Renowned “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan has captivated audiences with his transformative approach to dog training for a few decades, mastering the art of canine communication. From his humble beginnings in Mexico to becoming a global phenomenon, Millan has spent decades developing his philosophy on bridging the communication gap between humans and their pets, a philosophy anchored in trust, respect, and love. Millan has promoted these relationships through his popular Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan series, his Dog Psychology Center in LA, and his Better Human Better Dog series, now in its fifth season.
Culturess sat down with Cesar Millan about what dogs teach us about life, how excited he is about his new Halo Collar venture, what he’s learned after filming the fifth season of Better Human Better Dog, his profound relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith and continuing to build better connections.
This conversation has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Halo Collar
Millan talked about his latest project, Halo Collar, which was developed to address the unique needs of dogs of all sizes, including small varieties. This is something I could seriously relate to as the owner of an 11-pound Japanese Chin. Halo Collar 4 incorporates the invisible dog fence technology with a much gentler approach to the collar than the typical shock collar and a pretty nifty full-featured app that helps you track your canine companion.
“I really don't know how they've managed to be able to create what I wanted,” Millan said [laughing], expressing deep admiration for the technology team behind the design. “Small dogs, medium sized dogs, large dogs, they all thrive on consistent rules and limitations. In that way, the American Dream that all dog lovers want—which is the freedom to go with their dogs anywhere they want without worrying about it—has been [achieved].”
Millan’s approach transcends dog training
Millan said that he finds many of the fundamental values occur naturally in dogs that we seek to attain as humans.
“All humans are being told to go after money, fame, power,” Millan said. “And so in order for you to have the dog understand natural, simple, profound, even if you don't have money, you can still have a beautiful, natural, simple, profound relationship. Everything that I teach people to achieve with the dog, that’s what all humans want.”
Millan said this particular philosophy is what he tried to explore in Better Human, Better Dog, which premiered its fifth season earlier this year, noting how this season further explores how animals can reconnect humans to their natural instincts.
“I train humans so I can help the human reconnect to his natural self, to his simple self. That's my goal. My goal is to make more humans natural, simple, profound.”
How To Create Boundaries with Your Dogs with Cesar Millan | #Cesar911 pic.twitter.com/EXrszXQQBo
— Cesar Millan (@cesarmillan) September 20, 2023
His relationship with Brunello, the boxer, and his new cat
An unforgettable experience for Millan has been the transformative case of the white boxer Brunello at his rehab center. Brunello was born blind, deaf and with neurological issues. Bruno displayed aggression and his owner struggled to manage him for six years.
“She didn't even date for that same reason, because she was afraid that Bruno was going to hurt somebody,” explained Millan. But with his guidance, the boxer’s case dramatically improved, a process that Millan described as his masterpiece, his “Picasso.”
Millan also talked about his unexpected journey adopting a cat, integrating the cat into his pack of animals. “I rescue a very particular cat that my energy was very attracted to. And so the first thing I did was to make sure that the cat did pack walks,” he said about the training. “It’s the most beautiful thing because I can feel complete now that I have the felines,” Millan added, laughing.
His profound friendship with Jada Pinkett Smith
Millan credits much of his early career success to Jada Pinkett Smith, who he met 30 years ago.
“When I met Jada, I felt trust,” he said. “I just came to her a young Caesar, and said, ‘You know, I would like to have my own TV show or radio, because I want to help people,’ And she goes, ‘Well, for that, you have to speak English.’ So she sent a teacher for me to learn English for a year.”
He described Smith as someone who embodies the values of trust and respect: “I got to see the natural, profound side of Jada. Everybody gets to see the famous Jada. I get to experience the natural, profound Jada, the spirit of Jada, the heart of Jada.”
Looking ahead
For Millan, his mission remains connecting humans not only with animals, but likens dog training to a deeper mission: one of nature and spirituality.
“It helped me to stay connected to the spiritual world, which is, you know, what we call God, and then Mother Nature is animals, plants and crystals,” he reflected. “And that's what I've been doing. We can't skip the law of God. We can't skip the law of nature just because we want to do it our way. That's why I don't train dogs, I train humans so I can help the human reconnect to his natural self, to his simple self. My goal is to make more humans natural, simple, profound.”
You can find more information on Hallo Collar here. Better Human Better Dog is available on Amazon Prime.