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Cesar millan insights

Explore a captivating collection of Cesar millan’s most profound quotes, reflecting his deep wisdom and unique perspective on life, science, and the universe. Each quote offers timeless inspiration and insight.

The dog is a reflection of your energy, of your behavior. You have to ask, 'What am I doing?' That's the right question to ask.

People who live in the now; those people make things happen.

Through the years I've learned to gain the trust of humans. I'm really good at gaining the trust of animals and I have developed the same ability with humans. I don't make people feel wrong, I just make people aware. I have learned to make people laugh.

I deal with misunderstood aspects of animal behaviour like anxiety and aggression. I teach people how to respect different species and let a dog be a dog.

Some dogs could play fetch all day long, while others have absolutely no interest in chasing a ball. Some might love "find the treat" type puzzle toys and others may completely ignore them. The important things are that your dog finds the toy interesting without becoming obsessed over it, and that it is size and safety appropriate for your dog. A Chihuahua is probably not going to be a good match to a Kong as big as she is, and you wouldn't want to risk having your Malamute swallow one of those smaller size tennis balls.

I believe it's our loss of connection with our instinctual side that prevents us from being effective pack leaders for our dogs. Perhaps it's also why we also seem to be failing at being positive guardians of our planet.

When looking to adopt a new dog, the most important thing to consider is always the energy of the dog and how the dog will fit in with your lifestyle and your family.

With small dogs people don't reinforce the same behavior that they do on a larger dog. If you are a driver no matter what size car you have it doesn't matter. Same thing goes for any gender. All the rules are the same.

Dogs have found themselves in an odd predicament by living with humans. In the wild, dogs don't need humans to achieve balance. They have a pack leader, work for food and travel with the pack. When we bring them into our world, we need to help them achieve balance by fulfilling their needs as nature intended. This takes exercise and discipline before affection, and always maintaining your calm, assertive pack leadership.

We're already saying it's not the dog, but you need to adopt this lifestyle which is exercise, discipline, and affection.

It becomes very obvious, by reading a dog, how stable or unstable his human companion is. Our dogs are our mirrors.

Any successful corporation, if they adopt the three, they're going to be not just wealthy but they're going to be balanced. A lot of corporations adopt exercise, discipline, no affection. But you must maintain the three, because it's part of what you need. You need physical stimulation, you need mental stimulation and of course you need emotional stimulation.

I love my dogs and I give them affection all the time but it has to be at the right time or they get confused.

All dogs can become aggressive, but the difference between an aggressive Chihuahua and an aggressive pit bull is that the pit bull can do more damage. That's why it's important to make sure you are a hundred percent ready for the responsibility if you own a 'power' breed, like a pit bull, German shepherd, or Rottweiler.

But just because a person goes to Harvard doesn't mean he's balanced when he graduates, and just because a dog knows how to obey doesn't mean he's balanced, either.

Women can learn a lot about a guy because women, for the most part, want a guy to care about their feelings, to be a guy that is responsible. Women want to attract you, but they want you to know more how they feel. When a guy has a great relationship with a dog, it really says a lot about him.

Discipline isn't about showing a dog who's boss; it's about taking responsibility for a living creature you have brought into your world.

Let your dog teach you how to get the most out of life! If we could all be more like our dogs when it comes to living in the moment, being honest and authentic, and learning how to not hold grudges, the entire planet would be a much better place.

The biggest mistake people make is assuming that their dogs think like little humans, and that they can negotiate behavior with them, but it doesn't work that way.

It is tougher for a dog to live without rules because he doesn't know what is expected of him. It is the mind, the body, the heart, not just the heart. Love is not enough.

I have always been honest with my fans, which means being open about any struggles I have had along the way.

What keeps a nation strong is really the community. It is about people helping each other.

Dogs experience the world as it is, without judgement. When we learn to do the same, we make the world a better place.

People say I train dogs, but in many ways I train people.

Children are becoming disobedient why, because of the lack of rules boundaries and limitations.

Owners lavish love on their pets, which is why so many go from non-aggressive pups to being out of control when they're older. People just don't realise their dog must respect them as leader of the pack.

Dogs seek attention from you. But by paying them that attention when they want it, you're reinforcing the bad or hyperactive or anxious behavior that you're trying to avoid. Practice - no touch, no talk, no eye contact - and see how you fare. You might be surprised at how quickly the dog settles down and looks to you as his pack leader for direction.

