Caesar Millan – The Dog Whisperer – Three Ingredients to a Happy Dog Caesar Millan teaches that to be an effective owner, you need to become your canine’s calm, assertive pack leader, but what exactly does that mean?  Calm, assertive energy is what you need to project to show your dog that you are the calm and assertive pack leader.  Assertive does not mean angry or aggressive.  It means always compassionate, but quietly in control.  If a dog does not trust its owner to be a strong, stable pack leader, it becomes unclear on its correct role within the pack.  A dog that is confused about who is in charge is actually concerned about the ability of the pack to survive.  Therefore, it tries to fill in the missing leadership elements, often erratically.   This can cause aggression, anxiety, fear, obsessions, or phobias.   Caesar reminds dog owners that dogs see the world differently.  We communicate using our ears first, then our eyes, and then our noses.  A dog begins with its nose, then its eyes, and lastly its ears.  Allowing a dog to experience our scent before we engage it in eye contact or speak to it is one important way to establish trust from the beginning. Exercise, Discipline and Affection – In that Order!  Caesar contends that these three ingredients are needed to make a happy, balanced dog.  Most dog owners only give affection, or do not provide these three necessities in the correct order. Exercise means walking a dog a minimum of once a day.  Discipline means giving the dog rules, boundaries, and limitations in a non-abusive manner.  Affection means a reward given to our dogs, but only after they have achieved calm submission in our “pack.” A balanced dog is in the state that Mother Nature wants it to be in.  This means a calm, submissive pack-follower that is fulfilled physically with exercise; psychologically with rules, boundaries, and limitations; and emotionally with affection from its owner.