Walking the dog

Walking the dog – is that a rabbit over there?

For a dog or pack of dogs the purpose of a walk is to hunt. They sniff, circle, go off track, all with the aim of looking for prey. Our job as pack leader is to lead the hunt. We want our dogs to be vigilant of us so they remain safe, in communication with us and don’t get into mischief with other people or dogs. We do this by ‘hunting’ together.

What ‘the walk’ isn’t

As humans we tend to think of ‘the walk’ as a means of going from A to B and then back again. We get to where we are going by the shortest means possible and then hurry home.

But dogs don’t think of ‘the walk’ as a process of travel, but an activity. They aren’t going in a straight line but are out to investigate the terrain with their pack.

How to do this?

Imagine you are a dog. You are padding along the track, joyfully sniffing and suddenly you smell the tantalising aroma of a rabbit or maybe you see the blur of a white cotton tail, and you are off, we need to catch our dinner!

As pack leaders we are doing the same, leading our dogs in finding things to investigate, hunt and eat.

We can imitate this by simply changing direction (what’s that sound I heard?); step off the path (nice smell over here); change tempo (ooh squirrel, chase! Or slowly, let’s stalk and get in position around this rabbit bush) or hiding behind a tree (better check out who’s marked here lately). We just wait till our dogs find us and then off we go again.

Doing the unexpected

Pack leaders job is to decide when to go and where to go. The followers make sure they keep the pack leader in sight because it’s their job to follow. As we change direction, tempo, position or go off track our dogs need to stay close by, so they know what’s going on. They are part of our Team Dog and need to be aware what the leader is up to so dinner doesn’t get away.

The more unexpected we are in our behaviour the more our dogs have to mentally work and communicate with us. Where’s pack leader? Oh over there. What’s pack leader doing? Has s/he found something? We wait whilst pack leader decides where to go. Pack leader has decided.  Now we move off, together.

So now, instead of us seeing the far away view of our dog’s behind, they keep their eye on us, so they know where we are. As we keep them guessing, they stay close.

 Strange is best

‘The walk’ in these terms is strange. Remember we are no longer doing a walk in human terms but in a dog’s terms.

We might get funny looks from others as we meander around, seemingly without purpose – they don’t know we are imaging stalking rabbits. But remember our dogs will love it as they realise they don’t need to worry about who’s in charge anymore, we lead the activity they just have to relax and follow.

But best of all we will love it as we realise our dogs are staying close, calmly sharing with us their joyous experience of being a pack member on a hunt.

Anne Duguid 

Walking classes 08.09.2013

Liebe Freunde,

Laut  Wettervorhersage werden wir Sonntag anfangen mit 16 Grad.

Deswegen ist mein Vorschlag das wir nicht mehr um 8.00 order 9.00 Uhr anfangen sondern wieder um 10.00.

Vielleicht ist es unter diese Umstaende moeglich fuer Carmen und Roger mit zu machen, weil die dan nicht ZU frueh aufstehen mussen.

Gerne moechte ich diesen kommenden Sonntag mit Ihnen in Orba spazieren.

Ich schlage vor das wir uns am 08.09.2013 um 9.45 fuer 10.00 am Friedhof in Orba treffen. Falls sie sich nicht erinnern koennen wo das ist, warte ich bis 9.45 an unsere Bibliothek in Jalón/Xalò.

 

Vergangene Woche haben wir in Alcalali 3 schoene Hunde gesehen. Schau mal hierunter.

Dear Friends,

According to the weather forecast we will have this coming Sunday 08.09.2013 a temperature starting at 16 degrees. For that reason my suggestion is NOT to meet at 8.00 nor at 9.00 but at 9.45 for 10.00.

Hopefully Carmen and Roger will be able to join us again, as they do not have to get up THAT EARLY anymore.

I would like to walk with you in Orba this coming Sunday and my suggestion is to meet at the Orba cemetery at 9.45 for 10.00.
If you have forgotten where that is, I will wait for you till 9.45 at the library in Jalón/Xaló.

