Do You Know Your Animals True Name?

Years ago I was called in to assist a well known and respected quarter horse trainer with a mare he was having trouble with. When I arrived at the ranch, we walked over to her stall and I introduced myself.

He went on to explain that she just didn’t seem to understand what he wanted her to do. He’d worked with her for several months now and wasn’t getting anywhere. Although he was very patient and careful to explain things, he’d begun to wonder if she was in pain, or maybe she was ‘slow in the head’… or maybe she was just in the wrong line of work – even though she had all the genetics she needed for the job.

He felt he’d tried everything he knew from his many years of working with horses, but was well and truly stumped. As a last resort, he’d asked me to communicate with her to see what was wrong. If that didn’t help turn things around, he was going to have to give up and send her back to her owner.

When I asked her what was going on, she told me something very surprising and unexpected. She said that she had no intention of working with him because he was disrespecting her and was rude. He had no idea who she really was and she would not work for him because of it.

I thanked her for sharing that with me, and asked her to please explain to me how he was being rude to her. She said that he called her ‘Rat’. And that her true name was Wind Dancer. Rat was rude and disrespectful and she wouldn’t answer to it, in fact, it made her mad. She even demonstrated her annoyance by trying to bite at him and even kicked in our direction!

When I shared that with my client, he turned a nice shade of red in embarrassment as he confirmed what she’d said… he did call her Rat’.

He exclaimed, “I can’t call her that! Everyone would laugh at me! Cutting horse people just don’t name their horses things like ‘Wind Dancer!’ ”

I tried to explain to her how he felt and asked her if we could somehow find a compromise to work this out. She said it would be ok if he called her Windy, as long as he KNEW he was actually calling her Wind Dancer, but just saying Windy for short.

He said he thought that would be ok, and she came over for a head rub as she visibly calmed down.

A couple of weeks later, I checked in with him and asked how she was doing. Apparently, as soon as they got things straight between them, she settled down to her work and became quite a good cow horse very quickly. It was never the work she minded, just the attitude.

Have you ever felt that the name you are calling your animal friend is somehow not right, or doesn’t fit them, or noticed that they didn’t respond to it? Maybe you’ve got the wrong name.

You may not know it but animals do occasionally change their names. Different cultures traditionally have allowed individuals to earn a new name during rites of passage or in vision quests. Animals also can choose different aspects of themselves to embrace at different times of their lives as they mature or go through phases. It’s not uncommon for a shelter animal to want a new name when they go to a new home or choose a new family.

I recently worked with a client who wanted to invite a new dog into her life (after her older dog gave his approval and support for the idea which is always a good thing to do, of course). So I helped them work with the first few dogs, who all turned out to not be right for them at all.

The next dog they attracted felt really wonderful even though she had some problems. A shelter foster dog, she came to them with the name of Sophie, but my client just got the sense that wasn’t her real name. So she kept asking and trying different names.

Nothing worked until one day she ‘heard’ a name pop into her head. “Penny! My name is Penny!” When she tried that name with the new dog, she immediately got an enthusiastic response which proved to her without a doubt what her new friend wanted to be called.

There are many other critically important reasons to talk with your animal too, especially if you are considering taking in a new companion. For instance, only they can tell you their true history and background. Who else will know but them, right?

Communicating also helps them understand new house rules, and provides an opportunity to negotiate behavior. We also need to know about their training background, their learning styles, what they feel their purpose is, what they like or don’t like.

You’ll also want to know if they feel there is a good fit between you. Please don’t take on an animal just because they are cute or remind you of an animal you had before. If they don’t feel connected to you, then regardless of how hard you try, neither of you will be truly happy together.

Communication with animals also helps them heal from past trauma or abuse, eases the transition time, and supports them while they grieve the loss of the family they lost.

So do yourself and your animal friends a favor and give them a voice. You’ll be glad you did.

I would love to hear your story of how your beloved animal friend came by his/her name!

To download this article or to see other articles written by Val, please click here.

