that they rather than us, their owners, are the leaders of their particular packs. It is the correction of this misconception that lies at the heart of the communications technique I have developed, called Amichien Bonding.
Four separate elements make up the bonding process. Each correlates to the specific times I have identified when the pack’s hierarchy is established and underlined. On each occasion, the dog is confronted with a question that we must answer on its behalf by providing clear, concise signals that it will understand. The four occasions are:
When the pack reunites after a separation, who is the boss now?
When the pack eats food, what order do we eat in?
When the pack is under attack or there is a fear of danger, who is going to protect us?
When the pack goes on the hunt, who is going to lead us?
Each set of signals will be introduced individually with the ‘hunt’, or walk, tackled last of all. It will eventually be necessary for you to use all four elements in conjunction with each other. Your dog must, in effect, be blitzed with signals. It needs to learn that it is not its responsibility to look after you, that it is not its job to care for the house, that all it has to do is sit back and lead a comfortable and enjoyable life. It is a mantra that must be repeated over and over again. Only then will your dog get the message that it is no longer in charge, only then will it be able to exercise the most powerful form of control, self-control.
The process is, at heart, a simple one. The most powerful central principles are established within the first few hours of application. From there, you will go on to add additional signals and controls, first within the home, then within the outside world. By the end of the first thirty days, you should have laid the foundations for a lifetime of companionship and co-operation. What follows is a guide to these formative, first thirty days.
In many ways, the process that is about to begin is akin to a revolution. The objective will be to stage a bloodless coup, to remove the leadership from the dog, but to do so without resorting to force or violence in any way. No coup in history has succeeded without precise and careful planning. And this one will be no exception…
TO BE OR NOT TO BE A DOG OWNER
‘There is no faith which has never yet been broken, except that of a truly faithful dog.’
Konrad Lorenz
It is no surprise to me that dogs have for centuries remained the inspiration for words like these. The love, loyalty and companionship that a dog can bring into our lives are unique. And, in theory, they are pleasures that everyone should have the right to enjoy. I write ‘in theory’ because I do not, in all honesty, believe it is a right that should be granted automatically. It is a sad fact of life that there are people who take dogs into their home for all the wrong reasons. The animal sanctuaries and dogs’ homes of the world are filled with the unhappy results of their rash and unthinking behaviour.
It has become a cliche to say that a dog is not for Christmas, it is for life. But it remains true nevertheless. A dog brings with it a set of responsibilities. And no one should take on the task of introducing a dog into their home without weighing up whether they are ready, willing and able to live up to these responsibilities.
There have probably been thousands of books written on the pros and cons of taking on a dog. I do not intend to contribute another one. Having said that, I do have some opinions on the matter. Anyone who is only getting a dog for their children to play with should not get a dog. Dogs and young people can forge the most beautiful relationships of all – but only if the child is taught to respect the dog: they are not toys. Anyone who is getting a dog solely for the purpose of guarding their homes should not get a dog: this is not fair. Anyone who intends getting a dog and then leaving it at home all day should think again, or should make appropriate arrangements for a friend or professional walker to take it out. The dog is a social animal and, if it is cut off from other beings for eight to twelve hours, this is not good for it.
I also believe that all owners must prepare themselves for the reality of dog ownership. It is the easiest job in the world when the dog is a lovable ball of fluff and affection, but what about when it falls ill or misbehaves, fouls the living-room carpet or growls at visitors? And what about heading out into the outside world? Are you prepared to head out on cold, inhospitable winter mornings to walk the dog? Are you willing to become a fully paid-up member of the plastic-bag brigade and clean up after your dog in public? And what about the time it falls ill and you face the potentially astronomical vet’s bills?
Of course, good owners – rather like good parents – think about a lot of these things instinctively. But I would ask even these genuine dog lovers to do a little soul-searching before committing themselves to using my method. It is one thing to understand the challenges of my approach from the human point of view, but what about thinking about this from the dog’s perspective? Dogs are living, breathing creatures with needs and feelings of their own. No one would welcome a deaf person into their family without accepting in advance that they would need to learn some form of sign language. It is no different with a dog. So, for this reason, I would ask you to consider the following:
Are you prepared to go into this with an open mind?
Are you willing to forget and discard all other ‘training’ methods?
Are you prepared to accept the dog’s welfare is paramount?
Are you prepared to work hard and make the sacrifices necessary to understand a language that may prove elusive and confusing at times?
Are you prepared to give the time the dog needs, especially during the early stages when patience and perseverance are of primary importance?
Has the whole family discussed what is going to be required?
If you already own dogs, are you prepared to go through the necessary retraining they will need as well?
These are all tough questions. I make no apologies for posing them, however. I much prefer that people understand their dogs before they learn to love them. I would rather they begin knowing that sacrifices and hard work will be required. Yet, if my years of experience have taught me anything, it is that the effort is far, far outweighed by the rewards that come from having a happy, well-adjusted and relaxed dog.
WHERE TO GET A DOG
To my mind, there are only two sources from which we should buy dogs: respectable, responsible breeders and registered rescue centres or dogs’ homes. There is, I know, a wide range of alternative sources, from pet shops to so-called licensed kennels. Yet I would not recommend that a dog be taken from any of these, for the following two reasons.
Firstly, it is my firm belief that, if at all possible, an owner should be able to see the dog’s mother and gain knowledge of the history of both parents before taking the dog away. This is something I will explain in more detail in a moment. Secondly, it is only through the first two sources that an owner will have any comeback.
As an illustration of this latter point, I often use the example of a close friend of mine, Wendy Broughton. Wendy is a keen horsewoman. It was Wendy who introduced me to Monty Roberts, the Horse Whisperer, from whom I learnt so much. At a horse fair one day, Wendy saw a batch of dogs for sale for £15 each. There were no clues as to where these dogs had come from. Their owners that day had only one interest: making money. Wendy is a soft touch and took pity on one dog in particular. In the two years since then, she has spent more than £2500 on vet’s bills. It turned out the dog was riddled with worms and suffered from a variety of stomach problems.
The crucial point here is that Wendy had no comeback on the people who sold her that dog; she didn’t even get a contact name. This type of trade is sadly on the increase. The growth of ‘puppy farms’ is something I abhor. Often, owners will be allowed no more than seventy-two hours