‘It’s not the dog, it’s you’: Cesar Millan on why humans are harder to train than dogs

SINGAPORE – Twenty years after he became television’s most recognisable dog trainer, Cesar Millan still believes most behavioural problems have the same root cause.

“It isn’t the dog,” he says matter-of-factly. “It’s the human.”

That conviction has made the Mexican-American celebrity trainer one of the world’s most influential figures in pet care – and one of its most polarising.

Millan, 56, was in town for the Singapore Pet Festival, where he conducted private learning sessions on dog behaviour and nutrition, alongside meet-and-greet sessions with fans from July 31 to Aug 2 at Marina Bay Sands.

The sessions, organised in partnership with home-grown pet nutrition brand Bom Bom, were designed to help owners understand and manage their dogs’ behaviour.

They were also for fans eager to learn from the man dubbed the Dog Whisperer, which was also the title of his popular TV series that aired from 2004 to 2012.

Millan is no stranger to Singapore, having visited on several occasions, including a filming session for reality show Cesar’s Recruit: Asia (2017 to 2019). He was last here in 2024 for a meet-and-greet session organised by Bom Bom on board the luxury tall ship Royal Albatross.

However, ahead of the Singapore Pet Festival, an online petition called on organisers to withdraw Millan’s invitation, arguing that his methods are outdated and inconsistent with modern, science-based animal behaviour practices.

The criticism is hardly new.

For more than two decades, behaviourists and veterinarians have questioned Millan’s emphasis on calm assertiveness, discipline and pack leadership, while proponents of reward-based training argue that dogs learn best through positive reinforcement and an understanding of their emotional well-being.

Millan, however, is unfazed.

“I’ve been doing this for too long,” the dog behaviour expert tells The Straits Times on July 31. “I know who I am. I don’t have to prove it to anybody.”

Training humans, not dogs

He adds: “The world still calls me the Dog Whisperer. But my mission right now is ‘better human, better planet’.”

His philosophy has shifted over the years, he admits.

When Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan debuted on documentary channel National Geographic in 2004, viewers tuned in to watch aggressive or anxious dogs transformed in every hour-long episode.

Today, he says, his real focus is no longer on rehabilitating dogs – it is rehabilitating people.

When asked if he still considers himself a dog whisperer, Millan jokes that he has evolved into a “human whisperer”.

He believes many owners unintentionally create behavioural problems by treating dogs too much like humans.

“Everybody wants to love the dog first,” he says, adding that pawrents tend to over-indulge their fur kids.

“The No. 1 goal should be to walk the dog. Then make sure the dog knows rules, boundaries and limitations. Then you can give affection.

“People begin with affection, put a harness on their dogs and let them do whatever they want,” he adds.

As a father of two children aged 27 and 30, he often draws parallels between parenting and pet ownership.

“You need patience, calmness, confidence, love and joy,” he says. “If the parent has good energy, good philosophy and good actions, the kid and the dog imitate that.”

When the conversation turns to discipline, Millan says it is often misunderstood.

“I don’t think Singapore will be Singapore without discipline,” he says. “People think discipline means punishment. It is not.”

He adds: “We should all focus on raising good humans, the same way we should focus on raising good dogs.”

Yet, for someone long associated with ideas such as “alpha” dogs and pack leadership, Millan rarely frames his philosophy in those terms today.

Instead, he focuses on influence, responsibility and helping owners understand how their own behaviour shapes their pets.

That shift in language, however, has not entirely quietened the debate surrounding his methods.

How the science has evolved

The science of animal behaviour has evolved considerably since Millan first became a household name.

Emmanuelle Titeux, Singapore’s first recognised specialist in veterinary behavioural medicine and a board-certified European Veterinary Behaviour Specialist at Beecroft Animal Specialist & Emergency Hospital, says modern veterinary science has largely moved away from explaining dog behaviour through dominance or “alpha” hierarchies.

Those ideas were popularised by studies of captive wolves in the 1970s, she says, but were later reconsidered by the studies’ own author, American wildlife biologist David Mech, who cautioned against applying wolf pack dynamics to domestic dogs.

“Domestication has completely modified dogs’ social organisation,” says Titeux, who has more than 30 years of veterinary experience, adding that dominance theory is no longer useful.

Instead, she says, science-based behavioural medicine continues to evolve as new research emerges.

“If a dog’s needs for exploration, social interaction, exercise and positive training are fulfilled, all of that is a warranty of very good welfare.”

She stresses that positive reinforcement does not mean you cannot say “no” to your dog. Rather, concern arises when trainers rely on intimidation or physical corrections rooted in ideas of dominance.

“As soon as a professional uses the theory of dominance, it is difficult to avoid coercive methods.”

She says studies have associated coercive handling with poorer welfare outcomes, chronic anxiety and weaker trust between dogs and their owners.

“Dogs trained with these methods can lose trust in humans,” she says. “They are constantly trying to avoid physical punishment, leading to chronic stress and, finally, permanent anxiety.”

Titeux believes the petition against Millan’s appearance reflects a broader generational shift among dog owners.

“A new generation of dog trainers using positive reinforcement has emerged,” she says. “Following that, a new generation of dog owners is now aware of the negative impact coercive methods can have on dogs’ welfare.”

‘My degree is my accomplishments’

Millan insists many critics misunderstand what he actually teaches.

“I train humans,” he says, adding that he often suggests to people not to get a dog until they fully understand what they have to undertake.

Critics have also pointed out that, despite his global reputation, he has no formal academic qualifications in animal behaviour.

“They’re right,” he says. “I don’t have a degree. But I have accomplishments. My degree is the tangible accomplishments.”

Born into a poor farming family in Sinaloa, Mexico, Millan migrated to the United States with little money but with a big dream of becoming the world’s best dog trainer. That journey eventually led to one of National Geographic’s biggest television franchises and clients ranging from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Lopez to politicians, presidents and members of royal families.

After so many years in the spotlight, he says he no longer dwells on criticism.

“It is easier to fight and become upset,” he says. “But you don’t gain anything.”

He adds: “It is never the dogs. It’s easier to whisper to a dog.

“The human thinks. The human has beliefs, habits and ideas that are much harder to let go of.”