Author: Marjorie Lewis

Animal Communicator Partnerships Animal Health

The Many Ways an Animal Communicator Can Help Your Veterinarian

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date November 16, 2022

Have you ever had a sick pet that you’ve taken to the veterinarian and after dozens of tests and thousands of dollars, there’s finally an answer to the change in their behavior? If you have, you know how frustrating this can be. If you haven’t, I hope to help you prevent having this experience.

As pet owners, our pet’s health, well-being, and safety are of the utmost importance to us. Considering this, it can be disconcerting at times trying to determine what exactly is going on inside of them – if only they could talk, right? Well, they can! Through telepathic communication, we have the ability to ask them how they are feeling, what they are feeling, and where they feel it. Having the animal communicate this information rather than making assumptions, is so much better for the animal, the owner, and the veterinarian as it alleviates guesswork. When it comes to your pet’s health, combining the services of an Animal Communicator with a veterinarian can lead to less testing and diagnostics, saving money and time and resulting in a quicker diagnosis.

Assisting Your Veterinarian

At any age, behaviors and physical changes can happen and we don’t always know the cause of these changes. This can cause us, humans, to be stressed, but it can also cause heightened stress levels in our pets, which in turn could exacerbate the issues going on, making it more difficult to determine the root issue.

Even when the issue is not presenting itself as severe, when something changes in our pets, our first instinct is to take them to the veterinarian. This can be costly and require multiple visits and tests. Therefore, when you observe initial changes, scheduling a personal consultation with an Animal Communicator can equip you with more information to help your veterinarian focus his tests and diagnostics more effectively.

When we humans go to the doctor, the doctor interviews us and we are able to express our specific needs and feelings so the doctor can then provide focused treatment based on what we say. For instance, if you’ve noticed that your pet is not eating as much as normal and the pet is able to express that there is a tooth that is bothering them. Chances are that I can narrow down the area of where that tooth is; upper jaw, lower jaw, left side, etc. With this information, you can go to your veterinarian and tell them more specifically where to look for the issue. An Animal Communicator fills this gap so that your veterinarian can begin by evaluating the area mentioned and remedy that problem more quickly without unnecessary costs and tests.

Another example is a horse owner who reports that there are changes in their horse’s behavior and they think it may be lame. A veterinarian would have to evaluate all legs from top to bottom with a physical exam or radiographs and they may just give them painkillers to solve the problem. When working with an Animal Communicator, the horse may tell them that it has pain in the left, front leg at the knee. Combining the visual veterinarian exam with the feedback directly from the animal can enable the doctor to target diagnostic testing more quickly and accurately. In this example, the veterinarian could begin with radiographs of the knee and visually confirm the issue, saving time and money.

The Importance of Checking In Routinely With Your Pet

By giving your pet the opportunity to express themselves and truly tell you the things that are going on with them, you can broaden and deepen your relationship with your pet. It can allow you opportunities for them to let you know early when an issue arises so that you can get the necessary treatment for them or even prevent an illness. Stay on top of your pet’s wellness by scheduling a conversation with your pet communicator today.

Animal Communicator Animal Health

Animal Medical Intuitive – The Basics

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date September 26, 2022

As a pet owner, have you ever sat and pondered about your pet? Maybe they’re starting to act out or even withdraw. No matter what their behavior, or lack of, the reason behind what they’re doing could very well be due to a medical problem which is where a medical intuitive could prove to be very helpful.

Having a pet is one of life’s greatest blessings, but because of the communication barrier, it can become difficult at times. What if you could sit with your pet and ask them questions about their behavior, health, likes, dislikes, or just things that you are curious about? Well, you can!

A medical intuitive is an alternative medicine practitioner, who uses their intuitive abilities to find the cause of a physical or emotional condition through the use of insight rather than conventional medical diagnostics. Other terms for this practice include medical clairvoyant, medical psychic or intuitive counselor. These practitioners do not diagnose or treat medical conditions. They can, however, offer insight from a unique perspective that often adds useful information when used in conjunction with conventional medical diagnostics. It is one tool that can be added to your overall wellness protocol.

What Do Medical Intuitives Do?

