Food Container for dogs?

Ever used a food container for your dogs?
What I am talking about is a big box you can fill with dried food. At the bottom is an opening and while your dog is eating, more food will flow automatically into the bowl.
Let me ask you another question: "When do you think someone calls me for advice?"
Certainly not when the caller 's dog became European champion in obedience trials.
Most people call me saying something like "my dog needs some training".
According to me there is a lot of truth in the Spanish saying "El perro es el reflejo del dueño/a", meaning in English that the dog is the reflection of the owner.
What is being reflected by the dog?
The dog will reflect the energy and the behaviour of the humans (s)he is living with.
It is my conviction that dogs do not need traini You do not eat from the containerng in the first place. Before you can train a dog, you need to understand correctly what the dog is telling you with her/his body language and behaviour.
As soon as you have a system in place enabling you to correctly communicate with your dog, then you can start educating your pet. And what are we aiming at? The target of our education is that the dog pays attention to us when we ask for her/his attention.
One of the best tools during this educational process is my feeding ritual, as I have explained it in my former letters numbers 13,14,15,16. Feeding your dog allows you to behave like the leader of the pack.
But how can you use my feeding ritual if you do not feed your dog yourself?
How will you get the dog's attention if not you but a container is educating the dog?
Yes, the container is educating the dog.
In order to understand what I mean, let's think dog.
A dog is a (descendant of a) canine predator. If there is food available for the pack it is the result of a chase and a kill of the prey. After the kill the pack will eat according to rules that reflect the pecking order. If your dog eats from a container, without you being present, it is my conviction that (s)he will experience this as a confirmation of her/his position as pack leader.
Taking that position of the leader will be more difficult for you than if you would feed your dog yourself.
No wonder I see food containers being used by people whose dogs are not paying attention to them.

Kindest regards from Brunothedoglistener

00.34.690.19.29.76
www.brunodogs.com

13.05.2012 Start of Dog Walking CLASSES

Dog walking CLASSES

Since 1995 I have been teaching dog lovers on the Costa Blanca how to behave correctly with their pets.
Classes sometimes took place in my own training grounds but also in a bull ring, on a football field, in the garden of friends or on a cricket field.
During all those years I had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of dogs and showing their carers how to behave as pack leaders.
On Sunday 13.05.2012 I start with a new combination of dog walking and dog training CLASSES. Price per CLASS/walk will only be the modest sum of 5 €. You will be able to learn how to clearly communicate with your pet and at the same time discover how to walk with a pack of dogs.
I am looking forward to meet dog lovers who are hungry to learn more about their dogs than they ever thought was possible. While learning how to observe your dog, you will discover what this beautiful animal is really telling you with her/his body language.
Starting on 13.05.2012 we will meet every Sunday morning at 10.00 on the parking lot behind the library/social centre in Xaló/Jalón. The library is the smaller building adjacent to the much bigger complex of the sports centre, located at the entrance of the village arriving from Lliber. As both are located alongside the river Xaló/Jalón we can easily combine exercising with walking in a traffic free area.

See you there.

Kindest regards from Brunothedoglistener.
Listen. Learn. Lead
http://www.brunodogs.co.za
brunoswalkscaminatas.blogspot.com
690 19 29 76

Is your dog bouncing off the walls?

For many years I have been reading the newsletters written by the American vet Dr.Becker.
The newsletter I read today dealt with what dog carers call "symptoms of hyperactivity" of their pets. However, upon closer inspection most of these symptoms are the result of breed characteristics, conditioned behavior, lack of appropriate physical and mental stimulation, or a combination.

I invite you to read the article on:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/14/clinical-hyperactivity-in-pet-canines.aspx

Enjoy.

Kindest regards from Bruno

Ego in black and white

In the Goju Ryu - dojo of Lilian and Elias Kattan in Durbanville I had a very interesting experience.
I sent the following email about my experience to Sensei Lilian.

