CESAR: 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 is no such
a thing as a bad dog. WOMAN: Oh, my gosh. CESAR: Give me the leash.
She's safer with me. Today, I'm still
doing what I love. But the world has changed. (overlapping chatter) CESAR: Record dog adoptions
have made many packs complete. But now more than ever,
people and dogs still need help. WOMAN: We can't live like this. CESAR: 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, sorry.
CESAR: Ignore the excitement. MEGAN: 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
gonna have everything else. MAN: Yay! CESAR: And that's how we create
better humans and better dogs, one pack at a time. AMANDA: My name
is Amanda Gilmore. GIL: My name is
MJ Gilmore, but I go by Gil. AMANDA: We've
been married two years. We got married
February 2nd, 2020. GIL: Super Bowl Sunday. AMANDA: It, but,
it was, it was... We didn't plan it
that way intentionally... GIL: Yes, she did.
AMANDA: The prize... GIL: Yes, she did. AMANDA: Anyway. We got Simba in August, 2020. GIL: Mm-hmm. AMANDA: So right
dead center of pandemic. Simba is a beautiful dog. He is like a
Rhodesian Ridgeback mix, he has the light eyes,
and he's, you know, he's got the beautiful coloring. GIL: The ears. He had one hear up,
one ear down. AMANDA: Oh yeah,
he have the, yeah. GIL: He had the little side,
like I was just like, "Oh, you're so adorable." And I was like, "That'd be
a great dog for our family." Especially our daughter Sienna. Say hello to Sienna. Say hello to your new sister. SIENNA: Oh, hi. GIL: When we first got Simba,
he was very playful... Very, very open to everything. He's very curious,
sniffing around. AMANDA: He was very
sweet at the beginning. He was wonderful. His behavioral issues started
around six to eight months. It started as fear and then it
progressed into more aggressive. (growling) Simba thinks his job is
to protect us from whatever he thinks is scary. So if that's another dog
barking through the fence, he thinks that's his job. Hey, hey. Ssh. So when he gets
fixated on something, he, he won't let it out of his
sight and he just will stare at it super intensely. GIL: He'll do a
slight growl at first
and his head is still down. (growls) AMANDA: Hey. GIL: And that's
when we know, um, that it's a problem. He'll lunge. AMANDA: He'll,
he'll lunge at other dogs. Uh, we never let him get close
enough to do anything to people but you can't have
people talk to him, look at him, touch him, do
anything next to him because he will be acting
aggressive towards them. SIENNA: Having a dog like Simba
with behavioral issues kind of makes me sad because
it's not the cuddly dog that, you know, a lot of people know. Two of my cousins
are very scared of him. One's like,
"Please, don't kill me." AMANDA: The tremendous amount
of guilt that comes with a dog that is not friendly and
you may not approach that dog, and because you feel
like a bad dog owner, right? GIL: Yeah. 100%. AMANDA: You feel like you can't
help him, that he's always gonna be scared and
nervous all the time. And it's just,
it's just difficult. So having family gatherings and,
and being able to spend time with our family is suffering
for like six months with Simba not being able to integrate
into our family energy. GIL: It, it has
been challenging, um, not at the point of we can't
function in life, but it is, it's getting closer
and closer to that point. AMANDA: The worry in the back
of your mind is always gonna be, euthanizing is so harsh, but it's like if you have a dog
that's that scared all the time, I don't know if
there's another choice. GIL: Mm-hmm.
AMANDA: Whoa. Sorry. GIL: You're good. You're good. It's all right. We'll figure it out. I get it. That's why I love you.
This is why I love you. AMANDA: Let's hope
it doesn't get there. GIL: It's not gonna get there. AMANDA: Okay. GIL: It's gonna be fine,
we're gonna figure it out, like everything else. Uh-huh? AMANDA: Yes. (knocking on door) Hi. GIL: Hi.
CESAR: Hey, guys. Come on out, come on out. I wanna hear what's
happening with Simba. Tell me, how can I help? GIL: Well.
AMANDA: Ooh, well. GIL: Our dog Simba,
uh, he's, uh... How do you describe Simba? AMANDA: He's
like our bodyguard. GIL: Basically.
AMANDA: Like, all the time. GIL: Not in the best way.
CESAR: Yeah. AMANDA: Not in a
way you want, right? He has just developed these
really intense fears for things. CESAR: Yeah. AMANDA: And we can't
seem to get him out of it. CESAR: Help him?
BOTH: Yeah. CESAR: All right.
Let's go meet him. AMANDA: All right.
Let's do it. CESAR: I'm ready. Gil and Amanda say that
Simba has a lot of fear. But when a dog
is overly fearful, that usually is a symptom
of a much larger problem. Hello. How are you? How are you? (barking) AMANDA: Oh my goodness. Ugh, Simba. CESAR: That, that is nervous.
GIL: That is, that is Simba. AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: Yeah, so you,
so what, if, if he comes out, what do you think he'll do? AMANDA: I don't let him
out when he's like this. GIL: Yeah.
CESAR: Oh. AMANDA: This is just. GIL: I don't wanna risk it,
trying to avoid a lawsuit. AMANDA: Yeah.
CESAR: Right, right. Can I have a leash? GIL: If you say so.
CESAR: Yes, sir. Simba is nervous, which leads
to all the aggressive barking. And his pet parents are also
nervous for what might happen when Simba exits the crate. GIL: Simba.
