On Sunday, I went to listen to Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, speak at NJPAC. It was a birthday gift from my sisters. They know that I’m his hugest fan.
Funny thing is that I don’t actually have a dog. I would love to have a dog though my building in NYC does not permit dogs.
For me, his TV shows are coaching shows. His mission is to rehabilitate dogs and to train people. His message is that you have to work to earn the trust and respect of the dog in order to gain its loyalty. Loyalty that will last a lifetime.
And it is all about our energy. If you have a calm assertive-energy, you get the best response. Use what we know about nature. It’s instinctual, he tells us. Not intellectual.
People wanted the talk about energy to be tangible. So Cesar experimented with using a heart rate monitor. First, a heart rate monitor was attached to the owner and one attached to their dog. When the owner tried to control the dog with fearful energy – both the owner and dog had registered high heart rates. The dog was aggressive – powerfully pulling, lunging, growling and baring teeth.
Next, the heart rate monitor was attached to Cesar and still one to the same dog. When Cesar took a deep breath, relaxed, and held his calm and assertive energy – his heart rate was low AND the dog’s heart rate was low. And the dog’s behavior was calm. There’s tangible for you.
Isn’t it this way with our people relationships? We create trust and respect. With that we gain loyalty.
I learned that the Sanskrit word for trust is vishwas which translates literally to “breathe easy“. If we want our clients to “breathe easy” with us, don’t we have to breathe easy with them? It’s all about our energy.
Rock on, Cesar. Thanks for the lesson.