Dear Lilian,

Not only the kobudo class but also the karate class of last Monday was
very interesting for me.
For the first time I was allowed to participate in a kumite exercise
in your class.
The first part was with two kyu's and the last part was with a dan.
I remember how you explained we were only to go for that part of the
body situated between the neck and the belt.
Standing in front of the dan, I looked into his eyes.
In the dojos of Miguel Gomez/Antonio Escoda/Paco Feliu, but also
during all the processes in the ManKindProject I have been trained to
do that.
In the Spanish dojos I was told to hold the stare of the other student
and read the person standing in front of me.
Maestro Miguel Gomez told me that what we are aiming for is that in
the end we will be able to read the other person by simply looking at
her/his feet.
In the ManKindProject we learn how to read our own reflections and
projections in the eyes of the other man.
Looking into someone's eyes is of course something we are not taught to do in our Western society as many people consider it to be a threat.

Standing in front of the dan I immediately picked up a mixture of
defiance and insecurity.
That is of course only my personal perception and my personal interpretation.
When we started the exercise I was amazed to notice that I could touch
the chest of the dan who was my sparring partner.
Until all of a sudden he knocked me down, touching me with his foot on my chin.
Doing that he ignored what you had asked us to do, i.e. only touch the
area between our neck and our belt.
In Spain I liked to do kumite with men who are younger, faster,
stronger and more agile that I am, because that offered me the perfect
opportunity to learn.
That is exactly what the dan in your class has offered me.
I was not experienced enough nor fast enough to see his foot coming.
Following the kick and falling down I have not felt any pain nor discomfort.
It was a great lesson for me and a very interesting experience.

(The lesson for me was that I had been carried away by my Ego as I wanted to make it clear to the black belt that I was more than a white belt. He from his side decided to ignore the instructions of the Sensei and show the white belt who could touch him that he was better than me. Both black belt and white belt came under the influence of our Ego. I still have to learn that I have to be in control of my Ego under all circumstances.)

Herunder you can read the letter I received from Sensei Lilian.

Bruno hi,

People come and go and enrich our lives in many ways.
It has been good to know you for the short time.
What you see here with us is what we are.

We try to pass on our philosophy, not easy for every one to accept in
practice. What always encourages us is that we know people come here for us,
not so much for our system. I suppose it is a package deal! We very rarely
experience any intentional disruption of "harmony" amongst our members.
Always so important to keep in mind is what internal problems people carry with
themselves into the dojo ~ many come here for the chance to let go.

It is a great pity that you will miss the opportunity to practice with our
guest Kobudo instructor in April. He will be here weekend 14/15 April.
If you need to adjust your travel plans, keep this in mind.

Of course we will keep in touch, no matter where you travel.

Regards,
Lilian and Elias

Thich Nat Hanh

Remember how many times I spoke to you about walking with dogs?
Remember how many times I wrote and spoke about walking with dogs while being silent?
Over the years walking with dogs became for me a sacred activity.
They do not speak with words but I fully understand them.
Walking silently offers me, without effort, the possibility to get in touch with my inner self, with the dogs and with the whole universe.

A Buddhist monk called Thich Nat Hahn has discovered the same. It is not the first time I am writing about him. Thousands of people are walking with him in silence. This turns the walk into a meditation.
If you do that, your dogs will immediately pick up the difference in your energy.

MKP-brother Simon Winkle sent me the following quote:

“There is no walk for peace. Peace is the walk.
By walking,we generate peace within our body, our consciousness.
We embrace and heal the pain, the sorrow, the fear in us,
and that is the ground for helping peace to be a reality in
the world.” -

Thich Nhat Hanh

Baboons

A rather "normal" traffic sign on the Cape Peninsula.
I took the picture after an early morning walk with Lupa in Tokai, a wealthy Southern Suburb of Cape Town alongside Orpen Road, close to the Steenberg Golf Estate. Do not think this is something like the open plains of the wilderness where wild animals live. It is a very affluent area full of palatial houses of wild Capetonians, golf estates, shopping centres and parking lots with very expensive cars.
For the baboons, life is becoming less and less easy as humans are encroaching more and more on their habitat. I read in a local paper that there are plans to "protect" the palatial villas against the baboons by means of a multi-million Rand fence, separating animals and "civilisation".
On the Groot Constantia wine estate I have met Baboons several times. From a distance of about 5 m I could see how they were eating the grains of the wheat, planted on an area where old vines had been oprooted. Neither Lupa nor me felt that the baboons were dangerous.
I rather found it a privilege that I was able to meet and observe wild animals.
I loved it.

