A dog that lunges, growls, or becomes intensely focused on other dogs may appear impossible to control, especially when the human holding the leash is already worried about what might happen next. In Cesar Millan’s work with Dingo, a powerful Afghan Kuchi rescued from Afghanistan, the problem was not only the dog’s reaction to other dogs. The human’s tension was also affecting the situation.
Dingo had become so difficult for Katie to handle that simply walking near other dogs felt dangerous. Cesar’s approach focused on both ends of the leash. Dingo needed to learn that other dogs could be nearby without becoming a threat, while Katie needed to become calmer and more confident so she could guide him instead of reinforcing his tension.
The case showed a central part of Cesar’s philosophy: changing a dog’s behavior often requires changing the human’s state of mind and physical response first.
What Pet Parents Should Understand About Dog Reactivity
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A dog can become more tense when the human holding the leash is nervous or fearful.
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Reactivity can become a learned response when a dog discovers that growling or lunging makes other dogs move away.
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Avoiding every difficult situation does not teach the dog how to stay calm around the trigger.
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The human must learn to recognize tension early and redirect the dog before the reaction becomes more intense.
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Breathing and body language can help the human stay calmer during challenging situations.
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Progress comes through practice, repetition, and learning how to recover when something does not go perfectly.
Dingo Had Learned to React Before Katie Could Guide Him
Dingo had an unusual background. He had been found as a puppy in Afghanistan while Katie’s husband, Joe, was deployed there with the military. Joe arranged to bring Dingo home rather than leave him behind.
According to Katie and her mother, Dingo had lived around soldiers and had a very different environment before coming to the United States. The dogs in that environment could roam, find their own food, and function around confident military personnel.
Once Dingo arrived in San Diego, his behavior became much harder to manage.
Katie described a dramatic change whenever he saw another dog. He would become locked onto the dog, lunge, rise onto his back legs, growl, and bark. She was especially concerned because Dingo was physically powerful and had already gone after a neighbor’s dog.
Her fear was understandable. She worried about Dingo hurting another dog or person, and she feared the consequences if another serious incident occurred.
That fear, however, became part of the pattern Cesar observed.
When Cesar first watched Katie with Dingo from a distance, he noticed that Dingo was already showing signs of tension. He also noticed Katie giving affection during that state. Once another dog was introduced into the situation, Dingo escalated rapidly.
Cesar believed the reaction needed to be addressed earlier, before Dingo reached the point where he was fully focused on another dog.
A Dog’s Reaction Can Start Before the Lunge or Growl
One of Cesar’s observations was that Dingo was scanning his surroundings visually instead of using his nose. He was watching for dogs and becoming locked onto them very quickly.
That mattered because Cesar wanted to interrupt the pattern before the reaction became explosive.
Dingo could move rapidly from seeing another dog to responding intensely. Once he reached that state, controlling him became much more difficult.
Cesar began changing the way Dingo was handled on leash. Because of Dingo’s strength and the safety concerns involved, he also used a Gentle Leader as a training tool to help redirect Dingo’s focus when necessary.
The goal was not simply to restrain him. Cesar wanted Dingo to experience dogs passing nearby without automatically reacting as though he needed to drive them away.
This required exposure under controlled conditions.
Katie had been too afraid to bring Dingo near other dogs, but complete avoidance meant he never had an opportunity to learn another response.
At the dog beach, Cesar began guiding Katie and Dingo through an environment with dogs nearby while paying close attention to Katie’s state.
That quickly revealed another important part of the problem.
The Human’s Nervous Energy Can Add Tension to the Walk
Katie became nervous as she and Dingo moved closer to other dogs. Cesar noticed that her fear changed the experience for Dingo.
He described the effect of nervous energy as an alert signal. The more tension Katie carried, the more Dingo could respond as though there were something to worry about.
Katie had not realized how tense she had become.
Cesar saw a combination of Dingo’s insecurity and Katie’s nervousness. When she physically tightened up or approached him with hesitation, the interaction became harder.
At the Dog Psychology Center, the difference became even clearer.
When Katie entered the area with Dingo, Cesar saw Dingo’s energy become tense again. He pointed out that Katie’s body language was also tense. Even small changes in the way she approached, held the leash, or asked Dingo to move were communicating something.
Katie approached Dingo primarily from what Cesar described as the perspective of a dog lover. Cesar wanted her to add leadership so Dingo could feel safer around her.
For Katie, that meant learning how to regulate herself before expecting Dingo to regulate himself.
Why Breathing Became Part of Dingo’s Training
Cesar arranged for Katie to work with breathing expert Dr. Bisa Franic so she could practice calming herself under pressure.
The exercise was designed around a challenging environment. Katie learned a tactical breathing technique used to help people remain focused under stress.
The larger lesson was directly relevant to her relationship with Dingo.
Animals respond to more than words. The exercise emphasized that Dingo could sense what Katie was physically giving off, including changes associated with nervousness and tension.
Katie practiced inhaling, relaxing her body, exhaling, and maintaining focus while completing the exercise.
Her second attempt showed a noticeable improvement in her ability to focus.
The next step was to take that skill back to Dingo.
Cesar did not want Katie thinking about every possible thing Dingo might do as they passed other dogs. He wanted her attention on her breathing.
The instruction was simple: let the sound of the breath become louder than the thoughts.
That changed the walk.
Katie later said that she became so focused on breathing that she was not constantly watching Dingo. The result was a calmer experience for both of them.
