This IS amazing, and i enjoy watching the animal videos on youtube also, @Mary Stetler . It is amazing the things that some of them do, and also how much dogs can learn when they interact with people a lot. I believe that, just like with children, the more we talk with our animals, and explain things to them, the more they watch us, and the more they can learn. Dogs especially can have a large vocabulary that they understand, even though they can’t speak the words, they understand what we mean. Many years ago, I bought a book called “Talking with Horses”, by an Englishman, Henry Blake. In his experiments, he discovered that some horses have mental communication with another horse, more so than just the usual horse communication. He also found that this happens with horses and humans in some cases, although not all the time. Both the horse and the human have to be in tune for the mental communication. He talks about an exhibition he did for the Queen, and the horse added in new parts that Henry had thought about doing, but never practiced with his horse, and the horse just took the bit in his mouth and did the extra parts on his own . He also talks about other animals communication, and apparent mind-reading, like the dog that always knew 5-10 minutes ahead of time when his owner was coming home from work, even though she worked odd hours. Her mother realized that when she saw the dog in the window looking , it was time to put on the teakettle for tea for her daughter. This is a book that you would love reading, @Mary Stetler ! It is now even available in digital form, if you read that way, and used paperback ones are pretty cheap, too. This description of the book does not do justice to how interesting this book is to actually read. The stories he tells are amazing !
I’ve watched numerous videos of marine life entangled in nets or fishing line or with hooks in them. They approach fishermen and divers seeking help. It seems to me it reveals their level of understanding of our capabilities too. One of my greatest regrets in life is that I will never know, or be able to understand, how our fellow creatures think about the world and how they view us.
I took some seminars with Pat Parelli, of natural horsemenship. His wife said she often heard people wishing they knew what their horse was thinking. Being able to read the animals' body language, she thought to herself, No, you don't.
I am totally a believer. My friend had given me one of her older English Shepherds after our dog died. I had to fly somewhere (can't remember where) and I took a book along with me on animal communication. I did what it said and then asked the dog (while I was on the plane! and the dog was home with my hubby) if she was happy. I saw from a dog's perspective of running down a pasture hill. ???? When I got home I asked my friend about this. She was very surprised. She said the dog would often escape and run down the back hill rolling in who knows what and frolicking. That was happy to her.
I don't know about psychic communication, and I have read that cats can't learn human languages, but I can communicate with my cats. People who say they can't learn human language will argue that when they know what you're saying - such as the word "treat," or "Bubba, do you know any kitties who want to eat?," they are simply recognizing patterns. But isn't recognizing patterns a large part of language? They are not responding simply to the fact that I am talking to them because whenever I say the word "treat" around them, they will both jump up and eagerly make their way into the room where I keep the treats. This Halloween, I said something to Michigan about trick or treat, and as soon as I said "treat," they were ready to go for their treat. I even use some made-up sign language with Ella, and she seems to have gotten it after a great deal of repetition. As for psychic communication, cats are indeed very much focused on patterns. Cutie, who got cancer and died just before her 29th birthday would reliably know when she was scheduled to the veterinarian. At first, of course, I figured she just recognized that if I got the cat carrier out, she was going somewhere, and she didn't like going anywhere. However, I had four cats then and she didn't react at all when it was one of the other cats who were scheduled for an appointment with the vet. When it came time for her appointment, she was hiding, though. Even when I made a point of readying the carrier in a closed room, she would know. I had to cancel one appointment because I couldn't find her. Her mom, Baby Girl, who got mouth cancer at the age of 24, had some medication that I would mix into her food. I could grind it into a fine powder and mix it into her favorite canned food, and she would carefully pick out every bit of it that she could or refuse to eat her canned food until I learned how to make her swallow it, which I hated doing because she'd be mad at me for hours. She got to where she seemed to know that I had medicine for her the moment I came home with it. I do believe that patterns have a lot to do with it, but patterns have a lot to do with language, too.
The only times I have seen certain "mind reading" from animals is with sled dogs. Not all dogs seem to have it, but I have seen instances of dogs--they ALWAYS become the team leaders--who are sometimes 20 feet or more from the driver/musher and facing away from the person on the sled respond to the THOUGHTS of the person on the sled. The driver will simply think a command and the dog responds. They are almost never the strongest dog on the team, so they have to "convince" or fool the team behind to do what is commanded. The driver gives no voice command and the dog is facing away, so there is no way it could be reacting to facial expressions or body language. It is truly amazing to watch. I have thought that it was a survival tool developed when dogs were domesticated to avoid abuse perhaps from their "masters". They can respond to thoughts before any commands are given.
The horse book that I read said that the author believed that some animals can “see” pictures in the mind of another animal or in a person, at least when the pair have a special bond. In the case of @Ken Anderson ’s cats, as soon as he visualized finding his cat and putting HER into the travel crate, she would read that picture and know that it was her turn and she needed to hide. My Dobie had to visualize me picking up that little snake and putting it in the ditch to try and save its life, and also felt my refusal of doing that. Since Bruno knew what was needed, he just picked up the snake himself and put it in the ditch. It still amazes me, even after all of these years. In the book, some horses had this kind of a bond with another horse, and he explained that when you fed horse A his morning oats, horse B (in a completely different barn) knew that horse A was eating breakfast. Horse B could then tell horse C that breakfast was coming, and so on, down the line of each horse communicating with his bonded horse, even though they were stabled completely apart.
Being a dog lover I always found that any one of my dogs could read the expressions on my face especially after ignoring my call and me becoming silent. They would look at me and come over with their tail between their legs. I found that so cute and heartwarming that I couldn't do anything but love on them.
My daughter taught a deaf dog sign language for it's owner. We are talking simple commands, not dialogue but dogs can definitely learn 'words'.