog.

JUDY: Cesar.

CESAR [off screen]: You know
what I love about you already?

-JUDY [off screen]: What?
-CESAR: That you dance.

-JUDY: Oh, yeah. We're gonna salsa.
-CESAR: Come on.

Listen, listen,
the fact that you dance salsa...

-JUDY: Oh, yeah.
-CESAR: That's a... Oh, hey, hey, hey.

JUDY: Oh, I've been dancing
for quite a few years.

-CESAR: Oh, yeah?
-JUDY: Yeah.

I do salsa and I do ballroom
and I do swing.

CESAR: Wow. Listen, you have me.

That's it. We've got it.
So how can I help you?

JUDY: I'm hoping that you can give me
the tools that I need...

CESAR: Yeah.

JUDY [off screen]:
...to work with this dog

and so that we can be one.

So I can go on to enjoy my retirement.

-CESAR: Congratulations, by the way.
-JUDY: Thank you.

-I like the like that she gives.
-CESAR [off screen]: Yes.

JUDY [off screen]:
And we're both very full of energy.

It's just we can't quite get
the Zen together.

CESAR: When did you meet her?
How long ago?

JUDY: I've had her now for about
maybe three years.

CESAR: What?

JUDY: Yes.

CESAR: So you've been struggling
for three years?

How did you choose her? What, what...

JUDY: I didn't choose her, she chose me.

CESAR: Well, that's bad.

JUDY [off screen]: That's not bad.

You don't always get the dog you want,
you get the dog you need.

CESAR: The dog you need! That's right.

-JUDY: You know?
-CESAR: That's right.

Good, so let's talk about that.

Why do you think you need her for?

JUDY: Oh, I-I don't know.

It just, it just worked out.

And she's very intense, and I had
abdominal surgery eight weeks ago.

-CESAR: Oh, wow.
-JUDY: So she pulls so much,

and I'm afraid it's gonna
rip open a lot of my incisions.

CESAR: Well, that's bad.
You got to lead this dance, for sure.

JUDY: I have to lead it.

CESAR: Well, number one, I love dancing.

Number two, I love dogs.

And dogs and dancing are the same to me.

JUDY: Yeah. If I can learn to dance,
I know I can be trainable.

CESAR: I like that attitude.

Let's go meet her.

-JUDY: Great, let's take her for a walk.
-CESAR: Yeah.

-JUDY: Just meet me around the back.
-CESAR: Okay.

Let's get this dance going!

JUDY: Shadow, wanna go for a walk?

Shadow, come on, let's go.

-Wanna go for a walk?
-[Shadow barks]

Shadow.

Shadow.

No.

She gets so excited.

CESAR: You made her excited.
You know that, right?

-JUDY: Pardon?
-CESAR [off screen]: You made her excited.

JUDY [off screen]: So a lot of times
when this happens, I just sort of stand,

until she decides wants to go for a walk.

CESAR [off screen]: Oh, wow.

Well, the good thing is you're retired.

You got all the time in the world.

[grunts]

By observing from a distance,

I'll get a better picture
of their normal routine.

If it looks like Judy's in danger,

I'll step right in without hesitation.

[Judy grunts]

Yeah, we gotta make
that easier for her.

JUDY: Leave it.

No, no, no, no, no.

No!

CESAR: My first observation
is this dog has no chill.

Her mind is in overdrive.

"k*ll the ball. Attack the fence,
fly across the yard."

She doesn't even notice Judy,

who's worn out
just trying to put the leash on her.

So, in this part, I'm just gonna
watch you at a distance.

I don't wanna be too close.

JUDY: Come on.

CESAR: Since I'm still assessing
the relationship,

I need to give 'em a little space

to see how they walk together.

[barking]

[barking continues]

It's pretty bad. It's pretty bad.

This dog can have Judy on the floor.

JUDY: That's enough.

CESAR: The mind is pretty much
in a, like a microwave.

Everything is cooking really fast,

you know, versus cooking in an oven.

All right, let's, let's go back
to the house.

Oof, there's a little dog coming in.

Normally, what people are used to see

is dogs that might hurt
other dogs or people,

but not the owner.

JUDY: This way. Shadow. Shadow.

CESAR [off screen]:
This dog can hurt the owner.

JUDY: No. We're going in the driveway.

CESAR: This is serious.

JUDY: When she sees this stuff
and she pulls, I don't want to fall.

CESAR: That's actually
my, my biggest worry,

-when I saw you doing it.
-JUDY: Yeah.

CESAR: I need to figure out what's causing
the over-excitement and the lunging,

but right now, that's impossible.

Shadow is an Australian Kelpie,

who needs about
two hours of exercise per day.

