Dogging for beginners!

It was with great pleasure that we looked after Gillon while Jess and Paul were having a well earned break in Paris! Starting with a couple of "sleep-overs" then a three day stay, the labrador retriever was a delight, giving me an excuse to learn about dog training using the techniques written about by Jan Fennell. "The Dig Listener" was recommened by Anne, who knows about these things and is herself someone who inspects homes for rescue animals. Jan Fennell's methods are based on insights into the psychology of dogs which she developed from observing wolves. Her suggestions are so simple that, as a dog owner for many years, I thought they could not possibly work. I was so wrong that I was amazed. Within days my two labradors were so much more relaxed and better behaved that I experienced a fresh delight in keeping dogs.I leanrned that the way we instinctively treat dogs, based on human perspectives, is against the best interests of the dog. What we perceive as being kind is often, to the dog, a source of anxiety. Much - indeed most - dog care and training is really anti-dog because we have never taken the trouble to understand the true nature of the animal. So totally got me but sadly Frank did not want to know - must find a book that works on him!