Hi folks, yours truly back from a quick jaunt down to the Mediterranean with friends and the dogs.
Holiday season is in full swing over here and the place was packed with tourists, many bringing their pooches with them.
As we walked up and down the shopping arcade so the girls could look at Tackarama (an Aussie expression which I love) I noticed not only the reaction of other dogs to my two, but also theirs to this brand new place packed with strangers and other dogs.
I couldn't figure out the pattern to how Kez and Pru reacted - either quiet and an air of "Please God don't hurt me" or occasionally a Travis Bickle "You talking to me?" bristling.
Did big dogs do it? Black dogs? One dog on it's own? None of these fitted the profile. I used to think that Kez got brave when he saw a smaller dog, a tactic which backfired on him once when he courageously barked at a little dog, only for him to discover to his horror that it was in fact a Newfoundland that was far away. He turned tail and ran behind me, looking out at the monster from between my legs. It was a proud moment for us both...
Anyway, the point of this blog was that as a dog listener I fortunately knew the right answer to the situation, which was it did not matter how the dogs reacted, rather how I reacted that was important.
In fact, that's the key to walking dogs wherever you are, holiday or not.
If a dog looks to its leader for reassurance and the leader is calm, then all is well. If the owner makes a fuss, then even if the dog does believe in the human's leadership, it will think there is a problem.
So I made nothing of it... and bought a beautiful painted shell ashtray... which makes no sense as I don't smoke. But when in Rome... Cheers, Tony Knight
Hi, from an over-heated dog listener! Yours truly here currently sweltering in the most humid conditions I have ever known in France.
The last few evenings have been spent with the windows wide open and Kez doing his best impression of a steam train, puffing out his cheeks as he tries to keep cool.
I have tried to help by spraying him with water but he just looked at me like I was trying to kill him (mind you he always has that face, bless him).
If I am feeling the heat, how must the dogs be coping, as they refuse to take off their fur coats (well, not all in one go anyway - the tumbleweeds of dead hair that keeps making an appearance around the house are testimony to that).
I was out and about yesterday in the nearly 40 degree heat, when I saw an old lady struggling to make it down the road under the oppressive sun.
What made it worse was the sight of her poor pooch panting alongside her. Now as a dog listener, I always like to liberate people from the mistaken belief that they have to walk their dogs when it is raining, as the walk is not important to a dog (to find out what is, check out my coaching programme at http://www.dog-listener.com).
In this case, if a dog owner is liking the idea of taking the dog for a walk in the blazing sunshine, I will quote Alec Guinness in Star Wars... "Trust your feelings" (does that mean I owe George Lucas a pound now?).
So, in short, avoid hot dogs... and I don't just mean the canine type (did you see that TV show about what goes into them? Thanks Jamie Oliver!)
Dog Listener training in Holland has finished - but here's a quick question for you. Can you name 3 good things to come out of Belgium? Before last week I would have struggled after French fries (true) and Jean-Claude Van Damne (and that's not with much commitment).
However, one student on the Dog Listener Training Course in Holland was employed by the Belgian government to teach children how to behave correctly with dogs. Brilliant!! They go straight to the top of my list.
Of course, she had LOADS of questions, but it seemed she went away with plenty of good ways to use Dog Listener Training techniques to get an even better message across.
I don't know if there are other governments that have taken this initiative (as far as I know the UK government has shown no signs yet - maybe whoever wins next week will think differently), but it is a good start.
Of course, the first and most important message to give children and adults alike is simply "DON'T APPROACH DOGS; CALL THEM TO YOU".
This little piece of knowledge will drastically cut down the incidences of dog bites in the world. Check out my reference to owing pirahna fish on one of the blogs I did while in New Zealand for another way of looking at this subject.
So now I have French fries (still true), the Belgian Government.... and maybe Johnny Hallyday (but again that's pushing it a bit).
A que coucou, Tony Knight
P.S. For those who do not know who Johnny Hallyday is, think the French version of Cliff Richard!
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
Hi folks, I am back in Auckland after an amazing road trip on New Zealand's South Island and ready to start work on some great new Dog Listener projects to help every dog owner get the best relationship possible with their dogs (more on that soon).
On my travels I made a few films on the spur of the moment that I hope you enjoy. The tip is simple - once we remember that a dog is a dog and not a human being, we can completely change our relationship with them in an instant. We all know dogs use Flight, Freeze and Fight', so its fascinating to watch this human example of 'Freeze' in action.
I apologise in advance for the less than professional camera work at the rugby game, but I was startled by the blatant pitch invasion. Thank goodness no streaking was involved! Just to be clear the final score was 32-30 to the "non-Maoris" (I use the term loosely as the Maoris had a few ringers in their team from Scandinavia - that well known hotbed of rugby talent...). Cheers. Tony Knight
Hi folks. How does stepping off a really high cliff backwards appeal to you?
