Hi folks, it's amazing how just 5 days without Internet contact leads people to believe you've disappeared off the face of the Earth! In fact, I have just finished teaching a Dog Listener Foundation course in Holland, with the largest number of students so far. A fantastic response and it looks like Dog Listening is going from strength to strength in that part of the world.
One of the current members of Team Holland (as I dubbed them 2 years ago) has adopted a wolf at a zoo, and on my free day I accompanied her and other members of Team Holland to see the resident pack of four brothers.
The enclosure is a decent size, and they share it with several bears.
Of course, the closeness to each other does lead to a pressure cooker effect, where interaction between them is more frequent and closer than would normally be the case, but it was amazing to watch how they were around each other.
Most of the time there was no problem, but one bear - described by our guide as the "pain in the ass mother" (I love how the Dutch speak English) - insisted on making a point, to which the wolves reacted.
Imagine my horror when I started filming, only to quickly realise that my camcorder had run out of battery. AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!
Fortunately another member of TH let me use her camera, and I did manage to get some great video footage.
Click on the link to see a great sequence. Those who believe that "wild" means out of control, check out how these "wild" animals sort out their differences...
Cheers, Tony
P.S. The sounds of children are coming from a play area located right in the middle of the enclosure. At least I hope it was a play area, and not a larder!
Hi folks, I am happy (and relieved) to be in one piece after my first ever skiing lesson, a birthday present from Jan Fennell (Mother).
It is also going to be interesting to discover muscles I never knew I had in the morning when they seize up.
The day served as a reminder that I may have been practicing Dog Listening for a long time now, but I must always be aware that for some people, it may be completely new to them, and they may need time to get the hang of it.
As I wobbled down the slopes, my instructor James showed admirable patience throughout the day, and I'm sure he finally let me onto the big slope because he was confident in my ability.
In fact he filmed me as I slowly made my way down the very steep slope.
It took time to make my way down, while little kids inevitably whizzed past me. But it didn't put me off too much.
James told me what I needed to do to be happy and in control was practice... where have I heard that before?
Anyway, I think I will get back on the Piste again soon, and I have a renewed sense of patience and respect for people who may be making small steps in doing the Amichien Bonding process.
A good and patient teacher makes the experience enjoyable and gives confidence to carry on. Lesson learnt... check out the clip below for my next lesson - apparently.
Cheers for now, Tony Knight
PS Now I come to think about it, as I flew past James I thought I heard him mention You've Been Framed...
Dog Listener Training and doing some long overdue DIY on the house have split my attention lately but you'd surprised at what they share in common.
When you look at all that needs to be done, DIY tasks can seem daunting, yet break them down into smaller pieces and concentrate on one job at a time, and before you know it you have made some great progress. Which is exactly the approach I recommend you take with Dog Listener Training when you're dealing with a number of different dog behaviour problems.
One particular sticking point (literally) was the hardened glue on the wooden floor in the hallway that was used to put down the most dreadful linoleum when I bought the place. Sometimes I wonder why we say the French have style…
Anyway, I'd tried to sand it off with an industrial sander but to no avail, and had decided to replace the whole floor, but for some reason yesterday I thought I'd see if I could use some patience and try to get the stuff off one last time.
As it turns out, it is coming off really easily with a combination of scraper and sandpaper. It will take a bit of time, but the results are going to be well worth it.
Likewise with training a dog, we can feel there's no hope in one area of what we're trying to do, yet all it takes is to approach the problem from a slightly different direction and we see an immediate difference.
I've been really delighted with the progress made by several of my clients on my dog listener training coaching programme, highlighted by a fantastic phone-in with them last Monday.
I am especially happy as the people concerned were really having some deep seated issues with their dogs, but now are seeing the fruits of their labour. Training a dog takes time and patience and I take my hat off to them (and my safety goggles and mask).
Just like them, I will keep going until I have the results I'm after. I’ll even post a photo of the hallway when it’s done… I am becoming a bit of a DIY bore these days! Tony Knight
Maybe you will have heard the excellent news that electric shock collars are to be banned in Wales (the Welsh are always ahead of the rest of us these days – maybe it’s because Cardiff is where the rift in time and space is (Dr. Who fans know what I mean).
I did wonder if the decision had anything to do with a stunt performed by the Welsh daredevils/lunatics from the TV show Dirty Sanchez (no I will NOT explain what that means) where they played extreme pool while wearing shock collars. Whenever one of them missed a shot, he got a shock.
