Hi folks, thanks to my work as a dog listener, it seems yours truly has once more been able to escape the cold snap by the skin of his teeth.

I remember in January this year leaving Gatwick airport a few hours before Britain froze solid, and now at the end of the year the same thing has happened. Watching images of the white-out from Australia seems like deja-vu...

However, the Aussies aren't necessarily too happy right now either (and not just because of the cricket). The East coast is unusually wet and not too hot either (whinging Aussies...), although I briefly visited Broome in the West and suffered the quickest dose of sunburn ever - 10 minutes even with sun tan lotion on.

It is at times like these that I ponder the issue of Man's place in Nature. We like to think that we are the masters of the planet, and indeed we are capable of the most amazing feats, far surpassing our own limitations. However, Nature does have a habit of reminding us on occasion that we are just ants on the anthill, and at any moment the kettle of boiling water that is the weather can descend upon us and cause chaos.

Those right now on the cold half of the world are more affected by the lack of daylight than the huge amounts of snow. The condition known as S.A.D. is due to a lack of vitamins provided by the sun, coupled with the continued need to work with the same intensity as in the summertime. Nature understands this and either shuts down or heads somewhere warmer. Geese do this and laugh at us as they go....

One of our biggest obstacles when working with dogs and training dogs is our reluctance to admit that we (and they) are animals with a very powerful nature. Once we accept the nature of the beast, we can work with it, not against it. As soon as we ignore it, we are setting ourselves up for a shock.

Funny how we accept a cat's nature far more easily - if you get scratched by a cat you are told that the solution is to leave the cat alone. If a dog nips, then it is an aggressive monster. One is accepted for its nature, the other is not.

When somebody tells me that they were "bitten" by a dog, I ask how it happened. Chances are they approached the dog  - and invading personal space without permission can lead to being told to go away...

Check out these clips of what is possible when you accept the force of Nature and can manage it.... and when you don't. You shouldn't laugh at one of them, but see if you can help it! Stay Warm, Tony Knight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYFoF5UIX0U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CT0a-Hgumo

ALLONS ENFANTS DE LA PATRIE...

Hi folks, for those of you who may be unaware, here in France there have been national strikes for the last few weeks, with people taking to the streets protesting about the plans to raise the retirement age by 2 years.

It's affecting our dogs too! Friends of mine were in the car with their dog who is nervous around loud noises, when they were slowed down by a group of protesters in the road, handing out leaflets.

At the precise moment they stopped, somebody in the crowd let off a flare. This caused the poor dog to fly into the footwell of the car, in fear for his life. Now there was a time when his reaction was much, much worse, but fortunately his owners, having taken on board the Dog Listener approach are much better at dealing with it than before, and his trauma was short-lived.

The other thing that has struck me has been the panic-buying of petrol over the last few days, as the refineries are blockaded. It shows only too clearly how quickly humans will go into "survival" mode when there is a sudden doubt in the availability of something important.

I'm sure you've witnessed this phenomenon in the lead up to Christmas, when in the rush to get as much food as possible in for the festive season, the aisles turn into a scene from Mad Max... I'll never forget the sweet, little old lady who rammed me with her shopping cart to get to the milk first!

You've probably heard me say that in all of the Natural world, we denied one animal its true nature - the dog. However, I have changed my mind. I now include people. Society is a bit like wallpaper put over a crack in the wall - it may hide what is there, but it's still there just below the surface.

For an example of how the nature of these two animals are ignored, check out the article below about the previous French president -  funny how at the end of it the dog was fine, even though the reason for its "depression" was still not resolved.

All dogs, no matter how small, should be given the same respect and understanding.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6256829/Jacques-Chirac-forced-to-give-away-depressed-dog-Sumo.html  A la prochaine, Antoine

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