Allergic Dogs

Helping what some people call "allergic dogs" has always given me a lot of satisfaction. According to me these dogs are not allergic, but many times the food they are being offered is making them ill.
What I do with so-called "allergic" dogs is simple: I replace the cheap S.H.I.T. chemical dog-"food" my clients buy in a supermarket with quality natural food and add a combination of Natural Tissue Salts to it. Chances are that a few months later the dog isn't allergic anymore and my clients can stop spending vast sums of money on visits to the vet and on chemical products like antibiotics.

Recently I read the following in a local magazine that is being distributed on the Marina Alta in Spain (Different Magazine issue 64).

"Hydrolyzed protein is commonly recommended by traditional vets for feeding allergic dogs. These diets are supposed to be an alternative to novel protein diets, but I do not recommend them for a number of reasons. 
Hydrolyzed protein diets contain a singular regular protein, let's say chicken, a common allergenic food. Hydrolysis breaks the chicken down into particles so small that, according to research, the protein is no longer recognized by the immune system as an allergen.
The benefit, it seems, is you can still feed your pet the food she is allergic to. The protein molecules have been processed to trick the immune system. I do not see the point in this.
Firstly the body is not being returned to health. It is being tricked into not responding to food it is being allergic to, assuming the hydrolyzed protein behaves as advertised.
Secondly, the methods and chemicals used in the hydrolysis process don't convert protein into amino acids in the same way your pet's body does. No one knows the long-term side effects these unnaturally derived substances may have on your pet.
Soy, also commonly used as a protein source in these diets, is a common allergen for pets and is a poor quality source of protein, in my opinion. It is totally biologically inappropiate for dogs (and cats). On top of that, it is estrogenic, which means it can eventually wreak havoc in your dog's endocrine system. I prefer...to offer foods with no grains or starches.
Many traditional vets disregard the high amount of carbohydrates in most commercially available hypoallergenic foods, choosing to address skin infections with antibiotics and antifungal drugs instead."

It is my personal experience that dog lovers almost never read the labels of the food they buy for themselves and their pets. Yes, I know that we sometimes need a degree in rocket science in order to understand all the difficult words. But do not worry: the more difficult the words on the labels are the less I trust the food. It is my personal opinion that the industrial food companies do not want to feed us and our pets. They want to make money. Whatever the cost for our planet or our health. The result is that the food we eat is now considered to be the first cause of our illnesses.
And by the way....If your dog is suffering from allergies I am more than willing to help her/him.
Just call me on 690192976 or send a message to brunosdogs@gmail.com

Kindest regards from Brunothedoglistener.

Ignore your dog

Dear friends,

Underneath you will find the copy of a message I received from Terry-Ann in South-Africa. This lady is practicing what she has been reading about in my weekly letters. Her story is a perfect illustration of how the ignoring of dogs really works. Well, if it did not work, I would not write and speak about it would I?

HI, Bruno,  thought you would like this story.
On Friday I went to fetch my daughter from a friend (I had never met the parents or been there before , as my husband had dropped her off)
They had 4 dogs.
3 jack russels, and a male ridgeback.
They told me the ridgeback and the male jackrussel do not come into the house as they are so excitable, lively and the jack russels fight.
I asked them to do one thing.  I asked the daughter to get up off the floor (as the one jack russel female was on her lap getting attention) and to stand up and be silent.
I asked the mom and my daughter to do the same.
I asked the daughter to let the dogs inside and to ignore all the dogs, not speak, not look at them, not to touch them.
They came inside, sniffed me, (as they hadn’t met me yet), and calmly wandered around, there was no jealousy or aggression at all.
The mother was amazed. Said the dogs had never been so calm before.   She said she was going to have to really work hard to not touch any of them.
I explained to her that she needs to only give attention on her terms, not when they jump up and demand it.  Then the big dog gets into trouble every time as everyone is scared he kills a jack russel if there is a fight.

People always have to jump in and pet and screech around animals!
Few stand back and observe.

Terry-Ann

Dear friends of my dog walking classes,

The good news is...

That the bar at the Trinquet in Murla is open for business again. I have spoken with the new owner Javier and he knows we are coming.

For that reason it is my pleasure to invite you to my dog walking class of this coming Sunday 17.02.2013 in the Murla area.
If you know where the Trinquet in Murla is, meet me at around 10.15 on the parking lot in front of the building, where some of our Spanish friends play "pilota valenciana".
If you want to discover Murla for the first time, come to meet me in Jalon/Xalo next to the library at 9.45 for 10.00. From there we will drive together to the valencian capital of the "pilota".