AMANDA: Sit. GIL: Hey, hey. CESAR: I need to show them
that with the right energy, all the hostile behavior they're
expecting can be avoided. Pass me the end of the leash. GIL: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
You got it? CESAR: Yup.
Go sit over there. GIL: You, you, you're sure?
CESAR: I'm sure. GIL: Okay. CESAR: Yeah. Yeah. So he's, he's, um, he's safer
in my hands than in your hands because you're nervous. GIL: Well, I'm nervous
for you, I'm, I'll be... CESAR: No, no.
GIL: I'll be fine. CESAR: It, it doesn't matter,
it doesn't matter what you're nervous from. GIL: Yeah. Yeah. CESAR: The point
is you're nervous. GIL: Yeah, 100%. CESAR: If we're
gonna help a nervous dog, that dog cannot be
held by a nervous human. That just gonna
make things worse. If you see that
the dog is nervous, eliminate using so
many words so fast. "Simba, Simba,
Simba, Simba, Simba." Because you're just
gonna add more into it. GIL: Okay. CESAR: So silence is
actually really healing. GIL: Hmm. AMANDA: That's
something we don't do. GIL: Uh-uh.
SIENNA: Uh-uh. AMANDA: Ever.
GIL: Not at all.
SIENNA: Nope. Ever. AMANDA: So we're
gonna practice that. The silence. CESAR: So he, this is good. SIENNA: It's
actually quite magical, like, see him calm. Because you're a complete
stranger and he just laid down. CESAR: Well, I want
you to have a magical days every day, Sienna, you know? SIENNA: It, it wowed me.
CESAR: Hmm. I wowed Sienna. SIENNA: I didn't...
CESAR: That's a big deal. AMANDA: You did. GIL: It feels great to see
that Simba can be calm and not try to attack every
person or everything that comes in the house. CESAR: This is more leadership. This is leading
the dog to stay calm. AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: You should
be able to do that, but because you don't
trust them, you can't. AMANDA: Right. GIL: It was just shocking all
of us that within five minutes, Cesar has so much control
over Simba which is very, very unlikely to anybody else. CESAR: Well, that would empower
you as much as I can today. AMANDA: Yes.
CESAR: So let's go for a walk. I do wanna teach you
how to walk around dogs. AMANDA: All right. Let's do it. CESAR: Bringing Simba outside on
the walk would allow me to both assess the dog and the handling
skills of each pet parent. So I brought some
handlers and their dogs. I need to observe whether both
pet parents' nervousness inside is also present on the
walk starting with Gil. GIL: Ready? Come on. CESAR: One hand. GIL: Simba.
CESAR: One hand. GIL: Oh.
CESAR: Yeah. GIL: But I always
walk him with short leash. CESAR: Yeah.
Shortened at the ends. GIL: Yeah. CESAR: You know, it has
to be right next to you and he can't just go everywhere. GIL: Go, go crazy, yeah. CESAR: Go crazy. I'm not really seeing any issues
at all when Gil walks Simba. AMANDA: Look how
nice he walks with Gil. CESAR: Gil doesn't seem
nervous and Simba's only a little curious, like,
"Who's this dog next to me?" But there is no
aggressive behavior here. This is good. GIL: Yeah.
CESAR: Good, good. So now I will observe
Amanda's handling skills. AMANDA: Hey.
Hey, hey, hey, hey. CESAR: That's not good. No, don't let
him pull like that. So you see how Simba is moving? GIL: Yeah. CESAR: He's
choosing what to do versus you telling him what to do. GIL: It never happens with me. Whenever he
sees other dog, like,
he'll literally sit down. AMANDA: Simba. Ooh. CESAR: I'm gonna teach her how
to eliminate this, this 360. GIL: Yeah. AMANDA: Okay. Come on. CESAR: Amanda's energy
is clearly the main cause of the aggressive behavior. Simba is much more
volatile with her. Amanda is nervous because
she doesn't trust her dog and she's feeding that nervous
energy through the leash, so Simba lashes out
thinking she needs protection. What Amanda actually needs is a
lesson in confident dog walking. Yeah, too much leash. AMANDA: Too much? CESAR: So you're
giving him an option. Shorten out the option. Look, shorten, not tense. AMANDA: Okay.
CESAR: You walk with me. AMANDA: Okay. (growls) Hey. Ssh. Hey. CESAR: Tsch. Are you nervous? AMANDA: Yes, I'm trying to...
CESAR: Relax. Try it again. Stay calm, stay confident. AMANDA: Okay. CESAR: You're getting tense. AMANDA: Tsch. Ow! Hey! CESAR: Did he bite?
AMANDA: Yeah, he did. CESAR: Pass him to me. Sit. Tsch. You okay? AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: Amanda may
not be injured but every time a
dog bites, it's serious. Even though she shortened
the leash like instructed, she was still nervous and Simba
felt that through the leash. That energy buildup
with no way of releasing it, so he redirected on
Amanda with a bite. AMANDA: Ow. CESAR: Are you injured? AMANDA: No, no, I'm not, it,
it didn't hurt that much. GIL: Okay.
AMANDA: I just... GIL: What happened? AMANDA: I just
felt like failure. GIL: You're not. What do you always tell me? It's not gonna be
an overnight process. This is a marathon,
not a sprint. AMANDA: I got...
