Food and treats can do more than satisfy a dog’s appetite. In Cesar Millan’s approach, they can also become part of the relationship between a dog and the human providing direction. The difference lies in how they are used, what state of mind the dog is in, and what the human wants to reinforce.
At the Dog Psychology Center, Cesar separates food and treats into two broad categories. Food supports the body and stomach, while treats are used more for the mind. That distinction shapes the entire feeding experience. Regular meals are connected with silence, patience, and Calm, Surrender. Treats can create a more playful, Happy-Go-Lucky state and can help engage a dog’s nose and attention during learning.
The larger lesson is simple: food should not be given without considering the dog’s energy and state of mind. Cesar wants dogs to learn that receiving something valuable can happen while they are calm, patient, and connected to the human.
What Pet Parents Should Understand About Food and Treats
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Cesar separates food from treats because he uses them for different purposes.
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Regular food is associated with a calm, quiet, patient state of mind.
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Treats can be used to engage the nose, create interest, and reward a behavior the human wants.
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Highly desirable food can create more excitement or competition, especially around multiple dogs, so the human must remain mindful.
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Cesar follows the sequence of exercise, discipline, and affection, with food and treats coming after energy has already been used.
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The goal is not simply to give a dog something enjoyable. It is to use food and treats in a way that strengthens trust, respect, love, and the relationship.
Why Cesar Wants Dogs Calm Before a Meal
One of Cesar’s favorite meals for his dogs is rice and ground meat added to their dry food. Part of what makes it meaningful to him is the entire ritual around preparing it.
He compares that ritual to watching his mother prepare food when he was young. He would go to the market with her, see the food being chosen and prepared, and then receive the finished meal. With his dogs, he enjoys a similar process of buying, preparing, and serving something himself.
The dogs know the food is being prepared. They can smell it, anticipate it, and become eager to receive it.
But eagerness does not mean Cesar wants excitement at feeding time.
His dogs are expected to wait calmly and quietly. He specifically does not want to feed what he describes as an excited mind. Instead, he wants to nurture silence, calmness, patience, and heart.
That changes the meaning of the feeding ritual.
Rather than teaching the dog that the smell of food is a signal to become increasingly excited, Cesar wants the mind to connect food with waiting. In his approach, the dog learns that food is associated with silence, calmness, and patience.
This is especially important when the food itself is extremely appealing. The stronger the smell and anticipation become, the more opportunity the human has to ask for a calmer state before giving the reward.
Homemade Food Can Become Part of the Relationship
For Cesar, personally preparing something for his dogs adds another dimension to feeding.
The dogs see the human preparing it. They smell it before it arrives. They wait while the process unfolds. Because of that experience, Cesar considers personally prepared food an especially high-value reward.
His dogs recognize that the food is being made for them, sometimes well before it is served. That anticipation makes the ritual valuable, but Cesar still wants the final state before eating to be calm.
This is a recurring principle in his work: the reward itself is not the only thing that matters. The state of mind associated with receiving it matters too.
Cesar describes food as something he gives when the dog is in a Calm, Surrender state. The meal then becomes an expression of love and joy without sacrificing patience or structure.
Simple Food and Consistency Matter to Cesar
Cesar also discusses the dry food used at the Dog Psychology Center. He describes it as food with simple ingredients and connects his preference to a broader belief in things that are natural and simple.
He says the food has worked well for his dogs in areas such as digestion, skin, and fur, and he values what he has personally observed over many years.
That preference for simplicity fits the broader philosophy he practices at the Dog Psychology Center. Food is not treated as an isolated part of dog care. It exists alongside connection, communication, relationship, exercise, mental stimulation, and the dog’s state of mind.
The feeding ritual itself therefore carries as much importance as what happens to be inside the bowl.
Treats Have a Different Job Than Regular Food
Cesar makes a clear distinction between a meal and a treat.
Food is connected with calmness. Treats are used more actively for the mind.