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Val Heart, Expert Animal Communicator, Behaviorist, Author, Master Healer — Providing Communication, Clarity, Balance and Healing for You and Your Animal. Are you Ready? Take a pro-active approach to improving their relationships with themselves & their animals through improved communication, energy medicine, health & balance for body, mind & spirit. Working with chronic pain, illness, trauma, training, behavior, performance, euthanasia… sport horses: dressage, hunter jumper, reining, cutting…

Speaker, Teacher, Columnist, seen on TV and heard on radio. Animal TeleClasses, Free Expert Animal Communication eTips & Free eNewsletter. Call (210) 863-7928, visit http://www.valheart.com

Get Val’s Free Report: 10 Things You Must Know Before Hiring An Animal Communicator http://www.valheart.com/animalcommunication/freereport.html

© Copyright, Val Heart & Friends.

Are Animals Natural Healers? – A Cat’s Purr-fect Healing Vibration

Many animals are healers.  For instance, science has shown that all cats from all around the world purr at the same frequency.  Further, they’ve discovered that that exact frequency when applied to bone and
tissue accelerates healing!

As you allow yourself to see and respect animals as intelligent, responsive beings with spiritual qualities that we can admire and learn from, you’ll begin to know them at a much deeper level.  And they’ll respond to you like you’re more intelligent as well.  (I can’t tell you how often I hear from our animal friends how dense they think their humans are, and how hard it is for them to communicate with us!)

Some years ago my husband and I had four cats that shared our home with us.  When my husband laid down to sleep, whether for a nap or at night, all of the cats would curl up around him and start to purr.  We thought it was the cutest thing.  This went on for well over a year. Each time he laid down there the cats would be, and they would always be purring.

My husband wasn’t feeling any pain or showing any signs of illness, so we just thought they were being very loving toward him.

My husband and I divorced about a year and half after the cats started curling around my husband while he slept.  Within 10 months after leaving my husband had passed away from cancer.  We didn’t know it at the time, but my husband had cancer throughout his body.  Our cats for over a year and half had been keeping cancer at bay with their purring.  Their purrs’ vibration was one of the most healing mechanisms I’ve ever experienced.

The next time a cat gifts you with their purr let yourself feel how deep into your own body the vibration goes.  Also notice where it is directed.  Often a cat will specifically choose where it sits with their human friend(s) – and the site is usually a problem area.  It could be a knee, organ or injured area that your friend is attempting to help you with.

I’ve even seen cats who literally configure their bodies to flow the energy in a specific pattern, channeling degenerative and destructive energy lodged in ‘hot’ areas into shut down, ‘cold’ areas that need it.

Take a moment to thank them, offering gratitude for their ministering to you. Breath with the purr, and allow yourself to vibrate as deeply as possible.

For all you know, they are healing you in the same way that shamans and healers have for centuries!

Val Heart, Expert Animal Communicator, Behaviorist, Author, Master Healer.  Working with chronic pain, illness, trauma, training, behavior, performance, euthanasia, specializing in dogs and sport horses. Animal TeleClasses, Free Expert Animal Communication eTips & Free eNewsletter.  (210) 863-7928, http://www.valheart.com. Free Report: 10 Things You Must Know Before Hiring An Animal Communicator   http://www.valheart.com/animalcommunication/freereport.html
© Copyright, Val Heart & Friends LLC.

Do dogs or other animals think about leaving a legacy?

I asked Einstein what he thought he wanted his legacy to be…

Einstein:  I want to be remembered as The Dog Who Changed the World.  I want my legacy to be a world full of humans that I have been able to touch, inspire, educate and teach so that they know, beyond a doubt, that dogs (and all animals) are in fact Divine messengers.  That all animals and other beings are sentient, wise, and are fellow travelers here; and I believe this will help humans enjoy a kinder, gentler, more compassionate, more joyful, stable place of being as the world evolves into it’s next State of Being.

Einstein – Dog Genius Gives His Views on Dying…

I wondered if my brand new little friend was afraid of dying…

Einstein:  What’s to be afraid of?  Death is a passage back to Spirit and the veil between worlds is so very thin… we just step out of our bodies.  When Death comes it is to be welcomed and embraced.  Death is easy.  Sometimes the dying is hard, though, but the dying is also a part of life.  It is the journey that tempers and illuminates our Spark and sometimes offers the most amazing, life changing lessons… and in that way it becomes like a parting gift to ourselves and our loved ones… until we meet again.

