Finally "Hounds from Hell" is Online or Is it?

I've spent the last year checking weekly to see if our Dog Whisperer episode was available online.  I finally had stopped checking, but as of February 2019, it is available online again.  Here is the link:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/watch/ec722cfcb57306c66b03f41b8de80352/

Dog Whisperer sometimes shows up on Nat Geo or Nat Geo Wild.  The exact name is Dog Whisperer:  Hounds from Hell, Season 8, Episode 10.  Sahzi is in the second segment, about 20 minutes into the episode.

Sahzi passed away in April 2018 after losing her fight with a cancerous mouth tumor.  This is the final post "she" wrote on her Facebook page:

"This will probably be my last post. I had a lovely time with my family. First we lived in Huntington Beach where I got to fetch the ball with Cattle Dog Zeke and play in the waves at the beach with my human siblings. I went on long jogs with dad. I met Cesar Millan and was on the Dog Whisperer, although I always thought the "Hounds from Hell" episode title was a bit exaggerated. Later, we moved to the mountains of northern Arizona, where I got to play in the snow and loved hiding the ball in the snow with my paws. There were too many mountain hikes to count. My cats Spatz and Azcot were my best friends. My cat Maize liked to run around the yard with me, but then she would bop me on the nose whenever she felt like it, but that was all part of the game. Thor liked to copy me and chase me, but I could beat him up whenever I wanted, and he knew it! Mostly, I loved to sit with my mom on the couch and cuddle no matter where we lived. We loved each other very much."

Sahzi Poses for Photos with Cesar Millan

During the break, Cesar had to take a phone call.  My son Grant took the opportunity to ask me if he could get a picture with Cesar.  That reminded me that I hadn’t taken many pictures of Cesar with Sahzi.   When Cesar finished his call, he posed with Grant then sat in a dining room chair and picked my very large dog up in his lap.  He said that picking her up was an excellent exercise to show her we were the boss and that she could trust us.  She wasn’t too sure.  It took him a few minutes to get her settled down.  Junior came up and gave her some nice kisses.  Cesar told me Sahzi had decided Junior was her special friend while she was with Cesar.  He thought that since she had met Junior at our house originally, he was a reminder of home.

Mr. President, Cesar's bulldog, was also watching while I took pictures.  The sound man told me they didn’t know how this new companion of Cesar’s was going to work out.  He had found a ball and was walking around the house making very loud snorting noises the whole time.  They weren’t sure how the snorts and snuffles would affect the sound quality of the filming.

Cesar and Sahzi: That's a Wrap

Cesar, Sahzi, Mike, and Robin Near the End of the Day

Just a few (or many) random things that come to mind at the end of the main day of filming:

When our contact called me two weeks ago, he said they might call back on very short notice early the following week.  I spent the weekend, decluttering the house.  Mike didn’t spend the weekend decluttering the yard.  On Monday, they called to say they would be there on Thursday.  I had my cleaning service come on Wednesday for a downstairs only cleaning. Mike took Wednesday off to work on the yard and still got in a game of golf.

It’s amazing how quickly you can paint your ratty looking threshold when you’re in a hurry.   I washed it Monday night with TSP.  I painted it Tuesday morning before work. 

For all the interviews, they used high folding stools.  I think it’s easier to stage a scene from a higher vantage.

The crew loved the electrical outlets in our newly remodeled house.  An outlet is required every 6 feet and I’ve got a lot of surge protectors around the house, too.  They did not like the look of the outlets in the kitchen where the outlets are required every 4 feet.  They were propping things up in front of them until I took over and brought in some nice vases and silk flowers.

We have just a few south facing windows that let in lots of light this time of year.  The blocked the windows with black fabric hung from racks.  Are those called grips?  They also liked it that we had dimmers on most lights.  Sometimes they changed the color of a shot with colored spotlights, especially blue.

They liked having the interviews from different angles.  Mike was in the living room, I was in the kitchen, we talked to Cesar in our dining room.  Cesar was debriefed in the living room, but maybe with a different camera angle.  Mike and I were filmed in the family room with my dining room sconces in the background. 

Before we consulted with Cesar in the dining room, they moved the table into the middle of the room.  One camera was over our left shoulder looking at Cesar, and one camera was behind Cesar’s left should looking at us.  Su Ann, the director, gave the directions for close-ups to the cameramen before we started talking.

