Ellen Gray:'Dog Whisperer's' advice on the Obama family's new dog

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Nearly everyone seems to have opinions about the future First Dog, and "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan is no exception.

But where for some it's strictly a question of pedigree vs. pound, or which kind of dog won't trigger 10-year-old Malia's allergies, the National Geographic Channel star's hoping the Obama family can avoid an energy crisis.

"The best thing any family can do, or a single person can do, when they're about to enter into a relationship with a dog, especially if they want a puppy, is not to bring a higher-energy dog" into their lives, said Millan in an interview last week during the Television Critics Association's winter meetings.

The best fit for the new first family would be a "medium-energy dog," he said. "Not a low, because they become couch potatoes, and the girls will not have the fun that they might want to have . . . such as running, throwing the ball and playing and hide-and-seek and all those wonderful kids'activities."

Aren't all puppies, er, high energy?

No, said Millan, who said energy has little to do with the breed of dog, either.

"Believe it or not, in a pack of German shepherds, same mom, same dad, there is going to be high-level energy - those are the ones they pick for police work - and then medium-level energy - those are the ones they pick for home the same group," he said.

High-energy dogs are competitive, he said, likening them to athletes. They do well with tasks like sniffing for bombs because "to them, it's a challenge - 'What can I find? And if I find, what can I get?' "

And while agreeing that the Obamas seem pretty competitive, too - "anyone who wants to rule America is a very competitive human being" - Millan suggested there's a time and a place.

"He's going to be working 20 hours a day," Millan said of President-elect Obama. "These are people who are already busy. You bring more load into their lives, such as a high-energy-level dog, it's too much. You're adding more challenge into your life. A dog is more for like relaxing, recovering, you know, healing. You don't want to come home to work . . . And so a dog, if he greets you this way , is going to give you a sense of peace. Of course, if he's greeting you this way , you just came from ruling the world - now you get a dog pouncing on you, barking, biting, you know, running out of the house. You don't want that chaos or commotion."

Even size doesn't matter as much as energy, he said. "We own 30 dogs . . . and we have large, medium, small. They're all dogs. What is going to require more maintenance is not so much the size as the energy. I know a lot of large breeds, 165 pounds, very slow. So they don't need 40 minutes of a walk. And I know little dogs, 5 pounds, that require, you know, a long period of time."

Since most of us can't necessarily eyeball a pup, or a litter of pups, and tell which one's going to grow into a dog whose energy fits ours, Millan recommends getting someone to help choose.

The Obamas, he said, should "seek professional help from a common-sense point of view. It's not so much about training the dog, it's about training the humans. Because whatever breed you bring into the White House, they don't know they're coming to the White House. And they don't know they're going to live with the president of the United States. So a dog is not going to be influenced by environment or personality."

Or the cost of the rug?

"Or the cost of the rug."

"If you make one dollar or if you make a million dollars, your dog, my dog, won't know, OK? But what they know is how much common sense you have. They don't know that you might have a Harvard diploma. You know, my clients these days are Harvard graduates. But they can't walk a Chihuahua."

In general, Millan doesn't think mothers should be stuck with all the dog duties, though he conceded it was "most likely" Michelle Obama, not the president, who'd be dealing with the new puppy's training.

If someone's already bringing up reasonably well-behaved children, is that considered a good sign?

"That's good leadership," he said. What's also needed: "the exercise, the affection - we know these ingredients have to be fulfilled, these needs have to be fulfilled."

And the first lady can ask for help.

Though feeding is a job he prefers, when practical, be kept within the family, Millan thinks it would be fine if Secret Service agents, for instance, occasionally walked the dog.

"I think everybody's involved," he said, laughing. "Raising a dog, everybody's involved. Anybody that can pitch in. It takes a village." *

Ellen Gray is attending the Television Critics Association's winter meetings. To read more, go to philly.com/ellengray. You may also chat with her on philly.com at 11 a.m. today or send e-mail to graye@phillynews.com.