season seven of Dog Whisperer Debuts Friday, October 8, at 8 PM ET/PT

(WASHINGTON, D.C. — SEPTEMBER 14, 2010) Howie Mandel may be a beloved comic and television personality, but his wife’s Chihuahua Lola is not a fan. In fact, every time Howie is around Lola she tries to attack him. If Howie could have it his way, he would never go near the dog at all. His OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) makes him content to love animals from a good, comfortable distance. No need to touch them. He does however want to be close to his wife Terry, but Lola won’t let Howie anywhere in sight of her. Before Howie gives up and declares this doggy dilemma a “No Deal,” he calls for backup.

Enter Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer — winner of the 2010 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Animal Show. When good dogs go bad — and Lola’s gone bad — Cesar steps in to save the day. Now entering its seventh season on National Geographic Channel, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan returns with 15 all-new episodes featuring canine calamity this October. No dog is too much for Cesar to handle. Cesar rehabilitates dogs and trains people. Find out how Cesar helps Howie and Terry deal with little Lola when the new season premieres Friday, October 8, at 8 PM ET/PT. The premiere is timed to the release of Cesar’s new book, Cesar’s Rules: Your Way to Train a Well-Behaved Dog, on sale Tuesday, October 5th.

The world of unfulfilled canines keeps Cesar employed with plenty of dog problems. But he encounters a whole new set of issues while working with dogs that have been crossbred with wolves. In a special episode this season, Cesar enlists the help of wolf-dog expert Jennifer McCarthy to bring balance to three canine hybrids who display the confused behaviors of a wild animal trapped in a dog’s body.

Cesar’s influence reached out of this world, literally, when he chatted with United States astronaut Suni Williams via satellite while she served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. Cesar gave Suni some long-distance coaching on how to manage her Jack Russell terrier Gorby when she returned to Earth. Now back safely back on the ground, Suni and fellow astronaut Leland Melvin invite Cesar on a tour of NASA’s mission control in Houston, Texas. It’s not all play and no work though. Cesar makes sure Leland has the “right stuff” to condition his dog Scout beyond bouts of aggressive behavior.

Cesar’s reputation for successfully rehabilitating problem pooches has made him a go-to resource for Hollywood pet owners starring in their own doggy dramas. Actress Rhona Mitra (“The Gates”, “Boston Legal”) was drawn to her French bulldog Oscar because of her fondness for pigs, seeing a resemblance. But when Oscar was attacked by a pit bull at age 4, his personality changed for the worse. He now lunges after other dogs when Rhona walks him. She enlists Cesar to help Oscar win the award for best behaved bulldog.

Wildlife expert Casey Anderson is no stranger to wild animals. He and his 900-pound black bear Brutus star in Nat Geo WILD’s series Expedition Wild, and Casey spends a good deal of his time tracking grizzly bears and other fierce predators in North America. But when it comes to the aggressive animals living in his own home, Casey is at a loss. Casey’s wife, film and television actress Missi Pyle, can’t get a handle on her two dogs, Ellie and J.J. Ellie is aggressive toward other dogs, lunging and snapping at them as they leisurely walk by. J.J. likes to join in on the fun, and once the two dogs get started they become completely uncontrollable. Missi looks to her husband for help, but even Casey’s grizzly-taming techniques don’t seem to work, and Cesar is brought in to help Missi and Casey “bear” the burden.

Meghan Plunkett, daughter of former NFL quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jim Plunkett, began caring for her brother Jimmy’s black-and-white pit bull Gotti after Jimmy unexpectedly passed away in 2008. But once she took ownership of Gotti, he started to exhibit nervous behavior and began barking and lunging at other dog walkers. Meghan’s call to Cesar for help was bittersweet. Jimmy loved watching Dog Whisperer and modeled Gotti’s training on the relationship Cesar had with his dog Daddy. In an emotional and touching story, Cesar works with Meghan and the grieving Plunkett family to help resolve Gotti’s aggression and to begin restoring his confidence and sense of calm.

Season seven features 15 new episodes beginning Friday, October 8 — returning after a summer of fan-favorite encore episodes airing every Friday night.