What if, to better understand an animal, we first needed to make less noise?
During interventions, we are often very active.
We explain.
We encourage.
We ask questions.
We give instructions.
We reassure.
We support.
All these interventions have their place. Yet, they sometimes take up so much space that they leave little room for another partner in the intervention: the animal.
Because it communicates too.
Not with words, but with its gaze, its posture, its movements, its pace, its distance, its engagement, or even its choice to participate or not.
We just need to give it time to express itself.
The most common mistake
When an activity is underway, several practitioners feel the need to maintain a continuous flow of speech.
They want to encourage the beneficiary, support their motivation, or avoid moments of silence.
Yet, by constantly talking, we sometimes risk missing important information.
The animal may be trying to communicate something to us.
It hesitates.
It slows down.
It chooses another direction.
It looks away.
It stops.
But we continue giving instructions without taking the time to observe what is happening.
The SPP methodology perspective
At Synergie Plumes et Poils, we believe that silence is a true intervention tool.
It is not a void to be filled.
It is a space for observation.
A moment when the beneficiary can reflect.
A moment when the animal can choose.
A moment when the practitioner can observe what naturally emerges.
Silence often reveals information that words would have masked.
When we deliberately slow down the pace of the intervention, we allow interactions to develop more freely.
The animal can then become a true communication partner.
A concrete example
A practitioner accompanies a child in an activity where the child must guide a dog toward different objects.
Highly engaged, she continuously gives instructions.
“Try again.”
“Go that way.”
“Call him.”
“Look, he’s going over there.”
At one point, she simply decides to stay quiet.
The child also stops talking.
The dog stops.
It looks at the child for a few seconds.
The child spontaneously changes their posture, waits a moment, and the dog comes back to them.
The practitioner then realizes that, since the beginning of the activity, her many interventions may have been preventing the duo from finding their own rhythm.
It is not the silence that produced the interaction.
It is the space it created.
A space where everyone could finally communicate.
Transfer into practice
Silence is a tool that can enrich all interventions.
Before giving a new instruction, the professional can ask themselves:
Do I really need to intervene now?
What am I missing because I am talking?
What would happen if I waited a few seconds?
What are the beneficiary and the animal currently communicating to me?
These few moments can transform the quality of observation and allow more authentic interactions to emerge.
Professional practice also relies on the ability to wait
The intervention is not limited to the practitioner’s words.
It is also built through glances, movements, hesitations, choices, and silences.
At Synergie Plumes et Poils, we believe that knowing how to observe is as important as knowing how to intervene.
Silence then becomes a valuable tool for giving full space to human and animal interactions.
Because sometimes, the best intervention is not one more word…
It’s a few seconds less.
Silence does not interrupt the intervention. It allows interactions to take the floor.