Medical intuition focuses on visualization skills and intuitive and innovative scanning to obtain information from the physical body and its energy systems. It is designed to assist health care providers in a cost-effective, targeted approach to a patient’s presenting concerns, and is not meant to serve as a diagnosis of illness or disease. Studies have shown that medical intuitives have strong, subjective accuracy rates in identifying primary and secondary health issues. Additionally, their services are positively evaluated in the context of an individual’s concerns regarding their health.

History Of Medical Intuition

Edgar Cayce (1877–1945) was one of the most well-known medical clairvoyants. He was said to be able to discern the health conditions of people, and in many cases, heal them of their affliction. Many of the treatments that he developed are still used today.

In some cases, medical intuitives have been hired by hospitals, clinics, and medical offices, particularly in California. Some medical intuitives also work with M.D.’s.

How Can An Animal Medical Intuitist Help?

When a human visits a medical professional, they often engage in an extensive intake interview where the doctor can ask in-depth questions about how the patient feels. This interview helps the physician narrow down potential causes and develop the next steps for testing and diagnostics. As many animal owners can attest, veterinary diagnostics can be a very hit-or-miss process, expensive and frustrating. It can be difficult for a vet to focus on the root cause based only on our visual observations. An animal is not able to verbalize his physical sensations such as:

“My throat feels raw when I swallow.”
“The pain feels sharp in my left upper hip and radiates down my leg.”
“I feel a rapid flutter in my chest”
“I feel the pain in my right front hoof. It feels fine at the walk but the pain starts when I canter”
“I feel nauseous and low on energy”

When a horse exhibits lameness it can often be difficult to tell which limb is the cause. Narrowing down the focus onto one limb can save everyone a lot of time and money.

Clients often consult an animal communicator/medical intuitive prior to a non-emergency vet visit to collect information that will help the vet to zero in on the root cause and reduce the number of tests required. By locating sensations during an intuitive scan of the body, an animal communicator can report details of pain location, intensity, and quality. These details help the pet owner and their medical care team to discover symptoms that are not visible to us and to refine the treatment plan.

Regular “check-in” with a communicator can be useful to monitor the well-being of a pet during a course of treatment by asking the pet about pain levels, appetite, and other symptoms.

Pet owners also consult a medical intuitive to help them assess the quality of life of their senior pet as they navigate the challenges of old age.

As an animal communicator and animal medical intuitive, I use a scanning technique to feel what the animal is feeling in his physical body. As an empath, I feel the physical and emotional feelings of the animal in my own body reporting sensations of pain, pressure, headaches, nausea, itching, vision disturbance, hearing loss, dental issues, joy, sadness, lethargy, difficult respiration, etc.
Contacting an animal medical intuitive should never be your first choice in any emergency situation. Always contact your vet or local emergency clinic first. The intuitive work can complement your conventional veterinary care but never replace it.

Animal Communicator Horses

Why Every Horse Trainer Needs An Animal Communicator

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date August 13, 2022

As every experienced horse trainer knows, there is no magical shortcut to training a horse. For every horse you take on for training, there is a unique process of observation, trust building, cue and response, repetition, reward, and patience. Whether the trainer is starting a green colt, retraining an OTTB, or polishing the skills of a Grand Prix competitor, they must be tuned into the non-verbal communication used by all horses.

Trainers Are Already Using Animal Communication

Without even realizing it, the best trainers are already using the main skills of animal communication.

Acknowledging that the horse is a thinking, feeling, non-verbal being.
Remaining focused and present at the moment with the horse in front of them.
Collecting and processing non-verbal information from the horse based on his body language and response to cues.
Allowing his intuition, or “gut feeling”, developed from experience, to guide him to the instant and appropriate response.
Always remaining self-aware and responsible for non-verbal, physical, mental, and emotional messages that he is sending out to the horse.
Building trust and a mutual language that allows for two-way communication.

Miscommunication Is Bound To Happen

At any, and every point in this training process the opportunities for miscommunication and misunderstanding are almost limitless for both parties. Even the horses that are willing and able to clearly communicate are often confused by mixed signals or lack of information.

