Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan - The Complete First Season

I don't have a dog, nor do I think of myself as a dog lover. Yet, for my money "The Dog Whisperer" is one of the finest television programs ever produced. It is sheer genius on many levels. To name a few: The photography and editing, the music, the blend of serious issues and light-hearted fun, and of course Cesar himself, as unlikely a TV host as you can imagine.

I love the way the camera captures the wacky antics of the dogs, accompanied by a whimsical musical score. I would like to know who selects the music because so often it is brilliant.

I think National Geographic took a chance with Cesar. They could have made a conventional choice and used an experienced, polished host while having Cesar as the show's main character. Thankfully, they decided to produce an unconventional, trailblazing kind of show.

Clearly English is Cesar's second language and at best he abandoned his ESL studies early on. He mangles the language at every turn, and yet he's eloquent and well-spoken when expounding on his life's passion. Cesar's personality shines through at all times. He seems like such a likeable, saintly guy. He sports a Caesar Romero pencil-thin moustache and has a captivating twinkle in his eyes.

It's compelling to watch someone with a gift work his magic, the way you can appreciate Tiger Woods without knowing a thing about golf. I once saw a horse whispering demonstration by the legendary Monty Roberts, another saintly fellow. Roberts has made a life's work not only of straightening out troubled horses, he works with troubled youngsters. Watching their work you are grateful for the positive energy they are bringing into the world. How about Cesar or Monty for the Nobel Peace Prize?

In this collection, you get to binge on 26 episodes of doggie doings. The show's participants are well-chosen to demonstrate that dog owners are as amusing as their charges. You get to peek into the lives of some well-to-do dog owners who enjoy all the benefits of the American dream save one little shortcoming: neurotic canines. Then there was the 30-something nerd, still living with his mama, who wanted his dog to learn some manners to facilitate his meeting single women.

Cesar is a man of mystery. In one episode we get a quick look at Cesar at home with the kids and his wife, Illusion (were her parents hippies?). I was startled at Cesar's modest lifestyle. Why is he living so far below his means?

One of the bonus features is Cesar spending 10 minutes with a Great Dane puppy that is afraid to walk on a shiny linoleum floor. A collection of out-takes apparently was added to fill up another disk. Buy, hey, it's Cesar, so I watched them all. In one, you see how Cesar handles himself on a skate board. He's a master at that too!

As with all of Cesar's DVD's and books, you can EASILY retrain your dog, ANY DOG, by retraining yourself. We "rehabilitated" all 4 of our dogs employing Cesar's methods; within TWO WEEKS we had absolutely PERFECT dogs. I STRONGLY recommend Cesar's products as I use many of them. Love my dogs and now they are "balanced".

I have four dogs--different breeds, different personalities, different temperaments. All have come from homes where the original "owners" tired of them for one reason or another. This motley crew did not immediately become a happy pack. I had no idea how to deal with the problem. Then I watched Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer--over and over. I immediately began to use Cesar's approach: seeing myself as the pack leader, exercising the dogs more (and together!), behaving more like the dogs' mothers would have behaved (yes, I applied a bit of pressure to the neck with my fingertips--the Mom "bite"). Now I have a happy, peaceful pack of contented, well-exercised, balanced dogs. And I am a happy, peaceful pack leader. Now my dogs are not a source of frustration and guilt, but a source of joy, love, and connectedness. Cesar is a wonder!

Hi there, I'm not a dog-owner, never owned one - indeed I was always afraid of dogs because I couldn't understand their 'language' ... watching Cesar Millan was an eye-opener to me, it was like suddenly a world opened to my eyes and I got a clue about what is a dog, I start to understand the inner concept of a dog and whereas I used to think that there shouldn't be so many dogs in a city ... I now do understand why dogs are so precious and important for many humans. I still am not 'close' to dogs but I feel that my anxiety is changing to curiosity to learn more about them.

All new dog owners (or owners to be) should have a copy of this DVD set to get them prepared for a long and happy relatinoship with their dog(s). What a wonderful gift for any dog owner.