But their usual walk is like
a ten-minute tug-of-w*r.

You know what I wanna do?

I wanna see if, uh,
can channel a little bit of that energy.

To burn it off, we need to kick
this assessment into high gear.

I love Rollerblades.

They're great tools
for burning off energy.

It's all about the running.

Come on, Shadow.
Let's burn off some pent-up energy.

[shushing]

What I'm doing
with the Rollerblades is testing

if speed can help her
to focus on just moving forward.

She's pretty fast.

We need to make sure
this girl calms down to Judy's level.

Shh!

-[barking]
-Shh! Girl, you're all over the place.

[shushes]

It's not working.
You know, so she's stuck.

She's in constant, constant
looking for things.

She's scouting the neighborhood.

She's pulling
because she wants to go after

squirrels, dogs, and cats, and everything.

See this, this part right there?
She's hyper alert.

So even when she's standing still,

she doesn't know how to turn it off.

You know? So it's like a workaholic.

When a human is a workaholic,

they go to work
even when they go to sleep.

After a couple miles,

the dogs normally go
into a calmer, relaxed state.

So it's concerning
that her overactive mind never changed.

She just couldn't turn it off.

She couldn't focus on resting.

She was just constantly looking around.

-JUDY: She's on 24/7.
-CESAR: That's it.

JUDY: I agree with you,

and I don't how to bring her down
into that calming state.

CESAR [off screen]: You said you have
some toys and stuff you want me to see?

JUDY [off screen]: Yes.
One toy that she absolutely loves.

-CESAR [off screen]: Mm-hmm.
-JUDY: You ready?

-CESAR: Yeah.
-JUDY: Bricks.

-CESAR: Bricks?
-JUDY: Bricks.

Shadow, drop it.

You're gonna break your teeth.

CESAR [off screen]: I wanna see this.

Let me take my chair.

JUDY [off screen]: Okay.

She's so obsessed with bricks,
once she sees that red brick come out,

it's not just going at it,

she wants to grab the brick
and put it in her mouth.

She'll do anything and everything to try
and get to that brick

to the point I have to hide
all of my red bricks

throughout my whole backyard.

No.

-Down.
-CESAR: Holy Moly.

JUDY: Down!

No!

[shushing]

Shh!

CESAR: See now she's not reacting,
but when you grab the brick

and you make this position,
this language, you see it?

You're asking her to follow you.

That's a new dance you just taught her.

-JUDY: A new dance she started.
-CESAR: Yeah.

And she's, she's doing this thing.

JUDY [off screen]: Why do you think
she goes for the bricks?

CESAR: I'm not sure. A lot of times,
dogs go after things the human wants.

You know what I mean?
There's no explanation of why.

Fixation is obsession.

And obsessed behavior
is a dangerous behavior.

There is no common sense

and, especially,
no regard for their owner.

The mind is so focused on the object,

in this case, a brick,
which I have never seen before,

that the dog will do anything to get it,

biting, lunging, and even attacking.

Shadow's entire rehabilitation
depends on solving this fixation.

It's about her understanding
that I can grab the brick...

Shh.

and I just want her to give me distance.

She's still not calm.

Right now, she's just sitting but excited.

So this is not the end result.

JUDY [off screen]:
She really does get crazy.

CESAR: Yeah. Oh, she does.

This is actually pretty serious.

At first sight, this can be misinterpreted

as a simple case of an energetic dog

mismatched with a lower energy pet parent,

but that is dead wrong.

Shadow's over-excitement and fixation

is a red zone behavior
because she's not listening.

She can't turn off her hyperactive mind,
and she has no regard for Judy

because the brick is more important.

JUDY [off screen]:
You're gonna break your teeth.

CESAR: She has forgotten
what's essentially the cornerstone

of a dog's common sense, loyalty.

That is a dangerous mindset that could
lead to Judy being seriously injured,

so I need her to understand
how bad this situation really is.

That fact that I can't influence her,

that's the part that worries me.

Even though she backed away
from the brick,

-she was still desperate for it.
-JUDY: Okay.

CESAR: Everything you do,
even chasing the dog to put the leash on

is making the brain this way.

JUDY: Yeah.

CESAR: You're keeping her in a zone
where the dog can't hear you.

They can't hear. They can't see.
They can't smell.

This, the brick means more than you.

That's what I call red zone.

JUDY: Yeah. I mean...

CESAR: That means
her instincts are confused.

A brick? That's not even in their DNA.

[laughs]

There's no dog that was bred
to go after bricks.

JUDY: Initially when this
whole process began, I kept thinking,

"We're just gonna go
for a couple of walks.

"He's gonna see
how I do the leash wrong

and, you know,
"boom, bang, thank you, ma'am."