In many cases, a trainer starts with very little knowledge of the horses’ temperament, past experiences, and individual preferences. Just as humans see the world through the filter of their own past experiences, the same is true for horses. They carry the baggage of past training, fear triggers, and physical discomfort forward with them into each new experience.

Why Having An Experienced Animal Communicator Is Important

The skills of an experienced animal communicator can offer the perfect complement to those of the horse trainer. Through telepathic animal communication, one can explore other aspects of equine behavior that can not be answered from visual observation. The communicator can gather information in the form of images, emotions, and physical sensations that can build on the visual picture of who the horse is. By adding this tool to the training toolbox of skills, any horse handler can enrich the partnership they share with the horse.

Save Yourself Time And Money

Can you imagine the time, money and frustration to be saved if the horse could simply answer the following questions?

What is the trigger for this behavior, is it physical, mental, or emotional?
Where do you feel pain? What is the quality of the pain; sharp, dull, pulsing?
How does the saddle fit? Do you feel any uneven pressure?
What training exercises do you enjoy most? Which ones confuse you?
In which environment do you feel most focused? In the indoor arena or the outdoor jump ring?
Which daily activities stimulate you in a positive way? Which causes boredom or shuts you down?
Does the pace of your schooling suit you or do you need more of a challenge?
What things, places, or activities trigger your fear response?
In what exercises are you feeling confused and how can I clarify the goal to make it easier?

Customize Your Training Based On Your Horses Needs

It is amazing how often humans and horses alike come to assumptions about one another that are inaccurate and cause conflicts and misunderstandings that disrupt the training partnership. Giving the horse an opportunity to share their perceptions and clarify goals, opens up new possibilities for negotiation and compromise in the relationship.

Armed with these answers, the horse trainer now has the opportunity to rethink and format the training environment to suit the unique nature of that particular horse. Making even small adjustments to accommodate the individual horses’ needs can go a long way to building a deeper, trust-based, relationship with any horse in your care.

If you are interested in more tips and exercises for building trust with your horse, please visit this article by Erica Ash.

Animal Adoption Dogs

6 Things to Consider Before You Adopt a Dog

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date August 13, 2022

Congratulations! You’ve decided to adopt a dog! Dogs can be amazing companions, excellent cuddle partners, and complete a family. The excitement of adding a furry friend oftentimes overshadows the long-term responsibilities that come with owning one. Making an impulsive decision can lead to frustration, and stress for both you and the dog. Before adopting a dog there are several things that you should consider to ensure you are prepared for the long-term responsibilities that come with owning one.

What Are The Reasons You Want To Adopt A Dog?

Before taking the final steps of adopting a dog, ask yourself:

What is the motivation for wanting one?
Have you recently gone through a major life event? Are you looking for a short-term feeling of companionship?
What does your lifestyle look like?
What do you envision your life being like in 5 – 10 years, does having a dog still make sense?

Additionally, there are ways that you can get a sense of what it would be like to be a dog owner full time, such as fostering. By temporarily fostering a dog, you can get a realistic picture of what daily life would be like as a dog owner, and it does not require a long-term commitment.

What to Consider When Adopting a Dog

Do You Have The Time It Takes To Care For A Dog?

Having the time to care for and spend time with your dog is one of the most important parts of being an owner of one. You always have to keep in mind that they rely on you every day for food, water, potty breaks, exercise, and attention. Some questions to ask yourself regarding your time are:

What does your daily schedule look like?
Do you work from home?
Is your schedule flexible?
Do you have time to train your dog?
Do you often go on overnight or weekend trips?

When considering adding a dog to your family, the time that is required is often not realized. This leads to the owner feeling overwhelmed which sometimes results in the pet being put back up for adoption. Be realistic about how your daily schedule can be impacted before making a final decision.

Can You Financially Afford A Dog?

Having a dog is EXPENSIVE! It’s similar to having a child. In addition to the basics like food and veterinary care, you have to include crates, harnesses, insurance, toys, training, and boarding. While you may see an adoption fee as being affordable, that is just the beginning. Annually, owners spend an average of $1,480 on pet dogs’ basic expenses. While this can give you an estimate, pet owners generally spend more than that on their furry friends.

