Do Dogs Know What You Are Thinking?
77
I’ve given this Hub a succinct title to make it more lyrical; however, my query really must include all pets – cats, birds, pigs, horses, rabbits or whatever animal you have befriended. I personally have enjoyed the companionship of birds, cats and various aquatic creatures, and while they were all attached to me in some emotional way, a few surprised me by demonstrating a more synchronistic connection as well.
Animal and Human Synchronicity
We’ve all seen the graceful behaviors of animal synchronicity; a scintillating school of fish swirling through coral reefs and simultaneously changing direction; a flock of birds at dusk, sweeping the skies in perfect formation and undivided unison, defying logic as they simultaneously turn from north to south and back again. Who hasn’t witnessed (whether in person or on Nat Geo) both insects and wild animals reacting to danger with lightening speed? It all appears to us as some kind of spontaneous mental, possibly chemical communication. What is it about animals that give them a sixth sense of awareness?
Scientists are still trying to figure out why and how this synchronistic behavior occurs. Some suggest that it is some kind of telepathic occurrence. Others suggest the message to move comes from a non-local source or quantum level of awareness. I’ve often wondered whether this behavior between creatures of the same species can be correlated with the uncanny synchronistic behavior often demonstrated by dogs and cats in relationship to their human companions.
The All Seeing, All Knowing Cyrus
I once had a cat named Cyrus who not only had a delightful sense of humor, he had an arresting sense of understanding. He understood me when I spoke to him and he responded with clever body language (nothing really unusually there), but I’m convinced he also knew what I was thinking, even when I was not at home.
My roommate observed that the all-knowing Cyrus always took up a position at the door 15 minutes prior to my return home. It didn’t matter whether I was at work or school or running errands or whether my time away from home amounted to 30 minutes or 8 hours. Cyrus took up his position at the door, awaiting my return at the proper time.
Many years after dear Cyrus’ passing I had the good fortune to care for and befriend another brilliant creature; an Indian Ringneck parakeet whom I will call Rani for security purposes. Rani was an excellent communicator with a vocabulary of over 30 words. But it wasn’t the bird’s clever gift of the gab that amazed me. It was Rani’s sixth sense of awareness. Like Cyrus, my pet seemed to know when I was going to go out of town and when I would return. Saying “bye bye” a few days before departure was indeed clever, (since I was probably packing my bags) but not terribly remarkable; however, saying, “you’re back!” a day or so before my return was curiously astute.
One might say that all this is nonsense accounting for coincidence and because pets are smart enough to pick up on routines. What's more, most pets have a sense of smell that can permeate brick walls and navigate through hurricanes. I would agree except for having read about the experiments of biochemist Rupert Sheldrake, known best for his theories on morphic fields.
 | Amazon Price: $50.76 List Price: $14.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $2.54 List Price: $15.00 |
 | Amazon Price: $12.10 List Price: $19.95 |
The Amazing Sheldrake
In his 1994 book, Seven Experiments That Could Change the World and the subsequent book, Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home, Sheldrake relays his extensive interviews researching the uncanny connection between humans and their animal companions. Surveying more than 1000 pet owners, animal trainers, veterinarians, zookeepers and pet-shop proprietors, Sheldrake’s study presents a bounty of splendid stories of preternatural phenomena including an animals ability to pick up on their master’s intentions well before they actually carry out those intentions.
For example, there are stories not unlike my own, about dog owners who changed their travel plans to return home a week earlier than expected. Without any possible input from other sources their four-legged companions picked up on the information immediately and demonstrated typical anticipation behavior a week earlier than expected. Call it telepathy, morphic resonance or animal clairvoyance; Sheldrake makes a plausible case for the need for more scientific investigation.
Have you had a similar experience? At the end of Sheldrake’s book on canine clairvoyance there are some simple research projects animal lovers can conduct to test whether their pets are so gifted as to have “psychic powers”.
Take the Poll
Has your pet ever exhibited clairvoyant behavior?
See results without votingIf you have a similar story to tell, please leave a comment. Thanks!
© Copyright Green Lotus, 2011. All rights reserved.
If you enjoyed reading this Hub, you may also enjoy some of my others….
- Understanding Higher Consciousness or Why My Brain Hurts
I like to think of myself as a student of higher consciousness, but when asked to expound on what it all means, Ive found that its not that easy to explain in everyday terms. Even plain old... - Test Your Psychic Abilities
If youve read Dan Browns The Lost Symbol, youve gotten a taste of the scientific, cutting-edge research being conducted by the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Now you can actually participate in... - Dog Food - Would You Eat It?