Think about a dog’s ability to forgive. This to me is love.

The reality is, if you have a high-level-energy dog, it's not going to be happy with a one-hour walk. Those types of dogs are going to require more than one hour of physical challenge in the outside world.

Birth, life, death is a cycle. And they're all beautiful, you celebrate all of them. Animals do grieve, but they move on. That's the lesson behind animals.

I think we all connect with dogs the most because they're pack animals. I know that cats are a little bit too aloof for me, although I wouldn't totally object to bringing one into our pack if I could find the right match that would get along with my dogs.

I wish my kid would act like my dog sometimes. My dog listens to me and does what I tell him to do.

Dogs help you to appreciate the world around you. They smell the ground so intensely. They look at the trees as though they are seeing them for the first time. It helps us to remember the wonders that we take for granted.

Dogs in America get more affection than women in most Third World countries.

It's a big mistake when encyclopedias say "loyal" - this dog, this breed has this ability to be loyal, to be a one person dog. I don't agree with that. I think all dogs are honest, all dogs have integrity, all dogs are loyal and they're all capable of loving you. It doesn't come from the breed. It comes from the dog.

I'll believe it if I see it" for dogs translates to "I'll believe it if I smell it." So don't bother yelling at them; it's the energy and scent they pay attention to, not your words.

It's not the breed that makes a good companion. All dogs are great companions.

The thing about discipline is that people misunderstand the word discipline. People think discipline in the dog world is punishment. Discipline is how you achieve what you want to achieve in life. You have to be very focused, very disciplined, very consistent, very diligent. All of those things.

Always walk out the door ahead of your dog when leaving the house. This will show your dog who is in the leadership role.

There are two schools. The school where you go and open a book, and then there's the school of life. When you learn hands-on, often you don't understand why you do what you do and what's the word for that action.

Often we blame the breed, but in my opinion, it's not the breed, it's the owner. The owner has to be the pack leader and provide exercise, discipline, then affection. If you do that, you'll have a sweet, loving, and balanced dog - no matter what breed!

When you have a certain fitness projection, it's going to give you an advantage. Having strength, stamina and speed is important because I'm working with dogs who can kill me.

Explaining "why" to a dog is pretty useless. You have to engage their instincts in order to change their behavior.

The dog can only become what's in your bubble. The dog is imitating the energy that is in your bubble. You are the source, the feast of energy. If you feel anxious, the dog becomes anxious with you. If you become nervous, the dog wakes up nervous with you.

With a dog, people are not disciplined. They think that by spoiling a dog the dog is going to love them more. But the dog misbehaves more because they give affection at the wrong time.

It's important to note that aggression isn't the problem. It's the outcome of a problem.

There is no such thing as a problem breed. However, there is no shortage of 'problem owners'.

I'm open for possibilities. I'm open for choices. I always welcome new ideas. I'm always eager to learn. I'm never going to close my mind from learning.

I believe in integrity. Dogs have it. Humans are sometimes lacking it.

Any time you're working in the world of taming animals, you're going to get hurt. But it's a rush that we get.

You cannot "love" a dog out of her bad behavior, just as you can't "love" a criminal into stopping his crimes.

I have never met a dog I couldn't help; however, I have met humans who weren't willing to change.

People with strong breeds are trying to be in control because their dog is labeled as aggressive or dangerous. That tells us how ignorant we are even though we love dogs.

Denial,they say, stands for"Don't even notice I am lying." Human beings are the only animals who are happily lied to by our own minds about what is actually happening around us.

Dog parks can be a fantastic way to socialize your dog, but it's important for owners to understand that a dog park isn't exercise and isn't a substitute for walk. A visit to the dog park is fun - play time.

When you're poor, you have nothing to lose and be afraid of. Holding onto the dream and having nothing to lose is what helped me succeed.

I am not brutal or cruel to animals. My mission has always been to save dogs - especially troubled and abandoned dogs. I've dedicated my life to this.

I'm naturally a loud person. It can be a bit overpowering.

A dominant dog can get another dog to move out of its way just by the energy it projects. You can tell a lot about a dog's position in the pack by how they hold themselves around other dogs. When reading a dog's body language, you can't do it intellectually. You can only do it by using your instincts.

America focuses on being very intelligent because that's how you make more money.