What Does Your Household Look Like?

Think about what your current household situation looks like right now and how you think it will change over the next several years. Think about things like:

Do you have children?
Are you expecting to have them?
Do you have aging parents that may need to live with you?
Do you have a yard?

Having a dog and a busy family is very different from living single, or with two retirees. Keep in mind that as your family grows, so does your dog.

What Type Of Breed Is Best?

Many dogs that are offered for adoption are often those of mixed breeds. Therefore, you may not know exactly what you are getting. By doing a little research on different kinds of breeds you can get a better understanding of what their adult size and general temperament will be. There is an overabundance of benefits to adopting a mutt and some of them are listed here.

What Has The Dog Previously Experienced?

When adopting a dog, you never really know what their experience has been. Some of those who put their animals up for adoption often try to give as many details as possible, but who is to know what is true or not? Most often very little information is known about the life experiences that the dog has had. A puppy born and raised in a safe foster home will probably have fewer training and behavior challenges than a two-year-old that has been passed on from living life on the streets, through a shelter, or multiple adoptive homes before being chosen by you. Just like humans, dogs can carry mental and emotional baggage and you have to ask yourself if you are able to provide the patience, love, understanding, and training if necessary.

Animal Communication

Adding animal communication to your resources for making the adoption as smooth as possible is always a good idea. During a telepathic communication session, a dog is able to share thoughts and images from his previous experience. They can let you know their favorite things and also the things that trigger fear or aggression. Getting to know the history and personality of your pet through animal communication helps get your relationship off to a solid start.

Animal Communicator

Communicating With Our Animals

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date July 29, 2022

The relationships that we form in our lives can be a great source of strength and healing for us. When out of harmony, they can also become a source of stress. The relationships that we form with our animals are really no different. Our animals bring us joy and comfort, unconditional love and acceptance, they ground us and enrich our lives. For many people, the connection with their pets constitutes their primary and sometimes most enduring relationship. Yet the ease and joy of this relationship can become disrupted when the pet begins to exhibit behavior issues, health concerns, or conflicts with family members. Communication can be a key to resolving these conflicts. Accurate communication can be difficult even when both parties speak the same language. Therefore nurturing a healthy relationship is a challenge when your partner shares no common language.

What is Animal Communication?

While it may defy belief systems for some, there is a communication means available to bridge the gap: Telepathy, Animal communication, or inter-species telepathic communication, which is the process of transferring thoughts, images, and feelings from one party to another using extrasensory perception. Animals are able to relay a surprising depth and variety of information about themselves and their environment including physical sensations, emotions, and events.

Researchers, like Rupert Sheldrake, biochemist, and physiologist, believe there is a background fabric of the Universe made up of energy that is called the “Morphic Field” that links beings and acts as a channel for telepathic communication. Others may call this field the “Universal Mind”. Deepak Chopra refers to it as “the Field of all Possibilities.”

How Does Animal Communication Work?

Accessing this telepathic field is a skill that comes naturally to all animals, including the human animal. We as humans, with thousands of years of verbal language orientation, have largely lost this skill. Animals, however, remain strongly connected and are skilled telepathic communicators. As humans have come to rely on verbal communication, we have become less aware of our telepathic abilities. But as we think and speak, we are continually producing energetic broadcasts that contain visual images and emotions, though consciously we are virtually unaware of their content. We tend to tune back in only during creative endeavors such as design, art, meditation, or creative visualization. As we have tuned out our own broadcasts, we have also tuned out these messages from our animals that contain their thoughts, needs, feelings, and perceptions.

Misunderstanding frequently arises between humans and animals because we do not “hear” one another accurately. Our animals are broadcasting their needs and we are not tuned in to their channel. They go unheard.

Why Is It Hard To Communicate With My Pet?

Our animals are continually scanning our telepathic channel to discern our needs and expectations. What they encounter is often a confusing, contradictory, overlapping jumble of images and emotions to which they cannot relate. In one brief training session, we might jump to dozens of topics; “I’m teaching the dog to sit”, “I am sad about Aunt Mary”, “did I pay that bill”, “my shoulder feels sore”, “I need to go to the grocery store”. None of these thoughts are relevant to our dog and he would perceive it as broadcast static and have no choice but to tune it out.