It's done and over
and my dog's gonna be fixed.

And then when Cesar told me
that she's constantly in this red zone,

and it's like, "Whoa."

Apparently, Shadow and I

are not quite a quick fix
for him at this point.

CESAR: What I'm going to help you with
is the part where her mind calms down.

JUDY: Okay.

CESAR [off screen]: And then
you keep her in that state.

How do you feel about her, um,
staying with me at the ranch?

JUDY: I don't want her to leave.

CESAR [off screen]: It's the only way.

We can't do it here. She's too far gone.

She's too fixated,

and she knows every single place
in the neighborhood.

Because Shadow is such a complicated case,

we need to separate the dog and owner.

I need to develop a relationship
outside Judy's influence

to start the rehabilitation process.

JUDY: If that's what
it's gonna take to get the dog

that I want and need,

I'm-I'm good with that.

-CESAR: I'd like to work right away.
-JUDY: Okay.

-CESAR: So, with your blessings.
-JUDY: Yes.

CESAR [off screen]: And your positivity
and your strength.

JUDY: I'm not really happy
about having to give up Shadow.

It makes me sad,
but I have to look at the big picture.

If this is what it takes
for the long haul, then it's worth it.

I'm just looking forward
to that part of my retirement

where I'm able to have
the dog that I want.

CESAR [off screen]: Bye.

JUDY [off screen]: Bye!

This is the type of dance
I'm gonna have to learn to lead

and Shadow's gonna have
to learn to follow.

NARRATOR: Cesar brings Shadow
to his Dog Psychology Center

to begin rehabilitation for her
over-excitement and fixation.

CESAR: You're about to have a gift
from me, girl.

Shadow is an Australian Kelpie,
which means she's a working dog.

She's born and bred to herd sheep.

It's like a fighter.
Like Mike Tyson about to go to the ring.

This is where Shadow is gonna shine.

We gotta get past all that over-excitement

and scouting for dogs on the streets.

Sheep-herding dog coming in.

Every time I work with a dog like Shadow,

I always bring them around the sheep

so they can connect
with their instinctual self,

so they can just focus
on the job they were bred for.

And that actually slows the mind.

All right, girl, you ready to run it out?

This is all about giving freedom
to be a Kelpie,

to do what you were bred for.

NARRATOR: Cesar uses a variety
of different animals on his ranch

to help rehabilitate dogs,

including a flock of sheep
used for herding.

CESAR: Ready?

NARRATOR: Cesar, along with
his ranch hand Jaime

monitors the safety and well-being
of the dog and the sheep.

CESAR: Let's go.

[clicks tongue]

In her environment,
she wanted to go after every single dog,

every single thing that was around her.

Huh. She's not chasing the sheep.

Her mind is so confused
that she's not getting the message.

She'd rather chase a brick.

It is shocking to see a sheep-herding dog
not herd sheep.

Tapping into a positive behavior
didn't work,

so now I'll try the opposite.

If I can trigger the fixation,

then I can start teaching her
what not to do.

Come on. Let's go.

[whistles]

I definitely brought some bricks with me
from Judy's house,

because this is the number one thing
Shadow fixates on.

I want her to see you,
throwing the bricks.

At home, we saw her grabbing the brick
and just wanted to k*ll the brick.

JUDY: Down.

Agh!

CESAR: We're purposely
throwing the bricks,

so we can entice her
to get into that fixation,

so I can start working on the excitement.

Those are her bricks.
We brought those bricks from her home.

So they're familiar.

[sniffing]

Well, uh...

I think she doesn't care
about bricks right now.

I'd rather have a dog
exhibiting bad behavior

from the beginning, so I get to work.

You know, it's like
taking a car to a mechanic

and there's nothing wrong
with the car when he arrives.

So that is exactly what's happening here.

For me, It's easier to rehabilitate
an aggressive dog than a fixated dog.

We gave her bricks, and she didn't fixate.

We offered her sheep herding
that she's literally bred for,

and she was clueless.

It's like she has a blockage.

This dog is so confused, it's like
she has forgotten how to be a dog.

So I need her to perform an activity

that gives her sense of purpose,
even if it feels drastic.

That's my girl. Let's go swimming.

I'm never gonna teach a dog,
like Shadow, how to swim.

That's not something... It's like saying,

"I'm gonna teach a dolphin
how to swim."

Dogs her size
know how to swim, instinctually.

But the tricky part
is getting the dog into the water.

You're a little nervous, huh?
Come on, girl.

The biggest part is the entrance.

When a dog is anxious to get in the water,
most of the time, it's the beginning.

You know what I mean?

Today, we just need to make sure
she just willingly comes in.

