Fear is nature's way of warning every living being to prepare for whatever it is that has to be faced and the more dangerous the task, the more preparation is needed, which is the result of experience and understanding. Every being must also be prepared to reject the whole idea if it is judged that the task is beyond the capabilities of the individual. For most people, diving off of a high cliff is one of those activities most would reject, myself included.

Humans are 'blessed' with the ability to think these things through before attempting the reality of action, something that I assure you I did before undertaking a tandem skydive and even moments before we 'left' the plane, I looked round at the young man that I was securely and tightly strapped to and asked again 'Are you sure you know what you are doing?'. He laughed, I prayed.

This ability to rationalise and think things through creates in humans the assumption that other animals are pro-active in their thinking, but they are not, they can only react to any situation or stimulus and take action based on their experience and understanding. This is one of the major advantages of Amichien Bonding, as it accepts how confusing our world is to our dogs and makes it possible for them to leave the vital decisions to us and be guided by us, which is something that we have to do patiently and calmly when we first introduce a young dog to our world, a world that will become a major part of their lives. This process must be done without worrying about things that we are unlikely to encounter. We allow the dog to work through any fear it experiences so that it will become curious about whatever situation it encounters, then cope with and hopefully enjoy the experience.

A very simple example of this is when a dog attacks a vacuum cleaner every time it is brought into a room; it is a total waste of time thinking that this is irrational or stupid, as it may seem so to us but not the dog. It is our job to remove the fear, get the dog curious and then allow the dog to see that there is nothing to fear and this will always result in the dog being able to ignore the cleaner in the future.

I favour bringing the vacuum into the room, switched off and leave it there until the dog approaches it, probably cautiously at first and as time passes almost disregarding the machine completely. It can then be pushed away from the dog, never toward it, and rested in another location and as long as the person working with the dog remains calm and quiet the dog will very quickly overcome its fear and come to accept the noisy monster that invades the 'den'.

There is a very simple way of appreciating the human world through the eyes of a dog. Imagine being alone in the centre of a massive forest or wilderness, with no phone, no map and no help. Even if you were with a small group of friends I am certain that you would still feel far from comfortable or confident and you would probably over react to every insignificant noise or movement. I'm sure the animals, to whom such a place is home would consider you silly and were you to make a great deal of noise you could actually attract the interest of a predator that may be seeking its lunch, you.  Of course, if you then came across an experienced resident of the region you would want to stay with them at all costs. This is what you need to be to your dog, their guide, their safety zone, their friend.  Perfect.

Jan Fennell

9th January 2012