Communication between humans and their animals improves when we learn to think more like them. Animals create their thought forms from the present moment without regard to the past and future. They tend to keep it simple, without the demands of ego. They perceive themselves as spiritual beings connected to all things and eternal in nature. They lack a perception of polarities, no right, and wrong, things are just as they are. Animals are generally free of guilt and judgment for themselves and others.

We can learn to clarify our telepathic static to improve communication with our animals and also increase our own self-awareness. Starting requires quieting your chattering mind. Breathe into a calm and alert state. Observe your mental imagery and notice how often worry about the past and future intrude. Bring your focus to the present moment and think of what you DO want, not what you DO NOT want.

Author and Speaker Mike Dooley teaches that “thoughts are things”. From the perspective of our animals, this could not be more true. When you worry about a possible disaster in the future your mind creates an image of that event. As your animal observes this image he can not distinguish it from an actual occurrence. It is the same when we worry about a trip to the vet or a dying pet. Your thought form is purely an illusion but to the animal, it is very real.

In our attempt to train our pets, we continually think of the behavior we do not want to experience. We teach them, “Don’t jump on the couch”, “Don’t chase cars”, and “Don’t chew on the furniture”. Yet with each verbal statement, we create a telepathic image of jumping on the couch, chasing cars, and chewing furniture. Because there is no visual concept for “Don’t”, we are unintentionally communicating the exact opposite of our desire.

As we become more aware of our telepathic imagery, we can retrain ourselves to match them to our intent. Accurate mental imagery can become a powerful training tool with our animals and can enhance the overall quality of our communications and our relationships.

How Can A Professional Animal Communicator Help?

Professional animal communicators can help bridge the gap with animals, from pets to performance horses, in a variety of everyday circumstances. Professional animal communicators can help bridge the gap with animals, from pets to performance horses, in a variety of everyday circumstances. But with some understanding of this process and a little practice, you can become a better listener with your pets and learn how to broadcast your intentions more clearly, too. And better communication will help you both live happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives.

Animal Health

Tips for Preventing Animal Dehydration

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date July 29, 2022

Has anyone ever told you that you should drink half of your body weight in water to stay hydrated? Did you know that there is a similar methodology for animals, too? According to PetSafe, your pet should have a minimum of 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. Sadly, many of us don’t know exactly how much our pets weigh and hydration is an afterthought. Many pet owners only think about it when their pet is showing signs of dehydration.

What is considered dehydration?

Technically, a pet is dehydrated when more fluid is used or lost than what is taken in, making the body unable to carry out normal functions. For cats and dogs, 80% of their body is made up of water which is essential for circulation, electrolyte balance, digestion, metabolism, organ function, and waste removal.

Signs of Dehydration

The quickest way to tell if an animal is dehydrated is to pinch loose skin; between its shoulder blades for a dog and on the side of the neck for a horse. If the skin stays put or slowly returns to normal, then the animal is most likely dehydrated. Other signs of dehydration include:

Dry Mouth
Excessive panting
Appetite loss
Confusion
Depression
Lack of coordination
Lethargy
Red, inflamed gums
Respiratory trouble
Seizures or collapsing
Sunken eyes

What increases dehydration?

No matter what type of animal you have, there are going to be certain things that will increase the chances of dehydration or even make their current state of dehydration more severe.

Temperature – the hotter the animal is, the more water its body will use.
Activity – increased activity equates to more water being used by the body.
Diarrhea and vomiting – when there are periods of this, an animal is most likely excreting more than they are taking in.
Diabetes – when an animal has diabetes, the kidneys work overtime to filter out the excess sugar. The excess sugar is filtered out, taking along tissue fluid with it which is what causes dehydration.
Fever – this causes water to burn off more quickly.

Tips for Keeping Your Animals Hydrated

Each animal is different. They all have different activity levels and requirements based on their diet and health.

