What’s Your Pet Thinking? Pet Psychics Aim to Provide Answers

It happens to every pet owner. Your dog pulled the curtains off the window, your cat won’t come out from under the couch, or your new puppy has a thing for eating bugs. All that crazy pet behavior leaves you looking into their innocent eyes and asking yourself, “What on earth are they thinking?”

According to today’s Pet Psychics, we just might be able to find out.

Heidi Schulman is a part of the growing profession of pet psychics, people who work to bring pet owners closer to their animals by communicating directly with their pets. Whether or not this telepathic communication can deliver real answers is a matter of opinion and belief, but the prospect of gaining insight into your pet’s psyche is certainly tempting for many pet owners.

A recent Huffington Post “Weird News” article on the subject explained that for Schulman, the inspiration began with her rescue dog, Bosco. She said that she could sense a nonverbal communication between herself and her dog, and found herself wondering what he would say if he could talk. The result was “The Original Dog Tarot: Divine the Canine Mind,” a guidebook and series of 30 tarot cards for helping pet owners communicate with their dogs.

Pet psychics throughout the country describe their abilities in many different ways, from tarot card readings to, as “The Secret Language of Dogs” author Jocelyn Kessler says, communicating energetically with the canine or feline mind. Sonya Fitzpatrick, another pet psychic who hosts a popular radio show on Sirius XM, says that clients can call for telephone consultations or even reach out to her for help finding a lost pet.

Like many psychic professions, this one has its skeptics. Veterinarian Jeff Nichol, referenced in a Washington Post story on pet psychics, warns against turning to nontraditional methods for treating your pet’s behavior or health problems. 

But what about just for fun? Would you try a tarot reading or pet psychic with your pet? 

We can’t claim to read a dog’s mind, but we can advise pet owners on how to read the nonverbal signals your dog displays. Keep reading “If They Could Talk” for weekly tips on working with your pet, and feel free to explore our previous posts for advice on reading dog body language. 

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National Dog Bite Prevention Week: Understanding Your Dog's Signals

It’s National Dog Bite Prevention Week, and you can help the cause by learning to understand your dog’s warning signs. This week was established by Doggone Safe, an organization devoted to promoting education that can help prevent dog bites and providing support for dog bite victims. The ultimate goal of this week is to help us, the humans, properly understand and communicate with our dogs in ways that can help prevent biting. 

As Doggone Safe acknowledges, we often misunderstand our pups. When a dog bites, we interpret this behavior in negative human terms, when to a dog, biting is a relatively normal and primal behavior. By learning to understand why dogs are motivated to bite in the first place, we can help reduce the risk that our pet will respond to situations with a bite or other threatening behavior.

Basic knowledge of your dog’s physical behavior can take you a long way towards preventing biting. Our sister organization, Morris K9 Campus, published a blog post in honor of Dog Bite Prevention Week about canine body language and how to read the signs that may lead to aggression.

Watch out for:

• Tail between the legs
• Whites of eyes showing
• Ears back, head down, or teeth bared
• Excessive yawning or licking
• Furrowed or tense brow

You can also help prevent biting or lashing out by avoiding situations that often make dogs uncomfortable. Avoid surprising your dog, especially while they are asleep, as they may react instinctively and bite. Do not approach a tethered dog or a dog that is chewing on a bone; even if you know the dog well, they may become defensive. Also avoid forcing your dog into a submissive position.

By keeping your dog comfortable and watching for these warning signs, you can help prevent your dog and others' pets from biting. Though they may be subtle, these signs are a dog’s way of telling us how they are feeling. If you watch for them, you can become more in tune with your dog’s likes, dislikes and overall well-being.

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