Cesar Millan, (born César Millán Favela; August 27, 1969) is a Mexican Americandog trainer.[2] A self-taught expert, he is widely known for his television series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, broadcast in more than eighty countries worldwide from 2004 to 2012.[3] Prior to The Dog Whisperer series, Millan focused on rehabilitating especially aggressive dogs[4] and founded the Dog Psychology Center[5] in South Los Angeles (2002–2008); this began construction in late 2009,[6] and is located in Santa Clarita, California.[7] Millan also opened an East Coast clinic at the Country Inn Pet Resort in Davie, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale.[8]
Millan's first three books, including Cesar's Way, all became New York Times best sellers, have cumulatively sold two million copies in the United States, and are available in 14 other countries.[6] In 2009, in conjunction with IMG, Millan introduced a monthly magazine also titled Cesar's Way — with The Wall Street Journal reporting at that time that half of American consumers recognized Millan.[9] With Ilusión Millan, his former wife, he founded the Cesar and Ilusión Millan Foundation – since renamed the Millan Foundation. He is working with Yale University to create a children's curriculum based on his work.[6]
He has said, "My goal in rehabilitating dogs and training people is to create balanced relationships between humans and canines."[8]
Early life
César Millán Favela was born in August 27, 1969 to Felipe Millán Guillen and María Teresa Favela in Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Millan grew up working with animals on his grandfather's Sinaloa farm.[10] Because of his natural way with dogs, he was called el Perrero, "the dog boy".[10] The family later moved to Mazatlán.[11] Millan crossed the border into the US without a visa when he was 21 years old and spoke no English.[10][12][13][14]
Career
Milan's first job in the US was at a dog grooming store. He later created the Pacific Point Canine Academy. Jada Pinkett Smith became one of Millan's first clients and supporters – when he was working as a limousine driver[3] — providing him with an English tutor for a year.[11][12] Subsequently, Millan created the Dog Psychology Center, a 2-acre (8,100 m2) facility in South Los Angeles—specializing in working with large breed dogs.[15]
In 2002, after a profile in the Los Angeles Times, Millan worked with MPH Entertainment, Inc. developing a television pilot for Dog Whisperer, a reality television series that follows Millan as he works in the field of dog rehabilitation. The series premiered on September 13, 2004 on the National Geographic Channel subsequently moving to the Nat Geo WILD channel. The show would become National Geographic's No. 1 show during its first season,[16] and was broadcast in more than eighty countries worldwide during its run.[3]
The program demonstrates Cesar Millan's application of his philosophy that healthy, balanced dogs require strong 'pack leadership' from their owners, specifically in the form of exercise, discipline and affection (in that order),[12] with Millan demonstrating how owners can achieve and maintain a leadership role with their dogs. The program highlights Millan at work rehabilitating dogs, and is not intended as a dog training guide.[16] Each episode contains repeated warnings that viewers should not try some of the behavior modification techniques at home.[12]
The show broadcast its final episode in the fall of 2012.
Magazine and documentary
In 2009, Cesar Millan launched Cesar’s Way magazine in the USA and Canada, for which he is the Editorial Director. The magazine combines advice from Cesar along with articles about the relationship between dogs and humans.[17] Cesar’s Way is the number one selling dog magazine at newsstand in North America.[18]
2014 saw the premiere of Millan's new series, Cesar 911, on the Nat Geo WILD channel.
Approach
Millan's work focuses on handling a dog with what he calls "calm-assertive energy".[6] He approaches dog behavior by teaching dog owners to establish their role as calm-assertive pack leaders.[12] According to Millan dogs have three primary needs:[12] exercise, discipline and affection — in that order.[19] In other words, it is the owner's responsibility to fulfill the dog's energy level through challenging exercise; to provide clearly communicated rules, boundaries and limitations.[20] According to Millan, a common pitfall for dog owners is to give a great deal of affection with very little discipline and even less exercise.[20] He encourages owners to understand the effect their own attitudes, internal emotions and physical postures have on a dog's behavior, counseling owners to hold strong posture (i.e. shoulders high and chest forward) and to project energy that is calm-assertive.[10][21]
Millan uses vocal marks, e.g., tsch or tsst[11] sounds, while working with a dog (rather than words, especially the dog's name), and he encourages owners to create their own unique sound that works for them.[21]
Reception
According to an article in Current Science, an Indian scientific journal, professional dog trainers find Millan's methods "unscientific and inhumane."[22] Millan's detractors say that what Millan calls "calm submission" is actually a state of helplessness that is the result of aversive dog-training techniques.[22] A study in Applied Animal Behaviour Science said Millan has been influential in popularizing punitive techniques, but that bad behavior from dogs was caused by fear and anxiety, not a lack of the owner's alpha status.[23] A journalist from The New Yorker said that critics were responding to a "highly edited" version of his approach on television, which exaggerates the frequency and intensity that he disciplines the dogs.[22][24]
