Cesar Millan is a world-renowned dog behavior specialist, known for his uncanny ability to walk large packs of dogs at a time. Not only that but, from poodles to pit bulls, these now well-behaved canines have each been rehabilitated, rescued from a wide range of extreme behavior issues. Cesar has his own Emmy-nominated show “Dog Whisperer” on the National Geographic Channel where he works with people and their rambunctious canines.

Suzy, a professional dog-walker at the time, challenged Cesar with two cases of incurable jumping and ball obsession. Cesar worked with her the whole day and commented that he’d rather be chased by 300 aggressive pit bulls than work with another hyper active Golden Retriever. You will be able to view the episode here soon. The gift of that whole day with Cesar was that Suzy realized that she had worked with both cases in the right direction, just had not been persistent enough. “The time it took to get these dogs over their point of view was a lot longer than I had expected or would have tried to work with. I know better now! What an awesome opportunity to work all day with Cesar” said Suzy.

Click here to view A PDF of the article in the Santa Barbara News press.

'Dog Whisperer" comes to town : Cesar Millan works with rambunctious retrievers for National Geographic Channel episode

Marilyn McMahon, Santa Barbara News Press Staff Writer
April 1, 2008

Anyone watching Riley and Jake romping in the back yard at the home of Sandy and Mike Shields might find it hard to believe that the mellow golden retrievers made the family's life a living nightmare until last November. That's when Cesar Millan, acclaimed dog trainer, came to town to work with the rambunctious canines for an episode of the National Geographic Channel's Emmy-nominated "Dog Whisperer," which will be aired at 8 p.m. Friday throughout the country.

Locally, it will be shown on Channel 106. When Mr. and Mrs. Shields brought Riley, now 6, and Jake, 4, into their home on a private lane near the Old Mission as adorable puppies, they didn't realize the havoc it would cause.

We couldn't get them to stop jumping on us, on our small children, on other people. If we had guests, we couldn't go in the back yard because they would knock people down once the dogs were full grown and weighed about 80 pounds," said Mrs. Shields, the former news director at KEYT-TV. She left when she was pregnant with her daughter, Hailey, now 3. Her sons are Ryan, 12, and Cory, 7.

"The worst was when Jake jumped on a woman at the beach and knocked her over," added her husband.

Walking both dogs at the same time was impossible.

"They were all over the place, getting the leashes entangled, so Sandy and I would only walk one at a time," said Mr Shields. "Even that was a struggle."

The desperate couple thought they had a solution to the problem when they hired Suzy Godsey, co-owner of The Happy Dog, to take Riley and Jake for outings three times a week. They hoped increased exercise would calm them down.

"We read about Suzy in a story about dog walkers in the News-Press several years ago," said Mrs. Shields.

Despite her success with other dog, Ms. Godsey, a dog walker who describes herself as facilitator between people and dogs, had no luck with the goldens. Each time, she picked them up, it was a battle to prevent the jumping.

Last October, friends alerted Ms Godsey to a newspaper ad asking for Santa Barbarans to participate in the "Dog Whisperer" show. Interviews were being held at the Paradise Found store on West Anapamu Street.

"I was reluctant to go because i don't have a dog, but friends persuaded me," said Ms. Godsey, owner of a cat named Bubba. "When the show's producer found out I was a dog walker with some problem dogs, she said I was exactly what they were looking for."

First, she had to submit an audition tape, which was done at the Shield's home.

The minute Suzy opened the gate to get the dogs, they were all over her. They even ripped her shirt," Mrs. Shield said, rolling her eyes.

A month later, Ms. Godsey was notified that the dogs were chosen.

On the day of the shoot last fall, Mr. Millan worked with the Shields family and Ms. Godsey in the morning. In the afternoon, Ms. Godsey and Mr. Millan walked the dogs and several others at the Douglas Preserve, which is where Riley and Jake are taken for their weekly outings.

The filming began at 7 a.m. and ended 12 hours later.

"Was I exhausted? No. I was excited because of all the things I learned," said Ms. Godsey during a phone interview from St. George, Utah, where she was attending a workshop. " I learned that I needed to be persistent with the method. I had to use my whole body to get the message across, constantly demanding the dogs' attention to keep focus on me. Before, I doubted that I was capable, but I found that i just needed to stick it out."

She also learned that changing a dog's behavior is not as easy as it looks on the television show.

"Cesar has to work with the dogs for several hours before he could get them to stop jumping. He became frustrated because it took longer than he anticipated. In fact, he joked that i had deliberately chosen the most difficult problems for him," she said.

Ms. Godsey and the Shields also learned techniques for walking the leashed dogs.

"You make sure they are always slightly behind you. If they start getting ahead of you, stop and stretch your leg to the side so they know they have to stay behind it," said Mrs. Shields.

They also learned that dogs respond to a person's energy level.

"Cesar's philosophy is that if you are feeling apprehensive, the dog will pick up on that," Mr. Shields said. "If the dog's anxiety level is on a scale of one to 10, you have to get it down to one before you attempt to put him on a leash or give a reward. And most of all, make sure the dog knows that you are the pack leader, the Alpha dog."

To reinforce the lessons taught by Mr. Millan, Ms. Godsey and Mr. and Mrs. Shields were told to work with Riley and Jake at least 15 minutes a day five times a week until the middle of january. After that, there was to be constant vigilance for signs of regression.

"Now it's fun. Sandy and I can take both dogs for a walk at the same time. I was sceptical that they would ever change. I never believed this would be possible," said Mr. Shields, who works for Robert Duggan and Associates, an investment advisory firm.

"We have our lives back. We can have friends over. We take the dogs for walks. As we have become more relaxed, they have become mellow. they are happy dogs," said his wife.

Getting to watch Mr. Millan perform his magic was another thrill for the trio.

"When we first met him, he seemed intense, but as the day wore on, he became down to earth, a really nice person who really cares about what he does," said Mrs. Shields.

For Ms. Godsey, the interaction with the Dog Whisperer was a "gift to get to use all that information. He is phenomenal."