Set aside a specific time in a comfortable place where you will not be interrupted. Your relationship with your pet, and your budding abilities as an inter-species communicator, is important and merits the same attentiveness you would give if you had something important to say to a close human friend.

Remember why you are doing this! A clear intention may not always guarantee the clear result of your choice, but it definitely assists you to keep on track. It's important to come to your session with the basic intents of respect for your pet and their perceptions, of gratitude for all the joy and love you receive in the relationship, and of openness, because what you receive from this conversation isn't within your control any more than would be an important discussion between humans. And if you are controlling it, it isn't communication, merely you inflicting your viewpoint on another living being.

Speak clearly. If you have a particular question or request, state it simply, from your heart. Long explanations about "why" aren't necessary, and can bring confusion to the situation. Your pet feels your emotion and honesty clearly.

Listen openly. Be willing to recognize that you are a part of any behavior your pet is manifesting. This is a key point. Sometimes it's a behavior change or shift in perception on your part that is what is really needed, and will work miracles in a situation. Part of an animal's service can be to guide us towards greater awareness about ourselves. Because of the special place our pets have in our hearts, we can "hear" insights about ourselves more easily than we might from a human friend. We don't need to defend our selves around our pets. Also, if you don't "hear" anything during your session, don't be discouraged. Insights have a way of occurring when least expected, through a conversation with a friend, a "coincidence", or something we observe. In an instant, our concerns can be answered or our minds inspired in a way that gives the answer we are seeking.

Have fun! Your animal companion loves you unconditionally. It is their greatest joy just to be in your company, and time spent purposefully with them in loving communication makes them shine with happiness. Enter into their world of unconditional love, experience it, and mirror it back to your pet. For even more fun, practices mirroring that feeling to all the people you meet during the rest of your day. After all, isn't that feeling of love and joy why you have a companion animal in the first place?