Pet Talk: Get Comfortable with Communication
Communication is the cornerstone of every relationship –without it, a relationship can’t exist. There are many studies highlighting the importance of communication with your partner, children, employees, employers, and friends – along with tips on how to improve communication in relationships – but one topic that is rarely discussed is communicating with your pets. Some people don’t feel comfortable talking with their pets, but it is crucial to understand that communication is part of nurturing your pet. While pets can’t talk back, they are always listening and benefit from being spoken to by their owners. Think about this study led by researcher from University of York that found young children who are exposed to large amounts of adult speech tend to have better cognitive skills. These young children can’t communicate back to parents with words, but they are benefiting greatly from their parents talking to them. Even though it may feel weird at first to talk to your pet when they can’t talk back, communicating with your pet will only make your relationship stronger and I bet you’ll understand them better!
My first dog, SHERPA, became a part of me. And that is what you want, a strong human-animal bond. I learned early on with SHERPA the importance of communication and have been a believer (and advocate) for talking with your dogs. So much, that I was recently invited as a guest on the podcast Talking with Your Dogs where I chatted with host, Liz Murdoch, about everything from my book to how I communicate with KoKo and KARTU (my current dogs!).
If you already talk with your dog, GREAT! If you need some inspiration, here are three ways I implement communication in my relationship with my pets: Read more