GIL: You got this, baby. AMANDA: I got it.
GIL: It's all right. AMANDA: I got it, I got it.
GIL: It's all right. I promise you. AMANDA: I just,
I can't, I don't know. I'm like, you know,
scared because I'm, like, I hope I could do it. But I just, that
was not my moment. But I hope that I can get there. I think I can. It, it was just, it was just a
scary moment for me because I, you know, while he wasn't, I don't think trying
to hurt me intentionally, it's just, you just
don't have control. So it just feels
like failure and then the crying releases energy. It's always been
that way for me, crying helps suggest,
get it out, and then, and then you can move past it. CESAR: The failure
is not a failure, it's a learning
experience because, you know, this
is your first time. Amanda feels like a failure
but the true problem here is a breakdown in trust. Simba doesn't trust that
Amanda can protect herself, so he gets
fiercely overprotective. Then Amanda doesn't trust Simba
around other dogs or people. Amanda's frustration
doesn't surprise me. Pet parents become overwhelmed
with frustration because they feel they're
unable to trust their dog and they feel that every odd
burst is another step closer to having to put the dog down. I believe there
is hope for Simba, but this entire rehabilitation
depends on getting him and Amanda to the DPC
to begin our work. The thing is we
found the problem, but it's, it's a process. AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: So I'm gonna invite you
to my ranch so you can build the trust you're missing. Let's work on that. AMANDA: Yes. NARRATOR: The next day, Cesar is
back on the road to help another pandemic rescue, whose anxious
and destructive behavior holds the lives of his
pet parents' hostage. AMANDA: Okay. Come on. My name's Amanda. JAY: And I'm Jay. I'm a special education teacher and I work with high school
students with special needs. AMANDA: And I recently
just graduated with
my master's degree in clinical psychology
and I've just started my therapy practice. We have a pup named Otto who
we adopted a few months back. We think Otto is
about nine months. JAY: He's a mini schnauzer mix. AMANDA: He had this look that
was just so sweet and he licked our faces and jumped
in our car within like... JAY: Mm-hmm.
AMANDA: 30 seconds. So he kind of adopted us. JAY: Yeah. Sit. Good boy, stay. Good boy. All right. Otto seems like a wise old
man in like a baby's body. AMANDA: He is!
He even has the beard for it. JAY: Yeah, he... AMANDA: Like, people
don't realize he's a puppy. JAY: Yeah, he reminds of
like little Michael J. Fox. You know what I mean? AMANDA: We always talk
about what his voice would
be like if he had one. JAY: Yeah. He's Marty McFly. AMANDA: Yeah, Marty McFly. We fed him, right? JAY: Yeah, twice today. AMANDA: Since we got
Otto during a pandemic, he has been home
with us all the time. It's okay, bubba, it's okay. He'll be right,
he'll be right back. Come on. He's adorable and
he's fluffy and cuddly but we have become
hostages in our own home. He's our captor at this point. Honey, he'll be right back. We can't leave him alone. He doesn't know
how to self soothe. (scratching) JAY: His way of coping with
things is scratching, biting. I think he just doesn't know... AMANDA: Destructive. JAY: What to do with
himself when he's alone. AMANDA: He's
kind of destructive. JAY: Yeah.
AMANDA: Yeah. Otto. What were you doing? Mommy was working. Otto makes our lifestyle,
or mine particularly difficult because I've started a practice
and because of the pandemic I'm still working virtually. (whines) Down. Get down. And so now that I'm in session, he's jumping on me,
he wants my attention, he wants to sit on my lap. And I can't leave him in
another room or a crate because he's barking all the time. It's getting to the point
where he's kind of sabotaging my career before it's
even getting started because the behavior's gotten worse. JAY: This is our first
dog together as a couple. And we don't know
totally what we're doing. We need our life back
and I think Cesar's our
only answer at this point. (knocking on door) AMANDA: Otto, sit. Good boy. Stay. Hi. CESAR: How are you?
JAY: Hi, how are you? AMANDA: Good. How are you?
CESAR: Come on out. Come on out. Looking forward to helping you. AMANDA: Thank you. We need it. JAY: For sure, so, we got a
nine-month-old pup named Otto... CESAR: Okay.
JAY: But... (barks) CESAR: Oh. There he is.
JAY: There he goes. CESAR: That is an excited bark. As soon as Jay and Amanda
step outside the house, Otto barked to let them
know he doesn't want to be separated from them. I need to find out
what's the cause of this. AMANDA: Because of
the pandemic I've been
working at home and it's, his behavior is
kind of sabotaging
the start of my career. CESAR: It's important
for the humans to know how they create instability. If you spend time with a
dog and you allow the dog to follow you around 24/7, that
creates codependency, right? JAY: Right.
AMANDA: Mm-hmm. CESAR: So the dog has
to learn the state of
mind of calm surrender. AMANDA: Mm-hmm. JAY: He has no
calm surrender yet. AMANDA: None. CESAR: What I would
like to see right now is
the ritual how you leave. AMANDA: Yeah.
This will be interesting
for you to see how this goes. JAY: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. CESAR: I want to
see you in action. JAY: Here we go.
AMANDA: Yes, okay. CESAR: All right.
AMANDA: Ready? JAY: Yeah. Let's do it.
