b e h a v i o r
The Art of Conversation Kathie Gregory examines the importance of listening to what our animals are telling us through their body language and vocalizations, as well as understanding when they are emotionally conflicted, ensuring that they too have a voice
© Can Stock Photo / Antonio_Diaz
© Can Stock Photo / Dusan
Our emotional state can change the pitch of our voice and animals also pick up on this
Human emotions influence body language even when we try to hide how we feel, and this is usually very obvious to our animals
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language and tone of voice, so even if communication is limited to iso lated words, those words can still be perceived in different ways. How ever, we are going to look further than simple conditioned responses to a particular word, and talk about our conversations when we have taught language to a higher level. We will assume that the animal we are having a conversation with knows the names of things, or cues, and the use of those words in dif ferent phrases. So why is what you think you are saying not necessarily what you are actually saying? Well, there are a few reasons. The most obvious one is that unless you have taught your animal to understand the words and phrases in different contexts, he is not going understand what you mean. It is not always easy to apply something you already know to a completely different situation. This is the first piece of mis communication. We assume that the animal has the ability to interpret our conversation in a different context. And animals are perfectly able to do this, but there are a couple of things that get in the way. For example, if an animal has had a limited education and has not had the freedom to think for himself, he will find this difficult to do. When an animal’s education has been based on doing exactly what he is told to do, being involved in a conversation where he has to interpret and apply phrases in different ways is going to be very difficult and
ollowing my recent series on the body language of horses, dogs and cats (see Resources), I hope you now have an even greater awareness of what your animal’s side of the conversation is. Every one has a voice, but sometimes we don’t hear it until it gets louder and the person or animal starts shouting, so to speak. The art of communication is not just about putting across your side of the conversation, but also about how you are perceived by the other party and whether you are really listening to them. If you are not, then you are going to continue with your side without understanding the ani mal’s perspective, or what he is actually saying/trying to say. This leads to an unequal conversation, where both of you can feel misunderstood and frustrated. We’ve looked in depth at body language and vocalizations of horses and dogs, so now let’s take a look at ourselves.
Mixed Messages What you say (or think you say) is not necessarily the same message that your horse, dog or other animal receives. Teaching animals to do something specific when they hear a particular word is how most peo ple teach. So, in that respect yes, what you say is what the animal re ceives. But there is more to it. Your emotions influence your body
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BARKS from the Guild/November 2021
