World-renowned dog behaviourist, Cesar Millan, is in town right now to shoot and promote his new show Cesar's Recruit Asia Season 3.

Next pack leader in Asia

The show involves amateur dog trainers going up against one another in a series of challenges that test them on their skills, temperament and disposition when dealing with dogs that have behavioural problems.

In short, they will have to prove they have what it takes to be a pack leader.

A Singaporean who was a former dog handler at the Singapore Police Force K9, Ethan Loke, won the first season, while dog trainer, Eric Ko, from Hong Kong, won the second season.

The third season will feature eight contestants from across Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand.

The winner will hold the title of Subaru Ambassador for a year and join Millan on his live shows as he goes on his Asia tour.

Season 3 to focus on building healthy dog-owner relationship

Millan shared details of his upcoming show in a media release dated Feb. 26:

"The latest season will feature contestants from diverse backgrounds presented with real-life challenges that most dog owners today face.

With more people in Asia owning dogs than before, it is crucial that we continue to educate people on the importance of animal welfare, and the role humans play in that."

And this is the reason why Season 3 will focus more on "building a healthy and balanced dog-owner relationship" over the "technical aspects of dog training".

The first episode of the seven-part series is expected to be aired in June this year, on Subaru Asia's YouTube channel.

First time in Singapore 7 years ago

Millan first came to Singapore for a live show in 2012.

It was his first time working in Asia too.

When he returned to the United States, he said in a brief interview that he ate chicken rice "every day", and perhaps more surprisingly, that he was amazed by the response he received from dog lovers from Indonesia who came to watch his show in Singapore.

Indonesia is home to the most number of Muslims in the world.

Millan said:

"Many people who were Muslims came to watch the show.

I had some misunderstanding that Muslim people don't like to touch dogs, and they don't want to play with dogs.

They do. And that clarified my understanding.

Not only that, I was invited to a show in Indonesia."

He did indeed go to Indonesia two years later where he did a live show in Jakarta.

Trains dog owners

Millan first rose to fame through his show on National Geographic, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan, in which he helped dog owners from around the world train and rehabilitate their troubled dogs.

Many times, it is not the dog, but the owner that he has to teach.

This is so as he teaches that the dog's behaviour often depends on the owner's disposition, or "energy" as he puts it.

Which is why his catchphrase for the show was, "I rehabilitate dogs, I train humans".

Dog Whisperer was the top rated show on the channel at that time.

Jumped the border when he was 21

From being an illegal immigrant to a world-famous dog trainer today, Millan has come a long way.

The Mexico-born Millan first had dreams of becoming the best dog trainer in the world when he was 13.

Growing up, he kept bringing home strays, and because he was often seen together with dogs, was nicknamed El Perrero, which means "the dog boy".

He then decided to leave for the U.S. at the age of 21, having been inspired to make it big there after seeing Lassie and Rin Tin Tin when he was a kid.

Millan managed to jump the border from Tijuana, Mexico, but only after several failed attempts, as he was captured by the American border patrol officers.

At that time, with just US$100 on him, and not knowing any English, he started washing kennels, a job he did not mind doing as he knew he had to work in a dog-related field to advance in that direction.

He then started dog-walking as well, and soon gained attention for his walks through Los Angeles with his pack of dogs.

Millan eventually became an American citizen in 2009.

Attempted suicide

Millan went through a rough patch with his wife of 16 years, and the two eventually divorced in 2010.

A month before his marriage broke down, his beloved pit bull named "Daddy", which often helped him rehabilitate dogs with behaviour issues, passed away.

Finding himself at one of his lowest points in life, Millan even attempted suicide.

He eventually recovered, and decided to turn his life around.

Not without controversy

However, despite his success, Millan was not without controversy.

Some other dog trainers and animal welfare activists have criticised him for his "dominance" method that they say is outdated and dangerous.

He had since responded to his critics, having understood that with stardom comes criticism.

In an interview with Westword, Millan said he started out dealing with the most difficult dog cases that other trainers had not been able to solve, especially those that involve aggression.

And extreme cases like that need more extreme techniques.

Still, he said his methods have evolved since that time when he was doing the Dog Whisperer programme.

Top image via Subaru