Cats

Cat’s have a low thirst drive. Senior cats actually live mostly in dehydration. To help keep your cat hydrated:

Provide a water fountain with moving water.
Use wet food instead of dry.

Dogs

To help keep your dog hydrated:

Make sure your dog always has a bowl, even on walks. Take a look at this portable dog bowl.
Put toys in the water bowl.

Horses

To help keep your horse hydrated:

Be sure to have a clean water source.
Balance electrolytes based on their workload.
Put a treat like apple juice in the water.
Use their favorite bucket (for example, shallow vs deep).
After exercise, put a small serving of grain in a shallow tub with water to encourage drinking.
Provide salt in their diet to make them thirsty.

If you find that your animal is still not drinking enough, there could be an underlying issue. Using an animal communicator is a great way to get to the root of the problem. An animal communicator will interpret what your animal is saying so that you can have a better understanding of how they currently feel and can take proper action.

Pet Resources

11 Ways to Prevent Having a Lost Pet

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date July 29, 2022

If you’ve ever lost a pet, you know how it feels to have your heart drop to your stomach when you realize they’re gone. It’s a feeling that we never forget no matter how much time passes. If you’ve never experienced this feeling before, I hope you don’t! In fact, I’ve put together some tips for you so that if you haven’t, you won’t, and if you have, you won’t ever have to feel that gut-wrenching feeling again.

Typical Tips for Preventing a Lost Pet

There are several things you can do that are more common. For instance:

Make sure your pet can’t go under, over, or through your fence. A fully secure physical fence is key. You can even get an electric fence so you don’t have to worry about securing your yard.
Get your dog microchipped. Thanks to technology, we can use a microchip to locate our lost pets.
Get a collar tag with your contact information on it. In the event your pet is lost, chances are much greater that they will be returned when your information is easily accessible. They even make collars that allow GPS tracking.
Spay or neuter your pet. This will reduce the urge to run off and find a mate.
Teach basic commands like “stay”. This way, when you walk out the door they don’t run through it and if they are outside, they don’t run off.
Keep them on a leash around other animals. Your pet may not be the dominant one so if they are outside, around other animals, they could get scared and run away if not kept on a leash.
Get proper training. Teaching the dog an off-leash recall will help you keep them near in the event they aren’t on a leash.

Atypical Tips for Preventing a Lost Pet

While the tips mentioned above are all great, there are some other tips that I’d like to share that many people don’t think about.

Get a harness professionally fitted. So many people just order a harness based on their animal’s weight. If you get a professionally fitted one, they can’t turn into Houdini and escape.
Use positive reinforcement. When a pet is misbehaving, many owners turn to punishment as a way to correct their behavior. If you use positive reinforcement instead, your pet is more likely to stay around.
Install an automatic door closer. This gadget ensures that your door shuts tightly so the pet can’t push it open.
Ask them what they want so they don’t run away. Animal communication is a great way to make sure they are happy and enjoying their environment.

How to Recover a Lost Pet

Using an animal communicator is best for prevention as you can’t “talk the pet home”. Many people believe that an animal communicator is psychic and can tell where the pet is going next. This is not the case. You can learn more about what an animal communicator is in our recent blog.

If your pet is lost, some things you can do are:

Canvas the neighborhood and let your neighbors know.
Post lost pet flyers.
Post on social media, especially on local community pages. Also, ask your friends to share your post.

Dogs

Polite Service Dog Etiquette

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date July 21, 2022

Why do you have a service dog? Can I have one? What does a service dog do? Every day, people who have “service dogs” are asked a myriad of questions. Below, we have included several facts that are important for those who do not have them to know. Before we get into them, let’s clarify what a service dog actually is.

Types of Assistance Animals

In the United States, there are 2 types of assistance animals defined by the federal government:

1. Emotional Support Animals (ESA): Under federal law, persons with disabilities do not have public access to these animals. This is because these animals are not required to be trained and are not limited to dogs. However, emotional support animals do have access to housing under the Federal Housing Act. One must have a letter from a qualified professional stating the animal’s presence is needed to mitigate symptoms for a person with a disability.