 

Last week we met 3 beautiful dogs during our walk in Alcalali.

Un abrazo de Bruno

Low self esteem

Dearest female friends, customers and pupils,

I dedicate this article to you.
I dedicate it to all of you who told me terrible things like "I am useless", or "I am good for nothing".
When you called me you said that your dog needed training. This was, according to me, not the correct diagnosis of the problems you had with your dog. Most of you, dear female friends, customers and pupils, did not know that the solution to the problems you have with your dog(s) can be found inside yourself.
The problems were linked to the way you feel, the way you think and the way you behave. Many times it was linked to low self esteem. I explained to you that your dog can read this in your body language. Therefore (s)he does not respect you and does not pay attention to you. Training your dog cannot change that situation.
However, the good news is that you can change the feeling of low self esteem into a feeling of self-confidence. And I can help you discovering that feeling of self confidence.

Reading the magnificent book "Confusius from the Heart" by Yu Dan, I found a poignant story on page 40.
I am offering you this beautiful story about a young Chinese girl. Read it and maybe it can help you change the way you think and feel about yourself. If you can change your ideas and your feelings it will have a positive influence on the way you behave with your pet.

"In a small town there lived a very poor girl. She had lost her father, and she and her mother depended on each other for everything, scraping a meagre living from handicrafts. She suffered from terrible feelings of inferiority, because she had never had any pretty clothes or trinkets to wear.
On the Christmas when she was eighteen, her mother did something she had never done before and gave her a purse of money, telling her to buy herself a present.
Such a treat was far beyond her wildest dreams, but she still lacked the courage to stroll naturally along. As she walked towards the shops, the purse clutched in her hand, she went out of her way to avoid the crowds, and stuck close to the walls.
On the way there she saw that all the people had better lives than her, and lamented to herself: "I can't hold my head up here, I'm the shabbiest girl in this town."
When she saw the young man she secretly admired more than any other, she wondered mournfully who his partner would be at the big dance to be held that night.
And so, creeping along and avoiding other people all the way, she reached the shop. As soon as she was inside, something caught her eye: a display of extremely pretty hair decorations.
While she was standing there in a daze, the shop assistant said to her: "What lovely flaxen hair you have! Try a pale green flower to go with it, you'll look just beautiful". She saw the price tag. It would have cost almost all her money and she said: "I can't afford it, don't bother." But by then the shop assistant had already fastened that ornament to her hair.
He brought a mirror and held it up to the girl. When she saw herself in the mirror, she was amazed. She had never seen herself like this, her face glowing with health and beauty; she felt as if the flower had transformed her into an angel! Without a moment's hesitation, she got out her money and bought it. Giddy with excitement in a way she had never felt before, she took her change, turned around and rushed outside, colliding with an old man who had just come in through the door. She thought that she heard him call out to her, but she was past worrying about all that, and hurtled out, her feet barely touching the ground.
Before she realized what she was doing, she had run all the way to the main street of the town. She saw that everyone was casting surprised glances in her direction, and she heard them discussing her, saying: "I never knew there was such a pretty girl in this town. Whose daughter is he?" She met the boy she secretly liked again, and to her surprise he called out to her to stop, saying: "Would you do me the honour of being my partner at the Christmas dance?"
The girl was wild with joy! She thought, I'll be extravagant for once - I'll go back and get myself a little something with the change. And with that she flew elatedly back to the shop.
As soon as she came through the door, that old man said to her with a smile: "I knew you'd be back! Just now when you bumped into me, your flower fell off. I've been waiting all this time for you to come back for it."

This is where the story ends.
The pretty green flower had not made the difference in her behaviour.
It was her new self-confidence that made all the difference.

DOG WALKING CLASSES ON SUNDAY 14.07.2013
Taking into account that it will be hot, I invite you to come and join me on Sunday 14.07.2013 at 9.00 on the parking lot of the Trinquet in Murla. If you do not know where that is, come to the library in Jalón/Xaló , where I will wait for you till 8.45 before leaving for Murla.
It is my intention to start earlier, to walk less, but to do more exercises with you and your dogs.

