You have a new puppy?
by Rachael Messiter : Dog Listener
There’s a lot to learn when you bring a new puppy home. How do you make this bundle of joy, that you love to bits, a happy and contented member of your family? There is plenty of advice to be found on the internet and in books, but how do you know the advice is sound?
How to bond with your dog
I recommend the holistic and loving approach developed by Jan Fennell, called Amichien Bonding. Her message is this: you and your whole family can learn how to understand your dog’s language and work with its nature for a fulfilling relationship.
Rachael with Lakeland terrier – Stan
Your family is the pack
First and foremost every dog needs to know where it fits in the hierarchy. Your family is the pack.
You can show your little pup how to follow the leadership of each one of you right down to the youngest; not with words, but with the ways you communicate with your bodies and your actions. The children can also demonstrate these rules too. Your puppy will then have the foundation it needs for it to blossom.
This dog knows who is in charge
A new book
Helping children understand this is not easy. So together, three of us have written a children’s picture book, specially for parents with young children. Our book demonstrates how you can build your leadership in the home… where your dog will feel safe, content and secure, even when it is left alone.
What’s the book?
It is called Home Alone Harry. Authors: Jerry Rhodes and Rachael Messiter.
You can purchase it in our shop.
It’s full of brightly coloured illustrations, so that every picture tells the story along with the text. Our illustrator is Nicky Hill.
We have had many sparkling reviews
“I read this to my 4 year old, Lily-May and the dog, Alfie, who joins us every evening for story time. This was a fun book to read together. At just 4 years old Lily-May understood why Harry was seen as being ‘naughty’” – Happy L-M
“Written by experts, Home Alone Harry is the perfect book to help young children understand both the HOW and WHY of dog training. I absolutely love it! If you have young children and are welcoming a dog into your house, you need this book.” – Lexi R
“This is such an intriguing concept. A children’s book that is so much more than just a picture book, instead it teaches young children the basics of something called ‘metacognition’ or ‘thinking about thinking’” – Emma R
“I like the positive ethos of this story, which reinforces the idea, that things are not always perfect the first time. Sometimes, you have to work at understanding how someone thinks before you can live or work together in harmony.” – Jane H
Don’t Delay
Don’t delay in building your relationship with your dog: every day counts. If your dog doesn’t learn early on who is in charge in the home, and how to cope when the family is not there, it can take some weeks before you can all relax again.
Author and Dog Listener, Rachael Messiter
Rachael is an Associate of Amichien Bonding
She is one of the first to train and qualify with Jan Fennell, the Founder of Amichien Bonding. Rachel lived and worked with wolves in Colorado for close on two years, to deepen her understanding of the nature of our domestic dogs. She now lives in the Midlands in England and has a thriving practice which offers consultations to families who are experiencing difficulties with their dogs.
Contact Rachael at www.talkingpaws.co.uk
