conversation between dog and owner

 Animal communication, by that I mean the way animals communicate, view  and read the environment around them.
We are aware of the fact, that our dogs always seem to know in beforehand what we are about to do, or ask of them, before we actually put it into words or show it through our actions and movements. 
Our dogs know if we are sad, happy or angry without us sharing it with anyone, or even without us being actually fully aware of our feeling ourselves.
Dogs do not communicate through words, but we insist and expect them to be able to understand our language.
Dogs communicate through body language, we all know that , but they also communicate on a  telepathic level, they can sense our intent, in fact you can say that they communicate on a  psychic level.  (I know not everyone will agree).
Are we not also aware that sometimes our pets, cats or dogs, look with great intent at a particular point in the room, although there is nothing to be seen by our naked eyes, but never the less fascinating for our companions.
I know this might all sounds hairy fairy , but I tell my clients to visualise the finished article so to speak when it comes to dog training . It is all about the intent, the focus, the visualisation of a job well done.
So is it not maybe us who need to learn how to be worthy of an intelligent animal like the dog? I am not talking about intellectual intelligence, but a core understanding of communication.
If we are for instance, worried about that dreaded lead walk, knowing fine well that it is going to be a battle of wills, and that we will be dragged along by a very exited dog, our dog will do exactly that. We might not think so, but we are effectively putting that doubt out there.
This is why assertiveness is such a valuable tool, the belief that we can communicate to our dogs what is expected of them. We can relax  and let go of our thoughts of failure, our dogs become, and will be less stressed; less stress means more focuse, less  avoidance, less nervousness and so on.
So maybe next time you look at your dog you might try to give him the benefit of the doubt, and do not think that he is defiant just for the sake of it, it is much more likely that he picks up on your underlying worries, insecurity and emotions.

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