I ate dog food. Not because I was hungry and couldn't afford a hamburger - it was a dare and I took it. I'd read that during times of recession, desperate individuals bite the bullet (or should I say kibble nugget) and opt for a can of cat food over - Computer Games that Develop Psychic Abilities
Many people are looking for ways to relax; - ways to become more intuitive and psychically aware; - ways to energize the spirit while becoming more connected to the universe. There are now computer games that help you achieve all of the above.
Wonderful hub and I have had great experience with my pets. I have a 16 pound tuxedo male cat that acts more like a dog. He comes when I call, he is ready for each event of the daily routine before it happens. It is like he has an internal clock. Needless to say I adore him Good hub, Rated up!
hi Petra - so good to see you! I really believe animals can sense our moods. It's the most basic "intuitive" instinct that I think all creatures share. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Pamela - Thank you for sharing your story. I always thought my cat acted more like a dog too! Our pets connect with us in so many ways , we almost take it for granted. Much thanks for the rating too Pam!
Oh yes GL...animals do have a sixth sense about us.
I'm currently residing in a house with someone who has a German shepherd, who has bonded with me very well.
One day a while back I noticed him in the yard, chewing on a rawhide bone, which I hadn't seen him with before. I went out for a couple of hours, and upon my return I noticed his rawhide bone was nowhere in sight. So I said to him "Where's you're bone?" I repeated the question (I'd never previously said anything like that to him). He then went and dug up the bone from the garden and brought it to me..dirt and all.
Oh yeah..them dogs is smart.
Hi, I do think that they definetely have a sense that is beyond ours. I have seen articles where a dog can sense where their owners have moved too, when the dog has got lost, and I remember my mum telling me about a dog they had in the war. He always headed for the air raid shelter just before the alarms went off! he had his own little place there in the corner. Also one day my mum was taking him for a walk, and suddenly a plane went over, even my mother didn't know at the time whether it was a friendly one or an enemy. The dog lay down, and started shivering! it turned out to be an enemy plane. this was interesting, thanks nell
Great hub - voted up! I must read those books... if I ever have enough time! Bookmarked to help me to remember
Hi there tim - How lucky to be caring for such a cool dog and to have a back yard for him to enjoy. I miss your kitty avatar now.
Nell- you always come up with such amazing tales. I bet there's a hub brewing with that one. thanks!
Gramarye- Much thank for the vote and the bookmark. I'm so glad to see you here too!
When you referred to aquatic creatures in the beginning, I had visions of your goldfish facing the door in expectation of your arrival and shaking its tail at the prospect of you walking through the door, possibly with a tiny shark in a transparent plastic bag filled with water and ready to pounce on the newcomer. Am I sick? :-)))
Ha! You have forgotten...my aquatic friend was a lobster, but I love your visual of the goldfish and the shark. Many years ago one of my favorite TV shows at the time, Saturday Night Live, featured a hilarious sketch about a killer shark who went around posing as a "Candy-gram" man and devoured all those who opened the door expecting a nice box of chocolates. :) :) It was good sick humor.
I picked out a kitten at our local shelter a year ago and he stuns me with his anticipatory behavior-greeting me as do my dogs. He's also my muse, GL, and my nemesis, and...on and on!
Mine starts smelling around the corners of the room then stops and looks at me and if I know she needs to go outside she picks this up fast and goes immediately to the door. I often wonder does she know that at those instances I am thinking if you whiz on the carpet I will have a tizy fit? I think she does.
Our two kitties knew our moods and were quite aware of many other facts. One wonders if they respond to our moods or help determine them! lol
GL, I don't have pets. I have a hard enough time taking care of myself! :) But, I do believe there's a synchronicity. Whether it's telepathic, a sixth sense or cosmic synergy, animals have a extra- sensitive connection to the universe. As humans, are our minds to busy to feel this energy? (BTW, De Geek's comment was hilarious!)
Hi lorlie. I see you are a "cat person" too. I too was amazed at my cat's "dog-like" behavior. We found him in an alley, abandoned and full of fleas. There's something special about a rescue animal, they never stop repaying you.
Westie World nice to meet you. I've known a few amazing westies myself!Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Hi Nellie - I sometimes asked myself who was master and who was "pet"! Cheers.
Jai- I am currently pet-less too. Part of me wants to make that commitment while the other part feels as you do. As for pet clairvoyance, etc. I believe one day soon the morphic realm and similar entanglement theories will become more widely accepted. I agree, human's carry a lot of mental baggage that clogs up the channels! Good to see you as always and glad you enjoyed the read (comments included :)
Dogs can definately be tuned in to their family and the atmosphere around them. I read somewhere that dogs can actually understand 150 words of language.
They are used for helping the blind, deaf and autistic and to great effect too. They are used to save lives in disasters by finding survivors and in war by detecting bombs.
