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BODY WORK
TTouch has recognised the link between self-
confidence, self-carriage and self control for many years. It is a common mistake that a
dog that leaps around, jumps up and lacks focus is thought of as confident or even
dominant. Often dogs that display these behaviours actually lack confidence regardless of
the breed type and forceful training techniques often exacerbate the behaviours as the dog
becomes more concerned and confused. Narrow framed dogs will tend to show their concerns
more by hiding, cowering or hugging the ground when walked on a leash and the broader
framed dogs such as the Bull breeds and Retrievers will tend to pull, jump up, mouth and
obsess over articles or leash grabbing. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule
but it is worth being aware of the different ways dogs respond to stress and understanding
that the root of the problem is often the same in both scenarios.
TTouch uses specific movements to increase
awareness and reduce tension through the body. Observing the way a dog moves both on and
off the lead and a flat hand assessment of the dogs body can give vital information as to
how the dog is likely to respond to stimuli. Tension around the muzzle for example is
common in dogs that are hard to train, are overly emotional and lack body awareness. They
may over mouth, be overly vocal winding up to near hysteria in certain situations, obsess
over articles and/or food, and lack focus. This pattern is often accompanied with tension
through the hindquarters and the dog may also dislike having its feet handled.
Tension through the hindquarters is common in
dogs that are noise sensitive and timid. The tail will be tight and tucked and the dog may
move away from contact in this area or react to being groomed and handled around the hind
end. Dogs with tension through the hips are often concerned about travelling in cars and
may refuse to get in the vehicle, get hysterical when in the car - vocalising and rushing
from one side of the car to the other, salivate, pant and vomit.
Over and over again patterns of behaviour are
seen linked to specific areas of tightness in the animal's body. Working with the TTouch
enables you to help your dog overcome a variety of health and behavioural problems.
TTouches break down into three groups -
circles, slides and lifts. The most commonly used TTouch is the circular Clouded Leopard
TTouch. Nearly all the TTouches are named after animals that inspired the work. It helps
people to remember the TTouches and provides a visual aid to the way the hand and/or
fingers are laid on the animal.
With a variety of TTouches and exercises the
work can be adapted to meet the individual needs of each dog.
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EAR WORK
Stroke the dogs ear from the base to the tip
changing your hand position slightly each time to ensure that the whole ear is worked.
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DOG ASSESSMENT
CHART
By being aware of how your dog responds to
contact on every part of his body you can take the necessary steps to help improve his
health, behaviour and well being. To aid in this please use the DOG ASSESSMENT CHART which
is available to download as a *pdf file here or a zip file here.
Use the diagrams to mark areas of tension,
'ticklish' places, no-go areas, and places that are over or under developed. Mark patches
that are cold or hot or areas where the coat is worn, raised, coarse or scurfy. Note which
is the higher ear, shoulder, hip, and so on.
Watch your dogs reactions at all times and
only carry out the flat hand assessment if it is safe to do so.
Date the chart and repeat the assessment every
few weeks to follow your dog's progress. You may be amazed at how the simple TTOUCH body
work exercises can change your dog.
*All form files are encoded in PDF format for your convenience. To
view the files, you'll need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader free of charge from Adobe's
website if you haven't already done so. You can print the file from the Acrobat reader
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