Kindest regards to you all from Brunothedoglistener.

Six dogs

Dear friends,
Whenever someone calls me for help or sends me a message asking for advice, I will send out the following answer.
Hi there,
Allow me to give you some more information about my work.
In 2005 I stopped with what is called “dog training classes” , having discovered that creating a harmonious interaction between dogs and humans has nothing to do with dog training.
The way I started working from then onwards goes as follows.
1. It is my opinion that if a human being decides to adopt a dog, the first thing the human being has to learn is how to communicate correctly with the dog.
Communication with a dog runs along the lines of energy, behaviour and body language.
Dogs do NOT speak English or any other verbal language.
Dogs are certainly not human beings with four legs. Dogs are animals. Dogs are predators. Dogs are scavengers. Dogs are used to live in a pack where there is a pack leader. According to me it is cruel to treat dogs as if they are human beings.
2. As soon as the human has learned how to communicate correctly with the dog, we can start with the education of the dog. What we are aiming at is that we educate the dog in such a way that (s)he is respecting the human as her/his pack leader. In order to achieve that, the human has to learn how to behave like a canine pack leader. This has most of all to do with humans learning how to act with calm assertive energy and how to offer guidance and leadership. No nervous wreck who only wants to spoil the dog is able to act like a pack leader. No pack leader offers needy love.
3. As soon as the dog respects the human as pack leader and pays attention when the human asks for attention, then and only then, can we start with whatever training you want. This can be man work, tracking, flyball, agility, you name it.
The result of all this is that the human learns how to live consciously with a canine.
This higher level of personal consciousness easily spreads into the daily life of the human and all those around her/him.
This is a beautiful and very rewarding result.
A result that is quite different from the opinion we had in the past about “dog training”. It was assumed that the human did nothing wrong and that the “bad” dog had to be trained in order to become a “good” dog. That is not true.
More than 90 percent of the people who came to my dog training schools, had problems with their dogs.
I could never offer them the solution for the problems they had themselves (according to me) created for their dogs.
I came to conclusion that I could only help my clients on a one-to-one basis, teaching them what to do and how to act in their homes.
I was making less money than before but I found a much greater degree of satisfaction in my work.
That is how I have been working since then.
This can lead to very rewarding results both for humans and for canines, BUT ONLY IF the human is willing to learn, willing to leave her/his comfort zone and willing to discover a new kind of consciousness. If the human is not willing to take those steps I will unfortunately not be able to help her/him.
How long does it take before we see results?
Sometimes a couple of sessions with me, but sometimes it takes more than a year, depending on the client’s willingness to learn, to leave her/his comfort zone and start discovering new territories.
If you want to make an appointment just call.
In the mean time I invite you to visit my website and my blog.
Kindest regards from Bruno