Because as soon as
she lets go of the fear,

she's gonna move forward
and learn to become a dog again.

Come on. Trust your instincts, baby.
Come on.

You got this. Come on, girl. You got this.

Just be a dog. That's it.

You can do it. Come on, girl.
You can do this.

Come on, let's go.

Here she comes. Shadow.

Come on, girl. Come on.

[laughs]

Good girl!

CESAR: She's doing great swimming, but...

she's still in her mind.

Literally doing some laps to remove
some of the pent-up energy.

CESAR: You still have a lot of energy.

That's why Judy couldn't get to her.

The excited energy,
and the anxious energy.

It's layers. Cha-cha-cha. It's layers.

Look, now she's following me.

There you go. This is calming her down.

Now we got the follower state
versus the frantic state.

Yes, there you go.

My job is just to keep her focused.

This is exactly what Shadow needed.

The instinctual act of swimming
reminds her how to be a dog,

so she's capable of following again.

If she can follow a person,
she should begin to listen as well.

This is huge.

Shadow. One more and that's it.

[laughs]

Yes. Look at that.

Oh, yes, baby. Look. Yes, yes, yes.

This breakthrough proves that Shadow
is capable of focusing and following,

so it's time to reconnect the dog
with her own pack leader Judy.

Ahh! 'Cause you're in the water.

NARRATOR: The next morning,

Cesar invites pet parent Judy
to his Dog Psychology Center

to show Shadow's progress
and realign the pack.

JUDY: I can't wait to see my dog.

When I pulled up this morning
to the Dog Psychology Center,

I was excited, I was nervous,

I was apprehensive, I was a little scared

'cause I didn't know how
Shadow was gonna react to me.

Oh, my gosh.
This is such a beautiful place.

I've missed Shadow so much
the past couple of days.

The house is so empty
and especially at night when I watch TV.

It's very lonely not to have her.

-CESAR: Judy. This way.
-JUDY: Cesar, hello there.

-My miracle worker.
-CESAR: Come on. Come on, on this side.

No touch, no talk, no eye contact.

JUDY: Except for you.

CESAR [off screen]: Come on in.

JUDY: She's so happy.

CESAR: When I'm reuniting
pet parents with dogs,

especially an overexcited, fixated dog,

it's important that the person
has zero excitement

and just remains quiet and calm,

or it might reverse our progress.

They need to let the dog
come to them in a calm way.

At your house, she was fixated, obsessed.

-JUDY: Obsessed, yes.
-CESAR: Excited at a higher level.

Without you, she definitely
behaves more calm.

I'd rather receive a dog,

and the dog misbehaves,
so I can get to work.

You coming here,
let's see if that triggers something.

So, let's do the bricks and see if
she can react with the bricks around you.

JUDY: Okay. Sure.

NARRATOR: At home,

Shadow's unhealthy fixation with bricks
was extreme.

JUDY: No. Down.

NARRATOR: Cesar's breakthrough
put her in a follower state,

so the next step is to teach the dog

that following Judy
is more important than a brick.

-CESAR: Let's put it over there.
-JUDY: Okay.

CESAR: Shadow is dangerous because
she'd do anything to get that brick.

Like knock Judy down,
with zero regard for her well-being.

For a dog who should
follow her pet parent,

this is not normal behavior.

But now that Shadow seems ready to follow,

it's time for Judy to take the position
of pack leader

by claiming the bricks as her own.

JUDY: Nope.

-JUDY: Leave it.
-CESAR: Yeah, that is her.

CESAR: Wow. When we put it
in the first day, she didn't went after.

Shh!

As soon as Judy called Shadow,
boom, right back to fixation.

That is her.

Hey.

Because Shadow ignored the bricks with me,

that tells me
it's Judy who needs the most attention.

So, we're going to
help her find her inner power.

Never-never pull it back.

Tsk.

Tsk.

She has to leave it by backing up.

JUDY: Okay.

-CESAR: Okay, do it. Find your power.
-JUDY: Okay.

Leave it. Shh.

CESAR [off screen]: It's your brick.

Shh!

JUDY: Shh!

Almost.

CESAR: Not even close.

Shh!

So we gotta work on that energy.

We gotta come up with a way
where I can help you bring that out.

-JUDY: Yes.
-CESAR: But I want you to come

from here, here, here.

JUDY: Okay. I'll try.

CESAR: Let's go. Claim the brick.

Claim your space.

-JUDY: Shh!
-CESAR [off screen]: Feel your power.

JUDY: No.

When I saw Cesar do it,
there's no reaction.

I go, "Oh, great.
Cesar's right next to me,

"so she's, she's not
gonna challenge Cesar.

