Communicating with Your Pet
by Richard Webster
 A
few days ago, we visited friends who have two collies. The dogs lay sleeping at
our feet as we talked. Suddenly, one of the dogs raised her head and looked at
the other dog. This dog, apparently sleeping, instantly opened its eyes. A
silent message was exchanged, because both dogs got up and began playing on the
lawn. We humans heard nothing, as no sounds were exchanged. However, the first
dog was able to tell the other one that it was time to play. This was obviously
done by telepathically transmitting the thought of play.
Years ago we had a cat named Killy. As Killy got older she spent more and
more time sleeping in different hiding places that she had found. We could
search the house and garden, calling for her, and she would not respond.
However, if we as much as thought about feeding her, she would instantly appear.
Killy was reading our minds.
Killy and Bruce, our Labrador, would play together whenever Killy was in the
mood. Bruce would have loved to play every day, but Killy would not allow this.
When she felt like a game, she would sit beside Bruce and stare at him with a
fixed gaze. Bruce would immediately wake up in a state of excitement and the two
would play for half an hour or so. Once Killy had had enough, she would lie down
and close her eyes. The game was always over far too soon for Bruce, but he
quickly learned that it was no use trying to encourage Killy to continue.
Barking and prodding her with his nose did no good. She never hissed or
scratched him, but would leave the room and go to one of her hiding places.
Consequently, once Killy announced that the game was over, Bruce would lie down
beside her and go to sleep. Killy telepathically told Bruce that it was time for
a game, and she also told him when the game was over. I am sure that Bruce sent
telepathic messages to Killy pleading for another game, also.
Like all dogs, Bruce enjoyed offering love and sympathy to anyone in the
family who needed it. Other humans can provide sympathy and understanding, but
sometimes, when things go wrong, it takes a pet to provide the unconditional
love that we crave.
Observe your pet for a day or two and see how many instances of mind-to-mind
communication occur between you and your pet. You will be amazed at how common
they are.
Communicating With Your Pet
Naturally, you must attract your pet's attention. Your pet can read your
thoughts whenever he or she wants to, but most of your thoughts are of no
interest to anyone else, pets included. You might be thinking about asking your
boss for a pay rise, or whether or not to buy a certain item that is on sale.
These thoughts are important to you, but are of no interest to your pet.
Consequently, your pets will pay attention only if something you are thinking
about relates to them and they happen to pick it up.
You can communicate with your pet verbally or by thinking about what you
want. Most people find it easier to talk out loud to their pets, as this is what
they are used to. Ask your pet to pay attention and to listen to what you have
to say. You can tell if your pet is paying attention, even if he or she is not
looking at you. You might want to pet or stroke them before speaking to ensure
that you have their attention.
Talk in terms of what you want your pet to do, rather than what you want them
to avoid. For instance, if your dog is continually digging holes in your garden,
you should not say to him, "Don't do that." Instead, you should talk
about what you do want. You might say something like, "I have worked hard
to make that garden look as beautiful as possible. I want it to look nice for
when visitors call, and because it gives me pleasure to look at it. I know the
ground in the garden is soft and nice to dig, but I'd appreciate it if you made
holes somewhere else. Would you please help me by doing that."
There is nothing difficult about this. All you are doing is speaking to your
pet and telling him or her what you want. There is no need to speak down to your
pet, or to use baby talk. Your pet will respond best if you phrase your request
in normal, everyday language. Your pet is extremely intelligent. He or she will
understand. If you have been brought up to think about "dumb animals,"
you may have to change the way you think about your pet.
In his book Kinship
with All Life, J. Allen Boone talks about establishing a two-way
"mental bridge" between you and your pet. This invisible bridge allows
thoughts to go from human to pet, and vice versa. However, it is important that
the bridge be kept horizontal. If the human end rises, it means the person is
talking down to his or her pet, and that means the end of telepathic
communication.'
Of course, your pet may not want to listen to your request, especially if you
are suggesting that he or she stops doing something he or she enjoys doing. This
is especially the case if your pet walks away while you are talking to him or
her.