Mil Amores

Dear friends,

Twelve years ago, it was on a Monday evening, I got a phone call from a Dutch lady.
- "Am I speaking with Bruno?"
- "Yes you are," I said.
- "I have a Labrador who attacks everyone and every dog. People told me to have him put to sleep. Before I do that I am looking for someone who would be willing to adopt him. Can I come and show him to you?"
- "Yes you can. Please come right away," I answered.
When she arrived the lady could barely control a pulling and barking "monster" standing on his hind legs at the end of a tense leash. I handed her one of my leashes with a half-check collar and asked to switch it with the leash she was using on her dog. Taking my leash from her I witnessed the most amazing transformation of a "monster" into a dog who responded to everything I asked him to do. Immediately I told the lady I was more than willing to adopt the beautiful Labrador.... if my other dogs agreed to adopt him too. Taking him inside our compound I asked my wife to take our other two dogs to the very end of our training grounds. On my signal we both took off the leashes, our two dogs approached the Labby and immediately they all started to "play". Everything was more than ok for them.
Whereupon I told the lady her dog could stay.
"Can I say goodbye to him ?", she asked.
I explained to her the best thing she could do was to send me the papers of the dog and leave without having another look at him.
That is exactly what she did.
My wife baptized our new Labby "Baerli" what is the Swiss-German word for "small bear" or "Beerke" in Flemish and "Osito" in Spanish.
Observing every move of our new dog it became quite clear to me how he reminded me of my father.
The way he ate, drank, slept, breathed, walked, jumped, looked, ran, sat, lied down, stood, barked, always brought back memories of my father who had died in 1978.
Eight months after his adoption Baerli, who had been destined to be put to sleep, became champion in an agility competition in Alicante.
Later on he would obtain another four titles in agility, beating the Border Collier opposition during other competitions all over Spain.
Unfortunately he was then infected by the sand fly and I had to retire him from competition. The Leishmaniosis illness attacked his joints what prevented him from jumping.
But we kept on living and working together as a real team. I always felt good to have him with me and he always wanted to accompany me. His former owner had described him as a dog who attacked everyone but with me he was a most stable dog. Many, many times I took him along when working with clients and their dogs.
One day my wife had a session with a tarot lady. After the session she was so enchanted that she prompted me to go and see the same lady for a session.
I was not surprised when this tarot lady told me how my father was contacting me with the help of my Labby. I confirmed it and said that I knew that already.
The years went by and Baerli's walks became shorter and shorter as he was suffering from arthritis.
When it became impossible for him to walk I took him along to the vet and sent him to the eternal hunting fields.
I was not afraid to show my tears to the vet. Although we have known each other for years he hugged me for the first time.
Having buried my dog in a clean white sheet, I put a big bunch of wild flowers on his grave.
These flowers are called "Mil Amores" in Spanish.
The English translation of the Spanish name is "A Thousand Loves".
I am very grateful for everything Baerli/Beerke has given me.
He gave me A Thousand Loves.

With love and blessings from Brunothedoglistener

My Father's Dog by Russel Meyer

Dear friends,

My South African brother Russel  sent me a message about his wise father and the way he lived with his dog. This message is so moving and inspiring that I published it on my website, in my mailing list and here on my walking blog. I invite you to read it.

Hi Bruno,

I have been a fan of Cesar Milan and yourself for some time. Your advice on living with dogs is really useful to me, and I enjoy reading your mails.

While feeding my dogs a few days ago, I was struck by how much I had learned from my dad, and how wise he has been in living in harmony with his dog.  I don’t hold up my dad as the ideal dog owner, and some of his practices may not be the ideal way to raise a dog.  However, I can tell you lots about how he lived in harmony with his dog. I would like to share this with you:

My fathers dog was named Chaka, named after a fierce Zulu king.  He was a thorough-bred Alsatian (German Shepherd), which came into our family just after I was born.  My father says my brother and I played very roughly with Chaka – we pulled his tail, rode on him as if he was horse, and he endured all with stoic calm.  He was so protective of us that when my dad needed to spank us he had to lock Chaka away, or else he would continually push my dad away. But, there were several occasions when he protected us from burglars, when was very, very fierce.

My dad had a few rules that were never broken:

1.       He never allowed Chaka into the house, unless he called him, and then never in the bedrooms and never on couches or chairs.  He always said: “a dog’s place is outside the house”
2.       He always said (and still does): “I trust my own dog and another dead dog”, so he would never touch or pet another dog, even when invited
3.       He never encouraged anyone to touch Chaka -if they did he always said: “you take your chances when you do that; he wont harm you while I am here, but if you do that when I am not here, watch out”.  Few people ever touched Chaka, none did so after he growled at them
4.       Whenever my dad walked Chaka, it was without a leash.  And I never once heard my dad shout at Chaka – he didn’t have to, Chaka stayed at his left leg throughout the walk
5.       We grew up poor so we couldn’t afford the best dog food.  We bought what we could afford – and my dad’s daily ritual was too rinse out all the pots and pour the gravy and food bits over the dry food.  I don’t know how healthy that was, but Chaka had a beautiful coat and he lived a long, healthy life.