Dog Running Zone

Dog Running Zone
Having finished my class at DARG I drove to the beach in Hout Bay. I had never walked there and wanted to put my feet in the cold water of the ocean, before heading for Dario’s coffee shop. Although it was a Saturday morning, the beach was almost empty. Enjoying the cool water around my ankles, the warmth of the sun, the light breeze and the view of the mountains all around me, I arrived at a spot where I saw a sign on my left hand side. I’m always interested in the information written on these signs. Coming closer I saw the text: Dog Running Zone.
Shaking my head I thought about how completely different this was from Spain. Over there sharks called “developers” have poured concrete over every Spanish beach and a bit later came laws prohibiting everyone to walk with dogs on the sandy leftovers. Over here I have never seen a beach full of high rise buildings, tourist trap restaurants, bars and shops selling Chinese junk. And now I had discovered the Hout Bay beach with a “Dog Running Zone”. In Muizenberg, on the other side of the mountains, there is a sign on the beach inviting people walking with dogs to do it before 9 a.m. or after 6 p.m. What a difference with Spain!
Teaching in DARG has offered me the opportunity to clearly experience the distance between two totally different kinds of dog loving people. In the many green belts where the wealthy Capetonians walk with their dogs I meet many confident, fast walking, friendly, assertive people with up to 8 (eight) dogs off leash. They do not wait for their dogs. They seldom call them. They walk and the clear message for the dogs is “Hey, pay attention to me”. The dogs understand that clear message and follow the leaders. In these surroundings of the green belts I have never witnessed a fight between dogs. For that reason I started calling the Alphen Trail the “Alpha Trail” as all the walkers I meet there walk like Alpha leaders of their pack. They certainly do not need someone like me to teach them how to walk their dogs.
The other category of dog lovers are the many female volunteers who walk the dogs on the DARG estate. I see how the dogs of the charity pull them along all over the grounds. When the dogs stop, they stop and wait too. When the dogs jump up, they praise them by stroking them and speaking to them with baby talk. In these female volunteers I see no confidence, no calm assertive energy. In their faces, voices and in their body language I clearly see how they want to give love. Why? Because they themselves need love.
During the meetings with DARG’s president, she had asked me if I would admit her volunteers for free in my classes. I agreed. But both the president and I had made an assumption. The assumption was that the volunteers would be interested in learning how to walk a dog properly. What happened when I started teaching? Only a few of the volunteers attended my classes once or twice and then disappeared. Walking over the DARG estate I had distributed business cards, inviting the female volunteers who did not attend my classes to send me an e-mail message, enabling me to send them my free weekly letters. Not one of them sent me an e-mail. The message was clear for me: They do not want to learn how to walk a dog. They only want to love the dogs. I suppose that loving the dogs the way they do it has a therapeutic effect on them, which of course is very good. Making the assumption that they also want to learn something in my classes was my mistake.

Black Belt Chances of Success

Dear Friends,

Being a student of martial arts is constantly offering me important tools for my personal development. To give you one example: Moving to Cape Town I became a student in the school for martial arts in Kenilworth. Having already obtained 11 different belts in other "dojos" I was nevertheless invited to start here as a white belt. This was (and is) for me quite a lesson in humility. During the ritual that precedes every training we all say together:

"I will be humble, peaceful and honourable. I will strive to be a better person. I will respect all human beings. I will not injure or harm others. I will not be too proud or modest. I will practice with earnest and patience and apply these principles in my daily life."

Today the sensei sent me the picture you can see above about the chances of success.
If you read the text and think about it, you will see how these "chances of success" are not only applicable for those who are striving to become a black belt. They are true for everything we do in our daily life.
Also in our daily life with our beloved pets.

