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Are you a pack leader? Can you lead like one? Need help? You are in luck- Nat Geo’s Cesar Millan has just released a 3 dvd set, Lead Like Cesar that teaches you to become the leader of your own pack. According to Cesar, if you feed your dog before yourself or follow the dog out the door, your dog is leading you. The dvd box set is currently available on his website, along with a special dvd Tool Kit and Illusion collar for $100, plus shipping. However,for one lucky winner Karma Dogs has the 3 DVD set available for $1!

Donate $1 (or more) to Karma Dogs between now and November 26th via paypal to enter to win a copy of the dvd box set (sorry, no bonus dvd or collar). At the end of November, we will select one transaction (by transaction number) to be the winner.

Next up, Dirk and I will review the entire box set. And I promise, we will have opinions!

Update: Please note this box set is not appropriate for gifting, as the plastic as been torn.

Or at least his ad agency likes us. I am not sure how we even got on his radar, but they contacted us to review their new dvd set, Lead Like Cesar.

I purchased his first dvd when it first came out years ago. It was basically a video taped seminar, with lots of useful information. I like the show, for the most part, and think he can be really helpful in curbing bad dog owners. However, disclaimer or no disclaimer, I do wish Cesar would never mention a few things again:

Alpha Rolls: This is where you roll the dog over and hold them on their back so you are showing the dog you are in charge. Why is this bad? Bullying a dog is no way to teach them who is boss. Sure, they may like you now, but wait until later and their play for power involves their teeth. Plus, it is an easy way to get hurt. There are much better ways to be the pack leader than to alpha roll your pal.

Flooding: This is where you teach a dog to not be afraid of something by “flooding” them with whatever scares them. Sure, they may get over the shiny floors, but you may get hurt in the process. And you are certainly asking for trouble if you skateboard over your dog’s head to show he is no longer afraid of wheels. Gradually shaping a dog’s behavior to accept certain things is a safer way to go.

Telling people to use treadmills: Cesar himself now knows how easily it is for a dog to become injured if left on a treadmill unsupervised. Take your dog for a good, old fashioned walk.

Those things aside, Cesar has a lot of good points. People often think their pets are children and they aren’t. Being a strong pack leader is a great way to show your dogs that you love them. Teaching people how dogs interpret us humans is wonderful. Plus I do love watching his show.

The best part? After I weigh in with my final opinion of his new DVD set, I have one to raffle off to help raise money for Karma Dogs. In the mean time, I am ready to sit down with Dirk and watch all 3.5 hours of Lead Like Cesar. We’ll let you know what we think!

Today was the BARCStoberfest, a festival in Patterson Park that benefitted BARCS, a shelter downtown. In case you haven’t noticed, Baltimore has a lot of pit bulls. They are everywhere. Today at the festival was no different. They were all over the place- dressed in tutus, as angels, bugs, pumpkins, lambs and superheros. They were amazing! Not one of them snarled, snapped or even barked at other dogs. And there were a lot of other dogs at the festival! Any dog could have been hard pressed to keep their wits about them with all of the strange sights and smells and dogs everywhere. I had a great vantage point too, right next to all of the food vendors. I did not see one Pit misbehave. Most of the dogs were excellently behaved. Only a few acted up and that was probably due to the bad owners at the end of the long flexi-leashes who were ignoring their pooches. Good job Baltimore Pit Owners! Thanks for showing people the true personality of the breed!