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.