At Cesar Millan, Inc. our goal is to make the world a better place, one dog at a time. The Ambassadors group was created to harness the power of the pack in order to make a greater difference in our world. Cesar Millan Ambassadors is a volunteer organization that helps spread the word about Cesar Millan events and products on the internet and in their community; assist in events, such as Dog Whisperer auditions or fundraisers for the Millan foundation, that are held in their area; and share their participation and outreach in their community with other pack leaders. Together, we work to build a greater awareness of our dogs’ needs and create a positive “ripple effect” in the dog community.

For more information on the Ambassador Program and to apply, click here.

CMI: How did you first learn about Cesar Millan?

RW: I have always liked dogs but in the first part of my life, I was just never in a position to provide a dog a good home. I was raised in Germany by my single, working mother and neither of us was home enough to provide the exercise and give the attention these wonderful, social animals require. Later on in life after buying a house and getting married, my wife brought 3 dogs and 2 cats along. Never really having been around dogs much before, I quickly realized that these guys clearly needed training as they went crazy each time they saw any little dog (larger ones they were fine with). I began looking around at available options.

We did enroll in a pet store training class, but realized the limitations of that approach rather quickly and I was looking for ways to better understand my dogs. I wanted to learn what goes on in their minds. I bought a couple of books and I also found a show called the ‘Dog Whisperer’ on my TiVo search for dog shows. I began watching Cesar Millan and his message of being the calm-assertive leader your dogs naturally follow, really made a lot sense to me. I started applying his lessons with my own dogs (or I should probably say to myself) and that really worked better than everything else I had tried up to this point. That impressed me, and I wanted to learn more, so I started reading Cesar’s books and watching his DVDs and learned so much from them.

CMI: What is it about his techniques and philosophies that interest you?

RW: What drew me to Cesar Millan’s techniques and philosophies - besides them just working very well - was their simplicity and naturalness. He clearly knows a lot about the true nature of dogs and can communicate very well how dogs react to us and the things we do around them. It wasn’t some theoretical stuff that ignored reality but I could see everything I read and watched with myself and my own dogs. I learned to take time out from the world when I am with my dogs and really BE with my dogs and observe them, watch their body language and see how they respond to the environment. I feel Cesar’s way has brought me a lot closer to my furry companions and enabled me to also help family, friends and neighbors with their dog challenges. I am truly fascinated by dogs and always seek to understand them better. Cesar’s way has been, and continues to be, the most insightful and beneficial approach I have come across. Cesar Millan has taught me how to better communicate with my dogs, have a deeper, more meaningful relationship and just understand them better than before.

I have since rescued several other dogs from shelters and the street; using Cesar’s approach has made a world of difference in the task of their rehabilitation. Having the dog you desire is of course a process and not a quick task, especially if you have to correct years of no boundaries at all but Cesar’s way makes this task manageable. With the knowledge I gained, I today feel total confidence in taking any dog in and helping him becoming the calm-balanced doggy he wants to be.

CMI: How did you hear about the ambassadors program and what made you apply to be part of the program?

RW: After having successfully rehabilitated my own dogs from their wild ways using Cesar’s leadership approach, and helping several friends and family members with their dogs I became the go-to person for all dog issues in the family. Word just got around I guess that I ‘get’ dogs and our family could see the transformation in our dogs, which they had always known to be somewhat out of control before they got to know me. So that led to me being the “dog guy” in the family, and I always felt like I was an ambassador for Cesar’s approach as that was the approach I used and explained when I helped someone.

I first came across the program on the Cesar Millan foundation website but did not sign up at the time. I always thought I should, simply because I felt like I was already doing what I understood an ambassador to be. The final trigger for me to apply was meeting another ambassador at a Corona dog park one day; it was actually kind of funny. I was there that day with my German Shepherd and my new pit bull puppy I rescued off the street a month prior. At some point, another pit bull got into a brawl with mine and both I and the other dog owner were quick to intervene to prevent anyone from getting hurt. Even if it doesn’t involve my own dogs, I never stand by when dogs start fighting, as I realize that most owners are somewhat startled in that moment and often don’t react fast enough to prevent injuries to the dogs. The other pit bull owner was very quick to react and got his pit bull under control right away and I was doing the same. Once the situation was under control I looked back and saw the other pit bull owner making his dog surrender to the situation in the same way I did. A dog owner like that stands out at a dog park, as most just don’t step in that way. We struck up a conversation and I asked him if he had heard of Cesar Millan, to which he replied that he was an ambassador. Realizing what a great group of people the ambassador team really is, I submitted my application that weekend and was very happy to be approved.