Love and blessings from Brunothedoglistener

DARG-Course in Hout Bay

Dear friends,

It is my pleasure to announce to you that on Saturday 04.02.2012 I will start teaching a course of canine communication on the premises of DARG in Hout Bay (Cape Town).
Be quick to register because based upon experience it is best to have not more than 15 participants in one group. I repeat once more that it will not be an obedience course for dogs. What we will do is learn to behave in such a way with our dogs that they will understand us.
It is not about WHAT we say but HOW we say it. It is not about WHAT we do but HOW we do it. My assumption is that our dogs know everything about how to be a good dog and that "bad" dogs do not exist.
I will teach you how to observe your dog and how to "listen" to what she/he is saying by means of body language. The second step is learning how to clearly understand the messages your dog is sending you. Last but not least you will learn how to behave like the leader your dog would have in a canine pack.
Learning all that is not easy but it is very rewarding, as in the end, you will not only see the difference in your dog, but also in every other aspect of your life.
At least if you have the will to learn, if you refuse to go into denial, if you are persistent, patient and consistent.

Good luck and kindest regards from Brunothedoglistener.

INVITATION DARG 28.01.2012 at 9.30 for 10.00

The charity called “DARG” or Domestic Animals Rescue Group located on Main Road in beautiful Hout Bay, has invited me for a talk about

“How to live in harmony with my dog”.

You will find DARG (www.facebook.com/DARG.org.za)alongside Main Road in Hout Bay/Cape Town - South Africa.
Please call 021.791 3903 or 021 790 2050 in order to reserve your seats because we have a limited amount of chairs.

How can we live in harmony with our dogs?
Having worked for decades with droves of dog lovers I came to the conclusion that the training of dogs becomes only possible when we do something else first. First and foremost we have to understand our dogs.
In order to understand our dogs we have to learn their language.

How do dogs speak? Do they speak English, or Zulu, or French, or Xhosa, or Spanish? No, they do not speak a verbal human language. But they speak something we can easily learn to understand and that something is “body language”. It is a language we speak ourselves every day without consciously noticing it. Linguists tell us that whenever we use words, we lie most of the time. To lie with words is easy. But have you ever tried to lie with your body? That is much, much more difficult. Or let’s look at it differently: With our body we speak the truth, most of the time. Now that is very interesting. It means that if we learn to read the body language of our dogs correctly it becomes very, very easy to understand them. It becomes easy because dogs always speak the truth.

As soon as we understand our dogs, we can communicate clearly with them without having to deal with misunderstandings like pulling, obsessive barking, chewing furniture… you name it.

When we can clearly communicate with our dogs, we can educate them in such a way that they accept and respect us as their pack leaders. If they accept and respect us as their leaders, we are sure they are paying attention to us when we want it. That is what we need. Ever tried to educate a dog (or a human) who ignores you?
As soon as our position of leader in the pack is clear, then and only then can we start training our dog in agility, fly-ball, nose work, man work, carting etc…
After the talk you can enroll for a six months course in canine communication that will start at.9.00 on Saturday 04.02.2012 on the DARG premises.

See you there.

Kindest regards from Brunothedoglistener.
www.brunodogs.co.za
info@brunodogs.co.za
079 393 3553
021 761 3801

As nature intended

Dear friends,

Underneath you can see a picture of Lupa, taken right after sunrise, in Tokai lower park. The rising sun has painted a golden varnish on her brown coat.


Cape Town 15.01.2012

After the walk we had breakfast at Tashas in Constantia Village on the Cape Peninsula. For a change I ordered toast with goat’s cheese, avocado and tomato. While eating we were talking about the possible link between our blood type and the ancient history of humankind. We know that the theory of Peter D’Adamo is not based upon what is called “scientific evidence”, but here I go with a very simplified summary.