"No, she knows he's right there,

so she knows she's not
gonna touch the brick."

So, it really surprised me
that when I put the brick down

that she went for the brick.

-Shh.
-CESAR: Here.

Let me have the brick.

Tsk.

Shh!

It's almost like we flip a channel.

"If Judy touches the bricks
I go after them.

If Cesar touches the bricks,
I just relax."

Grab the brick.
There you go, she's coming.

JUDY: No!

No. Leave it.

CESAR: When Judy
touched the brick again,

Shadow turned into this dangerous dog.

Just the fact that the dog is going
after the brick is not natural,

so that dog is not using
any common sense whatsoever.

Whatsoever.

So I have to watch
really closely to make sure

Shadow doesn't hurt Judy.

All right, claim it.
Whatever it takes. Claim it.

JUDY: Shh!

-No! No.
-[whimpers]

CESAR [off screen]: Claim your space. Shh!

[whining]

JUDY: Agh.

No. No!

-No!
-CESAR [off screen]: Claim your space.

-[whining]
-JUDY: Shh!

JUDY: Agh!

Okay, she hasn't done that before.

CESAR [off screen]: Here. Come on,
and sit down and take a break.

The way she does it, it's like
she's still not engaging with the moment.

JUDY: Mm-hmm.

CESAR [off screen]: Like, we're
doing something, but she's still...

-[imitates Shadow panting]
-JUDY: Right.

CESAR: And just like that,
the fixation is back.

The brick is still blocking
Shadow's common sense.

So forget about honesty,
integrity, or loyalty.

And without those,
there's no real connection,

so Judy can get seriously hurt.

She has to learn
that when she hears the brick,

when somebody touches the brick,

her brain has to learn
to completely disengage.

I know you love her.

You know, I know you-you have
tried a lot of things already.

And this is the compatibility
that I'm talking about.

I just, how do I create that energy?

-JUDY [off screen]: It's all about Judy.
-CESAR: How I'm gonna help Judy...

to claim one brick at a time.

JUDY: I think Cesar thinks
I'm a bit of a puzzle.

I guess it's a unique combination.

Maybe it's something
he hasn't come across.

CESAR: One brick at a time, Judy. Okay.

JUDY: Why can't I get Shadow
to listen to me?

That's the million-dollar question.

She won't listen to me on my walks.

She won't listen to me ever.

That's why I'm here,
and that's why I'm begging Cesar for help.

CESAR: I know it's just you and Shadow,
and you're missing your girl.

I'm, I... I understand.

Uh, but I just wanna keep her
a little longer, you know,

and then we bring you back.

Shadow's not ready to go home
because she's still a danger to Judy.

But just as important, Judy is not ready,

because she's still not being assertive.

What I have to think about the most

is how I'm gonna bring out
your assertive side,

so you can lead this relationship.

JUDY: And I will ponder upon that too.

-CESAR: We're gonna get this.
-JUDY: I know we are.

-CESAR: That's the most important part.
-JUDY: I don't doubt you.

CESAR: No, I know.
I don't doubt myself either.

I've never done Judy before.

JUDY: This old dog can learn new tricks.

CESAR: Oh, hell, yeah. For sure. No doubt.

You know, watching Judy
try to claim the brick,

it's easy for someone to think,

"What's the problem, it's just a brick."

But this brick is the key
to unlocking a real connection

for Judy and Shadow.

So by standing on the brick,

I want Judy to find her inner power
by literally standing her ground.

So while some might see a retired lady
struggling with a crazy dog,

I see an opportunity.

When I first met Judy,

she was afraid Shadow might be
too much for her to handle.

But I believe, "You don't always
get the dog you want,

you get the dog you need."

For Judy, this dog is the reason
she must become a leader.

JUDY: I miss Shadow.

Rocky, you're gonna
let me walk you, aren't you?

Well, Cesar called and says

I should practice with my neighbor's dog.

It will be a nice change
to walk a quiet dog,

but you know, Cesar's teaching the dog
to walk with me not in front of me.

And also, Cesar has asked me,
during this time,

to work on myself.

It's so nice to have
a normal dog again to walk.

Good boy, Rocky.

So I'm currently working on my yoga,

I'm working on some
mind meditation with some sound.

Cesar says I need to be more assertive.

And Shadow needs to know

I will be in charge of the brick, not her.

And calming myself down
has given me a better idea

on how I can have
more of a positive, assertive energy.

So Shadow and I will be on the same page.

I'm really hoping
all this work is gonna pay off

and I'll finally get
to bring Shadow home to me.

CESAR: With Judy away,

my team and I have been
working on Shadow's over-excitement

by teaching her how to remain calm
and slow down mentally.