At the age of 14yrs Chaka had arthritis and was suffering badly. A vet suggested we put Chaka down to end his suffering.  My dad could not get himself to do it, until one day Chaka could not even get up anymore.  He just laid and wagged his tail.

My dad never owned a dog again – he said, “I have already had the best dog anyone could ever ask for”.  I think they were best example of canine / human friendship I have ever seen.  And I try to practice what I have learnt from my dad. 

He may not have known the best way to care for a dog, but it was enough.

Kind regards,

Russel Meyer

HR Business Partner: Sub-Saharan Africa
Tullow South Africa (Pty) Ltd( work: +27 (0) 21 400 7691?  fax:   +27 (0) 21 400 7660

11^th Floor Convention Towers
Cnr. Heerengracht and Coen Steytler Avenue, Foreshore
P.O. Box 5544
Cape Town 8000
South Africa

Dear members of my dog walking classes.

It was my intention to walk in the Vall de Gallinera this coming Sunday, but....

The weather forecast (previsiones del tiempo) is that it will rain and it will be cold.

For that reason I suggest that we postpone the walk in the mountains and stay on tarmac.

Therefore my proposal is that we do the walk in Orba instead.

If you remember where the Orba cemetery is, you can wait for me there on 28.04.2013 at 10.15.

If you do not know where the Orba cemetery is, then come and meet me at the library in Jalon/Xalo at 9.45 for 10.00 on that same day of Sunday 28.04.2013.

Love and blessings from Bruno

My dogs my teachers.

When I became a member of a dog training club with my first Labrador I had no experience whatsoever in what was called "dog training".
As best as I could I imitated what the amateur-trainers showed me. Immediately I did not like their brutal use of choke chains. But I had to use it too because...well, the ones that knew more than me, told me it was the correct way to "train" a dog. I still feel bad when I think about how my first beautiful female canine companion must have suffered from the violent use of the chain around her neck.
It took me many years to discover that understanding how dogs behave in nature was my first step on the road leading to a fullfilling and harmonious relationship with my dogs. Meantime I had to unlearn almost everything I had been taught in "dog training" clubs. I started learning how the members of my own pack behaved and communicated. No wonder I began to look at them as my teachers. After the success of the movie "The Horse Whisperer", many dog trainers started calling themselves "dog whisperers".
I have never done that.
What could I possibly whisper (!) in the ears of my teachers, except "I love you the way you are"?
My second important step took place when I discovered how my dogs offered me a direct link to mother nature. They live in harmony with Mother Nature. They live in the Now without any reminiscing about the past or worrying about the future. Their way of life does not destroy our planet, while that is exactly what we are doing with our way of life. They never judge, condemn or blame. We do it all the time.
Dogs live in a world were to have means nothing compared to TO BE.
And what are we? Are we human havings or human beings?
If you do not agree with what I am writing I do not care.
My next step was that I began to see how natural it felt to consider the dogs who live with me as my brothers and sisters and even as spiritual teachers. During my initiation as New Warrior in the ManKindProject (2006) there was no doubt about the animal name I choose: Honouring my then canine pack leader I called myself "Black Dog".
And look what I found, many years later, on page 78 of the book "The Flying Boy. Healing the wounded man" written by John Lee:

"According to the Indian creating story, animals were created before human beings, so they have a certain proximity to the Great Spirit. In them the Indian sees actual reflections of the qualities of the Great Spirit, which serve the same function as revealed scriptures in other religions. They are intermediaries or links between humans and God."

This is so clear to me now that I am amazed how many people are still talking about "bad dogs". Well, it is not the first time you hear me say this but I am going to repeat it once more: bad dogs do not exist, except in the mind of unconscious people.

