How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond by Cesar Millan

Biography

Professsional dog behaviorist Cesar Millan ("The Dog Whisperer") claims to rehabilitate dogs and train people. Certainly, this extraordinary man has rescued hundreds of troubled canines from destruction and abandonment and taught owners the calm, assertive leadership skills needed to handle difficult, even aggressive dogs.

Millan developed his unique talents on his grandfather's farm in Mexico, where he first observed the "power of the pack" that has become the linchpin of his training techniques. (Today he maintains perfect control over a pack of up to 50 dogs, including some of the most powerful, protective, and aggressive breeds around.) At his Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles, he receives as many as 100 calls a day from pet owners desperate to solve such extreme canine behavior problems as shyness, insecurity, jealousy, and "red zone" aggression.

The Emmy Award-nominated television program Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan debuted on the National Geographic Channel in 2004. Millan gained even more attention when he and his training techniques were featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2005, he received a special commendation from the National Humane Society Genesis Award Committee for his work in rehabilitating shelter animals. He is the author of several books on dog training -- most notably The New York Times bestseller Cesar's Way (2006) -- and has produced a line of CDs, DVDs, and training tools.

Feature Interview

In the fall of 2007, Cesar Millan took some time out to talk with us about her favorite books, authors, and interests.
What was the book that most influenced your life? And why?
The book that most influenced my professional career most is Dog Psychology: The Basics of Dog Training by Leon F. Whitney, PhD, DVM.. That was the book that really taught me I wasn't crazy. That science actually proved what I had observed myself, and put it into words, so I felt very relieved that there was such a thing as dog psychology.

What are your ten favorite books?
(1)Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus by John Gray;
(2) The Power of Intention by Wayne W. Dyer;
(3)The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra;
(4) Dog Psychology: The Basics of Dog Training by Leon F. Whitney DVM, PhD
(5) Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. That is a more fancy way of saying "instincts." You're not thinking, you're just being.
(6) The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
(7) Domestic Dog by James Serpell
8) The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker
9) The Dog's Mind, by Bruce Fogle, DVM

What about when you're working with dogs, is there a particular kind of music you like to listen to?
No. As quiet as possible. The silence of nature. That's my music.

What are your favorite kind of books to give and get as gifts?
MY book! I love to give my book! Not because it's my book, but because it has instincts, intelligence, emotion, and spirituality. I think those are the four learning experiences or subjects in life you have to connect with, you know? Of course, I love to give books by Anthony Robbins, Deepak Chopra, and Wayne W. Dyer, and Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. I just got a brand new book it's called Domestic Dog. And it's fantastic. I love that book, it's very specific; I love graphics; there are a lot of graphics in it. It talks about the evolution of dogs and the domestic type - things we should never forget for the benefit of dogs.

Do you have any specific writing rituals?
The writing comes at any given moment. It happens more often when I'm driving in traffic and I don't like to hear music. So I have conversations in my mind "how can I make things more simple?" and so a lot of great ideas happen to me when I'm driving, or when I'm in the shower.

What tips or advice do you have for writers who have yet to be discovered?
Surround yourself with people who you respect and who share your core beliefs. Don't let the opinions of people you do not resepect mean anything to you. Stay grounded. Visualize what you want. Focus on what you REALLY want. And just really choose your pack. Even if it's a small pack in the beginning, just people who can create what you really want because they're supporting your thoughts and beliefs, and just give up on everyone liking you and liking your writing. A lot of people have their own agendas and they want you to write the way they would write it. but that's not your book, that's their book. And everybody's going to feel it - your honesty, your integrity, your sincerity, your loyalty to your beliefs, and you have to pour your beliefs into that book, and it makes you you. I would say dogs are my role model, and honesty, integrity, and loyalty is a dog, so I want to share that in everything I do. I want to maintain that, if it's a DVD, a leash, a SOAP - whatever.I want you to feel the integrity in everything I do.