Some of the criticism I read about this book was how Be the Pack Leader was not a dog owner's manual of how to teach the dog. In one sense this is true. Millan doesn't specifically give step-b This was an excellent read. Millan doesn't specifically give step-by-step rules on how to get a dog to do or not do specific things. However he gives guidance about how to become aware of and the importance of changing a person's state of mind and state of energy, which creates the environment to not only permanently 'fix' a dog, but that will go a long way towards fixing the human's life as well.

This is a powerful book for people who genuinely want to look at who they are as their inner reality is made manifest in their dog's behaviour. And it certainly inspires me to get a dog, to use as a canary in the deepest mine of my own state of being!

May 13, Diana-christie Biancardi rated it really liked it Shelves: entertaining , audio-book , funny. That was kind of funny to listen to and educational. Cesar knows his stuff. He's well-informed. I read this because I have a 6-month old puppy with my boyfriend, our second one. Now I need to buy a doggie backpack for her to go on walks with me! She's too hyper and aggressive, bites a lot. Great book for dog owners, and even for people without dogs.

May 13, Claire rated it liked it. I watched one episode of this man's TV show and realised that I do not take in information through the TV very well, so I needed to read one of his books.

Cesar has written several books on his experiences with dogs and I am currently having some dominance issues with my youngest dog, so I chose this one. This is not a book about how to train your dog. If you want a book with instructions on teaching commands and such like then this is not it. This book goes some way to explaining how a dog's min I watched one episode of this man's TV show and realised that I do not take in information through the TV very well, so I needed to read one of his books.

This book goes some way to explaining how a dog's mind works and makes suggestions on how best for us humans to interact with them. It is fascinating and very useful, but not in the way that you would see immediate effects. This explanation of the reason's behind a dog's actions and reactions ought to get any dog owner thinking.

I want to be able to communicate with my dogs as best as I possibly can. They have already made a huge effort to understand me; they know several English words and will follow commands. So, it seems only polite for me to try to understand them a little better. Every dog is different, and one dog could have seemingly similar behaviours to another dog, but for quite different reasons.

A lot of Cesar's interactions with dogs are intuitive. He has spent many years dealing with them. So, this limits the advice he can give through the medium of a book. He bases a lot of his suggestions around having calm-assertive energy.

I appreciate what he is saying. One will be calm and assertive when one feels that one knows what he is doing with a pet, if one has no clue why their pet is behaving a certain way it is hard to be calm and assertive. After ten years working in financial trading it would be equally as useful for me to tell him to make a take a large speculative position by using his gut. That only works when you have practiced it for a while.

I do take his point and I am doing my best, though. I am working on being calmer around the dogs and sending the positive energy. I do believe in that. On the whole, the book has provided me with some useful food for thought. Mar 17, Amy rated it liked it Recommended to Amy by: Lee. Shelves: non-fiction. I don't have a dog, but I picked this book up because I wanted to read about Millan's calm-assertive methods. I figure they are good leadership methods in general.

As Millan says quoting Boyatzis and McKee "the limbic system in the brain is an 'open-loop' system; that is, it depends on sources outside the body to manage itself.

In other words, we rely on connections with other people for our own emotional stability. In this way, we are exactly like other social animals -- especially dogs. We m I don't have a dog, but I picked this book up because I wanted to read about Millan's calm-assertive methods. We mirror each other's emotional signals whereby one person can transmit signals that can alter hormone levels, cardiovascular function, sleep rythms, and even immune function inside the body of another.

However, Millan's story was still interesting and helpful. Millan talks about the concept in terms of energy, and Roberts calls it body language. Either way, it requires leadership and centeredness, and I believe it often works with people too.

Not perfectly, and not all the time, but I think it has kept me from falling apart over the last year or so as I deal with someone who tends, like many of Millan's clients, to be "emotional, easily upset and frustrated, panicky, weak, or angry.

Jun 22, Cynthia rated it it was ok Shelves: didn-t-keep , dogs. This book wasn't what I expected. I thought it would be a serious book about obedience training, using fairly heavy-handed methods.

Instead it was mostly about "energy" and how I needed to have the right kind of energy in order to mesh with my dog's energy I think.

Oh, and walk for several hours a day. Excuse me, that should have been "migrate. But most of it seemed quite unhelpful, even if you agree with his method This book wasn't what I expected. But most of it seemed quite unhelpful, even if you agree with his methods, whatever they are. We don't know, actually, because mostly he says things like, "walk with your dog for at least an hour a day. Make sure the dog walks next to you or behind you. This is never made clear. Then there's a little pie chart showing how the hour is to be split up.