DOG WALKING CLASSES
This coming Sunday 21.04.2013 we will walk from Alcalalí to Parcent and back and enjoy the beauty of the many flowers in this Springtime. Let's meet at 9.45 for 10.00 at the library in Jalón. By the way: Do not enter the barn of our neighbours. They have a new dog. 

Love

Bruno

Except when...

Do you use excuses like "I cannot", "I'm not good enough", "I am good for nothing", "I should", "Yes, I know but", etc...?
Over the years I have heard many dog lovers use all sorts of excuses when talking about the behaviour of their pets. It took me a very long time to notice the real message behind these excuses.
Do you know why it took me such a long time?
Well, the answer is simple:  

I was used to making excuses myself in all sorts of situations.

Only from the moment I became conscious of what I was thinking, feeling and doing could I see through the smoke screen of my unconscious behaviour. Because of my initiation in the ManKindProject and my work in many circles of men, could I develop a new way of thinking, feeling and behaving. It soon became obvious that for the major part of my life I had been dishonest and unclear with myself, my dogs and my fellow human beings. The amazing thing was the discovery that I was not alone in having done this. The hundreds of emotionally mature men I met in the men's circles had all gone through the same processes.
I realized that for many decades I was being lived an unconscious life based upon feelings of fear and guilt.
As soon as I could shake off the many negative rules and regulations I learned as a child, I really could start living my own life. I do not blame my parents, teachers, priests, professors, etc... at all.
They did the best they could, as they had also been "educated" with the same rules and regulations.
But it is my opinion that we do not have to continue living as victims of an "education" based upon fear and guilt.
We can break the chains of this fear- and guilt-based education.
In that respect dogs have been magnificent teachers for me. They never judge, blame or critisize anyone and they are very clear in their communication. You too, you can learn how to clearly understand their behaviour, if you learn their (body) language. The thing is that you will start to understand how YOU think, feel and behave. With your new consciousness you will be able to create an atmosphere of harmony in the life you are leading with yourself, your dogs and the people around you.
And who would not like that?

I was thinking about all this while reading an article written by Cesar Millan.
He has the same experience as I have when dealing with dog loving people and their pets.
In this article he comments on one of the many excuses he is hearing.
This excuse is: Except when...

"When it comes to dealing with issues with our dogs, we can become very good at building our own brick walls. Many times, I have heard people say, “My dog is perfect, except when...” Except when she eats my shoes, except when he shows aggression, except when I have no control on the walk...
“Except when” is the excuse that allows us to not move forward. It’s what we tell ourselves so that we can live with a problem instead of dealing with that problem. All the time, people put up with behavior in dogs that they would not tolerate in other humans. If you had friends who decided to trash your house, you’d stop inviting them over. If your kids were disrespectful, you would deal with it immediately.
Your dog does not see you as the Pack Leader, or doesn’t have rules, boundaries, and limitations? Well, that’s “almost perfect.” But why should that be good enough?
It is much easier for an object at rest to remain that way, because it takes energy to get it moving. What’s easy to forget is that it also took energy to make it stop; in this case, negative energy. The good news, though, is that it only takes a little push to start rolling again.
Here’s the little push. When it comes to your dog’s behavior, what’s your “except when?” Now, complete the following sentence: “So then I...”. If you finish that with “do nothing,” then you need to get moving again. The spring rebirth of Nature and the message of Easter provide a reminder. It is never too late for growth, and it is never impossible".


Thank you Cesar and thank you all my canine teachers.

OUR DOG WALKING CLASS
Thank you Anna and John for the long but superb walk in the Vall de Gallinera.
This coming Sunday 07.04.2013 we will stay in Jalón/Xaló for our dog walking class. I will be waiting for you at the library at 9.45 for 10.00

Diesen kommendan Sonntag 07.04.2013 moechte ich in Jalón/Xaló bleiben. Ich warte auf sie an unsere Bibliothek ab 9.45 und fange an um 10.00

LieGrue von Bruno

With love from Bruno