The Dog Listener

by Jan Fennell

  By dealing with the situation in this way, the owner will create the time and space to tell the guest what is going on. The visitor can then be briefed to behave in the same way as is now the norm. Once this is understood the dog can be safely let back into the living area. I always ask owners to be sure the dog does this without anyone speaking to them as they enter. If this happens, the dog should recognise the situation is normal and begin behaving as it has been.

  The fourth and final option for dealing with this area applies if a guest either doesn’t believe in what an owner is doing or simply cannot understand it. Children, of course, are the most obvious example of the latter and I will deal with them in detail in due course. In this case it may be best to leave the dog in a separate room. This may be the best course of action too if you have friends and family who simply will not go along with the process. For most people, it is not worth falling out with friends and family over.

  — Basic Controls —

  In many ways, learning Amichien Bonding is comparable to learning to drive a car. In time the fundamental routines will become second nature. It will only be in challenging situations that owners will even need to think about the practices they are applying. For the most part the knowledge will be stored away in the subconscious, a useful new skill that will add enormously to the enjoyment of the dog-lover’s life.

  No one, however, is allowed to drive a car without being shown where to find and how to operate basic controls such as the brakes, clutch and accelerator. The next stage an owner will, however, move on to is walking the dog. Before he or she is able to move out into the wider world, the owner must learn the basic skills required to exercise control in that world. As in all dog training regimes, these controls are the ability to get a dog to come to its owner, to walk at its owner’s side, to sit and to stay.

  There is, as the old saying goes, no place like home. And when it comes to laying down the foundation stones of my method, this is certainly the case. I passionately believe there is no place like the dog’s own environment to begin building the relationship established by Amichien Bonding. So I ask that owners allow a fortnight at least to bring all the elements of my method together.

  Of course, the process of getting the dog to come at its owner’s request has already begun during the bonding work that follows the five-minute rule. At this early stage, the dog has begun to realise that certain behaviour is rewarded by food while other behaviour is not. It quickly chooses the behaviour that benefits it the most. This principle will remain central to every element of training at every stage.

  As they move on, the first thing I recommend owners do is teach the dog to sit. It is, for most ordinary dog owners, the most important means of getting a dog to exercise its right to freeze. It is a useful – and at times vital – control to have available. In certain dangerous situations, it can save a dog’s life.

  Central to everything I do is the idea that dogs begin making choices of their own free will. At every turn I want them to make positive associations with certain behaviour. I want them to recognise the situations where they know there is something in it for them, that instinctively they will be rewarded if they do the right thing. As I have already said, there is no more powerful tool in this respect than food. To teach a dog to sit, I ask the owner to first call their dog to them, then to bring a morsel of food up to the dog, almost touching its nose, then draw the morsel over the dog’s head. As the dog instinctively arches its head back to follow the smell, so its body will tip back naturally as well. As this happens, the dog’s bottom should touch the ground. As it does so, the tidbit should be popped in the dog’s mouth, instantly accompanied by a verbal confirmation: the word ‘sit’. The signal is clear, the dog’s action is good and it is being rewarded.

  If the dog moves backwards when following the morsel, a hand can be placed behind it to prevent this. Hands must never be used to force the dog’s bottom to the ground. If, for whatever reason, the dog moves away I ask owners to simply remove the food from the dog’s vicinity and start again. If this is repeated, the dog will quickly learn the realities of life: if it does the job right it will get its wages, if it does it wrong it won’t. It will soon be sitting naturally. Dogs are highly intelligent creatures of course. If a dog begins sitting in front of its owner without being asked, it should not be rewarded in any way; the dog is attempting to regain control of the decision making.

  From here, I recommend owners move on to heel work. By this I mean getting the dog to understand that the best position for it to be is at its owner’s side at all times. I advise that this is again taught off the lead; the option of flight is then open to the dog if it gets frightened, so it will feel comfortable and secure. Again, food is the ideal means of communicating this message. I ask owners to encourage their dog to come to stand by their side using their pet’s preferred tidbit. As in the other work, I ask owners to underline the message they are delivering to the dog by stroking. The key thing here again is that their stroking is confined to the key area of the head, the neck and the shoulders. The signal is unequivocal: I am the leader, I know your weakness but I am here to protect you. The dog will have no option but to trust anyone who presents such formidable credentials.

  In most cases, the ability to sit and remain at heel are enough. But I am a great believer in getting a dog to lie down on request as well. My reasoning here is simple. Calm is all-important in every element of my method and this is the most relaxed position a dog can take. I encourage the dog to do this again through reward and stimulus but in this case by drawing the dog under a low piece of furniture, a table or a chair, and then getting it to lie down. Once more I am manipulating the situation, getting the dog to do something for a good reason rather than using force. Again, it is an idea a dog picks up incredibly quickly.

