We study and utilize animal communication every day on the farm. It’s one of the most joyful aspects of our life here. It really boils down to respect, observation, and feedback. We also use the principles of positive reward operant conditioning.
Through our relationships with the animals here, we have been deeply changed. We are leaving behind a more arrogant, human-centric view of intelligence. We are moving into a greater respect for the dignity and intelligence in the animals. Oddly, this has brought us more self-respect as well.
We love just hanging out and communing with our animals. And, we have a farm to manage. Our choice for studying animal communication is a practical as well as a spiritual one.
It’s much nicer to cooperate rather than to use brute force or emotional violence to get our farm work done. For example, all the four-footed animals know their names and come when we call (the chickens come en masse).
Every day is a chance to build more trust and understanding. These lead to more flow in everyday tasks and the greater efficiency and safety in emergency situations.
After years of this work, we are just scratching the surface. We have learned practical ways to live with animals with positive training from:
- Karen Pryor, Reaching the Animal Mind
- Turid Rugaas, On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals
- Brenda Negri, The Way of the Pack
- Joe Hutto’s work with a mule deer herd