I have looked for the clip but no luck, however in close second is a demonstration of the different levels of shock that a collar can deliver. The guinea pig is a guy from across the Pond.
Of course there are still those who claim that shock collars are a valuable dog training aid. I ask them simply to follow this guy’s lead, then make up their minds.
The answer of course is to use a kind, patient way of dog training that also – more importantly – shows the dog it does not have to take on the job of protector, let alone be punished with pain for doing its job to the best of its ability. So well done to Wales. Tidy…
Cheers, Tony
P.S. The clip you can click onto on the film about a lazy, angry dog is a clear example of why we should call dogs to us, not approach them. Some people just don’t listen to their dogs…. Sigh
Hi folks, just a quick follow up to the blog I did about "dangerous breeds".
No sooner have I put it out there, than the British government is considering a change to the current Dangerous Dogs Act.
The key to success for them is education of people, rather than the classification of certain breeds as potential threats in need of extermination (is it me or does that sound like 30s Germany?)
Yours truly has offered his 'Dog Listener' thoughts and I look forward to seeing a common sense outcome. In the meantime, you may like to see the progress of a dog that you may remember seeing before....
After being saved from a death sentence for being "dangerous", Cerberus is now close to his final moments in quarantine before he joins his owner Sam at her home. Proof that Dog Listening not only changes lives, it saves them too.
Cheers, Tony Knight
P.S. How about this clip as part of a national advertising campaign to educate owners?
As a Dog Listener, one of the problems I always find with the idea of dominating dogs, that you see everywhere, is that there are some REALLY BIG DOGS out there.
It may be good TV to flip over a Chihuahua or stand over a Yorkshire Terrier and jab it in the neck, but what happens if the animal you are working with can actually pick you up in its mouth, take you out into the garden and bury you? Better to use intelligence than brute force.
I have been lucky enough to be invited twice backstage, as it were, to see the animals at Auckland Zoo (as seen on TV).
My Facebook friends may remember the profile picture of me underwater with the seal known as Scuttle. I distinctly recall one of us was darting around with amazing speed and grace, while the other… didn’t (I won’t mention which one was which…).
The invitation came as a result of them successfully using the Dog Listening system on their animals, making huge strides forward (literally) with their resident elephants.
Click on the video below to see the film of some of the interview I did with Andrew, whom I have dubbed The Elephant Listener (all rights reserved etc etc some-latin-words-at-the-end-to-make-it-look-official-and-legal).
Andrew talks of the difference between the “traditional” methods of dominating and how the Amichien Bonding technique has revolutionised the relationship with Man’s Biggest Friend. It is obvious that he has taken the essence of this process to heart, and the conversation is so good that I will put the full audio on my website soon for you to listen to and let you know when its available (let’s be honest, you may not hear what he has to say at first due to a couple of large distractions…).
Enjoy, Tony Knight.
P.S. Never let an elephant’s trunk near your face, you may be shocked where it has been (I wish I had known that when I went to South Africa – I wouldn’t have let one “kiss” me…).
P.P.S. Here is another cool elephant and dog clip courtesy of Monty Roberts’ wife Pat. Great story.
Hi folks, for the fourth morning straight this Dog Listener is wide awake at a ridiculously early hour and so pondering the meaning of life, dogs and dog listening.(what’s the formula for recovery – one day for every hour difference?).
Jet lag is a reminder that although we are able to travel great distances in a relatively short time, our bodies are still working at a natural pace. We may pretend that we are such highly evolved creatures above all others, but that natural side of us is never too far away.
Similarly, I have always thought of winter as only being three months long (optimistically). Using logic, four seasons in twelve months makes sense. Yet as I look out at the frost on the ground, March is frankly letting the side down. My suntan is already starting to slide off for goodness sake…
Once more I am grateful that I was able to follow the geese and fly South for the winter, leaving the cold and dark behind. Have you noticed that when they fly overhead they are laughing at us?
Trees shed leaves, bears hibernate with a home-made cork up their bums (according to QI), squirrels go home and play with their nuts and tortoises are wrapped up in a cardboard box and shoved next to the radiators (childhood memories of Blue Peter are responsible for that last comment).
So if nature understands that winter means shut down, little surprise that human beings find it hard to adjust to continuing the same 9 to 5 working life when our systems are telling us to slow down. Sales of custard shot through the roof last winter in Britain, as people indulged in stodgy rib-sticking puddings to keep warm (and maybe for some comfort).