I believe a calm dog is a happy, obedient dog that won't get into trouble.

Americans are very big about loving the dog first, so when you tell them you have to set rules and limitations, a lot of people believe it's going to hurt their feelings. They're actually looking for you to be the pack leader.

'The Dog Whisperer' to me is a show that had a passion, and it helped me save relationships.

I was blessed to grow up on a farm, and when you're a farm boy, exercise is part of your lifestyle. Like it or not, that environment makes you work out. On the farm, nature is your gym. You walk and run and swim and have to do a lot of work with animals too.

I think my life has everything, you know; it has comedy, has drama, has action.

Dogs do know how comfortable you are with yourself, how happy you are, how fearful you are, and what is missing inside of you.

The pack is very important for a dog. Once you give him the right pack and the right energy, you look at him.

In America, dogs are viewed by their names first, breed second. And dogs live behind walls. It's an unnatural point of view.

Breed is among the least important things about a dog. It's more important to find a dog with compatible energy and needs that will fit into your lifestyle.

No dog is too much for me to handle. I rehabilitate dogs, I train people. I am the dog whisperer.

I don't believe in ever putting a dog down for behavior issues, because that's just punishing the dog for something wrong that humans did.

Spiritual fulfillment doesn't have to mean belief in a religion or disbelief in science. ... Whether one believes in an unseen, all-knowing force, or the wonder of science and the universe, or simply the beauty of the human spirit, nearly every one of feels an inner longing to feel part of something bigger than ourselves.

Humans will always tell you the story. Dogs can only tell you the truth. Trust your instincts and listen your dog.

Huskies get in trouble. Huskies are well-known to be escape artists. Why? Because they were bred to go long-distance. They're not bred to be in the backyard and just look beautiful because they have blue eyes.

When I go and work with people, I never say, 'Your dog is changed for the rest of its life.' It's like a diet. You've got to maintain a discipline and ritual in your life to keep a certain figure.

Bill Gates can't control a high-level-energy dog, because his energy is very low, very calm. Very intellectual. A dog doesn't see that as leadership.

When I was old enough, I was 21 years of age, I decided to come to America. I did it illegally so I jumped the border. I didn’t speak any English.

Give your dog something to do before you share food, water, toys or affection. This way the dog earns his treat. For example, have him or her perform the "sit" or "down" command.

You don't always get the dog you want, but you get the dog that you need.

Everybody wants a solution on how to help their dogs, but we can't really see the problem until we reconnect ourselves to our instinctual self.

There are cases where the dog is not compatible to the house. There are people that don't have the strength. There are people who don't have the willpower, who are not active in the exercise world and they have a type of dog that requires a lot of exercise so that dog is not compatible with that environment. When I take the dog away from that environment, the dog changes.

I do think there are some dogs - although it's very, very rare - that do have to be kept away from all other dogs and all humans except for the one strong pack leader whom they trust. But I think I've run into less than a handful of dogs that were like that in my entire career.

I am a Mexican that has been lucky enough to travel the world, speaking English, but with a heart that speaks a universal language.

She thinks, I failed twice. If I failed twice I'm going to fail forever. No! That is not the law of life. If you failed twice that means you can learn. It's just a learning experience. It's an obstacle. An imaginary obstacle. She made it real. She made failing a journey of life... Instead do again and make a journey of your life.

Having pets can teach us a lot of things. For kids, they are often their first lesson in responsibility, and being responsible for the well-being of another living thing is actually great for anyone, kid or adult. It teaches empathy, consistency, and so much more - especially if that pet is a dog.

I want people to understand there is a such a thing as creating a harmonious experience between the dogs and the humans.

In life... we need to find a balance. You have to set rules and limitations - that is called discipline. And you have to practice that in all your worlds.

Dogs and other animals we bring into our homes serve as one of our most important links to Mother Nature. We may not think about it consciously, but they are our lifelines to a part of ourselves that we are at the brink of losing altogether.

I have two kids and they have the same rules. We have to do this as a community.

To me dogs are not the students, not the ones that need training. To me a dog is a teacher of life, who teaches us the principles of the most important moral values; honesty, integrity, loyalty, trust, respect and love.

My kids are around pit bulls every day. In the ’70s they blamed Dobermans, in the ’80s they blamed German Shepherds, in the ’90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the Pit Bull.

