{"id":4703,"date":"2012-03-19T08:40:00","date_gmt":"2012-03-19T08:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/review-secrets-of-a-pet-whisperer-by-terri-steuben\/"},"modified":"2012-03-19T08:40:00","modified_gmt":"2012-03-19T08:40:00","slug":"review-secrets-of-a-pet-whisperer-by-terri-steuben","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/review-secrets-of-a-pet-whisperer-by-terri-steuben","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: Secrets of a Pet Whisperer by Terri Steuben"},"content":{"rendered":"

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12:30pm |  <\/strong>Book Review: Secrets of a Pet Whisperer<\/em> by Terri Steuben<\/strong><\/p>\n

We love to read — and we like to review and share the books we like. So far, we\u2019ve done a few storybooks, but we\u2019ve never written about anything practical.<\/p>\n

About a year and a half ago, we had a terrific interview with animal communicator Terri Steuben<\/a>, who told us about how she uses \u201cTalking Pictures\u201d to create a back-and-forth dialogue about a pet\u2019s wants, needs and issues. Most interesting were her stories about her rescue efforts with the Humane Society of the United States\u2019 National Disaster Animal Response Team (N-DART) in New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina disaster. She discussed family issues with one of Kate\u2019s cats, Woodbine, who let Steuben (quite truthfully) know that the other cat, Mildred, isn\u2019t \u201cquite all there\u201d and that he\u2019s been gentle and tolerant since Mildred was introduced to the house a few years ago.<\/p>\n

Now, Steuben has published her first book in which she shares her techniques of Talking Pictures with pet owners who are having trouble keeping their best friends from shredding or eating the sofa or using it as a toilet. In a nutshell, talking pictures are mental images coupled with positive statements that show and tell your pet what you want him or her to do. Pets, Steuben says, communicate with us telepathically with pictures, and we can learn to do the same thing by coupling our own mental images with positive phrases, thus creating captioned screenshots of what behavior we want from our pets.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalking pictures is not just for people with psychic abilities,\u201d Steuben writes.<\/p>\n

At this point, the more \u201cgrounded\u201d reader may scoff, but those in tune with a companion animal will undoubtedly remember a time when he or she looked right at you and you immediately knew that your pet was thirsty, hungry, wanted to cuddle or had just read the label on the pet food and decided that it wasn\u2019t worthy. Contrariwise, Judy\u2019s glanced at the door thinking that she needs to walk Razi right now because today\u2019s schedule butts up against the regular walkies time, and here comes Razi with the leash in her mouth. Stuff like that. Animals do communicate, and Steuben has plenty of her own experience to share.<\/p>\n

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Terri Steuben using Reiki techniques to help Chester.<\/em><\/p>\n

Steuben lays out the process chapter by chapter. Chapter 2 is devoted to explaining talking pictures and a list of phrases to help create the images in your mind and in the pet\u2019s. She advises against using negative words like stop, don\u2019t, not, and no coupled with what you don\u2019t want. Pets don\u2019t understand negatives, she says, and some people have trouble with it as well. For example: Don\u2019t think of a hippopotamus. (What\u2019s in your head right now?) A command like Don\u2019t hang from the flat screen! will have the cat jumping up there repeatedly. Instead, you say \u201cEunice! All four feet on the floor!\u201d as soon as the cat starts eyeing the television.<\/p>\n

The following chapters list typical unwanted behaviors (there are quite a few of them, as you know) and how to deal with each one; pet behaviors in circumstances other than the generic \u201cat home\u201d such as visiting the dog park or dog beach, adding a baby or a new pet to the household, and traveling. The book also covers different behaviors at each stage of life, from newborn to \u201ccrossing over.\u201d Language again is important\u2014one unique usage is the word dark to explain the passage of time. \u201cAnimals can\u2019t read a calendar or plug a date into a BlackBerry, but they do understand the concept of time passing,\u201d Steuben writes in the \u201cComings and Goings\u201d section. \u201cTo mark the passage of days, our pets think in terms of the number of nights, or \u2018darks,\u2019 that pass\u2026.To your pets, \u2018one dark\u2019 equals one full day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like any cookbook, you want to bake the cake before you recommend it, and so we implemented a few of Steuben\u2019s Talking Pictures. Kate\u2019s Woodbine has a habit of walking in front of the computer monitor and standing there. Generally, she scoops him onto her lap (which is no doubt what he wants), but she\u2019s had complete success with \u201cWoodbine, let me see the screen,\u201d and nearly 100 percent of the time he moves out of the way. \u201cCome sit on my lap\u201d has gotten even more success. Of course, Woodbine is exceptionally bright; the aforementioned Eunice, is a work in progress (as well as a piece of work), and this could be because she\u2019s a friend\u2019s cat. With Kate using Talking Pictures for \u201cAll four feet on the floor\u201d and the friend simultaneously squirting a water pistol at her creates a mixed message, Steuben says. This can confuse an animal or at least have the pet shrug his or her barely existent shoulders and go on with the bad behavior just because it\u2019s fun. Steuben advises to not expect miracles\u2014it takes practice, and she has some pretty funny gaffes of her own that she writes about. Talking Pictures aren\u2019t magic, and the pet owner isn\u2019t Houdini\u2014or is that Hound-ini?
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Breaking <\/em>Harry\u2019s Law and a couple of others.<\/em><\/p>\n

Even if you\u2019re an ultimate skeptic and can\u2019t see yourself doing any of this, Secrets of a Pet Whisperer contains an interesting section about Steuben\u2019s experiences during the Katrina emergencies and a chapter devoted to caring for your pet in an emergency. The latter is invaluable. There\u2019s a description of steps to take and a checklist of what to have ready in general as well as for particular animals\u2014not just cats and dogs but also birds, reptiles, rabbits, horses, cattle and swine.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a couple of \u201cbonuses\u201d\u2014a photo-illustrated chapter on how to effectively walk a dog and a \u201ccheat sheet\u201d that summarizes the steps to using talking pictures.<\/p>\n

Excuse us one moment. Eunice! All four feet\u2026!<\/p>\n

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Animals can communicate quite well. And they do. And generally speaking, they are ignored. <\/em>
~ Alice Walker, American author<\/em><\/p>\n

Pet Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n

Book signing and Mini-Sessions for Terri Steuben\u2019s Secrets of a Pet Whisperer: Stop Telling Your Pets to Misbehave, Pussy and Pooch, 4818 E. 2nd St., Long Beach, 90803, Saturday, April 28, 11 a.m.\u20133 p.m.<\/em><\/p>\n