When Cesar got to our house, they were setting up the dining room.  I think that’s when he was getting his makeup on.  Just before they started filming at the table, they powdered Mike and me.  I want to be a makeup lady.  I think she worked about an hour and got paid to be there all day.  That’s a cushy job.

Filming us working with Sahzi was very hard work for the cameramen.  They have to who Cesar, show Sahzi, show our expressions when we’re watching, and get out of the way in the hallways.  Cesar had to keep telling me to not worry about the cameramen because I was trying not to bump into them.  He said it’s their job to get out of the way.

The crew was so kind and polite all day.  I never heard any foul language and they made sure our house was back to normal afterward.  Several of them were in their early to mid-twenties, but they were the ones dealing with the heavy light stands and the cameras.

The microphones are clipped to your waistband and a wire run to your neckline.  They use moleskin to stick it to your clothing.  If you don’t know what moleskin is, you were never a Scout or a hiker.  We all agreed it is getting harder and harder to find.  They said when they do find some at a drug store, they buy out the store.

The crew has an RV which has all Cesar’s equipment and food for the day.  It arrived with half the crew at 8:30 am.  The rest of the crew arrived within a few minutes.  Cesar came around 11:00 for the consultation and stayed until about 4:00.  The crew left around 5:00.

Cesar just does what he does and the crew just follows along.  None of us knew he was going to invite Sahzi to the Dog Psychology Center until he did during filming near the end.  Su Ann isn’t sure if Cesar will come back to our house to pick her up or if we’ll drive up to Saugus near Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita.  I love the way Cesar says, “Santa Clarita” with his Mexican accent.

During the consultation, I told Cesar that people at the park often insist that they should be allowed to pet Sahzi.  Even when I tell them no, they’ll tell me that they watch the Dog Whisperer and know how.  Cesar said that just shows that they don’t pay attention to the show. Cesar told us we should never take a dog like Sahzi to Beverly Hills.  Everyone there feels entitled to pet every dog.  He said we should take her to South Central Los Angeles.  The Mexicans would never think to pet someone else’s dog.

Mike tried some Spanish out on Cesar.  Cesar corrected him.

During our interviews, Su Ann sat right next to the camera and asked questions.  We’re supposed to rephrase the question because they’ll edit her voice out.  Sometimes I’d forget the question because I’d be paying attention to her keeping her hair away from the lens instead of listening.  If we did well, she’d give us thumbs up, otherwise, she’d rephrase the question.

Sometimes she’d have the cameraman do a “POV” shot from Sahzi’s point of view such as walking out the dog door to the fountain to get a drink.  During filming, they also took lots of still pictures with a simple digital camera.

During one break, she told the cameraman to get a shot of Sahzi’s cat friend.  I had no idea where Spatz was, but I found him sleeping soundly on our bed.  He woke up and stared at the camera for a while.  I brought the dog in and she jumped on the bed, which made Spatz jump down.  While Sahzi stared nervously at the camera, I pick Spatz up and put him back on the bed.  The cameraman filmed Sahzi staring at the camera while Spatz walked over her feet.  I hope that makes it in to the episode.

After Cesar “left” the house for the camera, he came back in and signed autographs and let us take pictures with him.  I’ll try to get a picture of him with Sahzi next time we see him.  

They have episodes ready to air through July.  Ours will probably be on sometime this fall, and I will let you all know.  They are going to give us a DVD of the episode for free after it airing.  We’ll definitely have a get together at the house on the night it airs.

Cesar Teaches Us the Finer Points of Walking an Insecure Sahzi

Sahzi Nips Cesar's German Shepherd Puppy

When Sahzi and I go for a walk, she feels she has to protect me from all my neighbors and their dogs.  She and our other dog Zeke walked fine together when we first got her, then she started her “charge and retreat” act.  When a stranger or dog approaches, she lunges, barks, shows her teeth, sometimes nips, and then runs back.  She used to do this with most dogs, and young or elderly people, but now it can be anyone.  There may be very little warning.  A dog or stranger can be almost past us, the she charges.  Even when a friend comes along for the walk, she will be fine for a few minutes, then lunge, and then be fine again until the next lunge.