I would love for the world to have a dog psychology center everywhere.

I think some dogs may like the attention of being dressed up by their humans because they interpret it as affection, but unless it's something that you've made the dog used to from the time it was a puppy, it's probably going to always feel a little weird and unnatural to the dog. This doesn't mean I think people should never dress their dogs up as long as they do it for the right reasons. If you're putting booties and a coat on your dog to protect it from the weather, then that's a pretty legitimate reason.

Little dogs bite more than big dogs but they get away with it.

It's an up and down thing, the human goals, because the human is always an explorer, an adventurist.

Anything that can create balance in dogs is great. If veterinarians can give you the solution and give you why this is causing the behavior, of course. Anything that is good for an animal, let's do it.

You can also hurt a dog if it's insecure, if a dog is nervous and then you try to pet him, you can make him more nervous. It's not just the aggressive dogs that you can get hurt. It's also the dogs that you can actually hurt. It works both ways.

Calm assertive energy is the energy you project to show your dog you are the Pack Leader. Assertive does not mean angry or aggressive. Calm-assertive means always compassionate, but quietly in control.

Homeless people's dogs are more knowledgeable than dogs in Beverly Hills. Why? Because they explore, they move forward, they go through the ups and downs in life. A dog in a wealthy environment, there is no downs except what he lives.

Mother Nature's ruthless to the weak, but isn't arbitrary cruel or negative. Mother Nature saves aggression for extreme situations, and instead uses consistent leadership--to help keep things running smoothly. Mother nature doesn't rule by fear and anger, but by calm strength and assertiveness.

Wolves are disciplined not only when they hunt but also when they travel, when they play, and when they eat. Nature doesn't view discipline as a negative thing. Discipline is DNA. Discipline is survival.

Aggression is not the problem, is the outcome of a problem.

Humans are the only animals who will follow unstable pack leaders.

When a dog is balanced, you are going to enjoy a true friend.

Just being with dogs, I learned their ways and began to appreciate things from their point of view.

The funny thing is, when a Harley-Davidson guy full of tattoos comes out with a Maltese, they're trying to soften themselves out. When a very soft, single lady with a tailored look comes out with a Rottweiler, she’s looking for protection, for strength. Society automatically views the guy as too strong so he brings a Maltese. It's just a natural way to balance your situation. It really depends.

The more you think you have to use physical force to control life, the less you control life.

Change takes effort. And the reality is, most people don't want to put in effort to better their life.

Whenever I've been bitten, it's because I made a mistake. I either misread the dog's body language or let my guard down at the wrong time.

Aggression is not a breed thing. Its a state of mind, and it comes from how the human is with the dog. There are four levels of energy, regardless of the breed: low, medium, high, very high. The idea is to get a dog in your same level or lower than you.

A lot of times in parks the large dogs and little dogs separate. That creates the opposite of social. Sometimes dogs run back in forth with a fence dividing them so it is fence fighting with social interaction.

Puppies and kids naturally go together, but it's up to the adults to teach them how to do it the right way.

I rehabilitate dogs, I train people.

Dogs don't rationalize. They don't hold anything against a person. They don't see the outside of a human but the inside of a human.

There are a lot of things that people are doing unconsciously wrong.

Repetition creates the master.

If you give only 80 percent leadership, your dog will give you 80 percent following. And the other 20 percent of the time he will run the show. If you give your dog any opportunity for him to lead you, he will take it.

I used to be called 'a Mexican guy who can walk a pack of dogs.' Now the world calls me 'The Dog Whisperer'.

A dog is a vehicle, you know, a dog is a window to Mother Nature and that's the closest species we have.

Many dogs grow up without rules or boundaries. They need exercise, discipline and affection in that order.

My business life takes a big chunk of time, but I still put exercise in my schedule. I'm up at 5 A.M. and get up and stretch and go for a run in Runyon Canyon with all five of my dogs.

Dog's owners don't call me. It's their neighbors or family members. We call them the whistleblowers, but it's more like the pack. It's making sure that one pack member gets in line. Before it was the owners, now it's the community.

Dogs are our best teachers and biggest healers. We can learn so much from them about how to live life in balance, and they are a constant source of spiritual uplift and unconditional love that is so important to have in order to be healthy.

My dogs have been my most loyal friends and constant companions.

Love is leading. People think it has to be two different roles but it is the same.