Right now, we're not even letting her
even smell the brick.

Even though Shadow's fixation
is at its worst around Judy,

we're still using the bricks
to desensitize her.

We wanna curb the fixation
and slow her mind.

Boom.

If she can remain in that mindset,
she'll be ready to follow Judy,

but Judy must become more assertive
and learn how to lead.

NARRATOR: Four days later,

Judy returns to the DPC
to see Shadow's progress.

Now, Cesar must determine

whether Judy can maintain
an assertive mindset

and prove the pair
can be reunited at their home.

-CESAR: Welcome back, Judy.
-JUDY [off screen]: Hi, Cesar.

-CESAR: Welcome back.
-JUDY: Thank you.

-CESAR [off screen]: Look at her.
-JUDY: I know.

CESAR: Look at that. All right.

It's a lot of mental things
that people can do

that allows the dog
to be challenged mentally.

So, today, what I wanna do is
I wanna put her on the treadmill.

A dog like Shadow,
whose mind is going 100 miles an hour,

needs a way to calm her mind.

A treadmill combines a physical act
with mental focus.

Moving in place at a controlled speed

allows the dog
to reach a calm surrender state,

where she'll be more likely
to follow Judy.

Look, she's just
super comfortable already.

Treadmill fast is...

-It would be more for stamina.
-JUDY: Mm-hmm.

CESAR: With her, treadmill slow
will be more for the mind.

-Right there.
-JUDY: Okay.

Wow. Look at that.

CESAR: With a dog
that we're working on excitement,

try just to just bring calmness into it,

slow is better.

JUDY: Isn't that philosophy
a tired dog is a good dog?

-CESAR: A tired dog mentally.
-JUDY [off screen]: Oh, okay.

CESAR: Yeah, so it's not just physically.

JUDY: I can't believe it's the same dog.
She was so quiet on the treadmill.

I thought she'd be all amped up
and jumping all over the place,

and she really wasn't.

CESAR: For her,
we know that in her backyard

she-she goes around in circles.

All of those things
are physical activities,

but at the same time,
the mind is doing red zone behavior.

-JUDY: Ah.
-CESAR: Like, you know what I mean,

-it's too intense.
-JUDY: Yes.

CESAR: So, in order for her
to live with you, she has to slow down.

-JUDY [off screen]: Yes.
-CESAR: This little whining thing

is for her to adjust
from the 100 miles an hour

to the ten miles an hour zone.

Now Shadow is in the right mindset,
she's calm, now let's try the bricks.

JUDY [off screen]: Ah, okay.

CESAR: The treadmill helped Shadow
settle into a calmer state,

but that's just half of the battle.

The other half
is her brick fixation with Judy.

Shadow loses all common sense,

which affects all the other activities
they do together.

If we can overcome the brick,
we have a breakthrough.

If not, she shouldn't go home with Judy.

So we're gonna take advantage
of what is happening right now.

She's not fixated on anything.

Right now,
she is in a follower state of mind,

having fun, not so obsessed.

-She's excited but not obsessed.
-JUDY: Yes.

CESAR: Now we're gonna bring you in it.

JUDY: Should I go walk away

-and see if she'll follow me with them?
-CESAR [off screen]: Yep, yep. Yeah.

JUDY: Nah. No!

CESAR [off screen]:
Use your energy. Be confident.

JUDY: No. Shh!

Shh! No. Leave it.

CESAR: Don't let her get worked up.

JUDY: No.

CESAR: I need you to be
calm and confident.

-JUDY: Shh! Nah!
-CESAR: Careful.

-JUDY: No!
-CESAR: Shh!

CESAR: Oh, you all right?

You all right?

JUDY: We're doing the exercise
and she started to go for the bricks.

I slipped back into my old habits,

and I used my hand to push her back.

And that's when
she scratched my hand with her nails.

And I thought,
"Two steps forward, one step back."

Thanks for all the medical help.

-CESAR: Grab the bricks. We're not done.
-JUDY: She... Oh, I know.

CESAR: Okay? All right.

JUDY: I'm totally not done.

Just baby steps.

CESAR: If you get worked up,
she'll get worked up.

-These are your bricks that you control.
-JUDY: Yes.

CESAR: A little blood is not gonna
to stop someone like Judy.

She's determined, she's tough,
and she's resilient.

Calm confident.

I want her back on those bricks
because she needs to see

that if she puts the right energy forward,

Shadow will back off.

Yes. Give her affection.

JUDY: Good girl. Good girl.

I was so excited
when I put the bricks down

and Shadow absolutely ignored me,

ignored the bricks.
It was like, "Oh, my gosh."

I see that it can happen,
and it's gonna happen.

That just made me feel so good.

