DOGS TODAY MARCH 2004 THE GENTLE TOUCH Feature by Carolyn Menteith Photography by Paul Keevil

Carolyn Menteith is Dogs Today's roving reporter and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the International Society for Anthrozoology. She is often accompanied by her Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Digby. We touch our dogs every day - but knowing how to do it properly could bring miraculous results. Last Week was my dog's birthday. Every year, it is the same - I spend weeks wracking my brains trying to think what to buy for the dog who has everything, and still end up getting a new bed, a new collar, or any number of things that I like and that he couldn't give a damn about.

This year, however, I decided things were going to be different. Digby had reached the age of six, and even though I still call him a puppy, I have to admit he is now definitely grown up and is, in fact, middle-aged! So this year, I decided I should give him a present that would last for the rest of his life. A great day out, a full holistic check-up and some remedial Tellington Touch. Most importantly, I would finally learn the basics of how to do TTouch myself in order to work on Digby at home. For this, I needed to enlist the best possible help - and that is undoubtedly Sarah Fisher.

Sarah is the leading, and most highly qualified, Tellington Touch practitioner in the UK and runs the UK TTouch Centre. She travels widely in this country, giving presentations and teaching workshops to staff at the leading animal shelters, including Battersea Dogs' Home and The Mayhew Animal Home. She also travels abroad, giving talks and assisting on the Practitioner Training Programmes in Canada, the US and South Africa. She even appeared at the first Wag and Bone Show last year to give an inspiring demonstration to an enthralled audience - and some very grateful dogs.

"Even though Digby isn't fond of being touched by strangers, he took an instant liking to Sarah. To begin with, he wasn't sure about what she was doing, and behaved in his usual wimpy way - squeaking and then running away like a crazy puppy."

Happy birthday

My first step was to phone Sarah, who loved the idea of a TTouch birthday present, and she was more than happy to take time out of her hectic life to help. After talking to her, I was even more inspired, as she told me how she had even had success with skin conditions - one of Digby's on-going problems.

So early one morning, Digby and I found ourselves driving to Bath, clutching Sarah's directions on how to find Tilley Farm.

Tilley Farm is an amazing place, and straight away Digby and I were made to feel at home among the rescue dogs, horses and rabbits. Sarah is one of those lovely people whom you immediately feel you have known all your life. Her warmth, enthusiasm and love of what she does shine through - even on a wet, grey day.

Sarah took us into her barn, and began to work with Digby. Even though Digby isn't fond of being touched by strangers, he took an instant liking to Sarah. To begin with, he wasn't sure about what she was doing, and behaved in his usual wimpy way - squeaking and then running away like a crazy puppy. After a while, however, he began to relax and let her explore his body, legs and head without too much trouble. Sarah was very sensitive with him, and allowed him lots of breaks to wander off, play with toys, or look for food in the barn.

Sarah began by using a body wrap (a three-inch wide stretchy, supportive bandage). Although I had my initial doubts, it helped him to accept her touch and also to have more awareness of his own body. She then used different types of Touches all over his body to relax tension - and he really seemed to enjoy it.

Sarah was great at explaining to me exactly what she was doing, so I could put it into practice at home later - this would be the ongoing part of Digby's present.

After working with him for a while, Sarah was ready to give me the verdict. Thankfully she also wrote it down for me, as my brain was spinning from watching the difference in my dog. All the stiffness I suspected he had in his back had gone, and he was moving far straighter than normal. He was also having a great time (he has had McTimoney treatment on his back before now - and, as he is such an utter wimp, he hates it!).

In her report (this is an abridged version but she explains it far better than I could), Sarah said: "Digby is a lovely dog with a fantastic temperament. He is very sensitive and does carry some tension through his body. All dogs, as with people, have certain postural traits that influence the way they think, feel and learn. Digby is very tight through the neck and through the shoulder and mid-back. Initially he was very concerned about even the lightest contact in the area, and watching him move around the training barn also showed the blocking through the shoulder and upper- and mid-back.

