Pets seem to be pros at listening and
communicating back the appropriate response verbally or physically. In my case,
my Chihuahuas, Chico, Rosco, and Lola, fill this role. I’ve noticed several
things about them as listeners; they stare at my face when I communicate with
them by name. There heads seem to tilt a bit as I talk. Their ears twitch
constantly, and they sit focusing all their attention on every word I utter as
their tails wag at varying speeds. After a brief counseling session with any of
the dogs, I feel “heard and understood.”
When the dogs are in listening mode, no
one can out do them. They are easily distracted by a doorbell, food, bathroom
breaks, and a host of other things. Lola has two “dog positions” that calm me. One
is as I watch TV in our living room with her head and paws across my lap.
Stroking her fur seems to calms me down. When we both lay down to rest, she
snuggles under the sheets in the arch my bent legs form as I’m a side sleeper.
(The world seems alright in both of these instances.)
When it comes to human beings verbally
exchanging information with each other, author Gary Chapman (in his book, Everybody Wins) says that in a
disagreement people only listen for seventeen seconds before responding back. I
find that an astounding fact.
Do you have the same talents in
listening as my dogs do? Do the people you converse with on a regular basis
know that you have honestly heard and understand them? What can you do to
improve on communication skills? The book mentioned in this article is perfect
if you have challenges with conflict resolution. Are you teachable? What does
someone’s pet know about this important topic that you don’t?
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