Q: On the show you often talk about being a pack leader. Do you try for this at home?
A: I want to be a good role model as a dad, and I work on it every day. I read a lot of great books and get advice from women all the time, because women are the best pack leaders on earth.
Q: What do you worry most about as a parent?
A: I pray every day that they [will] be protected. My boundaries were so big as a child, I could walk around forever when I was young, with my dogs. I never had a sense of fear.
Q: In your book Cesar's Way, you write that you were not always a good husband.
A: Growing up in Mexico, it was [all about being] macho. If you cried as a kid, you were gay. If you hugged your dog, it was like, "What are you doing?!" Before I met my wife, I had my priorities mixed up. Illusion [Millan's wife] brought me back [to reality] and gave me rules, boundaries, and limitations.
Q: For those of us who can't help but treat their dogs like children, any tips?
A: Sorry, but you can't! America's dogs are so troubled because owners think they are human. Dogs aren't allowed to be animals. They are pampered, they have the best food, the best homes, the best grooming, and large helpings of love, but that is not what they want. They simply want to be dogs!
Q: Do any of the same rules apply to raising dogs and kids?
A: That is a question I get asked a lot. It makes me laugh. Obviously kids and dogs are different, but there are similarities between them, considering the basic principle of what I practice. Both dogs and children need rules, boundaries, and limitations. If you are a parent, you probably already know that some types of discipline never work. If you allow your child to sneak a cookie from the jar one day and punish him for it the next, the child will always try again, on the off chance he will get away with it; the same goes for dogs. The same mantra can be applied to animals and children, in this order: exercise, discipline, and affection.
Q: How can you make sure your children and dogs coexist peacefully?
A: You should teach children to recognize a dog's body language and when to touch the dog or when not to. All children need to be taught how to assert leadership with animals. Leading a dog on a walk is the best way to establish leadership.
With a baby, you should bring home a blanket or piece of clothing with baby's scent to introduce to the dog, so they "meet" before they come face to face. When they meet on the day baby comes home, make sure baby is inside the house. You want to make it clear that it is the baby's house, not the dog's. If you are nervous, the dog will pick up on that—and that is never what you want. I always recommend that people consult a professional if they have any doubts.