Cesar wants most of the walk to be serious.  Sahzi should be at my side, never in front, on a very short leash, but held loosely like a purse.  If she stops to look, sniff, turn away, a short jerk to the side is all I should give for correction.  Usually she is on my left, so the leash should be in my left hand, and jerked quickly to the right.  A quick bend at the elbow does the trick.

First, though, we had to get out the door.  He had me demonstrate preparing Sahzi for the walk.  She was excited, but sat, sort of, while I put her leash on.  I had her sit at the door until I released her to go outside.  Cesar told me, That was dog training, not dog psychology.”  She was very alert and not calm at all even though she was sitting.  He wanted her to be happy and excited, but not too excited, before the walk.  He said, “Right now she’s a 10.  We want her to be a 5.”

So sitting before we go out wasn’t what she needed.  We need to wait together at the door until she is relaxed enough, even bored enough, to exit at a nice even pace.  It took several very long tries until Cesar said it was good enough, but not perfect.

We started to walk.  Earlier he mentioned that he had seen me walking her with the cameraman during the morning.  She was too far ahead and too much in control.  I mentioned that I was confused by exactly what to do with Sahzi.  I have seen him allow timid dogs to take the lead during the walk.  I have seen him use a small, quick kick from the side and behind to correct dogs.  He told me that is why the show always says not to try this at home without consulting a professional.  Different dogs need different techniques.  It was so wonderful having Cesar there to answer my specific questions and tailor the process just for Sahzi.  Since she is so insecure, he said I should never use the little kick since we want her to trust me completely.  She does need to remain slightly behind my lead so that she knows I’m taking charge and can be confident in my alpha role.

Walking with Cesar was the strangest event of the day.  Here we are, Mike, Sahzi, and I, calmly walking next to a well known celebrity while two cameramen walk backwards in front of us, a sound man holds a boom mic over our heads, the director and one more technician follow at a discreet distance.  Several high school track teams are practicing for distance and we turned a lot of heads.

We walked from the house through the park over to the lake. Mike asked if taking her near the dog park fence was a good way to teach her not to “fence fight.”  Cesar said, yes, let’s go.  First we walked near the small dog park.  We all agreed laughingly that this section would have the noisiest dogs.  Several of the small dogs came to the fence to fence to sniff, but no barking.  Sahzi just kept her even pace which is quite unusual.  All the dog owners in the dog park were frozen in place staring at Cesar with slack jaws.  As one little blonde terrier barked and came running up, the owner yelled, “Sorry, Cesar.”  Cesar called back, “You are helping us.  Thanks.”

No fence fighting so we continued to the fence in front of the large dog park.  One of the cameramen, Chris, went inside to follow our progress from the other side of the fence.  No dogs even noticed us, though the slack-jawed stares from owners continued and all conversation within the park stopped.  Then Chris, walking backwards, tripped over a fire hydrant near the fence.  The crew all laughed and gave him hard time, asking if the camera was okay because he could easily be replaced.  He was embarrassed but fine.

As we got near the entrance, a husky mix started barking loudly at our little group.  The cameras turned to the husky.   We all thought Cesar would take the opportunity to use this dog to work with Sahzi and what a lucky owner the lady nearby was.  Instead the lady, I use the term loosely, yelled at the cameramen to stop photographing her.  They turned their cameras away and she continued to yell at them to move and get away from her.  As this was a public park, they didn’t move, and we all just stood there looking at her.  She finally went in to the park muttering, “Stupid people.”  We all laughed and Cesar mentioned that some humans really don’t want to be trained.

When we got back to the edge of the park near our house, Cesar asked his staff to bring Junior and another dog over to the park.  Junior and an adorable three-and-a-half-month old German shepherd puppy came over.  The puppy had huge paws and one floppy ear.  He immediately went to say hello to Sahzi who gave him a bark and nip.  Cesar got between them, helped me correct Sahzi and said it was fine because all puppies are naïve and need to learn to read dog body language.

We started walking again.  I had to keep an eye on Sahzi and correct her if she started showing signs of going after the other two dogs, but if I kept too close a watch, Cesar told me to look up and relax.  I’ve heard him say this on his show and finally got to tell him that I found it very difficult to watch, not watch, be ready, but be relaxed all at the same time.  He said I was right, and it was difficult but just takes practice and knowing your dog and feeling the dog’s body language through the relaxed leash.  He said the more relaxed I hold the leash, the more I’ll be able to feel.