  A point worth making at this stage is that the dog does not need to be rewarded with a tidbit every time it completes a feat satisfactorily. Food is a powerful means of transmitting the initial message. As the process evolves successfully, however, I suggest owners reduce the frequency of food rewards gently. They might begin by dropping down to every other time the dog does the right thing then to once every half a dozen times until food is being given once every twenty times. The tool should never be removed from the process completely, however. It is important to keep the interest alive.

  As in so many instances, the parallel with children is an appropriate one to draw here. I recall a moment with my granddaughter, Ceri, when she was being taught good manners by her parents. She had learned to say the magic word ‘please’, but on one occasion failed to use it when asked if she wanted a drink. ‘I forgot, I’m only four,’ she said with an angelic smile. Dogs are no different. They too take their time to grasp things completely. Given time, affection and encouragement, however, they will get there.

  People often wonder whether my regime somehow removes the enjoyment from owning a dog. I always find this baffling: in fact the opposite applies. By removing the responsibility from the dog’s life, an owner is ensuring it a happier more carefree existence. And by creating an environment in which an owner can interact with their dog at the times he or she chooses, the dog is being given quality time with its leader. That quality time can be used to build an even deeper and more rewarding relationship.

  Two specific activities, toys and grooming, are particularly enjoyable in building the relationship owners are seeking here. Toys offer a perfect means to both bond with the dog and underline the leadership hierarchy at the same time. Equally, an owner can derive great pleasure from grooming his or her dog. Again the reward principle applies. If a dog allows itself to be brushed gently without protest it can be praised and rewarded with food. These are all positive building blocks for the life ahead. I will look at both areas in a little more detail later.

  3. Taking Charge of the Walk

  The first disciplines: coming, sitting and heel work, should in almost all cases take no more than a week. They provide the
foundation for the next major area: going on a walk, which is equivalent, in a dog’s eyes, to leading the pack on a hunt. People’s walking habits will, of course, vary considerably. Some will only have the time to take their dogs for a short walk each morning and evening. Others will be free to go on long and frequent walks at any time of the day or night. My method is intended to fit into all lifestyles. Whatever the situation, the key to this element of the process is that owners take charge of the walk. By far the easiest way for the owner to know if the walk is going according to plan, is to ask themselves if they are happy and in control. Once more, calmness and consistency are crucial.

  The first task is to get the dog used to a lead. I personally prefer light rope leads. Chains, to me, seem like weapons, and if you bear in mind that a dog only pulls on a lead because it believes it must, being leader, any form of physical restraint will not change its mind. The dog’s mind must be changed as to its role in the pack. I ask owners to call their dog to them then, using a food reward, place the lead over the head. This is without doubt one of the most intense moments of the method: it marks the first occasion when the dog has been denied the option to flee. It is also the first time the owner has placed an object around the immensely important head, neck and shoulder area of the animal. If the dog shows any anxiety about this, make the association with the lead a positive one by using a food reward. Once it has accepted the lead, the dog’s belief in the owner’s leadership will deepen yet further.

  It is, of course, hardly surprising that all dogs become excited at the prospect of heading off into the big wide world. To them, they are heading off on the hunt, the most elemental activity of all. The adrenaline rush they experience is welcome. It is the owner’s job, however, to keep the dog’s enthusiasm steady. It is an important test of leadership.

  When the dog has accepted the lead, I ask the owner to get it to come to heel, again using a food reward if necessary. If the dog attempts to pull away, I instruct owners to stand still. The dog is being demonstrated the consequences of this action. The owner should then go back to the beginning and ask the dog to come to heel once more. Once the dog has come to the owner’s side, it is time to move off. Again, any sign of pulling on the line must result in the lead being relaxed and the walk suspended. The crucial message that has got to be put across now is that the dog must remain close to and not in front of the owner, but at their heel. Any deviation results in a return to the den.

  This principle is never more important than at the next crucial stage: as the owner goes out of the front door. To the dog, this is a portal into another world, an exit from the den and a home to a million potential threats. It is absolutely vital that the owner goes through the door first. This signifies that he or she is the leader and that he or she is performing the job of making sure the coast is clear. Again this is an immensely powerful signal. If the dog somehow forces itself out first, then it is back to the beginning again.

  The themes established indoors must remain in place once the dog has moved outdoors. As the walk begins, for instance, the dog must never be allowed to walk ahead. Once more that position is reserved for the leader. If the dog senses this position is acceptable, its belief that it is leading the hunt will be established. Instead, the dog should remain at the owner’s side throughout.

  Dogs can, of course, become extremely excitable at this stage. Pulling on the lead is one of the most common problems faced by dog owners everywhere. It is imperative that owners do not get into a pulling battle. Even the smallest dogs can pull really strongly. The game must not be indulged. The dog must play by its owner’s rules not by its own. If a dog pulls continuously, the lead must be relaxed, signalling the walk is not going to take place. To many, this may seem hard, but it will not last for long. When dogs learn that by pulling on the lead the walk doesn’t happen, it doesn’t take long for the penny to drop.

