How Much Do Our Animals Understand Our Thoughts

In my last post, "Do Our Dogs Read Our Minds," I shared a question I asked of our DogRead book group last month when discussing my book. As I promised, this post is a continuation of those beautiful stories. Here was the question:

"Have any of you had experiences with your dogs, past or present, where they seem to understand you or read what you're thinking where you can't attribute it to training?"

I'd discovered these experiences with my black lab, Maggie, and wondered if I was alone in my experience of my dog having telepathic abilities. Many thoughts and statements I found that Maggie "knew" or understood were not earth shattering in themselves--it was her knowing that rattled my foundation of what I'd been raised to believe about dogs and animals in general.

From DogRead Nancy K. shared the following:

"I've certainly had the experience you've asked about. Check this out- I'm lying on the couch with the dogs- it can be any time of day- and I've just had the thought, "Hmmm, maybe I'll take them for a walk." Now, mind you, I have not moved a muscle, much less put on my sneakers. All of the sudden, the dogs are up and excited just as if I've asked them, 'Hey, do you guys want to go for a walk?'"

Suzanna had this to say:

"When my Belgian Tervuren Cowboy was about 4.5 months old, I had a few dogs out in the front part of the property swimming in the creek while he was behind the fence in the back yard with a few dogs. He was standing at the gate pitching a fit because he wanted to play in the creek. I walked up to the gate and said, 'Cowboy, if you want to come out and play in the creek, go around to the back door and through the house to the front door and I'll let you out.' He turned around and ran toward the house and by the time I got to the front door, he was there waiting. I thought that was pretty clever for a puppy, especially since I hardly ever let the dogs out the front door and had never let Cowboy out the front."

And then there's Nora:

"I have a Golden Retriever. He's 18 months old and he was born with an old spirit. He's always been rather quiet, reflective and laid back. He seems very tuned into my husband.

He does not like his nails being trimmed, the hair on his feet being trimmed or having his ears cleaned. He doesn't act aggressive, he just goes to hide. In recent months he seems to know when I'm about ready to mess with his feet or ears. I'm not quite sure if somehow I'm sending signals such as a certain behavior that I do. It started where I'd use the word ears and he'd run. Now he knows with no words."

So how do they know? Communicating intuitively with nature and animals is, "the first language, the foundation of spoken and written words, and the common link between all species," according to Marta Williams, author of Beyond Words: Talking With Animals and Nature, who I quote in my book."

Stay tuned for more on animal telepathy, on the sixth sense communication between we humans and our beloved animals.

Dawn Kairns
Author of MAGGIE: the dog who changed my life
www.dawnkairns.com
www.maggiethedogwhochangedmylife.blogspot.com