Hi miracle!
Great to have you around!
Geez, I'm turning into my best friend, talking about Cesar all the time... but well, here's what he said that might inspire you about your situation with your dogs.
The treadmill is used for one purpose only: help the dog with his energy levels. In the wild, a dog would have to hunt for his food; that's why he suggest doing about 20 minutes of treadmill and THEN feed them, morning and evening. That was also the advice of the trainer who came to our house. It's just more natural for the dogs. I, too, found that a bit weird when I saw it for the first time. I thought it was a bit cruel, or irresponsible, to put the dogs on it and just make them exercise. However, I've seen my friend's dogs and the vibe you get from them is absolutely amazing. Within THREE days, my friend would wave a treat right in front of their face and they couldn't have cared less! There were just hooked on their exercise. When she said that, I was convinced.
However, the treadmill does not replace walking your dog in any way. You're still supposed to walk your dog, not because he needs fresh air, not because it's a way to make him do his business
, but because it's a vital and instinctive need for your dogs to walk with their pack, explore, and spend time with it, every day. However, with the exercise on the treadmill, you can help your dog burn his energy, and you can have normal walks (around 10-15 minutes once or twice a day) without compromising the dog's psychological balance.
Cesar sees behavioral problems like those of Mollie, Toulouse and Daria as signs that they are not psychologically balanced. In a word, they shouldn't be that way, it's not a personality thing, but a sign that they lack something. He's right when he says that most people in North America consider their dogs as humans wrapped with fur, or when he says that most people think their dog needs a LOT of affection and set it as a priority. To him, the dog's needs are exercice, discipline and affection...
in that order. Once I understood that, I started understanding my dogs' point of view much better, and I understood that I, not they or their personality, was responsible for their anxiety. The only interaction I usually had with them was for affection, affection, and more affection. They don't get enough exercise, so their energy levels are too high and that results in behavioral problems, obsessions, fixations, and so on.
To top all that, I realized that my own behavior/energy was perceived as incoherent or unstable by my dogs. For example, a pack leader is calm-assertive. When I scream NO! at Daria when I catch her eating my Xmas cactus, sure, I scare her and sure, she gets the fact that she did something wrong. But I also send the message that I'm unstable, and because of that, she'll become even more anxious around me. Therefore, I'm actually making the problem worse! Same thing for my husband, who tends to startle the dogs because his "shht!" and hand gesture are a bit too sudden. It's perceived as unstable too.
Yesterday, I tried something with Daria. She tends to get anxious at the end of the afternoon because dinner is approaching, and my husband will come home soon. Incidently, other people are coming back home too, and she reacts when she hears them shut the door of their car or sees them walk by the house. She'll become super excited, she'll bark and startle to the slightest sound. It's incredibly annoying, and of course, Toulouse soon joins her with his loud deep barks. To say I don't want the baby to be startled out of his sleep that way is an understatement! I, too, thought that it was just Daria's personality, and that I would just have to love her for what she is, be kind to her because she's been abused by her first family, and just tell myself that the baby would adapt to the barking, given that he's hearing it regularly even now. I no longer see things that way.
Yesterday, instead of silencing her with a sharp "Daria! It's enough!", I went to her with a calm-assertive attitude. I softly asked her to sit, then lie down. She did. Then I put my hand on her. My energy still wasn't quite right and she felt it right away; I was still a bit agitated and her muscles tensed, she was still fidgety. Had someone shut a car door, she would have started barking right away. So I took deep breaths and put my hand back on her (discipline). She completely lied on her side, I saw with my own eyes her muscles change, and she even showed me her belly, in a calm and submissive position. I caressed her a bit (affection), and then I went to the bathroom. Let me tell you, when I came back, she was still lying down, front paws crossed, still completely calm. Minutes before, she was a nervous wreck. Even if it lasted a few minutes, Daria got the fact that she had a pack leader and that she didn't need to be so vigilant and protect the house against every possible threat she might hear or see outside. I am convinced that, with time, because
I change my attitude with her, she'll fully integrate that fact and become a calmer dog. Provided, of course, that she gets enough exercise.
I had a problem with that whole "macho pack leading dominance" thing Cesar puts such a vital importance on. But I see that I got it all wrong. He never screams at an animal (seen as unstable), he doesn't hurt animals either, and he does not crush them under his foot, does not oppress them with his presence. By being zen and in control, on the contraty, he helps them relax and become very zen too. I've seen it with my own eyes!
Okay... writing an editorial again... sorry... it's just a subject that fascinates me! It's just so great to have a method that finally makes sense and works before my eyes! I can't help but share! Back to work now..
Hugs,
Sophie
and then I think how can a few words take so long to write! 
Glad you had a nice time with your DH how many years have you been married? 
Okay, let me do personals before my patient shows up!