As we walked back all three dogs in “our pack” were very content and Sahzi was very comfortable.  He passed Junior’s leash on to me.  I felt like I had my Zeke back.  (Zeke was my wonderful red cattle dog who passed away in August.)

When we got to the grass at the edge of the park, Cesar said they could all have a good sniff time now.  The dogs sniffed the grass, ate the grass, did their business, and relaxed.  He suggested that if a walk is 60 minutes, take the first 40 minutes for serious walking, then take 10 minutes to relax, then another 10 minutes serious walking back to the house.

In front of the house, Cesar mentioned that he would like us to work with Sahzi for a few weeks until she is no longer afraid of her house, then he will take her to his Dog Psychology Center in Saugus to socialize her with his pack since she has no social skills.

Then he walked back to his RV for the camera and a very exhausted Sahzi got to go back to her home.

Cesar Takes Sahzi through the Scary Hallways

Cesar, Junior, and Mr. President help Sahzi Relax

While filming our Dog Whisperer episode on January 13, 2011, the second phobia of Sahzi's Cesar tackled was her fear of certain hallways.   You can see a brief shot of her circling in our hallway at 28 seconds in this preview video.

Sahzi refuses to go in certain rooms and has to scurry through certain hallways when she does get up the nerve.  Cesar told us that Sahzi is insecure about everything which is different from being fearful.   If we can get her feeling safe and comfortable in her own house, she may get over her fears of her water dish and eating her food in tight quarters.

First Cesar had to get her on a leash.  He uses a lightweight nylon leash similar to a show lead which is just a ribbon of nylon with a metal loop on one end.  You pass the leash through the loop and have a ring for the dog that can tighten or loosen like a choke chain.

He made a large loop and tried to slide it over Sahzi’s head… for about two minutes.  One of our chairs swivels and Sahzi kept going around it.  Every time Cesar thought he had her cornered, she nudgef the chair and slid through.  She looks much larger than she is because of her thick coat.  Mike and I both found this very entertaining to watch, and I hope it makes it to broadcast.  Cesar never said anything during this process, and finally he had her on the leash.  

Then he asked his crew to bring his pit bull Junior inside.  Junior took over as his doggie sidekick when Daddy the red pit bull passed away last summer.  Junior is solid gray with white socks and very muscular; he has a very sweet disposition.  First he let them meet.  Sahzi was very curious, but did not do her standard nip with Junior.  That confirmed Cesar’s diagnosis that Sahzi was just insecure not fearful.   After a brief sniffing exchange Junior was looped with the other end of the leash and the two were tied together with about one to two feet of leash between them. 

Hurdle number one for Sahzi was the space between our dining room table and the kitchen counter which leads to the front hallway and living room.  She is fine in all of this area except a small section right where the kitchen counter begins.  To go through this section of the house, she will usually circle several times, always clockwise, then scoot through.  A few steps later, she’ll be normal.

Cesar walks through the hallway and told Junior to bring Sahzi through.   Junior led the way.  Sahzi started to follow him, then sat and pulled back.  Junior stopped.  Cesar urged him again to no avail.  Cesar said, “Junior, you’re a pit bull.”  He later confided to me that Daddy wouldn’t have been stopped by Sahzi – I think he misses the big red dog.

Cesar went to the dogs and, only touching Junior, led them through.  He told us that he wanted Sahzi to learn from Junior, another dog, that there was nothing to fear in the hallway.  They repeated walking back and forth several times until Sahzi would follow Junior with no problem.

Then Cesar took the leash from Junior and his crew returned Junior to the RV out front.  Then Cesar walked Sahzi through the hallway over and over.  Whenever she started to quicken her pace, he purposely slowed it down. 

He then gave me the leash and told me to do it.  I had to hold the leash very gently straight over her head.  Cesar explained that to Sahzi, our house was an obstacle course.  She saw fence number one in this spot, even though none of the rest of us saw it.