  Of course, there are people who will argue that denying a dog its daily walk is cruel. To my mind, however, it is more important that it establishes total trust in you before stepping out into the wider world. Otherwise it is being cast out into an environment it does not understand and asked to perform a leadership role it is simply not equipped to fulfil. To my mind this is far more cruel. And besides, whatever short-term sacrifices an owner makes in this time will seem minuscule in comparison to the huge benefits that should follow.

  — The Stay and the Recall —

  Walking a dog is, of course, one of the great pleasures of life. No owner can fail to enjoy the moment when their dog is released on its run, free to express its personality and natural athleticism. As they move on to this stage, however, I ask all owners to add two additional skills to their repertoire: the stay and the recall.

  Dogs should always remain on the lead in built-up areas or near roads. It never ceases to surprise me how many people fail to realise the intrinsic danger of letting a dog run free in such hazardous situations. Once in open space, however, the dog can be readied for release. The first time this is attempted, I recommend owners go through a routine that once more underlines the principles established at home.

  The first discipline is to teach the dog to stay. This is easily achieved by keeping the dog on the lead. The dog should be asked first to sit in the normal way. The owner should then turn and face the dog, take just one step backwards while at the same time raising the palm of his or her hand and issue the request: ‘Stay’. The dog should then be asked to come. This should be repeated, with the owner moving a little farther away each time. If the dog moves off, however, it should be returned to the point where the process first began. Again the dog must learn the consequence of its actions. The rules of this game must remain in the control of the leader.

  With this extra control in place, the owner is ready to release the dog. When the lead is first removed, I recommend the dog be encouraged to stay at the owner’s heel for a short while. As usual, a little food incentive can be used to make sure this happens. The dog should then be given a release word that it will recognise from then on: something like ‘Go play’.

  The key test now is to learn whether the dog is going to return. Again this is done through response and reward. I suggest owners try to ask the dog to come back to the heel position as soon as it strays more than ten feet away from them on the first walk. The knowledge that it will return will help both the owner and the dog enjoy the run from then on.

  Ultimately it is up to each owner to decide when and whether to allow the dog off the lead or not. It should not be attempted if there is the slightest worry that it may not come back. I advise anyone who is unsure of this to test the dog’s response to a request to come, inside the home or in the garden. The response here will provide a good guide as to how it will act in a more open environment. With dogs who prove difficult in this area, I recommend that an extension to the lead is added. This can be used as a way of helping the dog to understand what is wanted by gently drawing the dog to you with a request to come and a food reward.

  4. Food Power

  The controls applied in the wild by wolf packs are, of course, beyond us. Even if we wanted to, we are physically incapable of replicating the aggression and extraordinary body language with which the Alpha exerts its leadership. Yet by adding a little human ingenuity and subtlety, I believe one of the most potent tools available to the Alpha is available to us. Obtaining the power at feeding time is an immensely important element of Amichien Bonding.

  For reasons that will be obvious, I call this element of the technique ‘gesture eating’. It is an element I ask people to apply for the first two weeks or so only. If at all possible, I prefer every human member of the family to participate. By acting as a team, this will allow them to communicate an immense amount of information and establish each of them at an upper level of the household’s hierarchy. Again the overriding priority here is to be consistent, so it is essential this is repeated at all the dog’s meal times during this period. Many people, for practical reasons I can un
derstand, feed their dogs during the evenings only. For maximum impact, I prefer it if dogs are fed twice daily, once in the morning and again in the evening.

  The technique is simple. Before preparing the dog’s food, I ask owners to place a small snack – one per person in the home – on a plate on a raised working surface. Anything will do, a biscuit, a cracker or a piece of toast. I then ask them to place the dog’s bowl next to the plate. Making sure the dog is paying attention, they should then proceed to mix its meal. Once this is done, without speaking to or looking at the dog, each member of the family should reach for their snack and eat it. Only when everyone has finished eating their biscuit or cracker should the dog’s bowl be placed on the floor. This should be done again with as little ceremony as possible, and only minor recognition of the dog. Then the owner should walk away and leave the dog to eat in peace.

  The message here is clear and powerful. As in the wolf pack, the pecking order is clearly displayed at feeding time. It is the leader and its subordinates who eat first. It is only when they are satisfied, that the next ranking member of the pack is able to eat its meal. To underline this message, any dog who walks away from its food during meal times must have its bowl removed immediately. Owners should not worry about it starving. When it comes to matters related to meal times, dogs will pick up the thread extremely quickly, take my word for it. The point here again is that the dog must learn that only acceptable behaviour is rewarded. It is the leader who dictates the terms under which food is distributed and eaten. If it does not adhere to the leader’s rules at meal times, it will miss its turn.