A dog who becomes tense, fixated, or reactive around other dogs does not always need more force from the human holding the leash. The human may first need to change the energy, body language, and expectations being communicated during the walk.
That was the central lesson for Olga Diaz and Oscar Stewart as they worked with Cho Nuff, their Akita-shepherd mix. Indoors, Cho Nuff was affectionate, calm, responsive to commands, and happy to cuddle. Outside, however, he remained alert and stressed. When another dog appeared, he might growl, bark, pull, or flip his body in reaction.
Cesar Millan saw that Cho Nuff’s behavior could not be separated from the way Olga and Oscar approached him. They had rescued a dog with a painful history, and their sympathy for that history had begun to shape how they handled him in the present.
Cesar’s lesson was not to forget what Cho Nuff had experienced. It was to stop allowing the past to create insecurity during every new encounter. To help the dog move forward, the humans had to become calm, confident, observant, and present.
What Helps a Reactive Dog Move Forward
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A dog responds to the human’s present energy, not the story the human has created about the past.
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Calmness alone can become passive if it is not paired with confidence and direction.
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Fixation should be interrupted before the dog becomes fully engaged with another dog.
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The human can use position and body language to create a barrier between the dog and an approaching trigger.
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Pulling harder from a nervous or tense state can add more tension to the interaction.
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Technique matters, but Cesar considers the human’s energy the most important part.
Sympathy Can Keep the Human Focused on the Past
Cho Nuff had been rescued with other dogs from a meat farm in South Korea. Olga and Oscar knew that he had experienced a terrible life, although they did not know how long he had lived under those conditions before being rescued.
They wanted to give him a happier future. Their compassion was genuine, but Cesar observed that their sadness about his history was affecting the relationship.
Humans can create a detailed emotional story about what a rescued dog has experienced. The dog, however, does not rationalize that story in the same way. According to Cesar, the dog simply recognizes the human’s current emotional state.
When a human approaches the dog with sadness, uncertainty, or fear, the dog feels that energy. Cesar told Olga and Oscar that they needed to move from the story to the reality in front of them. That shift would allow them to become more confident.
The reality was that Cho Nuff needed clear guidance around other dogs. Feeling sorry for him did not provide that guidance. In Cesar’s view, the human had to change the way they were thinking so their energy could also change.
This did not mean denying Cho Nuff’s past. It meant refusing to let his past control every present-day walk.
Calm Energy Must Also Provide Direction
Olga and Oscar described Cho Nuff as anxious and constantly alert outdoors. He did not appear relaxed or playful on walks. Instead, he seemed to be watching and waiting for something to happen.
Their own uncertainty increased when another dog came near. They did not know whether Cho Nuff would react, and that expectation affected their body language before an encounter had fully developed.
Cesar demonstrated the difference between walking a dog with confidence and walking while anticipating a negative reaction. He emphasized that the human needs the right energy before trying to correct the behavior.
Being calm is part of that energy, but calmness can appear passive when it is not supported by confidence. The dog still needs to feel that the human is making decisions and directing the movement.
For Oscar, this became an important realization. He recognized that his body language had been passive and that he had not been taking control of the situation. Cesar showed him that handling the walk did not require constantly staring at Cho Nuff. The human needed to feel what the dog was doing and remain aware of changes in his attention.
A calm, confident energy leads the one at the other end of the leash. That energy is not frantic, forceful, or fearful. It communicates that the human understands the situation and knows what should happen next.
Interrupt Fixation Before It Becomes a Reaction
To demonstrate what was possible, Cesar walked Cho Nuff near Nala, the neighborhood dog he had previously chased and pinned down.
This was a significant test. Olga and Oscar had seen Cho Nuff react strongly around Nala before, and they expected that another close encounter could lead to trouble.
Cesar focused on Cho Nuff’s attention before the dog became fully engaged. As soon as Cho Nuff began paying attention to Nala, Cesar used touch in a different area of the body to interrupt the developing fixation. The purpose was to prevent him from focusing on the other dog for too long.
Cesar then continued moving rather than allowing Cho Nuff to stop, stare, and build intensity. The dog voluntarily moved forward and passed Nala without the reaction Olga and Oscar had expected.
They were surprised by how calm he appeared. Olga said she had never seen him that relaxed around the neighborhood dog.
The lesson was not that one successful pass had permanently resolved the behavior. Cesar later made it clear that Cho Nuff still needed much more exposure to other dogs before he could be considered safe around them.
The demonstration showed something more immediate: Cho Nuff was capable of responding differently when the human interrupted fixation early and provided calm, confident direction.
Waiting until a dog is already barking, lunging, or flipping makes the interaction harder to manage. Cesar’s approach focused on the earlier moment, when the dog first began to see, hear, or smell the other dog.
That was the moment to redirect attention and establish the behavior the human wanted.
Human Position Can Change the Encounter
Cesar also taught Olga and Oscar to assess the situation around them instead of simply reacting after Cho Nuff became tense.
When another dog approached on a long line, Cesar moved Cho Nuff to the opposite side of his body. By placing himself between the dogs, he created a physical barrier.
This position reduced the direct projection of energy from the approaching dog toward Cho Nuff. It also gave the human more control over how Cho Nuff experienced the encounter.