Which brings me back to pondering the biggest obstacle to getting a great relationship with our dogs - our belief that they think like people. If you found last winter hard, it is proof that we are looking at that relationship the wrong way around. We think like dogs, we are creatures of Nature, a force that sometimes comes into direct conflict with our everyday life.
OK enough talk of winter already, the clocks will be going forward soon enough and no doubt this summer will be brilliant… all three months of it (!) Check out these clips to show how some creatures can thrive in cold conditions, while others… struggle a bit. Tony Knight
A quick question – which breed of dog is the most dangerous? And if you want to avoid a dog bite, which ones should you steer clear of?
No doubt a list of the usual suspects appears in your mind right away, but I wonder if amongst the line-up you have put the Black Labrador? Well, if you are an electricity meter reader in New Zealand, the answer is a definite yes.
Power board readers – as they are known over there – have a list of “dangerous dogs” and the winner by a nose (well a mouth really) is the Black Lab, their version of Kaiser Soze.
But surely, I hear you cry, the Labrador is one of the most loveable, cuddly dogs around.
As one TV vet in Australia said, “There are two things you need to know about Labs. One – they eat. Two – they love children”. He did not specify whether he meant that they love children as a snack…
The reason for virtually every dog bite that happens (minus accidents, dogs defending or reprimanding their pack members or naughty people thinking they can outrun a police dog) is simply down to people not understanding one rule a dog lives by, even though (and this is the ironic part so get ready) WE ALREADY KNOW THE RULE AND LIVE BY IT OURSELVES!!
If someone you did not know suddenly looked you in the eye, approached you and started to touch you, how would you feel? Unless you are Russell Brand, maybe not that well I imagine.
Personal space needs to be respected, and although we know about this instinct for people, it seems we expect dogs to accept it. Not every dog will tell someone to get lost, but those that do are responsible for 97% of dog bites. Most of the time the dog responsible is of a breed we deem to be “cute”.
So my gift to you today is the Dog Listener fool-proof way to avoid 97% of dog bites.
Check out the quick clip below, then enjoy the comic master Peter Sellers as he shows how not to do it. Cheers, Tony
As usual, I have been looking for ways to get people to appreciate the Dog Listener message in the unlikeliest locations, often with (I admit) quite tenuous connections. Today’s blog is no exception.
If there was one thing I could shout from the highest tower to all dog owners it would be this,
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO WALK YOUR DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOG!!!!!”
It's far more important to get used to the controls before you venture into the outside world – you wouldn't feel comfortable sitting behind the wheel of a Formula One car with no experience of driving (or do what you are about to see in the clip without enough training…), but then again we aren’t told by so-called experts that we have to do it everyday.
I have lost count of the number of happy dog owners I have helped who have taken control of the walk, knowing that they have time to get it right. In fact, they make far quicker progress than the countless others being dragged down the street every day by their dog.
What I teach is pure common sense. The problem with common sense is that it is not that common.
Anyway, buckle up and get ready for a stomach churning ride, and some even more stomach-churning acting from yours truly – watch out Johnny Depp. Enjoy the video clip. Tony Knight
Hi folks, I've made you another Dog Listener Video - and you're going to love the bonus video clip below. I reckon a few of you will be saying "Good Moaning" tomorrow.
So what's the news?
The first eBook is getting the final touches and (as you would expect from me) a no-nonsense, fluff-free Dog Listener Guide to Toilet Training (I hesitate to use the phrase no-mess…)
And yours truly is back in Oz for one more week after an amazing time in New Zealand – thanks for all the comments about the films I have posted, even if most of the time they are questioning my sanity for doing the Canyon Jump…
On Sunday I went to an Aussie Rules football match (the story of how I became a fan of this sport is long but it involves a stone bird table and stitches) and felt inspired to talk about the problems we face with fellow English speakers.
You see, I was told off for using Kiwi slang in Australia – a simple mistake to make and after all why argue over whether to call them thongs or jandals when flip-flops is a perfectly sensible name (I was so clumsy as a child my Mum bought me a pair of flip-flips) – which lead me to think about language.
The key to Dog Listening is to understand the dog’s language. Otherwise there is a severe risk of communication breakdown and everyone can get stressed, both human and canine. When we know what dogs are trying to tell us, and more importantly give them the right message, the ride becomes a lot smoother.
By the way, I know I used the same joke at the end of this clip, but what can I say – I liked it… Hope you share my sense of humour!
Cheers for now, Tony
P.S. This bonus comedy clip is not only for all my internet friends but also especially for Paddy Leishman in Auckland – break a leg on-stage mon ami!