Hi Green Lotus - I'm with you all the way. We have two dogs who are like kids - and yes, they talk to us :) And if any of us fall ill, they never leave our side till we're OK. I sometimes wonder if they aren't the superior species!
Very Nice Blog ! Thanks
Shalini - Our pets do know how to talk to us, even if they aren't talking birds! You are a lucky lady and so are your animal companions. The more I learn about the animal kingdom the more I agree with your last statement. Cheers.
NY-IL - Hello from a native New Yorker and thanks for the kind words. Glad you liked it!
How to - Much thanks for adding that bit of doggie knowledge to this discussion. 150 words! I wonder if my bird, who spoke about 30 words, understood 500!?
My pets certainly know what's going on, what we think and our next move regardless if it's one they've manipulated us into. Love all the smart and amazing four legged thinkers, dreamers and amazing spirits. :) Great read, rating it all that's good :)
Sassie knows by the way I'm dressed whether she is going to be walked or not and puts on a sad face when she knows its not going to happen. :((
Nice Hub Green Lotus
Reminds me that when I came home from school the dog was always staring out the window waiting for me.
Right now we have a new dog in the house and an established cat. Never the twain shall meet and I think some ESP will be handy for the cat :-)
Thanks Katiem! LOL you're right about pets being not only clairvoyant, but being excellent manipulators!
MPG nice to see you here and thanks for contributing to the conversation. Sassie sounds like a smart one!
Shinkicker- I wonder if your dog knew to go to the window if you decided to come home a early? In any case, it will be fun to watch how your new pet responds :)
Terrific hub. I'm sure dogs have a psychic bond with their good humans.
Thanks Paradise! I'm in the same boat not being a dog "owner", but I'm tempted to find out. I'm rarely at home, so I feel a doggie commitment is unfair.
I hope my dog doesn't know I dream of her long, golden fur as the gorgeous locks of a young princess, her long legs shaven and in sensuous red high heels, her moist, black nose the dark purple lips of a femme fatale meeting mine on the moonlit night--'cause, boy, that'd be embarrassing!
As you know me well enough by now, I'm sure it comes as no surprise I don't believe animals have telepathy or quantum powers. I doubt any (employed) scientists do, either. But I do think our pets are highly-sensitive and atuned to information we aren't. But for all their supersenses, they couldn't type an email if their lives depended on it. HAH! Animals 0, Humans 1. hehehe
Hello Arthur. I'm quite sure your dog dreams longingly and lustfully about you too, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about in that department! I'll even to admit dreaming about my parrot as a handsome green-coated knight with a bright red nose and a vocabulary greater than 30 words.
I am heartened that you admit animals are attuned to information we aren't. Some call it a sixth sense and some (even employed) scientists place it in the category of quantum mechanics. Wherever you place it, I do believe there should be more research on the matter as it could teach us more about the human brain which as you know has yet to reach full potential.
As for animals typing e-mails..hey, what do you call the cat in the photo?..HAH!.. chopped liver?? Anyway AW, you know I always appreciate your comments and weird points of view. Cheers!
Hi, GL - this is a very interesting hub about a very interesting subject. I have little doubt that many animals may possess a sixth sense (that we wish we had).
I had a toy poodle, Mimi, who knew days in advance whenever my schedule called for travel and would sleep in my closet next to my suitcase;(probably hoping I would absent-mindedly pack her, too) although she usually slept at the foot of the bed.
Once I took the suitcase out to pack, she would climb in. She looked so earnestly pitiful, I felt guilty about leaving.
And the day of my return (she hadn't learned to read emails yet), she would station herself at my front door.
I saw many animals become clever by learned from human. And it show that they have ability to communicate and interract with others, like human. This was totally great hub. I learn much from here. Thanks for share with us. As usual. I rate this one.
prasetio
Hey GL, I do believe that some animals tune into our thoughts but are either too embarrassed or too gentlemanly to let on they do. I once tried to tune in to what my lab was thinking and my mind wandered off with an image of pizza conveniently falling on the floor and an urge to let the cat in. Thanks for the fun read. =:)
drbj - I think there's a mental connection between Mimi and my brother's cat Mishmish. She does the same thing! I'll go a step further and say it's a trend, kinda like the hundredth monkey theory because I recently read a news story about a cat that was clever enough to get packed in the suitcase and turned up in the owners hotel room. True story!!
prasetio - Hi again my friend! Thanks for the rating and so glad you enjoyed this one. Now you have to get a doggie and test out the theory!
Winsome - One thing animals/pets seem to learn is respect, and proper decorum which is more than I can say for a lot of people I know! We lowly humans can only guess what lofty thoughts our four legged and feathered friends are thinking. One day maybe?!
