The last time we profiled Junior, he was a 5-month old pup, still learning from his mentor, Daddy. Today, Junior is 2 and a half and has taken over Daddy’s role as Cesar’s right-hand man and so much more.

When Cesar first introduced Blue pit Junior to Daddy, he immediately lowered his head and surrendered to the older dog, allowing Daddy to smell him all over and meet him the proper way. Almost instantly, Junior was following Daddy around and his loyalty shifted from his littermates and mother to the great pit bull ambassador.

What’s in a name?

At first, Cesar couldn’t decide on a name for this new addition to the Pack. The Dog Whisperer crew referred to him as Daddy, Jr. then just “Junior,” and the name stuck!

“Junior shares Daddy’s spirit,” Cesar said, “And he’s stepping up to his call as an ambassador, participating in shows, tours, speaking engagements, and bringing calm and balance to the dogs we rehabilitate at the Center.”

Junior played a major role in June’s first Great Dog Adventure, as Cesar’s sidekick for all of the weekend’s events, including a 50-dog Pack Walk, as well as the model of a calm, balanced dog in the Cesar Millan Live Benefit performance. This fall, Junior will be accompanying Cesar on a soon-to-be-announced tour of Live seminars. And just recently he was the star of a photo shoot for Cesar’s Way Magazine in which he had to pose with cats!

Junior has transitioned from a rambunctious puppy that loved to horse around to a “mostly settled” adolescent dog whose great friend is a horse!

“It’s true – we have a horse on the ranch and Junior loves to follow him around,” Cesar said. “But he learned the hard way not to sniff the horse’s back legs.”

So what does “mostly settled” mean?

"Every breed sooner or later starts listening to their genetics. Even though blue pit bulls were bred for show purposes and not for fighting, they still have that small side of them that wants to fight,” Cesar said. “Junior has tried to listen to that side of him, and even though he knows 'that's not what we do,' occasionally he needs to re-learn the lesson, just like teenage children."

On a recent television shoot for an upcoming segment on the CBS morning show, Junior got into a little scrabble with Rottweiler Salomon, who tried to take Junior’s ball from him.

“It was a learning experience – raising a dog and having those moments is normal. Even Daddy has his moments as an adolescent” Cesar said. “Sometimes it takes them four to five years before they become 100 percent settled. That doesn’t mean they are not balanced; it means they are still learning their rules, boundaries, and limitations.”

Let’s rate Junior’s progress:

Junior with kids? Done, perfect.

Junior with puppies that don’t have rules, boundaries, and limitations? He needs more patience.

Junior with cats and horses? Great.

Junior with adolescent and adult dogs? Check.

Junior with helping to evaluate unstable dogs? He’s doing very well.

Junior with senior dogs? Superb. He will surrender every single time, showing a great level of respect.

Where does that respect come from?

“Daddy was 14 when we brought Junior home – he was a grandpa” Cesar said. “Junior was raised by his grandpa, just like I was raised by mine.”

The biggest difference between Junior and Daddy?

“Junior’s actually more athletic than Daddy was,” Cesar said. “He doesn’t’ just swim, he dives under water – I call him ‘aquadog’ sometimes!”

But perhaps the greatest difference is that neither could do what the other is doing – their journeys with Cesar are two entirely different experiences, while equally inspiring to him. Daddy was there for the beginning, offering wisdom; Junior is there for the renaissance, offering youth.

“I didn’t have life wisdom and I needed it. Daddy was pure wisdom – he was my grandpa reincarnated,” Cesar said. “I feel younger now than I did before and Junior represents new life – youth with wisdom. As I’ve said before, you get the dog you need.”

Junior now has his own Facebook page!

Become a fan here!