If your pet is reluctant to listen to a specific request, you need to say it
again while making direct eye contact. Hold your pet's head and gaze into his or
her eyes. Explain the seriousness of your request, and why you are making it.
Repeat your request, and then ask your pet for a response. Your pet might need
several seconds to think about what has been said. The response might appear
fully formed in your mind, or it might be a friendly lick on your face or hand.
Rest assured that once your pet has given a positive reply, he or she will
adhere to it most of the time.
Unless you receive a positive answer, your pet may choose to ignore your
request. Humans do exactly the same thing. We may be asked to do something that
we do not agree with. Rather than arguing about it, we might simply choose to
ignore the request. Your pet will do exactly the same, especially if you are
curtailing something enjoyable. However, once you have received a positive
response you can relax, as most of the time your pet will keep his or her word.
You may want to provide a reward when your pet accedes to your requests. This
does not have to be food. We usually rewarded Bruce by taking him on an
extra-long walk. He always knew it was a reward and seldom tried to make me take
him on the longer walk unless it had been earned.
Remember to follow up with praise when your pet has done something right. It
is easy to do this immediately afterwards, but we tend to forget to do it after
a day or two. It is good reinforcement to continue thanking your pet for his new
behavior for as long as possible.
Working animals become extremely good at reading the minds of their human
friends. I remember talking to a champion horsewoman after her horse had died.
She commented that her horse had constantly read her mind. She had to simply
imagine the two of them clearing a difficult jump and landing safely on the
other side, and her horse would do it every time. This is an everyday occurrence
for riders who have a close bond with their horse.
Blind people make similar comments, as they also have a close, intuitive
connection with their guide dogs. Sheila
Hocken, a formerly blind lady in England, had an operation that gave
her back her sight. She wrote a wonderful autobiography that told about her
dependency on her guide dog. The book, Emma and I, became a bestseller. Sheila
eventually wrote a series of books about her life with Emma. Sadly, Emma
developed cataracts and became blind herself. With the roles reversed, Sheila
dedicated herself to Emma's needs, repaying her for all the years of love and
service that her dog had given her.
In Emma and I, Sheila told how she needed to make a telephone call shortly
after moving to an apartment on her own. Emma guided her across the road to a
public call box. When they got there, Sheila discovered that the phone had been
vandalized and the receiver had been ripped off. Sheila told Emma this, and
asked, "What are we going to do?"
Neither of them was familiar with the area, and Sheila asked Emma to take her
along the road in the hope that they could find someone who could tell them
where there was another phone box. Instead, Emma took her back across the main
road and down a side road that felt rough and unformed. Later, Sheila discovered
that building work was being done in the area. She tried to get Emma to stop and
return home, but Emma continued down another road, and then sat down. Sheila
felt with her hand and found that Emma had taken her to another phone box.
Emma used her initiative in locating another phone box and taking Sheila to
it. We cannot say that she located the second phone box by instinct. She
obviously thought the matter through before taking her mistress on a walk that
had a successful conclusion. Guide dogs are doing such things all around the
world every day of the week.
In his book Dog Psychology, Tim Austin explains that many things can block
the effective communication between owners and their dogs and vice versa. Moods,
tempers, and poor timing are examples. He also insists that effective
communication is a two-way process in which both dog and human are actively
involved!
 This
article is excerpted from Is Your Pet Psychic, ?2002, by Richard
Webster. Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Llewellyn. www.llewellyn.com
Info/Order
this book.
About the Author
Richard
Webster was born in New Zealand in 1946, and most of his earliest memories
relate to animals of various sorts. Currently, Richard and his wife have just
two cats, a rabbit, and three fish. They also have three children and three
grandchildren, all of whom share Richard's love of animals. Richard has written
many books, mainly on psychic subjects, and also writes monthly magazine
columns. He would write more, but his pets tell him when it is time to stop and
play. Visit his website at http://www.psychic.co.nz
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