Dog Whisperer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dog Whisperer is a National Geographic Channel reality television series that began broadcasting in 2004 in which host Cesar Millan, a dog behaviorist, rehabilitates canines and teaches owners to be the "pack leaders" that he believes their pets need.

As part of the show, Millan is shown as someone who owns around 50 dogs, including Rottweilers, Pit Bulls and German Shepherds, all of whom coexist in peace, uncaged and unchained. Millan is also an honorary member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP). Dog Whisperer is sponsored by Purina and Petco.

The series is devoted to demonstrating how dog owners should exercise their dogs and apply "rules, boundaries, and limitations," though viewers are warned prior and during the show, not to attempt the methods demonstrated without first contacting a professional.

1 Program format
2 Dog Whisperer in popular culture
3 See also
4 External links & references

[edit] Program format

At the beginning of the show, viewers are introduced to the difficult dog (or dogs) and its owners. Home movies are often shown of the pet's misdeeds, and owners describe the problems that they face. Millan is then introduced, and a narrator often describes the experience Millan has had with difficult cases in the past.

Millan then conducts an interview, where he sits down with the family as they describe the issue at hand. He usually then offers suggestions on how the owners may alter their own habits to become a pack leader for their pet. In the vast majority of cases, it is the people who need training, more than the dog.

He then demonstrates pack leader techniques with the dog, often to the astonishment of the owner. The show usually shows Millan going through his three step process, as he repeats the words "exercise, discipline, and then affection". Sometimes, in serious cases, he will take the dog to his own Dog Psychology Center to introduce it to his own pack. In the most serious cases, such as an extremely aggressive or obsessive-compulsive dog, it may stay at his center for a number of days or weeks.

[edit] Dog Whisperer in popular culture

In 2006, the show was parodied by the animated comedy tv series, South Park, in the episode "Tsst". The episode featured Millan applying his techniques on Eric Cartman, a notoriously disobedient child on the show. Where other "experts" such as the nannies from Nanny 911 and Super Nanny failed, Millan's unorthodox approach (using dog training techniques on a human child) yielded amazing results.

[edit] See also

It's Me or The Dog

[edit] External links & references

This dog-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. If this is a dog-breed article, see some suggestions for information to add.