Cesar Millan Reveals Common Mistake Dog Owners Make That Affects Their Pets' Behavior (Exclusive)
Cesar Millan has earned the right to be called "The Dog Whisperer" after a lifetime of learning to understand dogs better than anyone. Now, he has exclusively told Men's Journal about the biggest mistake that humans make with their dogs. He has also provided a lot of other advice, including commenting on viral social media dog trends, explaining how to deal with your dog while traveling, and more.
Cesar Millan Shares Valuable Advice on Building a Great Relationship With Your Dogs
Men's Journal: You're the most famous dog whisperer, or as you call it, human trainer in the world. What is your take on the social media videos encouraging people to give their dogs extravagant and super-expensive diets?
Cesar Millan: Everybody does that already because most people want to buy happiness. What I'm saying is that people should go for a walk and challenge their dog outside. Just buy whatever dog food your money can afford.
Buying expensive dog food, to me, is more about affection because the dog sees it as a reward. I'm talking about the body and mind that doesn't require money. It's just for you to get up and go. Don't skip the exercise and the mental stimulation just because you can buy this, and you say, "I love my dog because I can buy this." You know what I mean? A lot of times, people do it out of guilt. What I'm more interested in is if you purchase this thing because you feel guilty because you didn't walk the dog, and you didn't challenge the dog's mind. That's a good question for people, right?
I don't mind people buying whatever they want, but I do want them to do it in a way where they understand why. Is it like, "Oh, man, I'm so proud of my dog. I'm so grateful. And I'm so glad that I know they earned it." Then you buy it. If you are a low-income human, when you buy the dog a cookie, to you, it's a lot. You work for it. I like to feed the spirit and the instinct, not just the intelligence.
Men's Journal: Some people also argue for gentle dog parenting, where they try not to set boundaries. What is your take on that?
Cesar Millan: Well, you can watch the episode of South Park they did on me and see what gentle parenting does to humans (Laughs). Animals are gentle, but they're also firm. Animals set rules by limitations. It's not something that is unnatural. Have you ever seen when a mama bear corrects her cubs? Have you seen what a mama dog does to correct her puppies? It is not gentle, but it's firm. She's not angry. What we need to understand is firm doesn't mean anger or frustration.
When you were a kid, you didn't want your parents to be angry and frustrated. But you don't mind when they are firm because how would you know you broke the rules? Through boundaries and limitations. So the correction or the discipline or whatever you want to call it, because they're just names. It's natural.
It's not "We're the humans. Oh, no. Be gentle." That person's dog becomes anxious. The dog becomes fearful. The dog becomes aggressive. You can't take him anywhere. What makes you a good human to be around is that you come with the rules, boundaries, and limitations you learned wherever you go. Somebody taught you those.
Men's Journal: What is the biggest mistake you see well-meaning people who want to have a good relationship with their dog making?
Cesar Millan: Well, of course, because most dog lovers unconsciously turn their dog into The Hulk. He's just a regular human being, but when he gets mad, it's the instinct in him. People trigger that in dogs. That's why they say, "Oh, my dog is aggressive on the leash. Oh, my dog is afraid on the leash. Oh, my dog doesn't listen to me on the leash." Fight, flight, avoidance. You see what I'm saying? Well, we trigger it.
People say, "It's my dog." And that's wrong. You're focusing on the wrong member of the family who has to change this way of being. Because dogs don't rationalize. So you can't put this capability into a dog because they don't rationalize. It's like asking a shark to rationalize or a lion to rationalize. Chimpanzees are the closest members of the animal world to us, but they don't rationalize. They act on instinct.
Look at the former president of the United States, Joe Biden. His rescued German Shepherd bit people. Unconsciously, they didn't give rules through limitations. The dog ended up expressing aggression in the White House. That right there. You see it. That's the pack leader of all of us at that time and the entire world, and he's having dog problems. But they love dogs.
Money, fame, power. This is Hollywood. I mean, you know, L.A. My clients are movie stars, and some have Wall Street money. They are people who move millions. The dog doesn't know if you have money, fame, or power. The dog knows if you understand what is natural, simple, and profound. That's it. So what does that mean? That means that you understand leadership. That means you understand loyalty. That means you understand love and you live life that way. So it's four L's. It's not just love. It's also loyalty, leadership, and life. And you love that.
Men's Journal: We're going into the summer traveling season now. That obviously can be very stressful for the dogs of people who take trips. Do you have any tips to help people with dogs who are planning to travel, whether they are going to leave their pet at home or take them?
Cesar Millan: Let's talk about detachment first, meaning that you're going to leave the dog behind. Practice this detachment without feeling bad. It's like when you drop off a kid in preschool. You drop them off and don't act guilty because then the kid is going to feel even worse, and then move away. Obviously, you want to leave your dog with people that you trust, respect, and love. You don't want to be the person who's feeling bad doing that activity because then you create the wrong experience for your dog. OK, so that's a good detachment.
Now, attach, meaning you're going to take the dog with you. If you've never done long, long rides with your dog before you put a dog in the car, take them on a long walk. Walk more than you normally do. Most people walk 30 minutes, but take longer than that. So when the dog is in the car, it's more tired than usual. It's almost like you give it Prozac, but it's not Prozac. It's actually being tired. Then the dog goes in the car when it is going to go into a resting mode. Don't worry about the dog. The dog is fine because he's resting. He's going to chill. You see what I'm saying?
If the dog travels with a family, make sure the family is in agreement and is not fighting with each other in the car. Let's say the family travels in an RV, and the poor dog is right there with a family that fights. That energy is going to affect the dog. It's like, "Why in the world did we leave the house when you guys are fighting in this thing?" You have to become aware of the energy you are creating for the dog, either as a single human or humans with a pack. For the humans with the pack, you have to have agreement. We all have to feel the same way. It's a preparation of energy, philosophy, and actions.
Men's Journal: Do you have any expert tips for people to improve their relationship with their dogs?
Cesar Millan: Walk more often. Walk in different places. Walk with other people because dogs love the pack walk. A lot of people go to a dog park. It's for social behavior. But, every three hours in a dog park, there is a dog fight because those dogs don't know each other, and people bring dogs full of pent-up energy with no rules, boundaries, or limitations. And then they say to their dog, "You want to go to the park?" And then they bring this excited Chuck E. Cheese energy dog. If you bring together two Chuck E. Cheese energy animals into a dog park, it turns into a UFC.
People think that by putting the dog in this social thing that humans create, called a dog park, the dog is going to love them more or connect more. What makes a dog connect with you more and trust you and respect you and love you is the more you walk, the more you connect. Look at homeless people. Homeless people walk. Look at blind people. Blind people walk. Look at people from developing countries, they walk. So if you ask me, what dogs love the most? Walk. And it's good for you. It makes you happy, makes you healthy, and makes you have a good heart. It also makes your mind go into hopeful thinking. It's almost like a walking meditation. Don't think about it. Don't put in headphones. Don't be on your phone. Just be with nature.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 9:00 AM.