AMANDA: All right. JAY: Let's do it. CESAR: It seems like Otto
suffers from what is known as separation anxiety, which is
a condition where a dog becomes anxious when their pack or
human is no longer near them. It's fairly common,
but if left unchecked, it can lead to destructive
behavior and self-harm. To assess the cause of
Otto's separation anxiety, I need to observe what
mental state the dog is in before the parents
leave him alone. Super ready. AMANDA: Hi, bud.
JAY: Hey, buddy. AMANDA: Hey, buddy.
JAY: What's up, dude? What's up, dude? AMANDA: What
are we doing today? JAY: What's up, dude? CESAR: It's already cartoonish. AMANDA (over video):
Come here. CESAR: Ooh. AMANDA (over video):
Give me some love. CESAR: Lot of baby talk. AMANDA: It's almost bedtime,
are you ready for bed? Are you ready for bed? It's getting dark out. Go to sleep. CESAR: Why are they
putting the curtain? JAY: If we wanna go do
anything past like 5:00, we have to, sort of, coordinate
or set up this scenario like we're all going to bed, so
Otto thinks it's like bedtime. So he has no idea that
we're actually leaving. CESAR: I guess they're
created fake nighttime? JAY: We'll go so far as to hang
like blankets over the windows to actually make it look
darker than it really is, just to give the illusion
that it's actually bedtime. AMANDA: We might
need to go to bed. JAY: Oh, bedtime.
AMANDA: Bedtime. CESAR: That's a production. AMANDA: Time for sleep. CESAR: They talk the whole time? JAY: All right, good night, OT. AMANDA: Night. CESAR: I'm in shock right now. ♪ ♪ CESAR: And now they're waking. Oh, this is how they leave? Wow. I never seen anything like this. Jay and Amanda put on this
elaborate production so they can sneak out of the room
without Otto becoming anxious. I mean, it's insane. JAY: Babe. CESAR: You guys
do that to get out? AMANDA: Oh, yeah. Oops. (rattling) AMANDA: Every time. CESAR: But that's
like a, like a theater, like. AMANDA: Yeah, it takes
an extra, like, half an hour. Every time we have
to leave the house. CESAR: I mean, it's a big
production to put curtains over a curtain. And then pretend
you're gonna go to sleep. And the dog is like,
number one, they're lying. Number two, they just left. They're not even here. (whines) You see what I mean? You're like, how
do you fool a dog? He knows, you know? The energy is pretending. You're lying. In order for you to help,
they have to see the reality. JAY: It's like we
think we're fooling him. But we know that he
knows we're not fooling him. You know? CESAR: But think about it,
think about it, how, how they perceive it. The reality is
actually a much simpler. Stay quiet. We need distance. AMANDA: Mm-hmm.
JAY: Yeah. CESAR: But he doesn't
know the calm surrender in
distance makes you happy yet. JAY: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. CESAR: Because you're
so tentative about it. JAY: Yeah, yeah.
AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: "It's okay." You're, I mean, talking the
whole time, like, "It's okay." JAY: Yeah. CESAR: "Baby, we
love you so much." JAY: Yeah.
CESAR: "Just don't bark." When you're so tentative,
so careful about it, you're not sure
about the situation. AMANDA: Yeah.
JAY: Yeah. AMANDA: There's
no authority in it. CESAR: No.
JAY: Right.
AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: It's not clear.
It's not to the point. AMANDA: Mm-hmm.
JAY: Uh-huh. CESAR: Right?
So you're not getting
to the calm surrender, so the dog learns
this is what you want. AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: This is, this
is what he needs to do, and this is what
makes you happy. The way Jay and Amanda
are catering to Otto, they think they're
making things easier but it actually confusing him. AMANDA: Are you ready for bed? It's getting dark out. CESAR: The baby talk
gets Otto excited, which is not healthy
before separation. And then comes the
performance art that leads to nothing
except a confused dog. JAY: All right, good night, OT. CESAR: To correct
Otto's separation anxiety, Jay and Amanda need
to lose the curtains, ditch the whole charade
and face this head on. They need to find
Otto's calm surrender, which is the frame
of mind he should be
in before any separation, and while Amanda
is working in her home office. If the dog is not confused,
dog is gonna be happy. But if your dog
is confused, that's chaos. AMANDA: Okay. CESAR: This is what I wanna do,
please come to my ranch, so we can jumpstart
his calm surrender. AMANDA: Okay. CESAR: And lose his
separation anxiety. AMANDA: Yup.
JAY: You might see some chaos. (laughter) JAY: Yeah. AMANDA: Wow, Simba!
Are you excited? NARRATOR: The next day, Amanda drives to the
Dog Psychology Center with her overprotective
Rhodesian Ridgeback Simba, whose nervous aggression
wreaks havoc on his pack. AMANDA: Ow. Hey. CESAR: Did he bite?
AMANDA: Yeah, he did. CESAR: Last time I saw them,
Simba bit Amanda's leg, but it was her nervousness
that caused the bite. Those nerves' comes from a
serious breakdown in trust. And it's a vicious cycle
because that lack of trust only leads to more
nervous leadership in Amanda, and more nervous
aggression in Simba. AMANDA: Hi.