The goal was not to assume that every other dog would remain calm. Cesar told them that the other dog could react in any number of ways. Olga and Oscar could not control that dog, but they could control their own position, their energy, and how they guided Cho Nuff through the moment.
With repetition, even a bark from another dog could become a signal for Cho Nuff to relax rather than react.
As Cesar passed the other dog, Cho Nuff continued forward without repeatedly looking back. His ears and attention reflected a more settled state. The change came from a combination of positioning, timing, movement, and energy.
This is why assessing the environment is part of the walk. The human does not need to wait for a confrontation. Moving to the correct side, stepping between the dogs, and maintaining forward direction can shape the interaction before it escalates.
Tension on the Leash Begins in the Human Body
After watching Cesar, Oscar practiced walking Cho Nuff past another dog.
Cesar corrected him when he pulled on the leash. He wanted Oscar to feel the dog rather than rely on constant visual monitoring or physical tension. Oscar began to understand that his body language had been communicating worry.
Olga faced a similar challenge when it was her turn. She remained nervous, became tense, and pulled hard on the leash while trying to correct Cho Nuff.
Cesar pointed out the connection directly: Olga was tense because she was nervous. The tension did not begin with the leash. It began in her emotional and physical state, then traveled through her body into the way she handled the dog.
She tried again with a greater awareness of her own energy.
By the end of the session, Olga said she had learned to feel more confident and empowered while still remaining calm. She also had more faith that Cho Nuff could behave differently around other dogs.
Oscar described Cho Nuff as more relaxed outside than he had ever seen him.
The dog’s change did not happen independently of the humans. It appeared as Olga and Oscar began changing their own posture, expectations, timing, and confidence.
Technique Works Best When the Human Is Present
Cesar described the first day as an opportunity for Olga and Oscar to see what was possible. It allowed them to understand how the techniques could work.
Still, he emphasized that technique was not the most important part. Energy came first.
A person can learn where to stand, when to redirect, and how to hold the leash, but those movements will communicate something different when performed with fear, nervousness, passivity, or uncertainty.
Cesar wanted Olga and Oscar to stop living in the past or projecting themselves into the future. The past kept their attention on Cho Nuff’s history. The future kept them anticipating the next possible incident.
Neither helped them guide the dog in the current moment.
Being present allowed them to notice when Cho Nuff’s attention began to shift. It helped them respond before fixation grew. It also allowed them to evaluate the behavior happening in front of them rather than reacting to what they feared might happen.
Cho Nuff’s progress during the session was encouraging, but it was only a beginning. Cesar believed the dog needed much more controlled exposure before he would be safe around other dogs.
The next planned step was to bring Cho Nuff from San Francisco to the Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles. There, Cesar intended to work with him around other dogs off leash in a controlled environment.
That decision reflected the seriousness of the behavior. Calm, confident handling created a visible change, but one successful session did not erase the need for continued practice and carefully managed exposure.
The Better Dog Perspective
Better Dog Supplements supports Cesar Millan’s philosophy that the relationship between the human and dog comes first. Wellness tools may support a dog’s overall well-being, but they do not replace the human’s responsibility to provide calm direction, structure, awareness, and consistent practice.
The Human Must Change First
Cho Nuff’s first session showed that a dog’s behavior can look very different when the human changes the way they approach the situation.
Olga and Oscar began the day focused on his past, worried about his next reaction, and uncertain about their ability to guide him. As they practiced calmness, confidence, better positioning, earlier redirection, and more controlled body language, Cho Nuff became more relaxed outside.
His history still mattered, and his behavior still required serious, continued work. But the past did not have to decide the energy of every walk.
Cesar’s practical lesson was to stay present. The human cannot change what already happened or control every dog that may appear. The human can control how they enter the situation, where they position themselves, when they redirect attention, and what their body communicates through the leash.
Before expecting the dog to respond differently, the human must be willing to lead differently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Cho Nuff reactive around other dogs?
Cho Nuff became highly alert and stressed outside. When he saw another dog, he could growl, bark, fixate, or flip his body. Cesar also observed that Olga and Oscar’s sympathy, uncertainty, and anticipation of a negative reaction were affecting the way they handled him.
Does a rescued dog’s past determine how the human should treat every new situation?
Cesar acknowledged Cho Nuff’s terrible history, but he encouraged Olga and Oscar to move from the story of the past to the reality of the present. The dog responded to their current emotional state, so they needed to provide confidence rather than sadness or uncertainty.
Is being calm enough when walking a reactive dog?
Not necessarily. Cesar told Olga and Oscar that calm energy can become passive. He wanted them to combine calmness with confidence and clear direction.
When should a human interrupt a dog’s attention?
In Cho Nuff’s case, Cesar redirected him as soon as he began paying attention to the other dog. The goal was to interrupt the focus before he became fully engaged and reacted more intensely.
Why did Cesar stand between Cho Nuff and the other dog?
He used his body to create a barrier. This reduced the direct energy coming from the other dog and gave him more control over how Cho Nuff perceived and moved through the encounter.
Was Cho Nuff safe around other dogs after the first session?
No. Although he showed that he could pass dogs more calmly, Cesar said he needed much more exposure before he would be safe around them. The next step involved continued work in a controlled environment.