TALKING TO ANIMALS Monthly Newsletter
By loving and understanding animals, perhaps we humans shall come to understand each other.
Dr. Louis J. Camuti
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April 2007
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Published monthly for subscribers to the Talking-To-Animals Newsletter
By Charlene Boyd
http://www.talk-to-animals.com
To view past issues of Talking-To-Animals, please visit our newsletter archive.
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO FORWARD THIS NEWSLETTER TO FRIENDS
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In this edition.
1. Welcome!
2. Hero Pets
3. Featured Article: Clicker Training for Cats - Teach your cat to play the piano
4. A story from my files - Hoss
5. What I've been up to recently
6. Readers, I need your Help!
7. From the Bookshelf
8. This and That
9. The Tail End
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1. WELCOME DEAR READERS
concern that is touching both cat and dog owners alike, I want to wish all of you a wonderous spring.
Hopefully, winter is making an exit and we can revel in the unfolding of spring. Around our area, birds
are singing a joyful chorus, each variety adding its own distinct song into the mix. One of our large hanging
ferns is once again holding open house to a family of finches. Talk about home building! Birds are some
of the greatest builders of all. I see them flying up into the fern with twigs, leaves, small roots and even
lint, which to my uneducated eye looks like a hodge-podge of pickings from the neighbor's yards. Somehow
they know exactly how to turn all of this into a finished nest; capable of holding eggs, mother and noisy, hungry
babies. Although I observe this ritual every year, it always fills me with awe and respect for the wisdom of Mother Nature.
treats and biscuits have also been recalled. Wet and dry foods purchased from supermarkets, pet stores and big-box
pet stores have all come under scrutiny. It is scary to go into PetSmart and see empty shelves with signs posted re. the
recall of a particular food.
looking at two possible causes. As the saying goes,"you get what you pay for", but in this case, top-of-the line
foods as well as supermarket brands are suspect. I have had several readers either call or e-mail me with their
concerns. Some are seriously thinking of cooking for their pets to avoid commercially prepared foods. Sometimes
changing a pet's normal diet can result in gastrointestinal upsets. Prescription diets are even trickier to make at home
since they are formulated for specific health issues. Even healthy pets are hard to maintain on home-cooked diets as it
is difficult to include the vitamins and minerals that they need.
of vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, excessive water consumption or not drinking water, or just seems "off", please take them
to your vet or nearest emergency clinic ASAP. This is not a time to have a "wait and see" attitude. You can visit the
FDA's website at www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html to see a complete list of foods being recalled.
their sources. I've read that class-action lawsuits may arise out of the recalls, but can you place a dollar and cents value
on a beloved companion? It is really not about money anyway. It is about the love of our pets and being able to trust a
product that we use on a daily basis. I hope the pet food industry makes some sweeping changes in their choice of ingredients,
even if it slightly rises the price we pay.. We need to know that we can once again put our trust in the companies and foods
that we feed our best friends.
2. HERO PETS
pets, but many times, they are the ones that are saving our lives. In February hikers who were experienced
mountaineers became stranded on Mt. Hood in Oregon. A Labrador Retriever belonging to one of the hikers
is credited with saving the lives of the marooned hikers by laying on top of the hikers, providing its own body heat,
protecting the hikers from hypothermia. Rescuers credit the dog with preventing any loss of lives.
3. FEATURED ARTICLE: CLICKER TRAINING FOR YOUR CAT
nature. I came across an article in "About Cats" that discusses clicker training for cats and it is possible!
Not only to train for tricks, but more importantly for safety reasons. Want your cat to go into its crate?
Clicker train it. Does your cat try to slip out the door? Clicker train it to stay in.
Karen Pryor is the acknowledged leader in clicker training cats. You can go to her website www.clickertraining.com
and learn the basics. Cat-Clickers is also a Yahoo group for anyone interested in clicker training their cat.
You can join by sending an e-mail to Cat-Clicker-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Dogs no longer have a
monopoly over agility training courses. ICAT is sponsoring tournaments all over the U.S.where you can test
your cat's agility over his peers. Clicker training, of course, is the key here. I've included an article from Karen's
website on how she uses a clicker to train a cat to play the piano.