CESAR: Welcome to the ranch. AMANDA: Thank you. Okay. CESAR: So today it's about
getting both of them to move past all the nervousness
so they can begin to finally trust one another. We fix the
nervousness to build the trust, which is the foundation for
any relationship with your dog. Trust, respect, love. AMANDA: What a,
an incredible place. CESAR: You like it?
AMANDA: It's so cool. Yes. CESAR: This is really good. I like his energy. Let's take advantage of
his calm surrender state. So let's go into Serengeti. AMANDA: Sure. CESAR: I'm gonna
bring some dogs. AMANDA: Okay. All right.
CESAR: Come and follow me. The main source
of nervous friction
between these two is Amanda. In order to lose
that and gain trust, it's critical for Amanda to
see that Simba can be around other dogs without
becoming aggressive. So I'm gonna
introduce them both to a couple of well-behaved
members of my pack. AMANDA: Yes.
CESAR: Amito! We're gonna get
a German Shepherd. Bring it all the way here. AMANDA: Hey, hey. CESAR: Wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, wait. AMANDA: Hey. Oh, leave him?
CESAR: Yeah, no. Shh. He's nervous about it. So if you go, "Hey, hey." AMANDA: Oh, okay.
CESAR: With a nervous dog... AMANDA: Yeah.
CESAR: You're gonna create... AMANDA: Oh, okay. Yeah. CESAR: It makes sense
the nervousness because he doesn't have friends. AMANDA: Right, yes, so...
CESAR: And on top of that... AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: His humans are
also nervous with him. AMANDA: Right. Right. CESAR: So, you know, he
knows more nervousness. AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: Than
actually friendliness. Bring Sophia. So, we're gonna bring a
more happy-go-lucky energy. AMANDA: Okay. (speaking in native language). CESAR: So, tsch. Hey. Look, Sophia's fine
but Simba's nervous. (growls) Tsch. Read a woman right. Tsch. (speaking in native language). Simba's still a little stuck
in that overprotective mindset, but I'm gonna show Amanda
that her dog can be trusted. All right. Let her go. (speaking in native language). Take the leash off. With a little help from Sophia, we're gonna teach Simba
some new social skills. Come on, Sophia. As long as Amanda trust the
process and controls her nerves, this shouldn't be a problem. Hold on. Sophia's energy
is calming him down. AMANDA: Uh-huh. CESAR: So I'm
gonna drop the leash. See he's unsure,
but he's curious. There you go. (laughs) CESAR: You need a dog
that knows how to not
engage into a fight to bring the happy-go-lucky self. AMANDA: Yes. CESAR: Sophia's
first impulse is to play. So that's what I
want her to bring out. I want her to bring
the happy-go-lucky side. I wanted the curiosity side. This is a profound moment. Look how your dog
changed from the gate to here. AMANDA: Yes. He feels calm
because she's calm. And she's like,
"Oh, this is good.
This is what we do." It's definitely sad
when you think that your
dog doesn't have any friends. I mean, it's definitely a moment
where you're kind of feeling, "Yeah, well, you can't have
friends if I can't trust you and you can't trust me
and we don't have that, that relationship yet." CESAR: See?
AMANDA: Uh-huh. CESAR: He's sniffing
and, yeah, trusting. Beautiful. Thanks to Sophia, Amanda
has learned that Simba can be trusted around other dogs. So now, it's time
for Simba's lesson. He needs to learn that his
mom can be trusted to be alone. And he doesn't always
need to be her nervous
overprotective shadow. Who's ready for a
little hide and seek? NARRATOR: In this exercise,
Amanda will trek up the hill to hide in one of
the little houses. CESAR: All right, Amito, you're
gonna help her get up there. I'm gonna hold
him and he's gonna... AMANDA: Yeah.
CESAR: Try to follow you. NARRATOR: Once she's
totally out of sight, Simba will begin
searching for her using his most powerful sense. CESAR: For a dog like Simba,
the way to unlock the mind is to utilize his nose, which
controls 60% of a dog's brain. So this exercise where Simba
will have to use his nose to find Amanda will help shape
his mind into learning that he can trust his human. We want him to find Amanda
alone safe and confident. So he begins to understand that
she doesn't need his protection. As soon as she disappears, I'll let her go. That is if he can find her. AMANDA: All right. CESAR: Like a slingshot. AMANDA: At this point,
Simba's always fighting to be right by my side. So Cesar explains that
this exercise is to bring a positive energy
to build trust. CESAR: Yes. He's doing a good job. Look at his nose is kicking in. There you go. He found her right there. AMANDA: Hi! You did it! CESAR: Yeah, he's good. AMANDA: Hey, good job! CESAR: Simba thinks he
needs to protect AMANDA4/7. So every time she hides,
he believes she's in danger. All right, go find your mama. But as he uses his nose
to find her safe and sound, his brain basically
clicks and says, "There's my mom and she's okay. She's happy. Maybe she doesn't
need me to protect her." (laughs) AMANDA: Hi! CESAR: Amanda rewards him with
affection upon each reunion, which creates a
positive imprint in his head. So eventually, the dog learns
that his mom doesn't need an overprotective bodyguard. And a healthy bond
of trust is formed. Oh, my God. This is incredible. (laughs) AMANDA: What a
good boy, you did it! Come on. It's such a great moment. And I'm so proud of Simba. I can trust Simba
and Simba can trust me. And it just, it feels great. It feels like, yeah! We did that. CESAR: You had fun?