He prefers treats with a strong smell because dogs experience the world heavily through their noses. A highly scented treat immediately creates interest, allowing the human to bring the dog’s nose and attention toward them.
Cesar often allows the dog to smell the treat first and become interested in figuring out how to receive it. The dog may begin offering movements or behaviors on its own. The human can then reward the behavior they want.
In that sense, the treat becomes a tool for engagement.
Cesar says treats can entertain the mind, help a dog learn something new, or provide additional mental stimulation when the dog has had a shorter day.
The goal is not simply to hand over food whenever the dog becomes excited about it. The human still decides what behavior earns the reward.
Why Smell Matters So Much With Treats
Among Cesar’s preferred high-interest treats are small pieces of liver.
He emphasizes that only a tiny amount is needed. The smell itself creates much of the experience. According to Cesar, even opening the container can immediately activate the dog’s nose and create strong interest.
He wants that interest directed toward the human.
The nose comes toward the person holding the reward. The dog becomes engaged. The human then has an opportunity to shape the interaction.
Cesar also cautions against giving too much liver because some dogs can have sensitive stomachs. In his description, the reward can be almost like a lick rather than a large piece of food.
He compares the experience to combining the strong smell of liver with the lingering licking sensation associated with peanut butter. The dog stays engaged with the experience instead of quickly swallowing a large reward and immediately moving on.
For Cesar, treat sessions should also stay limited. He describes approximately 10 to 15 minutes as enough. A treat is more like a dessert or surprise than a necessity, so he does not want the experience overused.
Fish Treats Can Create Strong Nose Engagement
Fish-based treats are another favorite because of their smell.
Cesar mentions fish skin and small fish as examples. Once again, he emphasizes that a large amount is unnecessary. The purpose is to encourage the nose.
The odor is strong enough that he recommends using particularly pungent fish treats outside rather than opening them inside the house.
He uses that type of smell when practicing behaviors such as having a dog come back to the human or find something.
The dog smells the reward, becomes interested, and starts figuring out how to obtain it.
That moment illustrates an important difference between meals and treats in Cesar’s system.
With a regular meal, he wants the dog in Calm, Surrender.
With a treat, he is comfortable encouraging a Happy-Go-Lucky energy.
The two experiences should not be confused because they serve different purposes.
Food Should Reinforce Calm, While Treats Can Encourage Playful Engagement
The distinction between these two states is one of the clearest lessons in Cesar’s feeding philosophy.
When dogs are about to receive their regular food, he wants calmness.
When treats are being used for learning or engagement, some excitement can be useful.
That does not mean uncontrolled excitement. It means the human deliberately chooses which state is appropriate for the situation.
A meal can reinforce patience and quiet waiting.
A treat can create curiosity, motivation, and mental work.
Both involve food, but the human intention is different.
This is why Cesar does not view feeding as simply putting something in front of the dog. Every interaction can reinforce a pattern, and the human should know which pattern is being encouraged.
Highly Primal Treats Require More Awareness
Cesar also uses raw marrow bones at the Dog Psychology Center. He describes them as one of the most primal food experiences he offers.
These bones combine several elements. There is meat, cartilage, chewing, and sustained use of the jaw. Dogs may spend a significant amount of time focused on them.
Because the reward is so valuable, however, Cesar is careful about the dogs’ state of mind before giving it.
If multiple dogs are too excited, competition can develop.
A dog may try to eat faster, pursue a larger piece, or go toward another dog’s food after finishing its own.
That is why the feeding environment matters.
At the Dog Psychology Center, many dogs may receive food at the same time, so Cesar remains mindful of how they behave around one another.
If he does not fully trust the situation with two or three dogs, he recommends using leashes while they finish their bones. After the bones are collected, the calmest dog can be released first.
The purpose is to teach that once the eating experience is finished, the dog should relax rather than immediately move toward another dog’s reward.
Exercise Comes Before Food and Treats
One of Cesar’s most consistent principles appears again in the way he uses food:
Exercise, discipline, affection.
