Cesar Millan Gives Update on New Season of 'Better Human, Better Dog' Plus His Best Training Tips

Cesar Millan is one of the most sought-after authorities in the field of dog behavior and rehabilitation. With over 25 years of expertise, he's a best selling author and  a three time Emmy nominated acclaimed star with hit TV series broadcasted and streamed in over 120 countries.

ParadePets caught up with Millan to ask him what fans can expect from the latest season of Better Human, Better Dog and how we can be better dog parents to our own fur babies. This interview has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

ParadePets: You’ve been doing this for over 20 years. Has your training philosophy changed during that time?

My training philosophy has always been the same. I don't think I can change the philosophy because I follow what I know the animals follow - which is an energy which is the philosophy which is dog psychology and then the actions. So that I can never change. The only way I change is the way I help people. Because after 20 years on TV, it allows me to know how we humans learn, how we humans process things, and also how we can be influenced by our traditions and our culture.

So by me teaching in Europe is not the same thing as me teaching people in Asia. I have to help them relate to things they all ready know, so I can teach what I teach which is energy, philosophy, actions. So the only thing that has changed with me, I will say, is I am a much better human teacher in the fact that I have met different cultures.

ParadePets : What’s one thing you still wish pet parents understood about their dogs?

Well, dogs follow a certain law - the law of energy, the law of silence, the law of confidence, the law of love, the law of joy, and they also follow their natural way of seeing the world which is -if we all understand dogs have their own psychology then we would have a much better communication. In reality, what we just need to naturally understand is how to connect, communicate, so we can have the relationship we all want and that accomplishment is trust, respect and love, mutual.

ParadePets : What are some of the biggest mistakes you see people making when trying to train their dogs?

The reason why I don't train dogs or advertise as a dog trainer is I always say I train humans to rehabilitate dogs. So training for me will be after I gain trust, respect, and love. After I connect with the spirit of a dog. After I connect with the instincts of a dog. After I connect with the heart of a dog. Then I can train their mind, because what you end up training is the mind of a dog. And what you want to train is how we normally want to communicate. Like that's how we use words and commands like sit, down, stay, come. So that is more for the humans, the training part is more what the human wants.

Can we live without a dog being trained? Of course. Me growing up in Mexico, the dogs I lived with, they were not trained. But I had the connection and the communication, I had the relationship. That's why we were able to walk off leash, and that's all I saw growing up in Mexico. The dog wasn't trained. We just earned the respect and love and trust of the dog.

ParadePets : What can we expect on the upcoming season of Better Human, Better Dog ?

Related: Dog Expert Cesar Millan: 6 Reasons to Love Pit Bulls

I think this is where I have to give all of the honor to the casting, the people who do the casting are amazing, they are casting people that I've never worked with cases that I have never seen in my life and so it's always new. I have done television for 20 years but it doesn't feel the same. It's always different. That's absolutely thanks to the casting.

ParadePets : What are your top 3 tips for new pet parents on how to ensure a well-behaved dog?

Number one, understand energy, understand the five different energies. Silence, calmness, confidence, love, and joy. Number two, adopt a dog that is compatible to your energy. And number three, understand that this relationship can last 15, 20 years, and the level of responsibility that it takes to be there for our dogs. Be ready with the integrity, the commitment that it takes to be a pet parent.

ParadePets : What advice do you have for pet parents who have older pets with behavior issues that were never corrected? Is it ever too late to fix?

I have rehabilitated dogs that are old like 12, 13 years old, and they were capable to do the homework. And the homework is always the dog isn't getting enough physical exercise, so they become bored, the dog not getting clear rules or limitations, or not using his mind to learn something new, because the dog gets bored, that's how they become frustrated. So the combination of boredom and frustration can cause confusion. And the days accumulated of confusion will make them unhappy. Too many days of being unhappy will make them chaotic. Even if you haven't done it for 10 years, if you give a dog a lifestyle that will be better, this is what we call rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation means the dog now feels safe and peace and love. The dog can be trusted, can be respected, can be loved, so then the human feels free right? So is it ever too late? Well if the mind isn't participating or the body is not up for the challenge, that's the only time I can say I think we are late on the help. But if a dog can walk and the mind is still sharp? Absolutely. Actually with older dogs I like to put them in the pool and one of the advantages is that they are going to get tired, sooner. The whole point is just to get rid of the pent up energy. That energy doesn't benefit anyone. So yes, I have done dogs in the beautiful golden era.

Thanks to Cesar Millan for taking the time to answer all of our questions.

" Cesar Millan: Better Human, Better Dog " airs on the National Geographic Channel and streams on Hulu and Disney+.