CESAR: That's not bad. Grab it again.

JUDY: Oh, my God.

-CESAR: Yep.
-JUDY: It's a miracle.

-CESAR: Nah, not yet.
-JUDY: Oh.

CESAR: It's just one, one day.

JUDY: It's still a miracle.

-CESAR: Okay.
-JUDY: In my eyes,

-that is a miracle.
-CESAR: Yes. Good.

-JUDY: I'm happy with baby steps.
-CESAR [off screen]: Yes, me too.

We're gonna get
to that perfect retirement.

This is the first common sense
we've seen from Shadow

so it's a huge step
in the right direction.

I do feel comfortable
letting Judy take her dog home,

but there's still more work
to be done though.

Well, we're gonna miss her.

We're gonna miss Shadow, but we do need
you to practice whatever you learned.

Practice the walk, practice the treadmill.

Everything that I'm giving you
is for the purpose

of you having all these great tools.

So if you start
putting those two together,

then you are gonna create
calm surrender

-in moments before it gets red zone.
-JUDY [off screen]: Yes, thank you.

CESAR: I really want Judy to embrace

these positive moments
with Shadow and build upon them.

Thank you, ladies. Let's go.

They don't come easy,

so Judy needs to put in
the work every day,

but I can't wait to see how she does.

JUDY: I've been doing
the homework assignments

that Cesar has asked me to do.

It's a pretty day for a walk, Shadow.

Nah, ah, ah. Chill.

We still have a lot of issues
with the reactivity

of other dogs coming at us.

I know it's not just Shadow
who needs work.

That I also need work,
and I recognize that.

I need to learn to be
more of a leader for her

and to help with that,

I'm working more with my dance instructor,

so that I can learn to lead,

and that will help me with Shadow.

As you can see,
she's walking quite nicely.

Good.

Better.

Eventually, I will work
my way up to the brick

because it's a very big,
big, trigger point.

It's just a struggle.

Sit.

NARRATOR: Two weeks later,

Cesar challenges Judy and Shadow
with a final set of tests.

They must prove
the once fixated, overexcited dog

has transformed
into a calm surrender, follower state.

And Judy's peaceful retirement
depends on proving

she's ready to be the leader Shadow needs.

[Shadow barks]

JUDY: In a minute.

CESAR: Good.

She's lowering the intensity down,
that's really good.

You can't skip even a day
of rehab with Shadow,

or she could revert to her old behavior.

For Judy to have the retirement
she always wanted,

having a calm dog is the key.

-JUDY: Cesar.
-CESAR: Really good.

-JUDY: Thank you for noticing that.
-CESAR: Yeah.

-JUDY: I'm glad you heard that.
-CESAR: Yeah.

-Today is the final challenge.
-JUDY: I'm excited.

CESAR: Let's meet in the back.

JUDY: Today is the big day.

I'm really excited to show Cesar
my successes I've had with Shadow,

but I'm still a little nervous

and anxious about the whole thing.

Whatever ultimate test he's got for me,

we're gonna give it our best shot.

Stay.

CESAR: I love the peace and quiet.

-JUDY: That's her chill pad.
-CESAR: Chill pad.

I like it very much.

When a dog comes to the ranch, it's great.

You know, we're gonna influence
with the land and the animals and myself,

and that is my job.

But the real job is
when the dog goes back home.

-And then the human also gets to practice.
-JUDY: Transform.

CESAR: That's the transformation.

That's the part that is like...

You're not always sure
if it's gonna happen.

JUDY: We were originally mismatched,
but we're working with it.

-Can I show you our treadmill?
-CESAR [off screen]: Yes, of course.

Let's see, let's see the treadmill.

JUDY: Come on. Let's go.

CESAR: Look at your transition.

Oh, my God. A lot more calm.

Every movement is very precise.

It's one thing for Shadow
to master the treadmill at my ranch,

but at home, she could easily
slip back into her old ways.

Incredible. Judy has done
a lot of work with shadow,

so I'm excited to see
how else she's changed.

It's perfection.

She really wants this dog
to succeed, to win.

Not everybody buys a treadmill right after
they see me put a dog on a treadmill.

It's love. It's just pure love.

JUDY: I feel like she's quiet.
I'm gonna take her off the leash.

CESAR: As she's moving?

JUDY: Well, yeah.

-CESAR: Wow.
-JUDY [off screen]: Stay.

[Cesar laughing]

CESAR: That's concentration right there.

I'm in shock.

I'm-I'm-I'm in shock completely.

This is very promising,

but Judy's backyard
has barely any distractions.

The real test will be for Judy
to keep Shadow in this state on a walk.

Let's just take this state of mind
into the outside world.