"It's easy to teach a cat to play the piano; I've often done it in other people's houses, with their cat, as a sort of after-
dinner amusement.
First you lure the cat onto the piano bench with food, clicking as it jumps up. (Present the treats on a plate on the bench,
so you don't get grease or tuna juice on your hostess's furniture.) Then you lure or target (something the animal is taught
to touch with some part of his body. A target is generally stationary.) the cat forward until it puts a paw on the keys. Click.
Repeat the process, fading the lure, until the cat is voluntarily stepping on the keys and looking at you for a click. Then
begin reinforcing firmer touches until you get good noise-making hits (this is easier with an electronic keyboard than with
a regular piano, but either will do).
Professor Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, who teaches in the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas,
requires all his students, both graduate and undergraduate, to clicker train a pet or some other animal. One of his students
trained her cat not only to "play" the piano, but to strike one specific note. Then she put the behavior on a verbal cue. Ultimately
she accomplished her rather ambitious goal. She sat at the piano and played part of a Mozart piece in G, while the cat sat next
to her, waiting like an orchestra musician for its cue to come in. At the end she gave the cue "Play G," and the cat brought the
piece to a close with a resounding plonk on the final signature note. Click! The student's A-grade term project consisted of a
video showing the shaping process (including the things that did not work)—as well as the final successful performance.
Here's a further refinement on piano playing. Teach the cat to play the keys two or three times for a click. (This builds up endurance,
so the cat won't quit just because it didn't get clicked for any one plonk; thus you have room to select and click only the right sort of
plonks.) Put a removable sticker on middle C, as a target, and click the behavior of playing that key only. (You might want to teach
"aim for the sticker" separately, by clicking the cat for pawing stickers in other places before adding the task of recognizing the sticker
to the piano-playing task.)
When the cat is hitting the marked key reliably, put another sticker just to the right, on D. Your aim is to establish the behavior of hitting
D and then C for a click. You'll always be ending up on the note the cat first learned, C, so the cat can proceed with confidence. When D-C
is accomplished, add the next note to the right, E, then shape the behavior of playing all three notes, right to left, one time each. Repeat.
Presto! Your cat plays the first two bars of "Three Blind Mice."
Excerpted from Getting Started Clicker Training for Cats, by Karen Pryor."
Again, to visit Karen's website and get more information on clicker training, both for cats and dogs, go to www.clickertraining.com.
The site has a lot to it, but if you get lost, just 'click' on the link 'Dog Training' or 'Cat Training' or 'Other Animals' in the gold
bar just above the purple search bar.
Charlene
4. A STORY FROM MY FILES: HOSS
Dear Readers,
A close business associate of mine contacted me recently about a dog she sees frequently. She
travels quite a bit and when she is in California she stays with some close friends who own a large German Shepherd
named Hoss. Now THIS Hoss is not the first German Shepherd the couple has owned whose name was Hoss. In
fact they'd lost their dearly loved Hoss #1 2 years ago, and on his deathbed, they made a promise to him that they'd find
him a brand new puppy body so that he could continue to share their lives. After a long search for a puppy who looked
like the old Hoss, they found one and brought him home. And the trouble began soon after. Now I did not know any of
this when I received the following email:
"
Subject: A BIG favor
behavior that my best friend and the dog’s owner told me he has been doing recently. He will be very
affectionate and normal and then will seem to get a bit paranoid, won’t go outside and will begin to growl
softly but as a warning – with eyes looking at you to say to be on your guard. It is almost like another animal
possesses him it is that different.
discover anything.
so puzzling. Can you shed any light on what’s troubling him?"
---
with no provocation.)
and here is my reply:
---
Good morning!
