Battle of the Boyfriends
Anita Eble has a herding mix named Boyfriend, who just happens to hate her human boyfriend, David Kovach. Boyfriend has bitten David twice, but Anita doesn't want to euthanize him as David wants her to. Cesar establishes that Boyfriend was not aggressive in the beginning, but fearful; nurturing that fear can create fear-based aggressive behavior. Boyfriend should not have affection before exercise and discipline. He asks Anita how she reacts to the aggression. She says she screams at Boyfriend. Cesar explains that this does not control aggressive dogs. David reiterates that he thinks Boyfriend should be put down-he doesn't think Anita can follow-though, and that he will be bitten again. Aside, Cesar states that David is blaming the dog, and it's not the dog's fault. It's the responsibility of the owner. He asks David to keep an open mind. Anita is very anxious when Cesar enters Boyfriend's pen and Cesar reminds her that she needs to have a relaxed energy and an assertive approach. Cesar sits with his back to the dog, in order to allow Boyfriend to calm down near him. (It may need to be said here, as in the opening of the show, that one should consult a professional before attempting these techniques.) Once Boyfriend is calm, Cesar has David approach with his own dogs, who are actually the ones to start things. Boyfriend avoids rather than reacts to them. Cesar says that he is not issuing any commands, that it is his energy controlling the behavior. "The presence of a human can actually change the behavior of a dog." Cesar gives Anita homework to practice, and she is very encouraged by Boyfriend's calm behavior with Cesar, and commits to the work ahead.
What's It All About, Alfie?
Alfie is an English Bull Dog owned by Daisy Fuentes and her fiancé, Matt. Daisy is concerned about Alfie's newly-defensive behavior toward visitors to the home. Cesar notes that Daisy's Soft-Coated Wheaton terrier, Rita. is hyper, and Alfie is aggressive, and these behaviors are caused by a lack of exercise and discipline. He says that dogs in the home get affection before anything else, which is backward. This fulfills the human's needs, but not the dog's. People need to remember that dogs are – Animal, Dog, Breed, Individual Personality (name), and that dogs will not listen to a non-leader. Cesar first addresses the door issue, and shows Daisy to first stop the escalation by getting Alfie's attention, causing him to calm down, and then sending him to his "place." He also shows her how to take control of toys, and again, a Bull Dog makes Cesar work for it. He gets Alfie to give up the toy on command, and then Daisy tries it-without success! He brings it to Cesar instead. Cesar explains that it will take time and practice to re-gain a position (pack-leader) that was given up long ago.
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