2. Service Dogs (SDs): These dogs assist people with disabilities and have been trained to perform specific tasks to mitigate symptoms of the person’s disability. Federal law defines service dogs as dogs but does have an exception for miniature horses that meet specific criteria. Service dogs have been trained to alert to changes in body scent indicating a medical issue, guide the blind, retrieve items, alert for sounds, sense allergens in an environment, etc. The person with the disability has access to public areas with the service dog. These dogs must be well-behaved and cannot interfere with an entity’s ability to conduct business. Behaviors not suited for a service dog would be untrained bladder and/or bowel control, pulling to greet people or other animals, uncontrolled vocalization, etc. In the event that a dog begins to have behavioral issues, it’s a good idea to consult an animal communicator to see why.

Encountering Service Dogs

If you see a person with a disability using a service dog, there are two essential things to remember when one encounters them:

Speak to and maintain eye contact with the person and not the service dog.
The dog must focus on the handler and its work. Therefore, your behavior should not interfere with the dog and its ability to complete its tasks for its handler.

The following is a list of what is considered an interfering behavior:

Whistling, barking, or cooing at the animal
Putting your hands out to pet the dog without asking for the handler’s consent
Maintaining prolonged eye contact (staring) at the dog
Praising or commanding the dog.
Allowing children to interact with the dog without asking the handler’s permission
Asking the handler why he/she needs the dog
Asking the handler to have the dog demonstrate its tasks
Approaching the person and sharing stories about your dog or someone else who uses a service animal
Asking the person to educate you or your children about service animals
If you are out in a public area and are allergic or afraid, federal law mandates the person with the service animal has rights to the area. Therefore, it’s important for you to avoid the handler and the dog and not scream or run from the dog if you are afraid. If your allergy is life-threatening, please let the manager of the establishment know so that both of you may be accommodated.

It is polite to remember that the health and safety of the handler depends on the focus and attention of their assistance partner. Please respect the space around the working pair. When appropriate, many dog handlers will be happy to share information about the role of working dogs, however, please let them initiate the conversation.

Dog Training Dogs

When to Invest in Dog Aggressiveness Training

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date June 30, 2022

Do you have a puppy that’s starting to display aggressive behaviors or an adult dog that is the neighborhood terror? No matter the age of your dog or how long they’ve been displaying aggressive behaviors, dog aggression is a difficult situation for both the dog owner and the dog they love. If you’re starting to consider when to invest in dog aggressiveness training, you’re in the right place!

When you’re dealing with dog aggression, you essentially have 2 choices:

You can use punishment tactics to dissuade your dog from being aggressive.
You can get rid of the root cause of the aggression.

I personally believe that finding the root cause is the ONLY way to approach this as punishment is not effective, and is cruel. Plus, did you know that when you use punishment, your dog’s aggression is likely to get worse – 43% worse to be exact.

Identify Triggers

First, you’ll need to identify triggers to get to the root cause. Is his response triggered by fear of a situation, a particular person, or even another animal? Or is his behavior motivated more by territory protection or male dominance?

Some of the common causes of dog aggression include:

Fear
Pain
Illness
Anxiety
Uncertainty
Frustration
Protectiveness
Resource guarding
Misunderstanding
Past experiences

Address Health-Related Triggers

If your dog is being aggressive because of a health issue or being in pain, it’s important to get those addressed right away by your veterinarian. If you don’t have one, make sure to:

Find one that specializes in treating dogs.
Ask about their approach to pets and medicine.
Ensure they have a clean facility.
Get a good feeling from them – sometimes those hunches are all we need.

Animal Communication for Determining Specific Triggers

Once health- or pain-related issues are resolved and they are still showing signs of aggression, it’s time to bring in an Animal Communicator to dig a little deeper.

An animal communication session can be quite helpful to identify the specific trigger(s) for your dog’s aggression. Once the trigger is identified, it is much easier for you and your trainer to develop training strategies to modify the behavior. Otherwise, you’ll just be trying different things and hoping they work. Asking your dog how he sees and interprets the situation and how he feels during the experience are important clues that can lead you to a successful outcome. Such a successful outcome that it may be something you can correct on your own without the use of a trainer. If you’re not sure about how an Animal Communicator can help or what it is, take a look at these frequently asked questions.