Once she was comfortable going over “fence number one” with the leash, I released the leash and had her follow me back and forth with the leash dragging behind us.  Then we were ready for “fence number two:”  the hallway to the bedroom.  Sahzi used to go through this hallway with lots of circling and urging, but now she’ll only go through it on a leash.  This is how I get her to the bedroom to sleep for the night.  She will exit the hallway with only minor hesitation but never enter it.

Cesar, one camera man, Mike and I all accompanied Sahzi through the hallway and into the bedroom.  Whenever she tried to speed up or switch from the left to the right, Cesar stopped or slowed down and stayed in control.  Then it was my turn.  Repetition was definitely the key.  I also had to hold the leash just over her head.  If I tried to pull from behind, Cesar said that just made her mind resist more.  Eventually, she was going through the hallway with the leash and when I dropped the leash.

“Fence number three” was our back bedroom.  When Sahzi first came to live with us, she saw my two older cats in this room, so to her it was the “cat room” and dogs weren’t allowed.  Cesar called it the “cat room” all day.  We led her into the room, out of the room, into our bedroom, down the hallway, up the hallway, always changing it up and slowing down if she wanted to rush.  He also taught me to use my legs to block her if she got nervous and tried to go in any direction that I didn’t want her to go.  She has certain sides of the hallway that are less scary at certain points, so she would often try to dart between me and the right or left wall.  Eventually, she was able to do walk steadily where we wanted her to with the leash dragging behind her.  She had never been in the “cat room” without a leash so that was a huge triumph for the day.  (When you have a dog as obsessive as Sahzi, you really savor the little victories.)

All day, Cesar kept encouraging us to “love her up” whenever she completed a task up to par.  At the very end, he walked her to the piano and sat down.  She was nervous but willing to stay with him.  At this point, he told us to never give her affection when she is nervous, but to give her back a slow massage to help her relax.  If she relaxed, then she could have affection which to Sahzi is the highest praise.

Cesar Helps our Dog Sahzi with her Fear of the Piano

Sahzi doesn't even notice the piano when no one is near it.

Sahzi didn’t used to mind the piano.  Grant used to play, Lisa used to play.  One of their friends was an amazing ragtime player.  She was never upset by the piano.  Then in November, I began to play to prepare for leading the caroling team at church.  Now, if I or anyone, including the cat Spatz, goes towards the piano, Sahzi runs outside to escape.

The first part of Sahzi's "rehabilitation" during the filming our Dog Whisperer episode on January 13, 2011, involved the piano. Cesar asked if Sahzi was motivated by food or play.  Sahzi doesn’t really care about food.  Raw meat slightly motivates her, but not enough to go into the kitchen.  So, it’s play.  Cesar noticed that Sahzi reacted much more to me than to Mike, so he told me to get a ball, show it to her, and try to get her excited.  This was very difficult with all the cameras, lights, and sound men around the house.  The director Su Ann and one cameraman, Chris, were up the stairs trying to be inconspicuous.  (During the filming throughout the day, Su Ann gave quiet suggestions like telling Cesar to pull down his shirt in back because it’s riding up.)

Cesar explained the process.  We were going to teach Sahzi to associate happiness and play time with he piano.  She would only get the ball when someone played the piano and she either stayed or came back inside.   

I showed Sahzi the ball and walked behind the couch toward the piano trying to hold her attention.  As soon as I opened the piano, she ran outside through the pet door.  We waited for her to return.  She looked at us all through the patio door for awhile.  I asked Cesar if I could encourage her to come in.  He had me call her, but she did not get the ball.  He wanted her to come in on her own rather than only doing it in response to a command.

Then Cesar parodied, in his humorous way, how intense I was being.  I was showing her the ball and watching her every movement with very serious eyes.  I wasn’t assuming she would do it.  It was Cesar’s comedic way to emphasize what not to do.  He demonstrated that I should show her the ball, then turn, and calmly walk to the piano.

She went out, came in, and got the ball thrown to her, but she didn’t really catch it, since she was so uncertain.  Cesar continued the exercise at least a dozen times, until Sahzi was catching the ball and not even going outside each time the piano is played.

He stressed that we should do this every day, and keep the timing very random.  Sometimes, we should wait one second, sometimes three, sometimes play a few keys again, and sometimes sit down.

Obsessive dogs will start to demand to play ball every time the piano is touched or even try to play the piano themselves to get the ball reward.  And Sahzi can be obsessive.