He places food and treats within the affection category.
That means he does not want to use food merely to make a dog stay quiet without first addressing the dog’s energy.
His reasoning is direct. Food is energy. If the human has not allowed the dog to use energy first and then adds more energy through food, the existing problem can become more intense.
At the Dog Psychology Center, exercise and mental stimulation come before these highly valued rewards.
Then affection can arrive in the form of a meal, a treat, or a long-lasting chewing experience.
This sequence is especially important when the reward itself is stimulating.
The more valuable the food, the more important it becomes for the human to be aware of the state in which it is given.
Bully Sticks Can Be Used as a Longer Mental Activity
Bully sticks are another treat Cesar uses at the Dog Psychology Center.
He notes that they can be more expensive than real bones and that many have a noticeable odor, so he prefers to give stronger-smelling versions outdoors.
Different dogs may approach them differently. Some move away to enjoy the treat alone. Smaller dogs may spend 20 to 30 minutes with one, while larger dogs may finish much more quickly.
Cesar uses bully sticks and bones particularly when a dog still has some remaining energy near the end of the day.
The chewing experience gives the dog something to focus on and can help use that remaining mental and physical energy.
Again, Cesar places this after the dog has already had exercise and mental stimulation.
The treat is affection at the end of the sequence, not a replacement for everything that came before it.
The Human Decides What Food Means
Perhaps the most useful lesson in Cesar’s approach is that food does not have only one meaning.
The human helps create the meaning.
A meal can mean calmness, patience, and silence.
A liver or fish treat can mean engagement, learning, and using the nose.
A bone or bully stick can become a longer activity after exercise and mental stimulation.
The food changes, but so does the state of mind Cesar wants to reinforce.
That is why simply choosing a highly desirable treat is not enough. The human should know why it is being given and what behavior or state it is rewarding.
At Better Dog Supplements, the relationship remains the priority. Wellness support can complement that relationship, but it does not replace the human’s responsibility to provide direction, structure, protection, trust, respect, and love.
Food Can Become Part of Trust, Respect, and Love
Cesar’s approach to feeding is not built around one perfect food or one perfect treat.
It is built around intention.
He asks dogs for silence, patience, and Calm, Surrender when regular food is involved. When he wants to engage the nose, encourage learning, or create a Happy-Go-Lucky state, he introduces treats.
Highly desirable bones and bully sticks come with another level of awareness because they can increase excitement and competition, especially around multiple dogs.
Across every category, the human remains responsible for the sequence and the state of mind.
Exercise and mental stimulation come first. Food and treats become affection afterward.
Used this way, feeding becomes another opportunity to create the relationship Cesar consistently emphasizes: trust, respect, love, communication, and clear human direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Cesar Millan want dogs calm before regular meals?
Cesar wants food to be associated with silence, calmness, and patience rather than an excited state of mind. He waits for Calm, Surrender before providing the meal because that is the state he wants to nurture.
What is the difference between food and treats in Cesar’s approach?
He describes regular food as supporting the body and stomach, while treats are used more for the mind. Meals are connected with calmness, while treats can be used for learning, engagement, and a Happy-Go-Lucky state.
Why does Cesar prefer strong-smelling treats?
Strong smells immediately engage a dog’s nose. Cesar uses that interest to draw the dog toward the human and create an opportunity to reward a desired behavior.
How long does Cesar use treats during a training or engagement session?
He says treat-based interaction generally should not continue for more than about 10 to 15 minutes. He views treats as an occasional reward or surprise rather than a necessity.
Why does Cesar give exercise before food or treats?
He follows the sequence of exercise, discipline, and affection. Because food is energy, he wants the dog to use energy first before receiving more energy through food or treats.
What does Cesar do when multiple dogs receive highly valuable food?
He stays mindful because highly desirable food can create competition. If he does not trust the dogs around one another, he recommends using leashes while they finish, collecting the remaining bones, and then releasing the calmest dog first.