How does animal communication work?
No hocus-pocus, no secret knowledge: what actually happens in an animal communication session, why it works — and where I have to tell you honestly that there is no proof.
In short
- Animal communication works through trained attention, not through a special gift.
- A session runs in five steps: the preliminary talk, settling, perceiving, checking against reality, concrete steps.
- It is well established that animals give precise information through body language — veterinary medicine uses validated scales such as the Feline Grimace Scale for exactly that.
- There is no scientific evidence for telepathic transmission. Anyone claiming otherwise is not to be trusted.
- With acute symptoms your animal belongs at the vet first — animal communication adds to that, it does not replace it.
“So how does this actually work?” — that is the question I am asked most often. Usually with a mixture of curiosity and quiet scepticism. Both are fair. So here I explain as precisely as I can what really happens in an animal communication session: step by step, with no mystique — and with a clear statement wherever I cannot prove anything myself.
The short answer
Animal communication works through attention. Not through a gift, not through magic, but through a trained, very deliberate form of perceiving. Animals send signals constantly — through posture, muscle tension, breathing rhythm, the direction of their gaze, ears, tail, distance, timing. Most of these signals get lost in everyday life because we never learned them. At its core, animal communication is the art of noticing them again and putting them into context.
What really happens in an animal communication session
With me a session always runs in the same five steps. Not because it is a ritual, but because this order prevents mistakes.
- The preliminary talk. I ask you about the history: since when, how often, in which situations, what has changed in the surroundings. Also about findings, medication and what the vet has already ruled out. Without that frame, everything that follows is guesswork.
- Settling. It sounds trivial but it is the real lever. Look while tense and you see confirmation of your own worry. Look calmly and you see the animal.
- Perceiving. I observe very closely — live, on video or from your description: how does the animal stand? Where is the tension? When does it increase, when does it let go? What happens on being touched, on being approached, while eating, while alone?
- Checking against reality. This is the most important step, and the one dubious offers like to skip. Everything I perceive I put to you and ask: does this fit? Do you recognise it? When exactly? Whatever does not fit your everyday life gets dropped. I also tell you when I am unsure about something.
- Concrete steps. At the end there is no mood but a list: what you observe and by when, what you change day to day, and at which sign you go to the vet.
Why this works — the part that is evidenced
That animals give precise information through their bodies is not a matter of belief. Veterinary medicine has worked for years with standardised scales that use exactly this. A well-studied example is the Feline Grimace Scale, a method published and validated in Scientific Reports in 2019 that reads pain in cats from five features of the face: ear position, squinting of the eyes, tension around the muzzle, changes in the whiskers and head position. Comparable scales exist for horses and other species.
That is the sober core of what I do: I read body language — only more systematically, more slowly and with veterinary knowledge behind it than is possible day to day. The second evidenced part runs the other way: animals read us extraordinarily well. More on that in a moment.
Where science does not follow
Here I am honest, even though it does not flatter my own field: There is no scientific evidence for telepathic transmission — thoughts or images travelling from animal to human without sensory perception. Anyone telling you otherwise is not telling you the truth. Be careful too wherever the word “quantum physics” is used as an argument; as a rule it has nothing to do with actual physics.
What I have experienced in thirty years goes, to my mind, beyond pure observation. But “I experienced it” is an account, not proof — and I do not sell it to you as one. The benefit you draw from an animal communication session comes from what can be followed: close looking, an ordered view of the whole picture and concrete next steps. I have written about this in more detail in Is animal communication credible? .
Clever Hans — why close looking needs humility
Around 1900 a horse named Hans astonished all of Berlin: he seemed able to do arithmetic and tapped out answers with his hoof. In 1907 the psychologist Oskar Pfungst solved the case. Hans was not calculating — he was reading the tiny, unconscious body signals of his questioners, who tensed up and then relaxed involuntarily at the right answer. In roughly nine cases out of ten that was enough for him. As soon as the questioner did not know the answer either, it was over.
This story is usually told as an unmasking. I read it differently — in both directions. First, it shows how astonishingly finely animals read us: more finely than most people ever notice. And second, it shows how easily you deceive yourself when you expect a particular result. That is exactly why checking against reality in step four matters so much.
What you can try yourself
You need neither me nor a course for this. Three exercises that work straight away:
- Ten minutes with no intention. Sit down with your animal without calling it, stroking it or photographing it. Just look. Most people notice things in that time that have escaped them for months.
- Keep a short log. Date, time, situation, what was different. After two weeks you see patterns that would never have become visible in your head alone — and that are worth their weight in gold at the vet.
- Pay attention to yourself. Your animal reacts to your tension before you notice it yourself. If your dog becomes restless, it is worth asking how calm you really are right now.
If you want to start in a more structured way, you will find a way in at Learning animal communication: five first steps. And if you would like to learn it thoroughly, my course “Decoding the language of animals” takes you into it step by step.
When animal communication is the wrong tool
There are situations in which you do not need me but a practice with ultrasound and a laboratory. If your animal is in pain, bleeding, apathetic, vomiting, no longer eating, struggling to breathe or suddenly deteriorating, it needs to be examined by a vet immediately. Animal communication is an addition — it is never the first answer to an emergency, and it is not a diagnosis. Why holistic work and conventional medicine nevertheless do not exclude one another I have described in Holistic veterinary medicine: when it makes sense .
Frequently asked questions
How does animal communication work?
Through trained attention: posture, muscle tension, breathing, gaze, ears and timing are observed systematically and put into context. A session runs in five steps — the preliminary talk, settling, perceiving, checking against everyday life, and concrete next steps.
How does a session with you run?
First I ask you about the history, the findings and any changes in the surroundings. Then I observe very closely. Everything I perceive I put to you and check against your everyday life — whatever does not fit gets dropped. At the end you get no mood but a list of concrete steps and clear warning signs.
Is animal communication scientifically proven?
Partly. That animals give precise information through body language is well established — veterinary medicine uses validated instruments such as the Feline Grimace Scale published in 2019. For telepathic transmission, by contrast, there is no scientific evidence.
Does animal communication work at a distance?
My consultations take place via Zoom and therefore work from anywhere. They are based on your description, video recordings and observing together during the conversation. This expressly does not replace a physical examination.
Do you need a special gift for it?
No. What is needed is attention, patience and a little guidance. Most people read their animal’s signals far more clearly after just a few weeks of deliberate practice.
Would you like to be able to do it yourself?
In the online course “Decoding the language of animals” I show you step by step how to read the subtle signals of dogs, cats and horses — at your own pace and with no prior knowledge.
See the course →You might also like
Please note: This article does not replace a veterinary examination, diagnosis or treatment. With acute symptoms please contact your veterinary practice or an animal hospital straight away, and never stop prescribed medication without asking first.