MANY times at night when I decide to turn my laptop off , my dog Sweetie Pie comes running from the bedroom just BEFORE I turn it off. (She wants one more trip outside before I turn in.)I am a night owl and go to bed between 11:00 and 2:00. No set time. But she knows.....
Hello Bayoulady..now there's a clairvoyant dog! Thanks for sharing your experience. Ten points for Sweetie Pie. Now you must train her to pick the lottery numbers.
Thank you for the great birthday gift idea - Sheldrake's books. I am going to buy a couple of these for my husband for his birthday as these are topics that we are both greatly interested in. One of our cats seems to have a very strong sixth sense and empathy that I have never seen in a cat before. If I think of Tivoli while I am in a different room, she will meow in response. This may be coincidental but it happens all of the time. Our dog may not be psychic but she is very much in tune with our emotions. My mother, who she knew as "Grandma" passed away a few weeks ago and, even though they were continents apart, Lotte seemed to be very aware of the loss and was moping for several days. She may have just been reading our body language. But, Lotte did adore my mother and clung to her whenever she would come to visit. So, I think they had some kind of spiritual connection.
Brilliant hub, true or not, it is fun to think about!
M Selvey - What a great comment and I'm so happy you found a gift for your husband. Happy birthday from me too! You're also luck to have wonderful intuitive pets such as Tivoi and Lotte and I'm sure they adore you too. Thanks for all your kind words. Have a fun day.
Hi, GL--
We used to have a beautiful black kitty, who passed too young from a series of mystery fevers...all the tests had come back negative, and even the necropsy showed no reason why she should have died..she was only 4.5 years old.
But while we had her, she was the most amazing kitty. I have a bad knee, and she would somehow know if it was bothering me badly, and she'd sit in my lap, resting on my knee--providing both comforting warmth and her weight a gentle stretching that I needed for my therapy exercises.
Lizzy - Pets are amazing when it comes to giving needed TLC. Thanks for the visit!
My dog, Poochie, has a surreal idea of what our day entails. Mostly just the normal coming and going of the week, however, he has a friend named Molly who chooses to take him for a walk, on my behalf, several times month. No special date is picked out and no special time. But, I always know the day she will be coming because Poochie is different in the morning. He is standing by the door before I get up and I know that Molly will be here. We have tested it so many times. There can be a 2 or 3 week interval when she stops by, but the morning she decides to come over, before the day is even light, that dog is at the door waiting for her. No sign of a car or a footstep. But he knows. He is panting by his leash. I'll call her just to check and she always says, yes, I was going to come over and walk him today! That dog is amazing!
Kerrie-wow that's an amazing story! It would take a die hard skeptic to dispute the fact that poochie is psychic! Thanks for sharing and say hi to poochie from a new fan!
Absolutely love this! I know for a fact that not only our dogs, but my cat and other pets we have had in the past have been able to read my thoughts. They always read body language and your tone of voice, and they know your moods very well. Knowing all of this, it's only clear to me that they at times do know just what we are thinking about at certain times.
Fluffy - So glad you liked this and found it confirms your suspicions about your pets and thanks for checking out so many of my hubs.
I'm convinced that dogs and cats have some psychic abilities. One dog we had would know a half hour before my husband came home that he was on his way and would sit and look at the door with ears up. You may think it strange, but I also have a cat that I'm convinced can communicate with me, and did so when he was lost one summer. I'll be interested in reading some of the research you mentioned. Great hub!
hi Stephanie - I totally agree, our pets have a sixth sense. I highly recommend Rupert Sheldrake's book "Seven Experiments....". Not that i'm pushing my Amazon sales, it's just really awesome as is the book on pet intuition. Cheers!
Thanks for the book recommendation, it sounds really interesting.
Awesome hub. I believe on the connection of pets and their owners. I know for one (and particularly sure of the idea) that my pet dog and cat understands me when I talk to them.
One time when I scolded my dog for chewing up my shoe, he really looked sorry (and I can feel that he really is). He never did it again. I think its more than animal instinct.
KimD - Yes animals are so much smarter than we think but I do believe they have a more attuned "sixth sense". When they display that gift it seems uncanny to us. Thanks for the visit :)
I believe animals have a sixth sense for learning their owners work schedules, when owner is sick etc. They are intelligent with their own thoughts and emotions.I have notice this in my dog many times. Nice article, I enjoyed reading it.
Coolmon - nice to meet you here and thanks for commenting. We are probably just as intuitive and I would think many pet owners know what their pets are thinking too!
Petra Vlah Level 3 Commenter 23 months ago
Great hub; very interesting information. I can't say my dog is very smart, but she is very sweet and knowe our mood well - so did our cat. Having them around is a joy and the best therapy ever.