5 Mistakes People Make When They Meet a New Dog

The first 20 minutes with a new dog shape the whole relationship, and that is exactly where most people go wrong. In this episode of Cesar Unleashed, Cesar Millan walks through five first-meeting situations: bringing home a puppy, an adolescent dog, a trained protection dog, an adult rescue and a senior dog.

For each one, Cesar shows why your energy matters more than the breed, and how to read whether a dog naturally sits at the back, the middle or the front of the pack before you decide to bring it home.

• Energy before breed. The way you show up in the first minutes matters more than what kind of dog it is.
• No touch, no talk, no eye contact. Cesar's first-meeting ritual lets a new dog settle instead of reacting to your excitement.
• Help a puppy detach and attach. Move a puppy from its litter the way its mother would, calmly and with structure.
• Know the pack position. Back, middle and front-of-the-pack dogs need different kinds of leadership, so learn which one you are bringing home.

What should you not do when you first meet a dog?

Cesar's rule is no touch, no talk and no eye contact at first. Excited greetings feed an excited or fearful state of mind; calm silence lets the dog approach on its own terms.

How do you bring a new dog home the right way?

Start with calm, confident energy, give the dog structure from the first minutes and match your leadership to its pack position: back, middle or front of the pack.

Does breed matter when choosing a dog?

Less than people think. Cesar teaches that the dog's energy and its compatibility with your energy and lifestyle matter more than breed or looks.