Touch to Communicate with Animals

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Pets are perhaps one of the most important aspects of some peoples lives. You can find people all over the world pampering their pets in various ways. Our ways of communicating with our pets is often through touch. Praise is usually shown through petting or light scratches. In Constance Classen's book The Deepest Sense: A Cultural History of Touch she wrote, "many familiar animals were eminently touchable (furry, sleek and warm) - and their speechlessness made touch an essential medium for human-animal interaction ... Touch was ... also the most common medium of communication of all the inhabitants of the Earth" (Classen, 2012).
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 Through my own personal experience, touch has been a valuable source of interaction with the animals I know. I'm sure I'm not the only person that speaks to their pets, but through touch I can be assured that my intention is conveyed. My dog doesn't always like to be touched, but when she does, I can be sure that she knows that I love her by giving her a scratch by the ears. My cat on the other hand seems to crave physical affection. He will often seek attention when he wants it, jumping up onto shoulders or winding around legs, seeking out pets and scratches. Also he will often perch himself on someone's lap if he sees someone sitting, but this may just be to steal body heat.
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 Another form of animal communication that I'm very familiar with involves horses. I'm not shy about being on the college equestrian team, and I have first hand experience with the communication that is needed in riding. When working with such a large animal that is supposed to take directions from you, for the enjoyment and safety of both the horse and rider, clear communication is key. However having a verbal conversation isn't really possible. Almost all cues are done through touch. The rider squeezing their calves around the horses belly indicates that they need to speed up, while gently tugging the reins is asking to slow down. Horses are very intelligent animals and can memorize many different cues (there are more in dressage than in hunter-jumper). But to me one of the most important communications is to give the horse a well deserved pat on the side of their neck to tell them they've done a good job. 

Comments

  1. Brooke KramerMay 7, 2020 at 3:29 PM

    I love this because I have such a personal connection with communicating with my own pets as well. It's interesting to see the difference between certain animals and how we associate forms of touch with them. My dog loves to cuddle and will cry when she is not being pat, while my rabbit could not care to be touched. I relate to your example with horses as well. They are definitely an interesting animal to evaluate through touch through the use of communication and direction and how sensitive they are to it.

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