Gute Nachrichten!

Die Kneipe am "Trinquet" in Murla ist wieder offen. Deswegen schlage ich vor das wir diesen kommenden Sonntag 17.02.2013 wieder mal in Murla spazieren. Wie immer treffen wir uns an der Bibliothek in Jalon um 9.45 fuer 10.00.

Un abrazo de Bruno

Domingo/Sunday/Sonntag/Zondag/Dimanche 10.02.2013

Dear friends,

If you accompanied me during our walk in Orba from last Sunday, you might remember I was speaking about a message I received from Jenny in Cape Town.

Here is what she writes about her relationship with her dog:

Hi Bruno

Thank you for your many interesting and informative emails.

I would like to wish you and your family an awesome 2013. Here is Cape Town it is the height of summer.  Xmas was an extremely busy time for C.T. with many overseas visitors many of whom are still here and enjoying themselves.

I love the long summer days where the sun only sets at 8 in the evening. The early morning and early evening is my time on the beach with Casey...... special times indeed.

Referring to your "Chet" email. ...... Casey has become so in tune with my actions and body language that very often I need only show a finger in a certain direction and he knows what I am "saying" or if I hold my finger up in front of him, he knows to stop immediately.

The two of us learn from each other every day and what a privilege it is

Take care

Love

Jenny

Underneath you will find a copy of another letter I received from Terry-Ann in South Africa. I highlighted a few words in order to make it clear that readers in other continents can have the same experiences with their dogs as we have here in Europe.
Believe me: the cross between a Great Dane and a St Bernard is a HUGE dog.

hI Bruno,

An interesting article.

Makes sense of the situation I experienced a few  months ago.

We live on a farm, so our dogs dont know other dogs.

I have made good strides with them, I have 6, and now can walk off lead with all of them freely in the valley, through the vineyards.  I used to be so nervous of meeting other people, - now, they understand I am calm, I dont find the strangers interesting, and they give a bark, sniff and move on with me.

I still never know who and what I will encounter, labourers, (sometimes with their dogs), mountain bikers, joggers , drunk farm workers....

This particular time I was heading home around the dam, and did not see the worker and his child and 2 dogs coming towards me (the reeds were high).

My huge great-dane X st Bernard male took off after the dogs, and there was chaeos. He had the little dog in his paws, mouth over him, I shouted NO! And headed in the opposite direction as if nothing had happened. He sniffed the screeching terrified dog (which was sitting down) as you mentioned in your mail, which makes sense about submissive position. 

I see one of the dogs I recently adopted, she is a small (boerboel, type) and very submissive.  She is definitely bottom of the rankings , and often when approaching the others, she tucks her bottom in, towards the ground to show submission.  She never looks for a fight and the others know she is not challenging their positions.

Thanks for interesting articles always.

My big male – I just show him my open hand held outwards and he sits, he is very perceptive and strangely enough, easily controllable on my walks.

Terry-Ann

THIS COMING SUNDAY

This coming Sunday 10.02.2013 I will take you along for a walk we have never done together in Alcalali.
We will meet as usual behind the library building in Jalon at 9.45 for 10.00.

DIESEN KOMMENDEN SONNTAG 10.02.2013

lade ich sie ein fuer einen Spaziergang in Alcalali ein, wo wir noch nie zusammen gewandert haben. 
Wir treffen uns wie immer um 9.45 fuer 10.00 an der Bibliothek in Jalon.

Un abrazo de Bruno

I Should

Dear friends,

It is now more than 20 years ago since I first started working with dog loving persons.
Over the years I have learned how to really understand dogs. How to really communicate with them.
For my clients I became the interpreter of what dogs are telling me, each time translating it in human languages. What I read in the body language of dogs is always true.
That is why it is, according to me, so easy to understand dogs.
By the way, what you read in my body language and what I read in yours is, according to me, also always true.
My work with dogs and their handlers still fascinates me because the more I teach the more I learn.
It took a while before I could understand the real meaning of some words used by humans.
Years ago I wrote about a few peculiar words in English that are being used by many clients and pupils.
Some of these words are "Sorry", "normally", "generally" and "I have to".
But the most damaging word, creating for us an enormous amount of shame and guilt, is according to me the word SHOULD.
As I keep on hearing so many people using the word SHOULD, I want to write about it again.
This violent word SHOULD, which we commonly use to evaluate ourselves, is so deeply ingrained in our consciousness that many of us would have trouble imagining how to live without it. It is the word SHOULD, as in
"I should have known better", or "I should not have done that", or "I should take more Schuessler minerals", or "I should learn how to deal with my dog", or "I should train more with my dog", or "I should give up smoking", or "I should exercise more", etc....