One of Millan's many dogs, Daddy, was an American Pit Bull Terrier integral to Millan's work and his television series, Dog Whisperer.[25] Millan later selected another pit bull puppy, Junior, as Daddy's protégé — to apprentice, learn his temperament and prepare to assume Daddy's role after his death.[26] Daddy's death came at age 16 in February 2010.[26] After the death of Daddy, Junior has now assumed Daddy's role and helps Cesar with rehabilitating dogs by using calm, assertive energy.[27]
Popular culture
Millan guest-starred as himself in Ghost Whisperer in Season 2, Episode 18, "Children of Ghost". In the episode, Melinda (Jennifer Love Hewitt) seeks out Millan for advice on how to help "Homer", Ghost Whisperer's Ghost Dog (from Season 1), cross over into the light. A satirized version of Millan was portrayed in "Tsst", the May 3, 2006 episode of the Comedy Central animated series South Park, in Lianne Cartman enlisted his help in applying his principles to Eric Cartman. Millan played himself in "The Finger in the Nest", the September 17, 2008, episode of Bones, helping the lead characters to determine if a location was used for dogfighting. Millan played himself in Beethoven's Big Break which premiered in cinemas on December 30, 2008, and the The Back-Up Plan, which was released April 23, 2010 in theaters.[citation needed]
Millan made a guest appearance as a judge on Episode 3 of the 10th season of The Apprentice and the April 27, 2011 episode of Jeopardy![28]
In October 2012, Cesar appeared on The Alan Titchmarsh Show. Titchmarsh called his methods 'cruel' and 'unnecessary', citing a video in which, Titchmarsh said, Millan punched a dog in the throat. Millan called it a touch, not a punch. Titchmarsh read out an RSPCA statement saying that "Adverse training techniques which have been seen to be used by Cesar Millan can cause pain and fear for dogs and may worsen their behavioural problems."[29][30]
Cesar Millan; Melissa Jo Peltier (March 2007). Be the Pack Leader: Use Cesar's Way to Transform Your Dog . . . and Your Life. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN978-0-307-38167-5.
Cesar Millan; Melissa Jo Peltier (March 2008). A Member of the Family: Cesar Millan's Guide to a Lifetime of Fulfillment with Your Dog. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN978-0-307-40891-4.
Cesar Millan; Melissa Jo Peltier (2009). How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond. New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN978-0-307-46129-2.
Cesar Millan; Melissa Jo Peltier (2010). Cesar's Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog. New York: Crown Archetype. ISBN978-0-307-71686-6.
Cesar Millan (2013). Cesar Millan's Short Guide to a Happy Dog: 98 Essential Tips and Techniques. Washington, D.C.: National Geography Society. ISBN978-1-4262-1190-4.
DVDs:
Template:Multicol
People Training for Dogs
Becoming a Pack Leader
Your New Dog: First Day and Beyond
Sit and Stay the Cesar Way
Common Canine Misbehaviors
Raising the Perfect Puppy
Template:Multicol-break
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan – The Complete First Season, 2006
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan – The Complete Second Season, 2007
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan – The Complete Third Season, 2008
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan – The Complete Fourth Season, Volume 1, 2010
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan – The Complete Fourth Season, Volume 2, 2010
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan – The Complete Fifth Season, 2011
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan – Celebrity Edition, 2008
Template:Multicol-end
Personal life
Millan became a permanent resident of the U.S. in 2000, became a U.S. citizen in 2009, and lives in Santa Clarita, California. He married Ilusión Wilson in 1994, with whom he had two sons, André (b. 1995) and Calvin (b. 2001).[citation needed]
In June 2010, Ilusión Millan, filed for divorce, seeking primary physical custody of their children with visitation for Cesar, as well as spousal support.[1][31] In May 2010, after his dog Daddy died in February and his wife filed for divorce in March, Millan attempted suicide.[32] Since January 2013 he is in a relationship with Jahira Dar, from the Dominican Republic.[33][34]
^ abcOldenburg, Ann (August 1, 2006). "Pack is back: A week of 'Whisperer". USA Today. Retrieved April 28, 2010. Cite error: The named reference "packisback" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^Millan, Cesar. "The Location". Cesar's Way. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
^ abMillan, Cesar (2013). "Home / Training". Country Inn Pet Resort. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
^Vranica, Suzanne (September 10, 2009). "'Dog Whisperer' Hopes to Lead Pack at Newsstand". The Wall Street Journal. Almost half of USA's consumers already know who he is, and consumers' awareness of Mr. Millan has grown 12% since May 2008, according to Davie-Brown, an Omnicom Group company that tracks the appeal of celebrities.[dead link]
^ abcdefPatterson, John (May 16, 2009). "All heel for Cesar". The Age. Australia. Cite error: The named reference "allheal" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^Chasnoff, Brian (July 7, 2009). "Cesar Millan Q&A". San Antonio.com, The Creature Beat.
^ ab"The snarls don't faze trainer". USAtoday, Sharon L. Peters, May 31, 2007. May 31, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2010. Cite error: The named reference "usatoday" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
Millan, Cesar and Peltier, Melissa Jo (2006), Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems, Harmony Books, New York, ISBN 0-307-33733-2.
Millan, Cesar and Peltier, Melissa Jo (2007), Be the Pack Leader, Harmony Books, New York, ISBN
