We all know Cesar Millan and his remarkable way with dogs. His reality TV show, The Dog Whisperer, debuted in 2004 and has made him a nearly household name since then.

He’s even got his own website where you can read about his advice and methods used on the show.

The Dog Whisperer has shown time and time again that he’s the one to call when your pooch is misbehaving.

Even now, going back to watch his past success with problematic dogs is a welcome learning experience.

Like with this German Shepherd, Ovechkin.

Ovechkin has anger issues.

That’s why this feisty Shepherd has posed problems for his family. He growls, snaps, and presumably, bites when he feels like it.

The dog hasn’t learned to respect boundaries. The very reason being that he thinks he’s the only one who gets to have boundaries.

And teaching boundaries to a large, protective breed with a habit of snapping is easier said than done. That’s where Cesar comes in.

In fact, as Cesar approaches the home, he warns his crew not to stick too close to him. Ovechkin might think a large group means trouble, and that’ll make things harder.

He explains the root of the problem pretty simply: Ovechkin has adopted much of the house as his territory.

If he doesn’t approve of someone stepping into it, he’ll be sure to let them know. That usually involves growling and snapping.

Cesar’s plan is simple but clever.

Ovechkin needs to know what it’s like to not have territory.

He took a muzzled Ovechkin to his own home and got to work. Once they were there, Cesar removed the muzzle and it was like Ovechkin flipped a switch.

Just a while ago, he was baring teeth and getting ready to bite. Now, he was quiet as a mouse and clearly uncomfortable.

But that was just the start.

Rehabilitation takes work, time, and progress. Cesar was ready to employ some of his other methods. The first of those was a boundaries exercise.

Ovechkin is told to sit in a corner, with an electric fan beside him. We know pets dislike being cornered next to noisy electronics, and that’s the idea. It makes them feel small and out of their comfort zone.

And just for good measure, Cesar brings out a walking stick too. Not for whacking or playing fetch, mind you.

He uses its reach to communicate what a healthy distance is to the dog.

“Ovechkin is no longer in his territory. So when I removed his muzzle, he didn’t attack. But I need him to surrender to me so I can begin his rehabilitation.”

“Once you take away what they are aggressive about, in this case his territory and owner, they completely change. They change dramatically. So now we can say we tamed the beast.”

Now the more complex exercises begin.

Cesar can’t do this in any old house. He needed the perfect place for some dog rehab, and where better than the dog psychology center?

Ovechkin was in for some long overdue obedience lessons.

What the camera crew didn’t expect was for Cesar to ask them to participate. Looks like some extra hands were really needed for this one.

The task was simple.

Form a circle and don’t let Ovechkin go inside it. That circle is their intimate space, and the dog needs to know he can’t just intrude through it.

To help the exercise, each of them had a container with food in it.

Even as Ovechkin circled and casually sized them up, the crew made sure to stand as solid as pillars.

And to really get the point across to Ovechkin, they got down and offered the other dogs some food, but were not to give any to the German Shepherd.

Cesar recommended they use commanding, simple gestures to discourage the dog.

Body language is everything, and Cesar told one crew member not to deny the dog food by backing up. That’ll just entice Ovechkin to overstep into the intimate space, he says.

“If he comes to the food, you can open it, but he’s not allowed to touch it.”

“The level of energy you put into the communication is going to allow him to understand what you want.”

Now, Cesar removes the muzzle from Ovechkin, much to the anxiety of some of the crew. Though they’d soon learn that Cesar would never put them in harm’s way.

Muzzles off

They do the same exercise again with his muzzle off, and just like that, Ovechkin has learned boundaries.

One of the crew, Gabe, knelt down as Ovechkin walked towards the food.

With a simple, calm gesture of the hand, he tells the dog that the food isn’t for him. And of course, Ovechkin walked away without snarling or snapping.

Ovechkin was now on his way to becoming the family dog he needed to be, and it’s all thanks to the Dog whisperer’s years of expertise.

See how Cesar tames Ovechkin in the video below!

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Source: Dabl on Youtube, Cesarsway.com