Most of the time when we use SHOULD, we resist learning, because SHOULD implies we have no choice. Human beings, when hearing any kind of demand, tend to resist because a demand threatens our autonomy and our strong need for choice. We have this reaction to any kind of tyranny even when it is a demand coming from the internal dictator called "SHOULD". 
Humans keep saying I SHOULD and keep resisting doing what they should, because we were not meant to be slaves. We also were not meant to succumb to dictators called "I SHOULD" or "I HAVE TO", whether this dictators live in a palace in the capital city or inside of ourselves.
"SHOULD" is a very damaging word, because when we say it, we are in effect saying "I AM WRONG". Saying "I SHOULD" we are punishing ourselves. I think we do not need more "wrongs" in our life and we do not need to punish ourselves.
What we need is to have more freedom of choice and more love in our lives.

Do you want an immediate solution?

The solution I propose is to replace "I SHOULD" with a sentence like

"IF I REALLY WANTED TO, I COULD...".

Here are some examples:

"If I really wanted to, I could take Schuessler minerals".

"If I really wanted to, I could learn how to deal with my dog."

"If I really wanted to, I could stop smoking/eating junk food/drinking too much alcohol/ taking drugs..."

Do you see how you have a choice when you use this kind of sentence instead of saying "I should"?

If you really want to do something, you can do it, or not do it.
Now it is your decision to do it or not do it.
And it will be your responsability to do it or not do it.
Try it out.
You will soon see how it positively influences your life and the life of your dog.

From Bruno with love.

Recommended reading
"Nonviolent Communication. A language of life" by Marshall B. Rosenberg
"You can heal your life" by Louise L. Hay

Let's walk in Orba on 03.02.2013

Dear friends,

This is a picture I like very much.
The rooster in the picture is not afraid to show his pack how to cross the ditch.
How many times have you heard me talking about being the pack leader for your dog?
At least hundreds of times.
Teaching is repeating and rest assured that I am more than willing to keep on repeating this "mantra".
A few days ago I visited clients who were, as so many others, complaining about their new young dog who is "molesting" the children and jumping on the sofa.
The husband asked me: "How can I prevent the dog jumping on the sofa?".
Most people cannot see the difference between a symptom and the cause.
The symptom is that a young dog jumps on the sofa.
The cause of the jumping is that my clients do not know how to behave like pack leaders.
In the Sunday Times I read how a maximum of 5 % of us are able to be a leader.
But of course more than 5 % of our population has dogs.
Look at this dilemma in a positive way.
Your dog is offering you the opportunity to develop your leadership qualities.
Is there a better way to learn how to do this than during my dog walking CLASSES?
Personally I hated school, but I loved the university.
I also love walking with you and your dogs.

This coming Sunday we will do an easy, flat walk on tarmac in the Orba valley.
If you know where the parking lot of the Orba cemetery is, I invite you to wait for me there on Sunday 03.02 2013 at about 10.15. If you do not know where the Orba cemetery is, come to our usual meeting place in Jalón/Xaló behind the library. I will be there at 9.45 and leave at 10.00.

Liebe Freunde aus Deutschland und Schweiz.

Diesen kommenden Sonntag 03.02.2013 schlage ich einen Spaziergang in Orba vor. Wissen sie wo Orba's Friedhof ist?
OK, ich bin dort um etwa 10.15.
Wissen sie nicht wo Orba's Friedhof ist, keine Angst, denn wir treffen uns einfach, wie immer an der Bibliothek in Jalón/Xaló wo ich auf sie warte von 9.45 bis 10.00.
Leider bin ich zu faul um was ich oben geschrieben habe auch noch auf Deutsch zu uebersetzen. Es ist schon spaet am Abend. Ich weiss das sie daran interessiert sind zu lernen wie wir uns als Rudelfuehrer verhalten koennen. Warte ein bischen und ich erzaehle alles am kommenden Sonntag.

Tschuess.

Un abrazo de Bruno

Calm assertive energy on 27.01.2013

Dear friends/Liebe Freunde,

From our friend Carmen I received the following fascinating message.