Cesar Rehabilitaties Sahzi, the Beginning

My Beautiful, Quirky Belgian Tervuren named Sahzi

On January 13, 2011, Cesar Millan and the Dog Whisperer crew came to our house in Huntington Beach, California, to film an episode segment.  This blog shares details about our TV adventure.

Cesar is even nicer and more knowledgeable in person.  It was so hard to listen to all his wisdom while your house is filled with eight crew members, cameras, lights, microphones, etc.  I kept finding my mind drifting to thoughts like, “Cesar Milan is here in my house.”  Then I would have to refocus my thoughts and listen to what he was saying.   This was much worse outside when the cameramen are walking backwards in front of you and people are staring and noticing that Cesar Millan is walking your dog.

When the crew arrived at 8:30, they filmed Sahzi doing her silly behaviors, such as being afraid of hallways, her water dish, and the piano.  She obliged like a true starlet, although she was not afraid of the stairs today.

They interviewed me in the kitchen and asked me lots of questions about my dog-owner background and Sahzi.  Mike had to stay secluded upstairs while they did this so he wouldn’t hear my answers.

They interviewed Mike in his man-cave (formerly known as the living room), asking similar but different questions.  I also had to go upstairs so I wouldn’t hear.

Then after rearranging some furniture, Cesar arrived and asked, “How may I help you today?”  We talked for about 30 minutes while they filmed.

They all went to lunch and gave us and Sahzi an hour or so break.  It’s about 12:30 and we started at 8:30.

At about 1:30, we welcome Cesar to our home, again, and he starts working with Sahzi.  First he asks if she is play or food motivated.  Since she could care less about eating, I say play.  Using a tennis ball, Cesar shows me how to divert and reward her while I play the piano.  He mocks, in a friendly and funny way, what I’m doing wrong until I do it correctly.

Then we start walking Sahzi through the scary hallways of the house.  Cesar brings his pit bull Junior inside to help.  Junior and Sahzi are tied together with a leash.  Sahzi stops and Junior can’t tug her through the hallway.  Cesar works with Junior until he can lead Sahzi through.  Then she graduates to human leadership and finally to my leadership.

We then move to scary hallway #2, the “cat room” (formerly known as my mom’s room, the music room, or the back bedroom), and the kitchen.  This probably takes us more than an hour, but Sahzi is doing marvelously.

Because Sahzi is so timid and insecure, he never once shushes her with that normal sound he makes.  When she shows little success, we are taught to reward her lavishly with affection.  I mention how different this is that what I see him do normally on TV.  He mentions that this is why people shouldn’t try complicated training at home because they don’t always know what works for some dogs.

During a short break for the crew, Cesar sits with us and jokes with us.  He’s really funny.   An example, I mention some of the training materials a dog trainer used this summer like Feta Cheese and Whipped Cream.  Cesar laughs and then starts envisioning broadening his dog supply product empire with Cesar Millan Feta Cheese and Cesar Millan Whipped Cream.

When the crew is rested, we take a few more in-close shots:  me playing piano chords, Sahzi and Spatz hanging out together, wiggling my fingers in the one water dish she will drink from.

Then we go for a walk in the park, just me, Mike, Sahzi, Cesar, the director, two camera men, one sound man with a boom mic, and one or two others.  Everyone stares and gapes as they recognize Cesar.

We walk by the dog park to try to get some dogs to “fence fight” but only a few of the small dogs oblige which we all agree is typical.

When we return to the house, Cesar mentions that he wants us to work daily with Sahzi on decreasing her fears around the house with the hallways and the piano.  Once she is less fearful in her own home, she will be ready to come to his Dog Psychology Center in Saugus, California (near Magic Mountain in Santa Clarita).  Once she is more confident, he will teach her dog social skills for one or two weeks at the center.

Then Mike and I return to the Cone of Silence while they debrief Cesar on camera.  Then Cesar signs copies of his book which I purchased for me and Grant, Chad, and Lisa.  His crew takes some pictures.  Sahzi is too exhausted to participate in that activity.

After Cesar leaves, they debrief Mike and I together with a new angle in the house and more rearranged furniture.  They collect their equipment and leave.  We flop on the couch, exhausted, with Sahzi.

Details to follow.