Introducing Einstein – Dog Genius!

I’m Einstein, the new dog genius.  I know that may be a bit lofty sounding, but hey it’s just the simple truth!  I am 10 weeks old now and am learning to live in the human world quickly.  My human Val is teaching me many new tricks, at least I’m letting her think she is teaching me.  I want to make her happy because she is a special person.

Around Christmas time last year I started to let Val know that I was coming into her life through dreams and visions.  I wanted to be with a human that would understand me and be a partner with me in helping people get balanced and happy.  You all have to admit that Val is exactly the right person for that!  Val understood my mission right away because she shares that vision with me.

I’ll be sharing some of my soul wisdom that I brought with me into this life, so stayed tuned to this Dog’s Blog. You won’t want to miss seeing the world from a dog’s point of view now would you?  You might come away with a whole new perspective about life, what animals really think and feel and about how animals are often guides and teachers.

One of the first questions Val asked me was what I thought about being a Divine Being…

Around the end of last year, when I was still in Spirit form, I was asked to help the many lost human souls find their way back to center, to heal, to reconnect with their hearts and the planet’s energies.  .

Now Val and I have a lot more work to do.  I can help Val teach lots more humans and I have very important messages to share with humanity through her gifts. So the Plan was set into motion, and my Mommy and Daddy got together and made me a wonderful new body.  I told Val I was coming to change the world!  I communicated with her for months through dreams and visions and telepathy, and 2 weeks before I was born, I told her to look for me.  Sure enough, she found me right away.

I’m also here to help Val heal. She’s been very lonely and works way too hard, and she needs me.  I’m here to change her life for the better and help her realize her own power, to reconnect with community, to play and embrace the love and flow of life.

So, YES I believe I’m a Divine Being just as I believe YOU are too!

Do you have something you want to ask me?  Just blog it to me, baby!

Animal Behaviorist’s Tips on Retraining Severely Misbehaving Dogs

Many times I have been asked to help people with misbehaving dogs. This question comes up regularly because dog owners don’t seem to understand the ramifications of how their environment can impact a dog’s behavior. They also don’t realize that they are the ones who are exhibiting inconsistent behavior and are lacking leadership skills.

This is the most recent inquiry that I received.

“I have lost most of the control over my 3 year old miniature poodle. He growls at me, and bites me when he is at risk of not getting his way. Two of his bites have actually broken the skin on my hand. Last week he urinated in my bed, right on top of my pillow. He did this right in front of me, and he growled at me when I yelled, “No!” I really love him, and I’ve had him since he was a puppy but, I don’t know what to do. Outside of our apartment, he is a different dog and he acts shy and afraid. However, he sometimes becomes confrontational with other dogs. I really need some help with him. Thank you.”

It sounds like her doggy really needs a Time Out! He thinks he is in control of his world and she is there to serve him. The bad news is, she taught him to behave this way. You fellow dog owners must realize you are the parent. It is clear that she loves her poodle, but she may not have given him good parental guidance by being a calm, assertive consistent Leader of your Pack.

Often we think all our dogs need from us is a lot of love so we give them plenty of affection, all the time, whenever they want it — OR, most often what happens is we give them affection when WE need it. This is a big mistake with dogs. Their first question is always: Who’s in Charge Here? If you aren’t clearly the Leader, then they will assume the position.

In order for our dogs to feel stable, happy and balanced, they need:

1) clear boundaries and rules (this includes consistent and regular training),
2) appropriate ways to discharge their energy (includes daily walks where you are clearly leading him, not the other way around)
3) only then can you offer affection.

The order of these 3 steps is important.

You could start taking control today by up all of the toys, treats and food. Ask your dog to earn them back by doing what you want him to do, when you ask. Wait until your dog is calm and submissive before you reward them. Remember to reward the behavior you DO want from them, and address or sometimes even ignore the behavior you do not want.

Communicating with your dog will help a lot. Your dog also knows the other things you are doing that have made them the way they are, and discussing all of this will help you both be clear about what is truly needed and wanted – and what is not.