Guten Abend Bruno
der Walk heute mit John war super, hat mir gut gefallen, sogar das Wetter hat mitgespielt.
Wir waren total 7 Personen.
Denke Du hattest auch einen speziellen Tag.
Persönlich hatte ich jedoch das Gefühl, dass unsere Hunde deine Abwesenheit wahrgenommen haben.
Sie haben versucht zu sehen wo die Grenzen ohne deine Anwesenheit liegen.
Nicht nur mein Hund, hat das *Gehorchen* auf Komando versucht zu ignorieren......*smile*
Mir sind dann deine Worte in den Sinn gekommen *nicht aufgeben*
Ich bin nächsten Sonntag und am 1.2. Auswärts und kann leider erst danach wieder teilnehmen.
Meinem Hund und auch Mir werden diese beiden Ausflüge fehlen.
Lass Alle von mir grüssen
Bis bald, Carmen

Those who have known me for a while will remember that I often talk about "energy". This is exactly what Carmen is writing about.
When I visit clients for the first time, they very often say things like "our dog is behaving differently". My answer is then: "It is because I am here and your dog is sensing my energy".

The same happens with Cesar Millan whose books and newsletters I like reading.
So many times I see the similarities between his experiences and mine.
Just to give you an example I am quoting from one of his newsletters wherein he writes about a powerful experience he witnessed during one of his book signing sessions:

"While I was taking questions from the people who had come to see me, a sudden, very powerful and very real moment intruded. One of the women in the audience broke down and started sobbing. I wasn’t sure what was happening as one of my human pack consoled her. Then, the woman finally said, “I just realized the problem isn’t my dog. It’s me.”
You’ve probably heard me say many times that I rehabilitate dogs and I train people, but it is amazing sometimes how long it takes for this simple truth to click with people. If you aren’t providing calm, assertive leadership then your dog will not follow you."

Read the complete newsletter from Cesar Millan on: http://www.cesarsway.com/news-and-events/cesars-blog/It-Isnt-Always-About-the-Dog?utm_source=BlueHornet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Jan13NL_3#ixzz2IdCHZJcb


Here is what our friend John wrote about the walk of last Sunday:

Hi Bruno,

I hope you had a great weekend in spite of the weather.

A small group today just myself, Anna, Carmen, Michelle and her daughter in law, Monica and Fritz. No photos, as we did a repeat of the walk around Xaló where we start beneath the (West) bridge over the river and finish going past your villa. We came back via the road rather than the barranco, as I was concerned about Monica’s knees. I think she will be contacting you about how rough the terrain might be on next Sunday’s walk.

Advance notice: Anna and I will be in England, Sunday 3^rd Feb.

Regards

John
Yes John, the trip to Madrid was awesome not only because of the cold and the wind, but also because it is always very nice for me to see all the Spanish friends I have there. More and more schools of martial arts are affiliating with the Zen Okinawa karatedo kobudo of Maestro Miguel Gomez. Why are they doing it? According to me because he is such a great martial artist in domains like karate Shito Ryu after Mabuni, kobudo after Matayoshi, Shiatsu, Kyusho and Chinese medicine. It feels like he is a brother to me.

Me personally, I am really looking forward to the next walk with you all.
My suggestion for Sunday 27.01.2013 is to do a walk in Parcent. We will start from the parking lot of the restaurant called Tra Monti, where we will leave the cars. After the walk we can have a drink or preferably stay for lunch in the restaurant.
If you do not know where that restaurant is, do not worry as I will be waiting for you at 9.45 for 10.00 on the parking lot of the library in Jalon/Xalo. For those who know Tra Monti, you do not have to come to Jalon first, as we will meet you there round about 10.15.

Ich freue mich schon auf den Ausflug von Sonntag 27.01.2013 in Parcent. Unser Spaziergang fangt an auf dem Parkplatz des Restaurants Tra Monti. Nachdem koennen wir dort etwas trinken oder besser noch sogar zusammen etwas essen.
Fals sie nicht wissen wo Tra Monti ist, warte ich auf sie um 9.45 fuer 10.00 bei der Bibliothek in Jalon. Sie brauchen ebenfalls nicht erst nach Jalon zu kommen wenn sie wissen wo Tra Monti sich befindet, weil wir werden da eintreffen um etwa 10.15.

LieGrue
Love and blessings from Bruno