When our oldest ancestors were still hunters and gatherers their blood group was O. But as soon as humans became nomads following their cattle on its never ending travels to new feeding grounds, the blood group A came into existence. When our ancestors, in what we now call “the Middle East”, started with a new thing called “agriculture” the blood group B was born. I do not know if author Peter D’Adamo is right with his theory but I certainly do believe that I am what I eat. Here are a few examples.
If I eat bread with cheese before going to bed I definitely have a bad night. When I eat a mix of bananas with prunes and apricots during my early morning walk, I have a feeling of walking with a brick in my stomach for the major part of the day. Visiting a restaurant and having a late dinner with friends means that hereafter I will not sleep well. Let alone what drinking a few cups of coffee (or glasses of wine) would do to my system.
I also believe that, having reached 68 years of age, I can still do long walks and practice martial arts because I love locally grown organic food and have never smoked. It is my opinion that driving a very expensive car is utterly ridiculous but every day I want to have a Rolls Royce in my belly. I want the same for my dogs. I can feed them the cheap S.H.I.T. pellets manufactured by people who hate dogs and love money. Or I can feed them natural, organic food. For a few months I have prepared their fresh raw food myself. I went to the local butcher, mixed the meat with vegetables and rice and served it. But then I found a much more convenient solution, “as nature intended”.
I got to know Cheryl and Chris Davidson from Muizenberg on the Cape Peninsula. Not so long ago they started feeding their dogs and cat a natural raw food and immediately saw the difference in their pets. Talking to friends about the visible changes that occurred with their animals they soon discovered there was a market for this kind of pet food. That was the beginning of a new family owned small business “As nature intended”. To cut a short story even shorter: I do not prepare the meals for our Muensterlaender Lupa anymore. Instead I love driving down the short distance between Wynberg and Muizenberg, have a look at the ocean, feel the wind in my face, buy the pet food from Chris, have a chat with him about their growing business and then I head home after a cup of coffee in Kneads bakery. To give you an idea of the price: One meal costs us 14 Rand, which is about 1,4 Euros. Of course that does not include the price of the cup of coffee in Kneads. But don’t worry if you do not live close to Muizenberg. Chris told me he just bought a new van for deliveries throughout southern Western Cape. And who knows? This might be an idea for a new company on the Costa Blanca! More info on http://giveadogabone.co.za/
Kindest regards from Brunothedoglistener

The power of the left eye

Dear friends,

For years on end I have been observing the (body-)language of dogs. It is how they speak and it enables me to understand them, to communicate with them and educate them.
This lead me to observing my own body language and that of my fellow humans. Now this is a very interesting and fascinating study.
My work as a New Warrior in MKP and the fact that I am a student of martial arts gave me even more insights in how I feel and accordingly how I behave and communicate with my body language.

Do you remember how I used to say that the less you say to a dog, the better the communication works?
Do you remember how I invited our group to walk for ten minutes without saying anything?

Well if you are interested in discovering the difference between our two modes of thinking, the verbal and the non-verbal switch to the following website and read about The Power of the Left Eye.

http://www.scienceofsoulmates.com/The_power_of_the_left_eye.htm

You will read how our left eye is literally the window to our soul and the indicator of the hidden, unmasked true self.

Enjoy.

Love and blessings from Bruno

Little Chelsea and Sunrise in False Bay on 01.01.2012

Dear friends walking with dogs,

On this first day of the year, no hangover, no bleary eyed faces, no yawning for us.
On 01.01.2012 we got up at 4.00, drove to the ocean and saw the sunrise over False Bay starting at 5.39. It was Cherry's idea. She is Eva's friend and a professional dog walker.
As I am used to the beaches of Javea, Moraira, Calpe etc...I was completely flabbergasted to see the magnificent, endless, empty beach of False Bay reaching out to Gordon's Bay at the other side. That endless beach was empty except for the many Capetonians who were there, just like us, walking the beach with their dogs. It is possible to walk here with dogs from December till April before 9.00 and after 18.00.
Of course we took some pictures.
A few days ago I walked the streets of Little Chelsea taking pictures of all the old houses. For me it is absolutely amazing that these magnificent homes still exist, are in good condition and have survived the turmoil of centuries in Africa.
The grey house with the black fence and the tree is where we live.

Enjoy the walk.

Blessings for all of you in 2012 from Bruno