You don't let the dog pee until you've migrated for a while. The dog wants to pee but you drag her down the street? If that's what's necessary to have a successful relationship with a dog, then count me out. Perhaps if I were rehabbing a bully dog that had been given up because of aggression issues, some of this might be useful to me. But it seems unnecessary in most contexts -- kind of like civilians driving humvees.

On to the next dog training book. View all 3 comments. Jan 29, Drew rated it liked it Shelves: non-fiction. We picked up this book from the library after Remy ate a chicken, hoping to learn how to break this habit without having to tie a dead chicken around her neck.

Turned out the only time he mentioned the bad habit of chasing chickens he didn't really address how to stop it. We did learn some useful and interesting bits about how dogs think. I still remind Brittany that when she picks up the dog and holds her like a child it confuses the dog, but that doesn't seem to deter her.

In the end, though, We picked up this book from the library after Remy ate a chicken, hoping to learn how to break this habit without having to tie a dead chicken around her neck. In the end, though, Remy stopped chasing chickens and now cohabitates well. Now we just need to figure out how to keep her from going into the coop and eating chicken feed until it makes her sick. Dec 30, Theresa rated it liked it Shelves: nonfiction-biography-psychology. What I pretty much got out of this book was to work on yourself and your own insecurities and anxieties.

If you are "calm and assertive" in your everyday life then your dog will respect you as the alpha you need to be in order to train him. That's great advice and all but what I really wanted was a step by step plan to get my Chiuhaua to stop jumping on and trying to french kiss everyone. I skimmed through a lot of it. There were some great tips and What I pretty much got out of this book was to work on yourself and your own insecurities and anxieties.

There were some great tips and useful information but I basically wanted the book to read "This is what you do. Do this and it will work every time. View 1 comment. Jul 22, Ashleigh rated it it was amazing. Loved this. His ideas are based on experience. They are applicable, and they work. As I read this, dogs began to make more sense and so did people. Cesar really believes our "energy" matters. I am not sure I would call it energy, but yes, dogs, and other people I think, pick up on our energy.

How can we expect to have a well-behaved dog and to be the dog's master if we are unstable? Nov 05, Diana rated it it was ok. I love his TV show but I was expecting more straightforward dog training instructions which there is little of. I was disappointed that puppies weren't addressed whatsoever. There is a lot of useful information in this book, just not the type of information I was hoping for.

Really insightful about how to work with dogs. A bit repetitive at times, but I was still fascinated. I'd recommend this to folks who have dogs. Dec 31, Kimberly rated it really liked it. Body language - no matter what species is displaying it - is the secret language of Mother Nature. Even the slightest bit of negative energy can have a ripple effect in any community, whether it be a classroom, company, country, or a dog pack. They do care how unstable you are, because, being pack-oriented, it directly affects them.

Your dog will not feel safe and calm if he does Body language - no matter what species is displaying it - is the secret language of Mother Nature. Your dog will not feel safe and calm if he does not respect you as the pack leader. My philosophy about discipline and correction with any animal, for any purpose, is that they should always be applied with the least force necessary to accomplish the behavior you are asking for. Your dog will always be reading your energy and emotions - and mirroring them right back to you.

Consistency is of great importance when a dog has more than one pack leader. When working with dogs, you must always envision the positive outcome that you desire. True obedience from a dog is something that requires patience and leadership and respect from the owner or handler. Exercise, physical activity, and psychological challenge are the three ways to drain energy in any dog. Nothing trumps the vigorous walk - done correctly - as primal exercise for draining energy.

There is no more accurate mirror of our inner lives than our dogs. Their interest in us centers on how our personal behavior and energy is going to affect the rest of the pack.

Truly, understanding the energy we project is the cornerstone of creating better relationships with both our animals and each other. All animals except humans are attracted to certain frequencies and driven to make certain connections that are going to help them survive.

Eastern religions have long been the champions of the idea that we create our own reality - that what goes on in our minds becomes manifested in our lives. Natural pack leaders do not control their followers by fear.

They sometimes have to challenge or display their authority, but most of the time they are calm, benevolent leaders. Don't pick this up for instruction. I have a rescue dog who, it is believed, spent some time living feral. According to Cesar - that mean's I'm a neurotic mess okay, not exactly.

The main message is that unwanted behavior your dog exhibits is a direct reflection of your own problems. A sort of pet ownership prosperity gospel thing that feels borne of privilege, career choices, presumption of authority - and a not-too-subtle drive to treat his readership as his pack of dogs. See, the guidance he g Don't pick this up for instruction.

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