-JUDY: Okay. All righty.
-CESAR: Let's do it. Come on.

The first time I saw Judy walk,
it was hard for me to watch.

[Shadow whining, barking]

It was pretty dangerous.

Shadow pulling too fast, too hard.

It can hurt someone her age.

[Shadow whining]

JUDY: Settle.

CESAR: I like that "settle" thing
you got going on.

It's like the equivalent of my "tsk."

So, you got your good words,
settle, chill, and the stay.

Those are your good words.

JUDY: They are?

Settle.

CESAR: Okay, here's the real test for you.

-[whining]
-JUDY: Hey.

Settle. Settle.

CESAR: Shadow's a little excited.
Very little.

You know, from zero to ten, level two.

But just to see Judy making
the movements the right way,

just pulling to the side,

keeping Shadow right next to her.

I never saw Judy sweating,
worrying, losing control.

The energy you have is so incredible.

You are feeling calm and confident.

And that to me is-is my pay.
That's what I get, you know.

Can I help a human achieve
calm confident...

and I'm feeling it.

JUDY: The walk went really good.

We passed through a lot of the obstacles
that I have issues with,

then when I said
it was time to turn around,

she did that perfectly.

CESAR: Look at this. This is great.

JUDY: The walk was originally
a major challenge.

It's just way, way better now.

CESAR: It's night and day.

From the chill mat,
to the treadmill, to the walk.

Perfection.

JUDY: I'm more confident,

which makes her more confident
and less reactive.

So there's tons of progress
being made here.

-CESAR: Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.
-JUDY: That was so much fun.

CESAR: Now, the last thing
we're gonna do is the brick.

Seeing Shadow's improved walk tells me

that her over-excitement
is finally under control.

The brick was definitely
the ultimate fixation, frantic.

-I mean, that's...
-JUDY: Frantic.

CESAR [off screen]:
That's not even normal.

But her most dangerous behavior
was her fixation with bricks.

She had no common sense
and zero regard for Judy.

The only way these two can live
a happy life together

is by remaining completely in control,

while Judy claims the bricks as her own.

JUDY: I'm not quite
at the top of the pay level yet.

It's been a very hard journey.

I've been working with her,
tethering her to something.

CESAR: Okay.

JUDY: And I'm working on my...
putting my energy in front of her.

CESAR: Please. Let's do it.

JUDY: As far as claiming the brick,
that's always been the ultimate challenge.

It still is the challenge.

Come on.

Sit.

Good.

I try to get her into a little bit
of a calm state to begin with.

I try to get her to get contact with me.

To look at me.

CESAR: Yeah.

JUDY: It's mine.

CESAR: It is yours. Without a doubt.

Oh, my God. This is so good.

-That's... This is... This is perfection.
-JUDY: Okay.

This is, to me,
this is absolutely amazing.

CESAR: This is... No, it's incredible.

They're calm surrender to you,
because she's listening to you

and avoiding the object
that she used to attack.

JUDY: I actually am starting
to command respect.

-CESAR: Yay!
-JUDY: From Shadow.

And that's what has been missing
in our relationship.

Good girl.

CESAR: That's right.

I've seen dogs turn into a calm surrender,

but I haven't seen many, many humans

turn into a calm confident state.

You know, having this type
of challenge in their lives.

And that, that was it, what's what I felt.

JUDY: And at this stage of my life.

[laughs] You can say that.

CESAR: Super, super proud of you.

I'm touched. I'm inspired.

This is one of the reasons
why I believe that humans can change.

JUDY: That blew me away because I-I,
you know, I mean, I'm so thankful.

It goes to show that if I can
do something like this,

anyone can do it.

CESAR: You should be so proud
of your mom.

Thank you so much for working so hard.

Judy and Shadow being on the same page,
on the same energy level,

is going to transform Judy's retirement.

Well, I am absolutely
super proud of both of you.

Now it's time to celebrate.
It's time to dance. Let's go.

She can take Shadow wherever she goes,

confident that Shadow will remain
in this calm state.

-Come on, girl.
-JUDY: Chill.

CESAR: Chill pill. Perfect.

And best of all, Judy is in control.

This transformation, to me,
was incredibly rewarding.

Hey. Shadow. Hey.

I wanna say this
to the whole entire world.

If a human being like Judy, at her age,

is able to transform
into a calm confident way

of being with a dog like Shadow,
anyone can.

Her relentlessness, her passion,
her pursuit of happiness

has led her to achieve pack leader status.

Because what I'm feeling right now,

the whole world should feel it.

It's incredible how much
the power of loving a dog

has make out of Judy.

I'm very proud of her.

Judy, you're a pack leader, girl.

You're a pack leader.