I am on my way out for most of the day, but what I am getting from Hoss is borderline hypothyroidism. This will cause
aggression in some dogs and has only recently been discovered to be the case. Have your friends take him to a good vet and
ask to have a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test done on him and why. Jean Dodds with HemoPet in
excellent and very knowledgeable about these things. Thyroid problems are her specialty and she does the work right there and is cheaper
than most vets, although it is not an expensive test. It will be interesting to see what she comes up with. She is in
so is not far away. Low thyroid can cause biting/fear based behaviors. When people come in or he looks like he is getting close
to the "danger zone" you can try distracting him with a toy (not food) to distract him and break that mind-set. There are five grades
of bites with dogs; what he did with you was a grade one; a warning like you said. Flower Essences, specifically mimulus by Bach
would be good to put in his water. Mimulus is for fear and can be purchased at Whole Foods. I would be very specific and structured
with him. If he looks like he is getting uncomfortable, do a grounding exercise with him. Tell him,"Hoss, look at the table. Take a couple
of steps and say, "Hoss, look at the chair or whatever. It gives him something outside of his body to focus on. I get the impression
from what you have said that he basically runs the house! Let's start with the medical aspect first, ok?
Have a great Saturday!
Charlene
PS: did I ever tell you I didn't much care for his name? It sounds so inelegant and makes him sound clumsy and not too smart.
Maybe they would be open to changing his name to one that would show more respect for him as a dog. JMHO=Just My Humble Opinion
---
A few days later I received a phone call and was told "the rest of the story". My associate forwarded my email to Hoss' owners who were amazed
at the information it contained. You see, Hoss #1 had a thyroid problem throughout his life and had been treated for it up until his death. Unbeknownst
to my associate, the owners had consulted another communicator who told them that part of the problem they were having with Hoss was the fact
that although he was the same spirit, he was NOT the same dog at all as part of his original identity included his original body, so calling him Hoss
was creating serious conflicts with him spiritually.
After getting my email following my 'consultation' with Hoss, the owners reported that their dog was a changed puppy. He was cheerful and had
stopped growling. They'd promptly changed his name to Prince and he seemed happy with the change. I have not heard whether they did all
of my recommendations, but I did hear that 'Prince' continues to do well and the owners are very happy with how his behavior is now.
Charlene
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5. WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO RECENTLY
the many emails I receive each month, and compiling material for my newsletter and upcoming book (more on that below),
I made an appearance in a magazine and on a radio interview.
As many of you know, I've done several television shows and have been interviewed
by radio talk shows around the world. I regularly appear in print for both magazines and web articles
as well. This past month I was interviewed by a talk-show in Manchester, England. The interest in animal
communicators is just as big"across the pond" as it is here in the U.S. The Brits dote on their pets as
much as we do! I enjoy doing these shows, and sometimes the questions I get are really interesting and
sometimes they are done with the intention of debunking animal communication. Since I do not feel that I need
to explain, excuse or defend what I do (the thousands of successes and attestations from pet owners that
I have helped across the world prove that what I do is valid and does help), I am always ready for what they have
to say. My only complaint is that I normally have to get up so darned early to do them!
I was also interviewed in the March/April issue of Animal Wellness magazine. They asked several animal
communicators each a specific question and printed the answers in the latest issue. The title of the article that
I was asked to contribute is: Animal Communication: Top Ten Questions Answered. I have reviewed Animal Wellness
before, but I'd like to remind you again that it is a terrific magazine to stay up-to-date with all things holistic for
cats, dogs, birds and horses. It has great health care tips, articles and a directory of many professionals.
You can either get it from a bookstore or magazine counter or you can order it online at www.animalwellnessmagazine.com.
They have an online subscription where you can receive a 'virtual' magazine to read online too. Technology!
6. READERS, I NEED YOUR HELP!
disheartened by the number of clients who would come in and ask to have their cat euthanized, not because
of health problems, but behavior problems! Clients were at their wit's end dealing with cat box problems, feline
aggression and other behavior problems that they could not resolve to a manageable degree. Working as an animal
communicator for the last eight years, I am hearing many of the same problems from my readers. I try to give you
help, but many times I am a last resort. Did you know that non-use of the litter box is the number one reason
that people either euthanize, give away or dispose of their cats? Usually they still love their cats, but can't deal
with the urine odor in carpet and furniture.
marketing manager Linda and I have decided to collaborate on an e-book that will cover problems that cat owners
face. The price will be one that will make it affordable to all cat owners having problems who want to keep their
cats. Our primary goal is to save the lives of cats who might otherwise meet a tragic end.
issues? I value your input as I feel those of us who have cats know as much as some of the "experts" when it comes
to behavior. I am not asking for solutions, just what YOU would like to see in a book about cat behavior. To send an
email for the book, just click HERE.
