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How to Raise the Perfect Dog by Cesar Millan

The Rabbit Hole is written by Blas Moros. To support, sign up for the newsletter, become a patron, and/or join The Latticework. Original Design by Thilo Konzok.

Key Takeaways

  1. Puppyhood lasts for the first months and after that whatever habits skills are ingrained and part of them
  2. Life’s best teachers are dogs. They teach us to stay in the moment and enjoy the simple things in life and to respect nature and to work with it not against it. You can raise the perfect dog by listening to it respecting it trusting it and honoring its nature
  3. A balanced adult dog can teach you more about raising dogs than any book, video, or tutorial
  4. Temperament is very important. While these principals are always effective, why fight nature when you can select for a puppy with a relaxed and calm temperament built in?
  5. I am a big believer that the stressors and circumstances of mothers are a big impact on personality and neurosis of her kids
  6. Puppy mill puppies pee and poop wherever they are standing. This is something that never happens to those raised in a natural environment
  7. When we fulfill every need of our dogs - taking into account their breed, temperament, and other needs - they will reciprocate by being honest loyal and loving of companions. However, if left unchecked, it can create issues that makes their life and ours miserable 
  8. I have some clients that are leaders of men but pushovers for their dogs 
  9. Being able to read the puppy's energy yes is a vital skill to home as knowing what breed they are. There are some puppy personality tests but any pet breeder will tell you these are hit or miss whereas engaging with and reading the puppies energy is fullproof 
  10. When selecting a puppy make sure it matches or is lower than the lowest energy member of your household, including other dogs
  11. Dogs speak in energy 24/7 and they can tell you more about another dog or person's energy than any man-made contraption
  12. I learned the fundamentals of raising dogs from the best teachers there are mother dogs. There is no better blueprint for leader ship and watching how a mother raises her later in the wild see how she guides that supports them teaches them and instills discipline 
  13. An expecting mother demands great respect and status from her pack
  14. Almost immediately, you can tell which of the puppies are dominant, medium energy, or low energy. The dominant ones will take over and lead if they don’t get guidance and rules set by the mother. They need this early on or they won’t be able to lead balanced and healthy lives 
  15. Keep a puppy safe but never rescue them. If you pick them up and comfort them every time they’re scared, they’ll never develop self confidence and will forever be dependent on you 
  16. When you were a pack leader everything you do whether consciously or subconsciously is picked up on by the rest of the pack. It gets stored into their internal database and helps shape how they think and behave
  17. When you are a pack leader, everything you do - whether consciously or subconsciously - is picked up on by the rest of the pack. Let’s get stored into their internal database and help shape how they think and behave. You have to pay attention to every interaction you have with them, especially in this earliest weeks 
  18. Silent, calm, and assertive energy is far more impactful and effective than cooing over them or anything else. The energy you share with your puppy will eventually become their energy 
  19. Never comfort a whining puppy. This is very difficult for humans to do but if we don’t let he puppy work it out by itself, we are hampering it’s long term growth 
  20. Puppies are very perceptive in knowing what triggers you and they will use this against you if they want attention. Dogs and kids will sometimes seek negative attention over no attention
  21. You have to speak in the dogs language if you expect it to listen and learn from you. Calm energy, noises to represent displeasure and pleasure, immediately correcting bad behavior and then showing it good behavior. No amount of yelling and hand waving will change a dogs behavior since they don’t understand what you’re getting at 
  22. Before attempting any sort of training, first make the connection and then learn how to communicate. Only then will training be effective 
  23. As the pack leader, You often have to rise above you’re all emotional stuff in order to set expectations and train your puppy. It will be hard not to indulge their cuteness but it has to be done in order to train a balanced engaged member of the family
  24. When you lose patience and emotionally react, your dog is training you rather than the other way around. Stay calm and assert what you want with your energy more than your words
  25. When you lose patience and emotionally react your dog is training you rather than the other way around. Stay calm and assert what you want with your energy more than your words
  26. Dogs learn in the order: nose, eyes, ears 
  27. Training your puppy requires 4 parts: leadership, persistence, consistency, and patience 

What I got out of it

  1. Really a human management book disguised as a dog training book