AMANDA: I did. So much fun. CESAR: That was good.
That was good. So all of that is about trust. Yeah, your case is pure trust. We build trust
and then that's it. He's gonna be calm. AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: I'm feeling
really good, you know, to see you happy, to
see him just also happy, both of you guys are in
the same page right now. This was a perfect day. We're removing the
nervous energy that has
plagued the relationship and we're building and maintaining
trust between Simba and Amanda. And that's pretty
much their homework. Just basic stuff,
like mastering the walk. NARRATOR: The next day, Cesar
arranges for Jay and Amanda to visit the ranch with their
mini schnauzer mix, Otto, a pandemic pup who's been
around his pet parents 24/7. AMANDA: Are you excited?
Look at it. This is a ranch just
for people like you, or puppies like you. NARRATOR: Mixed messages and
hesitant behavior from Jay and Amanda have confused Otto,
creating a separation anxiety that threatens Amanda's career. CESAR: Welcome.
AMANDA: Hi. JAY: Hey. Oh, this is cool. AMANDA: It's a beautiful day. JAY: Oh, my gosh, and there's
so many things to look at. CESAR: Last time I
saw Jay and Amanda, they have to put on
this big production just so they can leave their bedroom. AMANDA: Are you ready for bed? It's getting dark out. CESAR: It was the most
bizarre separation ritual I personally, ever seen. Just a charade of lies. I'm in shock right now. But your dog
always knows the truth. This pack needs to learn
one thing and learn it well. How to help Otto stay in
a state of calm surrender. So no more confusion. No more big production. Just clear guidance. All right, so we're
gonna recreate what
you guys have at home. AMANDA: Okay.
CESAR: Let me show you. Come on. JAY: Come on, Otto. NARRATOR: To teach this pack how
to keep Otto in calm surrender, Cesar uses the DPC Annex which
simulates Amanda's home office. CESAR: So Amanda,
this is Otto's bed. This is your pretending couch. AMANDA: Uh-huh.
CESAR: That's your computer. AMANDA: Okay. CESAR: The
exercise is very simple. Just pretend like you're home. AMANDA: Okay. (speaking in native language). AMANDA: Mm-hmm. CESAR: We just
wanna make sure that you
practice Otto calm surrender. Amanda, calm confident. AMANDA: Okay. CESAR: I'll talk to
you through the walkie. And then you and I,
we go outside and watch. JAY: Leave it to the lady? CESAR: Yes.
JAY: All right. Go get him. CESAR: Amanda must learn
how to teach Otto to stay in calm surrender on the bed. This allows him to be
emotionally detached from his pet parents, which
creates healthy boundaries. If Otto continues
disturbing her work, it could hurt her career. Amanda... CESAR (over walkie-talkie):
Looks like he's about
to jump off the bed. Confidently tell
him to stay on the bed. AMANDA: Tsch. CESAR (over walkie-talkie):
He's still not settled. Go make him stay. Be clear with what
you want him to do. AMANDA: Stay. CESAR: There you go.
There you go. That's good. JAY: That's good, right?
CESAR: Yup. There you go. She's a natural. Amanda was clear with what she
wanted and showed no hesitation and Otto did great. But now the real
challenge will be if Otto
can stay in a calm surrender when Amanda leaves the house or
will separation anxiety kick in? CESAR (over walkie-talkie):
All right, Amanda... CESAR: Come outside... CESAR (over walkie-talkie):
And just keep him there before you leave. He has to stay at
calm surrender by himself. AMANDA: Uh-uh. CESAR: Teaching the dog to
understand the whole concept of separation is the
most difficult of all. AMANDA: Stay. CESAR: Confusion is the first
thing they, they go through. (whines) No, no, no, tsch, it's not good. Tsch. CESAR: Hey. Tsch. Tsch. (laughter) AMANDA: Not when
the big dog's in town. JAY: Oh, yeah.
CESAR: You see it? AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: So that was
done just with eye contact. AMANDA: Yeah.
CESAR: Right?
JAY: Yeah. CESAR: So he's looking,
he's looking, like, "You again?" Yes. And that's when he moved back. Jay, send him back
just like I show you. JAY: Tsch. Tsch. Tsch. Tsch. CESAR: Not bad, Jay. But look at his energy. You can see the way
Otto's sitting up that
he's not calm surrender. We really need him
to lay down on the bed. That will tell me that he's
finally found the calm surrender that's been
missing from this pack. That's okay.
It takes repetition. Amanda, send him back. AMANDA: Tsch. CESAR: Yes!
JAY: Nice. CESAR: Yes, right there, yes. Oh, yes. Yes! You need a star,
like a little star. JAY: Yay.
AMANDA: I got a star. CESAR: That was your very best.
Yes, that was your very best. AMANDA: Woo-hoo.
CESAR: There you go. This is calm surrender. All right. Now, let's go in. AMANDA: We did it. JAY: I think the big thing
was just changing our energy, and being a little more
assertive with Otto and not being so hesitant because
we weren't sure what to do. But I think Cesar definitely
gave us more confidence. CESAR: This is what
you guys did with the, with the darken out the room. AMANDA: Yeah.
CESAR: Right? JAY: Yes.
AMANDA: Yeah. CESAR: So this is my
version of darken out the room, tell the brain to go
to calm surrender state. JAY: Yeah.