When to Invest in Dog Aggressiveness Training

If your dog is snapping, growling, or biting, once you’ve identified and resolved their triggers, it’s time to invest in dog aggressiveness training. As a dog owner, you can’t take any chances of your dog lashing out on someone or something and you being held responsible for it. So, it’s better to be safe than sorry and if they’re still displaying aggressive behaviors, chances are they need aggressiveness training to course-correct them.

Dog Training Dogs

I Need A Trainer for Dogs Near Me

Post author By Marjorie Lewis
Post date June 14, 2022

Have you been trying to get your dog acclimated to you, the kids, or even the delivery guy who frequents your house and it just seems like no matter what you do, it just isn’t working? You’ve probably tried so many things like getting rid of all the distractions, breaking training up into short sessions, giving a favorite treat as a reward, and so on, only to still not be able to keep your dog’s attention. After putting so much effort into training your dog and not getting anywhere with it, you have to be saying to yourself “I need a trainer for dogs near me – sooner than later!”.

I get it! The time has come and you can’t put it off anymore – you know your dog needs a trainer. So, how do you choose the best dog trainer? Not all dog trainers may be right for your dog – or even you. Before your search begins, ask yourself these questions:

What do I need to effectively train my dog?
Has my dog been difficult to housebreak?
Is my dog chewing on our belongings or barking all the time?
Is my dog aggressive to other dogs or visitors?
Is my dog difficult to walk on a leash?
How is my dog when riding in the car?

Each of these situations requires a different approach and technique, and possibly even a different location, for training so it’s important that you get an understanding of exactly what the issues are so that when you are interviewing trainers, you can ensure that they have experience solving these problems and have the ability to train where you need them.

What to Consider Before Hiring a Trainer

Before committing to a trainer, consider the questions above and determine whether it would be feasible to train your dog elsewhere or if, without a doubt, you’d need to train your dog at your home. When making this determination, you may even want to consider some free webinars or training classes held by Your Dog’s Friend so that you can become more knowledgeable about behavior issues, health issues, and training techniques. These classes are especially good for those who are new dog parents! Equipping yourself with this knowledge can help you make this determination and ask potential trainers the right questions to ensure they are the right fit for you and your dog.

Some other things to take into consideration are:

Do you need hands-on, more individualized training?
The age of your dog.
Is your dog a puppy that is just beginning to learn manners and commands?
Did you adopt an adult dog that has some behavior or fear issues from the past?
Are you looking to teach basic commands such as “Sit” and “Stay” or have you reached the point of advanced agility training?
The breed of your dog – is yours a working dog, such as a herding breed, or is your dog a small companion breed?
The items you’ll need to effectively train your dog.

Getting Others Input On Dog Trainers

Once you’ve considered these, start asking others who they’ve used and even make a trip to your local pet supply or feed store for recommendations. My personal preference is always to choose a trainer that uses positive reinforcement training. I personally believe this is the most effective method of dog training. Positive reinforcement training essentially focuses on rewarding your pet for good behavior, rather than punishing bad behavior. No matter how much you trust the people you get suggestions from, always interview the trainer. Ask about their training and experience and then evaluate if it matches your needs? Even write a checklist if you have to. Also, The American Kennel Club offers a good article on choosing a dog trainer if you’re looking for more guidance.

Animal Communication as a Resource for Choosing a Trainer

No matter what your training challenge or the trainer you choose, animal communication can really help you! During an Animal Communication consultation, I am able to ask your dog about particular triggers for their behavior.

Is it fear or aggression driving their reaction?
What is your pet’s personality – outgoing and friendly or wary and reserved?

Each pet has a unique preference for learning styles and environments. With Animal Communication, we can discover these unique preferences and choose a trainer that best suits their needs. We can ask general questions such as “how do you feel in a large group of dogs?” or get more specific and ask “what is holding you back from entering the tunnel on the agility course?” Once we discover how the environment feels to your dog, we can better select a trainer that matches its unique personality and learning style. This can save you a lot of time and headache when searching for the right trainer!

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