Dogs, like their human counterparts, are not always perfect. And that is your fault! No, really. “When I started my journey, I wanted to teach people that there’s no such thing as a bad dog,” says the so-called “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan. But there are bad pet parents—even if they don’t mean to be. For his new NatGeo show Better Human Better Dog, Millan is helping pet parents better understand the connection that dogs have with their humans, and how our actions can influence just how well, or poorly, our pups behave.
The 10-episode series couldn’t come at a better time, as the past year has seen an enormous rise in the number of pet adoptions. And as anyone who has ever rescued a pup knows, the details on where a dog came from and what sort of conditions it lived in are often a guess at best. So building trust with your pooch is the first step in creating a happy home life. But no two dogs are alike, nor are their specific needs. In Better Human Better Dog, Millan will feature some of the toughest and most unique post-pandemic cases he has encountered. According to a press release:
“Transformations include cases like Goliath, a dog that was once so unpredictably aggressive he blocked paramedics from entering his home during a family emergency. He is now a medical companion animal, able to seek assistance when his owner suffers a seizure. Also, follow Insta-famous Ducky the Yorkie as he em‘barks’ on a journey with Cesar to gain comfort and composure with his second owner so that the newlyweds can finally pursue their dreams of starting a family. A rottweiler named Kuma is also transformed from an unstable liability to a calm, confident member of a family with five young children. To complement his efforts, Cesar’s own exotic animal ‘paw’sonal assistants pitch in to assist in the rehabilitation process—including llamas, a parrot and a miniature horse—all full-time residents of the Dog Psychology Center.”
(Those puns are all NatGeo’s.)
Better Human Better Dog will premiere on National Geographic and Nat Geo WILD on Friday, July 30. You can watch the full trailer above.