AMANDA: Okay. I think today went really well. I'm super proud of Otto. I'm super proud of us really. JAY: Yeah. AMANDA: I think we made a lot
of positive changes and a lot of progress and obviously that
will affect greatly my work. I'm really no
longer that worried about. JAY: Mm-hmm. AMANDA: You know,
my budding career and, and having him interrupt it,
so that's huge for me. JAY: I feel like we don't have
our little prison warden sort of running the show anymore. Yeah. AMANDA: Throwing out the
stripes and the orange suits, we're going out. JAY: Yeah. CESAR: Otto is a
very fast learner, and so are his pet parents. They're well on their
way to getting rid of
the separation anxiety that jeopardizes
Amanda's career. I have no doubt
they'll get there. Now, it's just
all about repetition. JAY: It's been a few weeks since
we've been at Cesar's ranch and Otto has done an amazing job, he's like a
completely different dog. AMANDA: I think
it's because we're
completely different parents. Cesar really helped us learn
how to be calm and confident with him, and it's
made all the difference. JAY: He's definitely
figured out how to use
his point of reference more. Stay. There's no more
invasion of space. AMANDA: Yeah.
JAY: And no more lying. AMANDA: Yeah. No more lying, he's been
so good during sessions, he still likes to be in the
room with me when I'm working, but he's really good
about sitting on his bed. We're so grateful
that it's changed and
gotten so much better. JAY: Thanks, Cesar.
AMANDA: Thank you, Cesar. NARRATOR: Days after the
breakthrough at the DPC, Amanda and Simba continue
their homework of building and maintaining
trust in one another. AMANDA: So the
homework is going pretty well, I still need a little bit
of help on the walk, but, you know, overall
feeling really good. GIL: Not 100% yet,
we're like 85% there. NARRATOR: The following week,
Cesar heads back to their home. Last time he was here, a nervous
bite led to desperate tears. AMANDA: Ow. Hey. CESAR: Did he bite?
AMANDA: Yeah, he did. So the first walk that we
did with Cesar on the first day was a challenge. I was not calm or confident, I was nervous and I was trying
to make it work, you know, with all my might but
it just, it just didn't. And it, it escalated. NARRATOR: Today, Cesar's hoping
to see the trust this pack needs to ensure Simba's
future is secure. AMANDA: Hi.
CESAR: Hi. GIL: Hey.
CESAR: How are you? AMANDA: How are you? Good.
CESAR: Good to see you. Good to see you.
What's up, brother? GIL: Brother,
good to see you, man. CESAR: Come on, I wanna
hear all the good news. (Amanda sighs) CESAR: I want good news.
AMANDA: Yes. It's been good. CESAR: Good. AMANDA: I still
need a little help on
the walks when other dogs come around, he, like,
is all over the place. He's not, he's not as much
listening to what I'm saying with the leash work. So that I still need work on. CESAR: Although Amanda
and Simba were able to build mutual trust at the DPC. AMANDA: What a
good boy, you did it. CESAR: It seems like
she's still getting nervous and having trust issues
during the walks. That's something we
must address right away. All right, let's see
the walk again, you join me. And, Amanda, get, get your boy. AMANDA: All right.
I will go get him. CESAR: All right. Let's do it.
AMANDA: All right. CESAR: Gil and I are gonna
stand at the end of the street, Amanda will walk Simba toward us
in front of the other dogs while I pinpoint where
the breakdown is. AMANDA: Let's
get the leash right. CESAR: Mm-hmm.
AMANDA: Get my hand around it. CESAR: Mm-hmm.
AMANDA: Okay. All right. Let's go. You know, the walk, I
didn't know how it was gonna go. I am a little bit nervous, um, but I, I really have been
working on just that trust and saying, it's gonna
be great, you're gonna do it. Are you ready? We're gonna do it very calmly. CESAR: Go ahead, guys. ♪ ♪ CESAR: Oh, this is good. This is good. Tail is up but he's not barking. AMANDA: Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey. CESAR: You're getting nervous. AMANDA: Hey. CESAR: Come on, Amanda,
don't focus on the dogs. Pull up on the leash. (growls) AMANDA: Hey. Hey.
That was enough. CESAR: She's definitely
controlling a little bit better. She's doing the physical aspect. The energy part is
not coming out yet. NARRATOR: Since their
breakthrough at the DPC, Amanda and Simba continue to
have difficulty trusting one another which has long been the
cause of nervous leadership and a nervous aggression. AMANDA: Hey. Hey. CESAR: She's still nervous. The biggest problem I'm seeing
is that Amanda is not exhibiting the calm confident that
this pack needs from her. When she shakes the
nerves and starts to
trust herself as pack leader, Simba will have no choice
but to trust and follow. Pass it to me. AMANDA: Of course.
CESAR: Yeah. I'm gonna remind Amanda what
calm confidence looks like. Keep your shoulders back,
keep the leash short so he knows you're in charge. AMANDA: It's a short,
even shorter leash, I would say. GIL: That's even, yeah,
it's a lot shorter. CESAR: Mm-hmm. He was excited. GIL: Yeah. CESAR: But if he
gets too excited then he
wants to go and meet them. AMANDA: Got it.
