How to Speak Dog: Mastering the Art of Dog-Human Communication

This PHENOMENAL book should have been on the best seller list when it came out in 2000!!

If you, like me, are tired of dog books simply telling people how to house train dogs, and not telling people how dog's REALLY feel and how to REALLY communicate with them in a respectful way then PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! I promise you, you will not regret it!

It not only talks about dog's relationship to humans, but also in how dogs relate to other dogs and cats as well. It discusses dogs historically and compares dog behaviors to human and cat behaviors. It's a MUST READ! An especially terrific chapter is on how to stop a dog from barking; this was my biggest mistake in I would say "No!" But the word "no" sounds like a bark to a dog; the word "quiet" and importantly HOW the word quiet is used, is the most effective and respectful way of silencing a dog in the way a dog would understand. Please read the book to find out more on this subject.

You can get this book probably almost anywhere books are sold, like here at Amazon.

If you have any dogs, it is indeed a must-read!

From Amazon:

"At long last, dogs will know just how smart their owners can be. By unlocking the secrets of the hidden language of dogs, psychologist Stanley Coren allows us into the doggy dialogue, or "Doggish," and makes effective communication a reality. Drawing on substantial research in animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and years of personal experience, Coren demonstrates that the average house dog can understand language at about the level of a two-year-old human. While actual conversation of the sort Lassie seemed capable of in Hollywood mythmaking remains forever out of reach, Coren shows us that a great deal of real communication is possible beyond the giving and obeying of commands. How to Speak Dog not only provides the sounds, words, actions, and move-ments with which we can effectively communicate with our dogs, but also deciphers the signs that our dogs give to us. With easy-to-follow tips on how humans can mimic the language dogs use to talk with one another, original drawings illustrating the subtleties of their body language, and a handy visual glossary and "Doggish" phrasebook, How to Speak Dog gives dog lovers the skills they need to improve their relationships with their pets."

Food Retailers Continue to Pull Chinese-made Dog and Cat Foods

Petco became the first national companion animal food store to stop the sale of Chinese-made treats, due to concerns over contamination, and already another retailer, PetSmart, has announced that it will follow suit in taking Chinese pet treats off its store shelves. Over 1,000 dog deaths have been linked to problems with the imported jerky treats, but this problem goes back years. 

The Food and Drug Administration has been investigating thousands of reports of pet illnesses linked to jerky treats going back to 2007, most of which involve Chinese products, though there’s been a spike since last October.

There are many dog and cat cookbooks on the market where you can make homemade dog and cat foods and treats; I highly recommend them first over any commercial foods/treats. 

Click at the link below to watch Petco's video for very important information about companion animal foods from China and how to watch for early symptoms of food poisoning from dog and cat foods.

China’s Food Safety Problems Go Deeper Than Pet Treats

The Mystical Cat

There are very few cats left in India. Narikauravas, a group of wandering gypsies, eat them in south India—as they eat squirrels and other small animals. In the North, cats are killed and passed off as chicken. While many Indians keep dogs, very few keep cats.

Cats are a mystical animals with a long and colorful history as a companion for humans. 

There is an entire branch of prediction called Ailuromancy (from the Greek ailouros), which is divination using cats' movements to predict future events. Cats are supposed to be able to see the human aura or life force that is invisible to human eyes and predict ill health or even death. Kittens born in May are supposed to have special supernatural powers.

Here are some unusual historical superstitions and omens pertaining to cats from all over the world.

Cat Predictions

A cat sleeping with all its paws tucked under its body foretells of rain on the way.

If the cat is curled up on the ground with its forehead touching the ground it means stormy weather is coming.

A cat sneezing once is said to indicate rain; a cat sneezing three times indicates that the humans of the household will catch a cold.

A cat washing its face on your front doorstep foretells of a visit from a member of the priesthood.

Finding a white hair on a black cat brings good luck.

A cat placed into the empty cradle of a newlywed couple will lead to conception--providing that the cat doesn't jump right back out.

Cats coming into the house foretell of birth and fertility.

If a tortoiseshell cat features in your dreams, you will be lucky in love.

If a cat washes its face in front of a gathering of people, the first person that the cat looks at afterwards will be the first to marry.

If you willfully kill a cat, you will automatically forfeit your soul to the devil. Whoever kills a cat will never have good luck.

If a cat is following you it means money is coming your way.

Carrying a cat over a stream or other body of running water is bad luck.

If you see a one-eyed cat, spit on your thumb before pressing it into the middle of your opposite palm while making a wish. Your wish should come true.

If you rub a cat's fur backwards, you'll soon get into a fight.

If the cat washes behind her ear, a stranger will appear. If a cat washes it's ear three times, you can expect a visitor from the direction that it's looking. 

If a cat is grooming itself and puts its paw around its right ear, it means a gentleman is coming; left ear, a lady is coming to visit.

If a man dreams of a cat and the cat scratches him, his sweetheart will be a spiteful termagant. If a woman dreams the same, she has a rival.

A cat following you means money is coming your way.

If you chase away a cat from your house, bad luck is sure to befall you.

If a cat sneezes the day before a wedding, the marriage will be happy.

Other Animals Observed for Predictions

Human beings are so anxious to know the future that they will use anything for prophecy. 

Alectryomancy means divination by means of a cock, encircled by grains of corn placed on the letters of the alphabet which are then put together in the order in which the grains were eaten .This was done by the Greeks. 

Hippomancy, which means prediction based on a horse's pace or neighing, was practiced by the Celts, who had a horse goddess named Epona. 

Myomancy is predicting events through the movements of rats--a practice in Egypt and Assyria. 

And finally, Orniscopy is telling the future through the movement and formation of birds in flight and was started by the Greeks who believed that birds were instruments of gods sent specially for this purpose.

(source: eKantipur.com)