Demon Chihuahua
Tina Madden, who works in a vet's office, adopted NuNu, a stray who was brought into the office. He attacks her roommate, Barclay Quinn, and anyone else who gets near Tina. Cesar tells them that since NuNu is a nervous dog, giving him affection while he is anxious nurtures the nervous state of mind. Cesar sits next to Tina to provoke the unwanted behavior, and NuNu goes nuts; Cesar calmly holds NuNu without giving him attention while he gets over his hissy fit. Then he teaches them to master the walk. They learn to stop the escalation of excitement before it becomes aggression.
The Shiny
Marina Dahlen and her son, Emmett, have a Great Dane named Kane, who is terrified of any shiny surface. He once slipped on a linoleum floor and stunned himself hitting a glass door; now he refuses to walk on shiny floors, including the school building where he used to go with Marina. Cesar walks with Kane, then approaches the school building at a trot, using Kane's own forward momentum to propel him through the doorway. They stop just inside the door to let Kane adjust, and at first, Kane slips as if he's on ice. Cesar patiently and calmly edges him into the hallway and in a few minutes Kane is walking easily. Four days later Marina takes Kane to her class to celebrate his birthday.
Season 1 Episode 1 of Dog Whisperer resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
Dog Whisperer follows well-respected animal behaviorist Cesar Millan as he works to help dogs with behavior problems, and their human families. These problems range from excessive barking to behavior, that if not corrected, could leave the owners little choice but to euthanize the dog. Mr. Millan describes his work as "rehabilitating dogs", and training people". Dog owners can learn from him ways to establish a balanced relationship with their dogs that will help to prevent these problems.