Thursday, June 8, 2017

The Benefits Of Teaching From Books On Animal Communication

By John Kennedy


Cable television has shows about problem cats. Complete with a self-acclaimed cat whisperers of some sort spouting mumbo jumbo about how the humans have hurt the feelings of their pet, and they must learn to modify every aspect of their personal life in order to accommodate kitty, who is probably just being a furry little jerk. Forget the psychobabble and just get decent, veterinary peer-reviewed books on animal communication.

Few of us will ever have one of these esoteric experts into our homes. Even fewer of us will actually believe them when they claim to know that Fido gets depressed when his owner wears that green fedora because of the way it shades his face. But anyone can accept the notion that animals do have emotional states, and they also have consistent methods of expressing their inner reality.

When a cat wants to show intimate and personal affection, without showing submission or sexual aggression, they will look their human in the face and slowly squint their eyes at them. This show of love is probably very important to the feline, yet often missed entirely by their human. Just understanding that one element of feline communication creates a greater appreciation for the furry friend.

Cat people might also be a little less likely to throw their clawed companion across the room when it reaches out to bite for no apparent reason. These bites almost never result in injury, and are actually intended to express an intimate affinity for their human. This expression of quasi-sexual dominance is often immediately followed up by their usual expression of submission by showing the belly.

Everyone has seen video of dogs who can say hello, thank you, or I love you. Few people are aware that the best friend of man will, at times, attempt to imitate human sounds in an attempt to quarry their favor. You see, there is nothing in this world that a good dog loves more than pleasing the human who heads the pack it belongs to.

There is much one can glean from reading a manuscript that explains in plain language what animals are trying to express with the sounds they make. Humans have distinct non-verbal language that can be as clear as a smile or as unwilling as a tiny shrug expressing indifference. Mother bear certainly has a sound for soothing, and a different sound for warning her cubs when she believes there may be danger about.

A dog may have one sound for rough play, and a similar yet different tone when he or she is warning a child that they have pulled their ears one time too many. A cat may howl while mating, but they have a different howl that indicates the female is ready to mate. As any cat owner knows, they have yet another ear-shattering sound to indicate that it wants in or out, or in then out, then in again, but maybe out, oh meow.

Making pet noises as a bedtime game is an excellent way to teach them what growls and howls really mean. Not only can it help to protect both child and pet from each other, but it can also stir the first feelings of empathy and concern for others in the child. It might be the first opportunity a parent gets to show their children how what they do impacts others around them, and how they can be impacted as well.




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