Talking to animals

[EricK]

Yesterday I heard a story about a friend of my mother's.

She (a local magistrate, so presumably a farily reliable source) had a pet dog who wouldn't behave. She was an experienced dog owner but nothing worked. One day she saw an advert for a ... I suppose "dog whisperer" is the correct term. What have I got to lose (except money) she thought. So hired this woman. So this woman came over and talked to the dog. She asked it why it misbehaved. The dog told her that it had been abandoned before and was scared that its new owner would abandon her too, so it behaved in ways which get attention. The dog whisperer then told the dog that its owner wouldn't abandon it, but if it ever needed reassurance it should go and place a paw on the owner's lap (something the dog had never done before). Thereafter the dog was perfectly well behaved and did indeed start putting her paw on the owner's leg.

The day before that I heard a slightly similar story from a horse-owning lady at work who found someone who did seem to discover some genuine truths simply by talking to her horse. eg what he likes, what scares him, etc, etc

So what is going on here? The second story can probably be explained by cold-reading, but what about the first?

[anthrosciguy]

Is it really so amazing that people who deal with animals know that dogs like attention (I've never had a dog but I know that) and that being left, or beaten, in the past can often be seen in present behavior (this also is not esoteric knowledge)?

The paw thing I don't know, but I'd need many more details on that, as it could be due to some quick training (a reassuring trainer -- oops, I mean "dog whisperer") puts the dog's paw in her lap as she gently pets and soothingly talks to the dog, and/or a healthy dose of confirmation bias (the owner forgets that the dog sometimes did that, or doesn't notice the many times the dog doesn't do that now, only the time it does. Or that the trainer -- darn! I meant "dog whisperer" again (why do I keep saying "trainer"?) -- suggests the owner use some different posture when the dog acts in certain ways and this tends to trigger the reaction in the dog (as I used to be able to get strange dogs to "sit!" by holding my forefinger straight up).

[Scifinerdgrl]

There's an animal psychic that does a TV show on Animal Planet. It's a hoot. "Kitty says he doesn't much like the food you're giving her. She wants the good stuff." well... duh!

Fear of abandonment is a dog's #1 fear. Dogs with separation anxiety are a real trial for an owner. I fostered one that barked all day long when I was away and jumped on & off all the furniture ... and the windowsills! ... trying to find me. She also dug up the carpet behind my front door and ate the paint off the back of the door. Other dogs with separation anxiety will destroy furniture. These are pretty clear symptoms for a "cold read" but owners often have no clue why these things are happening.

[yalla]

It's the other way around at our place.
Our dog talks to us.
One of many conversation pieces we have during the day.
"Oi, you, the fella thats still asleep, don't you know the sun is nearly up and its your turn to take me for a walk? No turning over, she walked with me yesterday, you know the rules. Do I have to lick you again and gaze imploring into your eyes as they flicker awake?
You're up. Well done! Your shoes are over there, I'll go get the ball and wait outside while you have a coffee...er...open the door please I'm standing here at it looking cute.
Nice morning eh? Ignore the wind and the rain, once you get going you'll like it, trust me. Finished the coffee? Got the lead? Which way are we going? Excuse me for a sec I have to visit a bush, won't be long".

And we do what she wants.

[jayh]

Yesterday I heard a story about a friend of my mother's.

She (a local magistrate, so presumably a farily reliable source) had a pet dog who wouldn't behave. She was an experienced dog owner but nothing worked. One day she saw an advert for a ... I suppose "dog whisperer" is the correct term. What have I got to lose (except money) she thought. So hired this woman. So this woman came over and talked to the dog. She asked it why it misbehaved. The dog told her that it had been abandoned before and was scared that its new owner would abandon her too, so it behaved in ways which get attention. The dog whisperer then told the dog that its owner wouldn't abandon it, but if it ever needed reassurance it should go and place a paw on the owner's lap (something the dog had never done before). Thereafter the dog was perfectly well behaved and did indeed start putting her paw on the owner's leg.

The day before that I heard a slightly similar story from a horse-owning lady at work who found someone who did seem to discover some genuine truths simply by talking to her horse. eg what he likes, what scares him, etc, etc

So what is going on here? The second story can probably be explained by cold-reading, but what about the first?

Dogs do not make agreements. Dogs live in the moment. Dogs do not remember agreements (hell humans usually fail at that). More likely than anything this is a combination of the owner's desire to believe, the owner's change or actions after the interview and retroactive fitting (the dog is perceived as doing better).

Why don't these people actually validate their talent? Ask verifiable things about the animal that they wouldn't know (description of living quarters, family members etc). Instead they resort to anthromorphised vagueness.

BTW the tv dog whisperer is exactly the opposite of these quacks. He really teaches owners how to manage dogs by not anthromorphising them, by realizing how short their memory span and limited their comprehension of situations.