Dingo Also Needed to Learn That Dogs Could Be Near Him Safely
While Katie worked on her nervousness, Cesar continued working with Dingo around his pack.
Without Katie’s tension present, Cesar was able to observe Dingo differently.
He saw that underneath the powerful reaction, Dingo was also insecure and unsure around other dogs.
When dogs entered his personal space, Dingo did not know how to remain calm. He had learned that growling could make other dogs stay away.
This was an important distinction.
Cesar wanted Dingo to stop relying on that reaction as his only strategy.
After Dingo was introduced to the pack, another pattern appeared. Instead of immediately confronting the dogs, he started avoiding them and remaining on the outside of the group.
Cesar did not want him completely isolated there either.
He encouraged Dingo to move closer and experience being among the dogs without anything bad happening.
Two female dogs were used to walk beside Dingo, one on each side, keeping him in the middle. Cesar described them as ambassadors helping Dingo experience being surrounded by dogs in a different way.
The more Dingo participated, the more relaxed he became.
Avoidance Was Not the Final Answer
Katie’s fear had previously made keeping Dingo away from dogs seem like the safest option.
Safety was clearly important throughout the process. Cesar used equipment and controlled environments because Dingo was powerful and his reactions could be serious.
But the long-term lesson was not simply to keep every dog away from him.
Dingo needed opportunities to practice staying calm around dogs, and Katie needed opportunities to practice guiding him without becoming overwhelmed.
This eventually became a neighborhood exercise.
Katie walked Dingo past a series of dogs while focusing on the breathing technique she had learned.
There were still difficult moments. Cesar emphasized something important during those moments: recovery mattered.
Katie did not need a perfectly smooth walk from the first step to the last. She needed to recognize tension, return to her breathing, regain control, and continue.
That is very different from allowing one outburst to determine the rest of the walk.
Practice Helped Katie Become More Confident
A week later, Cesar returned to see how Katie and Dingo were doing.
He created another challenge by bringing several dogs into the neighborhood so Katie could practice passing them.
Katie admitted that she was nervous.
This time, however, she had a tool for managing that feeling.
She kept breathing and continued moving.
Dingo still had a few outbursts, but Katie now felt that she knew how to control and manage them. Instead of immediately leaving the situation, she could continue walking until Dingo became more comfortable.
At one point, Katie even wanted to turn around and pass the same bulldog again.
Cesar saw that as significant. She was no longer behaving like someone whose first instinct was simply to escape the situation.
His approach was to master one challenge before moving to the next.
As the exercise continued, Katie became more automatic in her handling. Dingo also became more relaxed and curious around the other dogs.
The progress eventually led to a pack walk, something Katie had not believed would be possible.
She credited the change both to the breathing technique and to handling Dingo differently.
The Dog Changed as the Human Changed
Dingo’s progress did not come from asking only what was wrong with the dog.
Cesar worked on Dingo’s behavior, but he also looked closely at what was happening with Katie.
Dingo was insecure, confused, and highly reactive around other dogs. Katie was tense because she had good reason to fear what he might do.
Those two states were feeding each other.
The solution required work on both sides.
Dingo practiced being near dogs without immediately driving them away. Katie practiced staying calmer instead of entering each encounter expecting something to go wrong.
Together, they began creating a different experience.
That is the larger lesson Cesar’s work with Dingo demonstrates. A calm, confident energy leads the one at the other end of the leash. The human’s ability to breathe, recover, and provide direction can change what the dog experiences during a difficult moment.
A Better Relationship Begins With Both Ends of the Leash
Dingo’s case showed that a difficult dog behavior cannot always be separated from the person holding the leash.
Katie loved Dingo, but love alone did not give him the direction he needed when he became tense around other dogs. She had to learn how her breathing, body language, fear, and handling were affecting him.
Dingo also had to learn something new. Other dogs could be near him without forcing him to react.
Their progress came through controlled practice, clearer handling, repeated exposure, and Katie’s willingness to work on herself as seriously as she worked on Dingo.
At Better Dog Supplements, that human-dog relationship remains the priority. Wellness support can be part of caring for a dog, but it does not replace the human’s role in providing calm guidance, structure, trust, and direction.
Dingo and Katie improved together because both ends of the leash changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Dingo react so strongly to other dogs?
Cesar observed that Dingo was insecure and confused in addition to showing powerful reactive behavior. Dingo had also learned that growling could make dogs move away when they entered his personal space.
Can a pet parent’s nervousness affect a reactive dog?
In Dingo’s case, Cesar believed Katie’s nervous energy was contributing to his tension. When Katie became tense, Dingo also became more tense. Learning to calm herself became an important part of their work.
Why did Cesar work on Katie’s breathing?
Katie was highly anxious around Dingo when other dogs were present. Breathing exercises gave her something specific to focus on so she could regulate her body and remain more composed during difficult walks.
Did Dingo stop reacting immediately?
No. Even after making progress, Dingo still had some outbursts during the neighborhood exercise. The difference was that Katie had become better at controlling the situation, recovering, and continuing to work past the trigger.
Why did Cesar expose Dingo to other dogs instead of avoiding them?
Dingo had not learned that another dog could pass nearby without something bad happening. Cesar used controlled exposure so Dingo could practice being around dogs while learning a different response.
What was the biggest change in Katie?
Katie became more confident in her ability to handle Dingo. She learned to focus on her breathing, manage his reactions more effectively, and continue practicing instead of letting fear stop the interaction.