César Millán is the same in person as on television: smiling, fireproof and inevitably affable and optimistic. THE REASON interviews him at his ranch in California where he is filming the second season of the National Geographic show “Better Human, Better Dog,” which just premiered in August.
Where do you get that naturalness before the cameras?
It helped a lot that I grew up on a ranch with my grandparents, who died at the age of 105. That keeps you as a human being, that natural, simple and deep part that one lives… You realize that those kinds of people used spirituality, instinct, and love of family. They are very important, especially now with covid and this financial part that only affects humans, not animals. The human panics, puts an emotional, spiritual, mental obstacle, and the dog lives with him. When I came to the United States, I realized that they did not have that natural nature of connection that I have coming from a third world country, from a low-income family, and that I had a better relationship with dogs than people with money, fame and power. That’s when I said, “I’m not going to train dogs, I’m going to train humans.” And I am very creative: those elements have helped me: my spiritual part, my instinctive part, my emotional part and my creative part.
What will the second season of “Better Human, Better Dog” offer us?
This is the first time that I have a title where everyone is involved in this transformation, because you have to think as a better human, so that your dog is the dog that it should be… The dog would have done perfectly without you . When you bring the dog into your house and you don’t have that knowledge, it’s like bringing children into the world without knowledge. The knowledge of your energy, your house, where you live… I am more than ever in this stage of my life, where I want the whole planet to understand that you have or do not have dogs, you have to see your energy, and your way of thinking, your actions, because those three things are what make you human: your energy, your philosophy and your actions. I am more precise, where I have already been a father for 27 years and 24, I have two children; where I have already passed through mountains that are knocked down and I have climbed the Himalayas and Everest and I have returned below and I return up again. All of that helps you as a parent, as a teacher, as a human in this life. I relate very quickly to people and help them to bring out that vulnerable part. What happens in the world is that the dog has won the hearts of humans, so the human will pay attention to the dog because he loves him unconditionally. He is the only member in society who can change the world, simply because there is no intellectual barrier. The dog knows that you have something inside, you cannot hide it. They are three beings, to whom the human can never tell lies. I am a believer: God, your mother and the dog. They know you have something inside, and you have to get it out, because otherwise the dog is not going to connect. It’s not 90%, it’s 100%: You have to be 100% spiritually healthy and your mind has to be clear.
The holidays arrive and we abandon dogs, how can we solve it?
It is a reflection of how we treat ourselves. There are many humans on the street, a lot of poverty, a lot forgotten by people who have money. These habits must be changed. There are a lot of dogs in the street and I have never seen that in my life. We need to make a drastic change because our energy has to change. I’m talking about personal energy, that energy that costs you nothing. You have to bring that good energy: calm, confidence, love and joy.
And what is the solution?
Well grab a dog and he will teach you. If he doesn’t have those four qualities, the dog will fight, fear or ignore you. When you change that, he’s going to come back to you.
How do you deal with criticism for your method?
They are criticisms from people who really don’t know what I do, because I work energy, then I educate the human. Actually the technique is super flexible, but the most important thing is that I am focusing on educating the human before they have a dog. Focusing on the energy of the human and how you see the dog before you say what technique you want. I do shows that are transforming the world. They are looking for someone to attack. I can attack them, but I have a lot to do. I use thousands of techniques. I am the most creative person in the animal world.
Are there conflicting dogs?
That the dog is conflictive is as if he could have decisions. No animal in this world wants conflict. The only one who creates conflict is the human. The animals simply create balance and harmony, and pass that information on to the next generation. We are the only ones who follow unstable leaders. The planet would be perfectly fine without the human. Nature does not need the human. The only one who creates conflict is the human. It’s like saying that elephants or lions have conflicts: It’s ridiculous, because that requires an intelligence that only humans have. The human has the intelligence to create conflict: Wars is conflict; poverty, is conflict; lack of health is conflict created by us. There is no other species more conflictive than the human.
There is a trend to humanize dogs, is it dangerous?
Humanizing a dog is like saying “you behave like a giraffe”. Well, they will change your identity. You have your own identity and someone comes along and says change that and be something else.
César Millán: «There are three beings to whom the human cannot lie: God, your mother and the dog»