As a dog listener I'm no stranger to facing fears, but 'taking the plunge' reminded me of how many dogs face their fears on a daily basis and how important it is that we provided them with a safety harness by taking on leadership.
Before you dive straight into the video clip (no pun intended) I wanted to tell you about a dog that was terrified of buses.... A few years ago I was doing some work with the Guide Dogs for the Blind because they had 4 dogs that were failing the course and wanted some help. One in particular was terrified of buses, and one of the tasks was to get on a bus.
In the end, using Dog Listener techniques alongside their already excellent training program, the only problem they had was that the dog would jump on every bus it saw!
Once a dog realises that it can trust the person it is with, it can face all kinds of fears.
I remember once as a young boy standing at the top of a high diving platform, not daring to jump. it wasn't until my Godfather said that we had to leave the pool that I finally took the plunge - and jumped another 5 times before I left. The same thing happened with our Guide Dog! By the way, 3 out of 4 dogs passed and the one that didn't (it bit all its handlers) became a family pet. Not a bad return for their hard work and money...
OK, time to see if you can spot any fear on my face, or if yours truly has made any progress since that first jump off the top diving board...
Cheers for now, Tony
P.S. Leave a comment below and let me know what the scariest thing you or your dog has had to face
By now in Britain the fireworks and bonfires are in full swing, and while they are great to watch for us humans, for our canine friends this time of year can be incredibly stressful.
The simplest and best advice I can give is to remain as calm as possible and not to pay any attention to your dog, no matter now upset it is. It is human nature to reassure by talking and cuddling, but it is not dog nature. If you make something out of this the dog will think that it's reaction is justified and it could get worse. If your panicky pooch takes off into a bedroom and hides under the bed, then leave it there without a fuss. As always, it is your reaction that counts, and the best thing by far is to act as if nothing is happening.
I realise this is difficult at times, but previous experience has shown this is the most effective way to get through this period. So hang in there and remember that even this time will end and you can weather the storm (by the way, the same approach works for storms too!)
It's now time to relax a while after a hectic 10 days dog listener training in Switzerland.
The need for an interpreter (ich spreche keine deutsche) always brings home the value of being a Dog Listener, translating the language of the dog for the owner and giving them the ability to communicate back to help problems.
I took my two dogs along with me for the experience and they had just as packed a schedule as I did. If only the pet passports got stamped too - they are becoming quite the travellers.
It also served to remind me that this process is on-going, just like the only diet that really works is the one where you change your habits for life. Because they found themselves in new environments often, they looked to be reassured that they could still trust me, sometimes asking questions in ways they hadn't done for a long time.
My job was not to wonder what had actually triggered their behaviour, rather to reassure them through my own consistent behaviour that they could trust me here too. I do not expect my dogs to be perfect (Lassie was actually three dogs and there are many out-takes!). I expect them to ask questions, and I am happy that I have the right answers.
You can buy dogs that do exactly what you want them to - they are sliver and run on batteries, but they are not nearly as much fun. Sure, they won't pee on the rug, but it is still possible for the batteries to leak... Cheers Tony
As the guest of Kent Dog Listeners and Every Chance Rescue I spent this weekend at the Paws in the Park event at Hop Farm. Thousands of dog owners brought their pooches of every size, shape and colour (including purple).
It was a little disheartening to see so many dogs strapped up in harnesses (and still pulling), however we got through to a lot of people. It still amazes me that for the moment dog listening is not the first place owners turn to, but then again these days if somebody has a bit of a bad day they can be prescribed anti-depressants in an instant - a so-called immediate cure - rather than get coaching.
Yet the power of the dog listener process can literally save lives, and rescue dogs that everyone else has given up on, as can be seen in an amazing Youtube film by a young woman who went to South Africa for a holiday and ended up.... well watch the clip and you will see. Its a heartwrenching story.
No drugs, no gadgets, no force, just time and patience. This is why I do what I do... please make sure all your friends get to see it too.
A quick hello from deepest Ukraine, and once more I see that no matter what part of the world I find myself in, there are still the same issues with dogs.
The relaxed attitude of the stray dogs, asleep in the shade while we tourists puff and pant sightseeing, shows their intelligence.
Contrast that with a conversation I had with a girl in a bar on the first night whose Yorkshire terrier was peeing everywhere in the house and was terrified of the outside world. She told me her vet had recommended castration as a cure.
It seems my work as a dog listener is cut out here too... Now I just have to learn the language! Tony
Hi folks, yours truly back from a quick jaunt down to the Mediterranean with friends and the dogs. 