Many, many thanks in advance! Linda and I are both very excited about helping as many owners and cats as possible.
Charlene
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these two publications. The first one is: CATNIP from the Cummings School Of Veterinary Medicine at
Tufts University. Similar in format to Whole Dog Journal in that it does not accept paid advertisement.
Topics include feline behavior, feline disease, feline health, food products and a column, 'ask the experts'.
This is a monthly publication and you may order online by clicking HERE, then putting the word CATNIP
in the search box title or looking for it at your local bookstore or magazine counter.
Articles on nutrition, training, complementary care, herbal medicine, new toys and equipment. I think they
do an excellent job reviewing both dry foods and canned foods. I always feel confident recommending their
top picks for food. You may also order online by clicking HERE or e-mail them at WholeDogJ@aol.com.
I think you will be pleased with both of these recommendations and will know that you are getting the latest and
most unbiased review of all things dog or cat-related. I always learn something new whenever I read my monthly copy.
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Are you looking for something unique for that "hard to please" pet lover? A gift certificate
for a consultation or a package of consultations for multiple pet households is a perfect gift and eliminates
a trip to the mall! One size truly fits all and there is no expiration date! A single consultation is $95 including
the tape and $165 for multiple pets. Please e-mail me if you are interested in this hassle-free gift!
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firm Packaged Facts. Among the most popular items: single-serve food pouches(know what you are buying
beforehand), self cleaning litter boxes, automatic feeders, easy-entry ramps and automatic pet doors.
cases, laser surgery can be extremely beneficial over traditional surgery. The benefits include less pain,
bleeding, swelling, extreme precision, reduced risk of infection, quicker recovery.A laser is an intense beam of
light. Using an instrument that allows it to be precisely controlled, the laser replaces the traditional scalpel.
Procedures recommended for laser surgery include: declaw, spay, neuter, tumor removal, ear crop, skin
tags, cyst removal, soft palate procedures, gingival and dental surgery and many more. The next time your
pet is scheduled to undergo a procedure, ask your vet if laser surgery could be an option for your pet's
specific condition.
pet water bowl. If you have had the problem of tipped over water bowls or soggy crate bottoms in your car,
you might want to look into this new product. This water dish is designed for moving vehicles. It fits in
a cup holder, sits on flat surfaces, attaches to cages, crates and pet barriers using the cage mount bracket.
Patent pending baffles and rim capture motion induced waves, dissipate wave energy and prevent spills and
splashes from typical vehicle motion. Dishwasher safe, it comes with a 30 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.
The price is $19.95. Visit their website at www.mo-bowl.com. Please check this out with Summer traveling
around the corner.
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9. THE TAIL END
with your own pet and animals in general brightens each day. May you have a wonderful month. I look forward
to hearing from you, so please send me your emails and please do give your suggestions for the eBook I am doing.
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Mission Statement:
"I feel that my primary role as an animal communicator is to speak the truth for the animals.
By speaking their truth I am able to share with their owners their unique perspectives and spiritual
philosophies. The special bond that companion animals share with their owners is one that is built
on love and trust. Through this special relationship both owners and their animals have an opportunity
to experience love, trust and mutual understanding. It is the key to all relationships we develop with
our pets. As we become more sensitive to our pets, we learn that we are all One, created by the
same Divine spirit. Our ultimate goal is to live in harmony and joy with the animals we love and cherish."
Charlene
TALKING TO ANIMALS Monthly Newsletter, talk-to-animals.com and Charlene Boyd, Animal
Communicator are trademarks of Charlene Boyd, Animal Communicator, Coto de Caza, California,
USA Phone 877-907-1741.
Copyright 2004 - 2007, Charlene Boyd, Animal Communicator. You are welcome to forward this entire
newsletter to friends. Please visit my website for articles you may publish and share freely!
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To find out more about animal communication and to visit our newsletter archive, please go to our
website at www.talk-to-animals.com. To contact Charlene regarding a lost animal, animal behavior
problems or the death of your pet, email her at charlene@talk-to-animals or call 877-907-1741.
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