'Dog Whisperer' Cesar Millan opens up about his love of pitbulls, Daddy, and newest puppy Junior

Cesar's Way/Gilles Bensimon

In the latest issue of Cesar's Way magazine -- available now on newsstands and bookstores everywhere -- famed "Dog Whisperer," Cesar Millan, writes about his elderly pitbull Daddy, and the newest addition to his pack, a calm, gray pitbull puppy named Junior.

"I can never replace him," Millan writes about his aging pitbull. "But Daddy is 15, which means he's getting old. I've known for a while that I would have to adopt another pit bull."

The perfect protege came in the form of a serene puppy named Junior -- "all gray with just a little dash of white on his chest" -- who caught Millan's eye.

Taking time out from his busy schedule, MIllan agreed to chat with Pet News Examiner about his pitbulls, Daddy and Junior. 

Pet News Examiner: Do you ever get sad when you think about Daddy passing away one day? 
Cesar Millan: I feel connected to all the dogs in my life. When they pass away, they never leave my memory. The feeling I have when they pass is one that I will never master. I get really sad to the point where I don't want to do anything. I go through it every single time. But I know if I stay in that zone too long, the rest of the pack will suffer. It's normal for humans to practice sadness; it just becomes a problem when he practices it for a long time, especially in front of a pack of dogs. So in a way, my pack always helps me to move on.

I know that Daddy will continue to be a part of my pack of dogs in a spiritual sense. He'll still be with me, and my pack will become bigger on earth and in heaven. I believe I get spiritual guidance from all the dogs in my past. I still think of the pack of Rottweilers I had in the early years at the Dog Psychology Center. Not a day goes by that I don't remember them – how happy we were hiking in the mountains together before I became the Dog Whisperer.

You seem to have a very special relationship with Daddy.
I have shared so much of who I am with Daddy, [so] he is very special to me. He saw me get married, how I changed when I became a dad, my children growing up, and the ups and downs along the way. He is more than a member of my family – he is a member of my life. I've shared almost 16 years with him, and I've watched him grow from a baby to a toddler to an adolescent to an adult to a senior. He has lived too fast. I wish he could live to be 100, but that's a childish way of seeing it. I know that. He's happy now, and I know once he goes, he will be happy. He will surrender to it. That's the wonderful thing about animals. When it's time, they surrender. They tell you they are ready to go. When he does pass away, I am going to feel so many feelings, but the biggest one is sadness. And then eventually happiness because I know he'll be in a better place. As dogs get older, they develop medical issues. Their bones, their organs, their entire body gives them problems. I have the opportunity to give Daddy a pool to relax his achy body in, acupuncture treatment, and the very best doctors. I know I have helped him to be stress-free as a senior, and he's very appreciative of that. And I know that, when he goes, Junior and other dogs will grow to be just as great as Daddy was – and just as great as the pack of Rottweilers was.

You mention dog cloning in the article for Cesar's Way. Is that something you considered -- even jokingly -- with Daddy?
I've been cloning behavior for the past 20 years, but I've been transforming behavior – not copying DNA. I don't believe you can replicate the spirit of an animal through cloning DNA. Instead, Daddy will live on through Junior. He's passing his knowledge down to the next generation.

Junior shares Daddy's mellowness, but how is Junior different from Daddy?
They are very similar, but Junior gets the benefit of two wise guys. He gets the best of my 20-something years of experience and the best of Daddy's 15 years. That alone makes him different. Every second, Daddy and I are sharing balanced energy, so Junior has never experienced anything different. My life is more settled now than it was when I first got Daddy. As a husband and a father, I've gone through a lot of learning about women psychology and child psychology. It has made me a more centered human being. Daddy met me when I was going through that transformation of awareness, that growing experience. I always say that Mother Nature is perfect. In my book "How to Raise the Perfect Dog," I talk about how to maintain that balance by fulfilling the dog's basic needs. Two of those needs are a very centered human being and a very balanced dog, or a pack of balanced dogs. Daddy is that source of balance for Junior.

What have you learned by watching Daddy and Junior together?
I've learned about joy, consistent harmony, and knowing how to be in silent moments and enjoy them. I've learned how to live a conscious life and to be healthy – not just to think healthy. And without a doubt, I've learned how to love passionately.

What makes pitbulls special?
People often say that pit bulls have a more intense rage than other breeds when they are aggressive. There's no doubt that we can feel the difference between an aggressive pit bull and, say, an aggressive Chihuahua. Sure, pit bulls are programmed to be intense, but I believe there's another side to that. Balanced pit bulls have a more intense love than other breeds. If you transform the way their intensity is directed, then you will get back an intense love. The good should not be seen as less intense than the bad. Sure, a pit bull can do more damage to someone, but at the same time, they can use that same intensity to love someone.

Cesar's Way/Gilles Bensimon