'Tension through the neck is present in dogs that have skin conditions and gut imbalance - these patterns present over and over again in horses as well as dogs, and reducing tension in these areas may help address the itchy skin and food obsession, along with nutritional support.

'Tension around the shoulders is linked to animals that lack confidence. In Chinese Medicine, some of the lung points are situated in this area - the lung meridian is linked to a sense of self worth, confidence and an outgoing nature. Dogs that are tight in this area tend to be a little aloof and although generally friendly in character can be over wary of being handled and stroked. This pattern is often present in dogs that dislike having their collar handled and who obsess over articles, toys or food.

It's a wrap

"Initially when I ran the flat of my hand over Digby's coat to feel for any areas of tightness and/or changes in the texture of the coat, he squeaked. One useful TTouch tool that can help dogs with this degree of sensitivity is the body wrap - a supportive bandage that brings awareness to the area and helps animals to accept contact. A half-wrap instantly enabled Digby to be more comfortable with the bodywork.

"After using the lightest of TTouches and giving him plenty of breaks to move freely around the barn and continue with his constant quest for food, Digby began to relax. He allowed me to work virtually all over his body, using the circular TTouches and slides and lifts that help to reduce tension and promote a more optimum way of functioning. It is important to work little and often with Digby. The breaks allow him to process the information, feel the change in his posture and prevent him from being overloaded.

"Food obsessions are often linked to tension around the stomach (this can originate in the back) and mouth, and although Digby was wary of having his muzzle handled at first, he did allow some gentle work around this area towards the end of his session. On the whole, he was more mobile, happy to be handled and used his hind limbs more correctly after the bodywork. TTouch should also help Digby feel more relaxed in general and may enable him to be treated by a McTimoney chiropractor if appropriate in the future.

"Tension patterns can arise for several reasons, and contribute to other conditions or behaviours. Sensitivity to contact is often accompanied by skin and food allergies. Skin conditions can arise from an imbalance with the lung, stomach or liver meridians, and support from probiotics or enzymes, as well as addressing any food intolerances, can help diminish obsessive and reactive responses. If the gut flora have been disturbed through stress or antibiotics, the animal may always feel hungry and fixate on food.

"With many probiotics now readily available on the market, it can be hard to find the product that is best for your dog. Equine Marketing makes a really top-quality probiotic - it costs around £22.00 for 150gms. Although originally made for horses, it can be used for dogs. Contact Ian Mole on 01559 371994 and have a chat with him.

"I was very pleased with Digby's progress during the session, and enjoyed working with you both. I would hope that TTouch, the body wrap and probiotics can help Digby with his skin and his food obsession by addressing underlying problems."

I went away totally inspired - both by Sarah and also by Tellington Touch. Since then, we have been practising endlessly - and Digby loves it. In fact, he moves round to make sure I work on the right bits!

As soon as I got home, I called Ian Mole of Equine Marketing to talk about the probiotic powder. Ian explained to me simply how probiotics work, why his are so good, how they strengthen the immune system and what amazing health benefits they can bring. He made perfect sense - and I found myself ordering some straight away. Three weeks on, Digby definitely seems to be less itchy - and I have been able to stop all the medication he was taking. I am really hopeful that, finally, we may just have found the answer. That would be some birthday present.

As for Sarah... if you ever get a chance, go and see her. She is one of those really special people who care about what they do, do it wonderfully well and are just thoroughly lovely. Both Digby and I loved spending the day with her. We will definitely be back to Tilley Farm. To 'Dog's Today' Article "Heart of Gold"

Article supplied by kind permission of 'Dogs Today' magazine. Photographs supplied by Paul Keevil.
Article © Carolyn Menteith
Photos © Paul Keevil
The article and photographs are copyright protected and are not to be reproduced elsewhere without permission.

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