CMI: What do you do as an ambassador?

RW: The job of an ambassador is really to be an advocate for Cesar Millan’s message of calm-assertive leadership and the dog fulfillment formula: Exercise – discipline – affection; in addition it is to support the Millan Foundation.

As an advocate I help dog owners wherever I see them struggling. Let it be at a dog park or the pet store or the street. I often intervene when I see two dogs body language and posturing indicate the beginning of trouble. I have broken up several dog fights their owners couldn’t and always explain why their dogs did this or that. My German Shepherd in particular is a very well trained dog and when we enter the dog park in our “wait, to be invited” manner people often comment on his good behavior and obedience. I am spending a lot time with him, keeping him balanced and training him and always enjoy the compliment; it does however also often start conversations about “who trained him” and I speak about Cesar’s Way and provide tips for their own dogs. I also help friends, family and neighbors as necessary and am presently looking for a shelter to volunteer at.

For the foundation I visit animal shelters and discuss the free foundation programs available to them and dog adopters. If you are adopting from a shelter who doesn’t offer that yet, please suggest to them to look into it. There are free training materials and grants that animal shelters can apply for and many just don’t seem to know about that yet. It’s all about helping more dogs finding good homes and helping dog owners to understand their dogs better.

CMI: What do you want people to know about Cesar and the Ambassadors?

RW: Cesar Millan is one of the biggest dog lovers I know and I am always surprised about the  misinformation that is out there. I do read on a regular basis that he beats dogs into submission or is a fear-based trainer or bases his methods on some outdated theories from the 1940s and nothing could be further from the truth. Usually people who think that way haven’t read any of his books and have only seen a couple of scenes from the Dog Whisperer show taken out of context.

Cesar has developed an incredible understanding of dogs and is sharing his knowledge with the world for all to benefit from. He grew up with dogs and learned from observation; this is pretty much the way all scientific progress has started but for some reason Cesar gets criticized for not having gone to some animal school where a narrow minded set of techniques is glorified into the ultimate truth on dog training. Cesar Millan is probably the best thing that happened to dogs and owners in the last 50 years as he helps people to understand dogs better and have a better relationship with them. Cesar has opened our eyes to reconnect with nature and honor dogs for what they are and not what we would like them to be. I am very grateful for all I have learned from Cesar as it has brought me so much closer to my own dogs. Cesar’s methods are positive for people and dogs alike, and if understood and applied properly, will transform any person-dog relationship into a deep, trusting and respectful bond with one of nature’s most wonderful creations.

CMI: When you’re not volunteering as an ambassador, what do you do?

RW: I used to work for one of the top 3 consulting firms and afterwards spent some time at Microsoft before I went out on my own. These days I own and manage two online businesses and train dogs; I truly enjoy the freedom it has given me. My first business is Wizard Headquarters; an online magic store that allows me to play an active part in the world of magic; a hobby and passion of mine since I was 14 years old. My second store is Health and Wellness Headquarters, which is a health and wellness store for pets and people. We are a very health conscious family and always look for natural and organic products for our dogs, cats and the rest of the family. So in this business we offer everything in natural and organic pet and people care we found and loved for ourselves.

About 2 years ago I also realized that I had learned so much about balancing and training dogs from working with various trainers, reading books, watching DVDs, Cesar Millan and working with and observing dogs over the years, that I started working as a dog trainer. I primarily was encouraged to do so by the realization that many trainers I have encountered knew so much less about dogs and were helpless in cases where I could have better helped the owners. There are of course many great trainers out there, but I was certain that I could help many dog owners with what I know and, given that I pretty much only work from referrals and don’t advertise at all, I must be doing something right.

CMI: Anything else you’d like to add?

RW: I have been an ambassador for about a year now and it has been a remarkable experience. I met many great people in our ambassador group and we help each other as much as we support Cesar Millan and the Foundation. I am proud to be part of such an inspiring group of individuals worldwide (we just welcomed our first ambassador in China) and if you love dogs and like to help people, take a look at the program on the Millan Foundation website and sign up.