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January 10, 2006

Kushman in L.A.: Dog eat dog world

By Rick Kushman.
Bee TV Columnist

PASADENA -- The Television Critics Assoc.’s meetings with TV execs, producers and stars, press tour has officially started here, and already I learned something important. It’s all about establishing dominance.

That, actually, is the operating theme in Hollywood, but in this case, we’re talking about owners and their dogs.

That came from a charming little news conference with the National Geographic Channel for a show called "The Dog Whisperer" (it runs Fridays at 8 on Nat’l Geo’s cable channel - which is available only on digital cable if you’re a Comcast customer).

The star of the show is a smart guy named Cesar Millan, and, actually, the show is misnamed. He’s a straight-up dog trainer - who, by the way, gets $350 an hour to train problem dogs - and he says his biggest chore is training the owners to think of dogs as dogs.

“Don’t treat them as humans,” he said. “They’re dogs first.”

That means remember they’re pack animals and are happiest and most secure when their humans establish that dominance. Dogs need a leader and structure and exercise. And they need love. Problem is, for many caring dog people, they supply all the love but no dominance.

So, Millan says, be forceful (not mean, just assured) with your dog. Reward them for doing the right thing but require them to perform. Remind them all the time you are the pack leader (which, among other thing, means don’t give in to begging for food. Too often, anyway.)

What Millan didn’t say, this being Hollywood and all, is whether dominance, structure and exercise would work on misbehaving celebs, too.