Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan: The Complete Second Season (2004)

In the second season of The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan shows his breadth of abilities of working with all kinds of problem pooches, gently asserting his dominance over the dogs and gaining their trust. For example, pity poor Booker. The handsome Hungarian Vizsla was born in a quiet pocket of rural Southern California, and ever since moving to bustling downtown Long Beach with his doting owner has been terrified of, well, pretty much everything. On his daily walks, Booker cowers, lurks, bolts, and otherwise is utterly miserable at the sight of baby strollers, rollerbladers, a random garbage can that wasn't there yesterday. Enter Millan, who's able to coax Booker out of his paralyzing fear--in part by physically holding his tail out from between his legs. This position "makes him feel pride," Millan says, and sure enough, Booker begins to hold his head up, too, and act calmer.
In some cases the transformations are nothing short of incredible. Buddy ("the Biter"), a Papillon-corgi mix, is a sweet, loving dog one minute, and a savage biting machine the next. After seeing how Buddy treats his owners, you wouldn't want to get into the same room with him, yet Millan gently approaches the dog and sits on the floor next to him, inching closer until he's touching a very mellow-looking Buddy. "Walk with a dog who's in a traumatic state," Millan advises, "and then when they calm down, show the love." And not a minute before. The boxed set includes five discs of the season's episodes, and extras including three new unseen stories, Millan's essential tips for dog owners (not to be missed) and a behind-the-scenes featurette. --A.T. Hurley