CESAR: Let's do it again. AMANDA: Okay. Hey, hey. So the first walk,
you know, was a challenge. But Cesar was able to help
get that back on track and it's helpful to see that
in the moment because you're, you're in it. CESAR: Deep breath, calm
and confident, no excitement. AMANDA: Okay. CESAR: He's looking at the dogs. Keep him focused on the walk. AMANDA: Hey. Hey. CESAR: This is
really good right there. Look at the tail, see,
the tail is in the middle, bam, bam, bam. GIL: Yeah. CESAR: The tail
tells you the tale. AMANDA: Absolutely
night and day difference. It's a much better experience, just felt much more
under control and just
in charge of that walk. I knew I could do it,
I knew he could do it, I knew we could do it! CESAR: Mm-hmm. Nice. AMANDA: You know,
it like felt different. GIL: I am feeling that
calm energy right now. It does give me confidence
knowing that Simba and Amanda can trust each other and that
everybody knows their position and knows their role. CESAR: I think you're
ready for the final challenge. AMANDA: Follow.
(bleep), let's do it! CESAR: Let's go. See what a little
calm confidence can do for a nervous pack
leader like Amanda? Once she let go of her anxiety, Simba was able to
trust her calmly. So now it's time for
their final challenge. All right. The goal is to
bring family members to
have a gathering, right? And, Amanda, you're
gonna have my boy over there. No touch, no talk,
no eye contact, you guys. AMANDA: All right.
CESAR: Can sit over there.
GIL: Sounds good. CESAR: And you put
your boy over there. AMANDA: Okay. CESAR: When I first met
Simba, he was crated
in the living room. (barking) AMANDA: Oh, Simba. CESAR: Acting aggressively
toward anyone who came into Amanda's intimate space. AMANDA: I don't let him
out when he's like this. CESAR: And the house was
full of fear and distrust. Now that he and Amanda
have put in the work together, it's time to see how
Simba reacts to something Amanda hasn't seen
in months, houseguests. AMANDA: So I haven't had
family over in a long time, you know, because of
the way Simba has been. I, I, I was nervous,
I was anxious about it. So it'd be really great if we
could practice some of that, so. CESAR: Yup.
AMANDA: I'm excited. CESAR: We will, we will. Melanie, come on out. GIL: She got this. MELANIE: Hey! CESAR: He knows her.
AMANDA: Hey, hey, hey. Hey. CESAR: Very good. Very good. AMANDA: Sit. Sit. All the way down. All right, so we
just no touch, no talk, no eye contact, we're
gonna let him be calm. CESAR: Beautiful. MELANIE: It's good to see you.
CESAR: It's a big difference. AMANDA: Yeah.
CESAR: That was beautiful. Okay. Mom, you're up next. Come on out. WOMAN: Amanda!
AMANDA: Hi. WOMAN: I'm so
excited to see you. AMANDA: Hey, hey.
CESAR: There you go. This is good. WOMAN: Oh, good to see you. CESAR: So I
heard you might be... WOMAN: Oh my God, I
can't believe you're here. I've watched every episode! (laughter) CESAR: Thank you. WOMAN: Thank you for making
us better humans for our dogs. CESAR: Oh, look at her,
she's plugging the show. Make yourself at home. WOMAN: Oh.
CESAR: Yeah. Please, please,
that was perfect. AMANDA: He's doing good.
CESAR: That was perfect. That was, that was amazing. AMANDA: He's doing great. GIL: Incredibly shocked about
how calm Simba actually is right now and I am
extremely proud of my wife. CESAR: All right.
Where's your dad? AMANDA: Hello.
MAN: How cool is this? AMANDA: Dad, thank you.
CESAR: Oh, look at that. MAN: Hello. GIL: All the family
coming over the house, and getting close to her,
and he's not doing anything. So it's great to see. MAN: He's good, you're, hey.
I love it! CESAR: Thank you. MAN: I'd like to hug
my granddaughter, is that okay? CESAR: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Do it, do it, do it. MAN: All right.
I'm going to hug her. CESAR: Oh, I love it. Well, look at that. AMANDA: This would
never have happened. We would never have family
get-togethers because it would be out of control,
it's like chaos. It's just totally
a different energy, and just more in
control and more confident. And he's able to just chill. And, you know,
it's a little shocking. I'm, I was, you know, I
am super excited about that. I'm really excited to see
how far we can get with this. How much he can be calm,
how much he can trust, and it just feels good. I'm the leader of the pack. SIENNA: I'm so glad that
Simba is much more calm now and I thank you for
your help so much. CESAR: My pleasure. SIENNA: And I hope to have more
people over in my lifetime. CESAR: Mm-hmm. Your lifetime. SIENNA: Oh, gosh, yes,
it's changed my life. I love having a dog. Simba is my best friend,
even closer to a brother. It's a lot more fun
when Simba's around. CESAR: I am really
proud of Amanda and Simba. Now they share a
special bond that is
deeply rooted in mutual trust. And today is the first day
of the rest of their happy, peaceful life together. To me, this is a perfect day. Thank you for trusting me. AMANDA: Thank you so much.
CESAR: Thank you, guys. AMANDA: I would
do some high fives! GIL: Thank you. CESAR: Trust, respect, love. To me, that's always been
the moral code which forms a powerful bond with your dog. There is a reason trust
comes first because that is the foundation
of any relationship
not just with your dog. So it is important to teach your
dog to trust and respect you. And once you have that, your
pack will be all about love.