A Personal Note from Val

A dear client was living in Egypt and they had a wonderful Egyptian house boy who was very poor. They couldn’t speak each other’s language but he was a really great teenager and tried his best to do his job well. They just fell in love with him…

He got sick and didn’t know how to tell them what was wrong or that he needed help. One day he didn’t show up for work. When they tracked him down, they discovered that he’d gotten so ill riding the bus that day, that he had died. What really broke their hearts was that it turned out he was suffering from an ailment that was simple to cure… but they didn’t know and so weren’t able to help him.

I realized something very important after I finished teaching the first Class in the Beginning Animal Communication Workshop For Animal Lovers this past Thursday evening.

Living with animals is a lot like living with a foreign exchange student, where neither of you speaks the same language. Without a shared background, history, expectations or experiences, you can get into all kinds of trouble by misunderstanding each other, taking offense where none was given, and reacting inappropriately and even dangerously… all because you don’t understand each other.

You can communicate after a fashion, of course. Using body language and exaggerated expressions, you can act things out… but you know you are missing significant amounts of insight, true understanding and communion without being able to connect at the heart level.

What if your foreign exchange student got sick, or was in pain, or was worried about something, or had suffered a traumatic experience that they couldn’t tell you about? What if they were unhappy or homesick or had just lost a friend or family member? How would they be able to tell you what was going on with them? You can see how important this is.

Your animals try very hard to learn to communicate with you. What effort have you spent in learning how to communicate with them? Do you just expect them to automatically understand you somehow? That’s not fair. To them or to you.

Training animals helps, but it really isn’t enough.

Because when you add the element of telepathic communication to training, things get so much easier! Now you have a way to simply tell them what you want, what you need and how you want them to behave or perform. You can explain to them about changes in routine, and vacations, and discuss coming events like vet visits or surgeries, and you can talk about death and dying…

And then they have a way to simply tell you what’s working for them, what’s confusing or painful, how they feel and if they are in pain, and even offer suggestions to you that they think might work better. They may even tell you something you’re doing that is causing them harm, breaking their trust, or frustrating them to no end.

How do you know what your animal is really thinking or feeling until you learn to communicate with them? You can’t.

If this resonates with you and you haven’t already Registered for the Beginning Animal Communication Workshop For Animal Lovers, then you’re in luck. We still have a few seats left and you can catch up by listening to the class recordings. But don’t wait too much longer, ok? This is too important. Please visit http://www.valheart.com/teleclasses/step_2_beginning_workshop.html.

Your animal’s life, happiness and well-being depends on you learning how to communicate with each other.

Wishing you the joy and love of animals,

Val

Blog Taking a Trip

Just a quick post to let you know that in the next few weeks this blog will be packing its bags and taking a short trip to a new home. In order to make sure all the content and comments make the journey safely, the commenting feature on this blog will be temporarily disabled.

We are working diligently to make the move and the unveiling of a new look & feel as quickly and thoroughly as possible. I appreciate you as a reader and look forward to your comments just as soon as we’re moved and settled in.

Animal News You Can Use!

Is your animal behaving badly? Bad behavior by your favorite pet(s) may be a sign of psychological issues such as depression or grieving. Knowing whether an issue with your pet(s) is psychological or physical can save unwanted and unneeded medical treatments. Learn the six signs of depression and/or psychological issues.

“When Dr Joey contacted me, he wanted my help with his dogs. He had been putting up with really bad behavior from them for a long time. He was grieving terribly for his Forever Dog Friend, Satin, who had passed away. On top of that, his other best dog friend, Shami, had also recently passed away after a terrible and mysterious illness. He told me his heart was so heavy with grief that he just did not know how he could go on. His health was very bad (he was suffering from cancer) and he could hardly move because he was in so much pain…”

To complicate matters, his remaining three dogs were out of control. They jumped on everyone, which was terribly embarrassing. They barked and would not quiet down, and they urinated in the house. One dog would go outside — then come back inside to pee! Dutchess was physically launching an attack on the front door anytime someone just walked by, and since the door was largely glass, Dr Joey was afraid she’d break the door and hurt herself in the process!

Click here to read the rest of this amazing article.

We look forward to your questions and comments!