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Author Topic:   TTouch weekend
Jamiya
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Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-02-2004 07:57 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
Hello! Nala and I are back from our TTouch weekend seminar. It was wonderful! That trainer was simply amazing with what she could do with dogs, all the time "influencing" them and giving them a choice and asking for their cooperation, rather than forcing them or "controlling" them. And you have never seen happier dogs!

Nala was an angel and spent most of the time lying on a mat in front of my chair. She responded well to the exercises we did and I am so excited to start trying them out at home. I got some pointers about things to try to help her gain more self control and therefore stop chasing the cats so much.

We learned all sorts of things besides the massage touches. The first thing we learned was the "four F's" - we all know about fright or flight, but there is also "freeze" (I'm sure we have all seen a dog freeze before) and "fooling around" which I did not think of in that manner before! She said fooling around is another nervousness response that some dogs do (like a lot of labs!).

We learned about having two points of contact when leading a dog, so that we can help the dog stay in control and not pull. By having two points of connection with the dog (they have a special harness, or you can use a flat collar and a Halti or Gentle Leader) you "ask and release" instead of pulling on the dog. If you continue to pull, the dog will just pull harder. You have to gently pull and then release. With two points of contact, you can alternate your pulling and the dog really has no choice but to stop - we tried it on ourselves (yes, we were led around like we were dogs) and it really was amazing. We used a special leash that has a clasp on both ends, one of with is nice and small so that a head halter won't have a lot of weight hanging from it.

She also talked about the touches and other ways to give dogs more sensory input. One remarkable thing was to use a "body wrap" which was just an Ace bandage tied around the dog in a certain way. It serves to provide different sensory input to the dog and it was really amazing how well it calmed down some reactive dogs.

Here is the web site of the trainer who did the seminar: www.spiritdog.com. Check out the link to the "bookshelf." The first book has all of the info we learned this weekend and probably a lot more - I am going to buy it. She also recommended Karen Pryor and clicker training, and also John Rogerson for more training advice.

If you want to know more about anything in particular that we talked about, please ask!


Jamiya

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susan_cude@hotmail.com
Member

Posts: 813
From:Santa Maria, Ca.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 02-02-2004 08:13 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for susan_cude@hotmail.com     Edit/Delete Message
Hi Jamiya, I'm glad to hear that you had such a great time! but you didn't say how the ride there and back was. I'm going to look up the site now and see what it's all about. Wellcome back! Susan

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Jamiya
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Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-02-2004 08:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
The ride went fine! I started out with Nala in her wire crate in back. My plan was to alternate her between the crate and the passenger seat, but when I moved her up front with me she seemed so comfy I just left her there for the rest of the ride. There was stuff on the floor of the passenger seat and I had blankets on top (in case we got trapped in the snow) which made it level with the seat. So she had more room to lie down and she seemed to like it just fine!

Coming home, I left the crate collapsed in back (much easier to see out the back window and more room to pack!) and she rode in the passenger seat the whole way. She slept the entire time, except if there was a loud noise or big bump - then she would sit up and look out the window and then lie back down.

The only "problem" I had with her the whole weekend was getting her to pee in strange places! We never had trouble when we took her on a trip last fall - she peed quickly every time we stopped. But this time she seemed to get distracted and not be able to find a spot she liked. She didn't pee the whole way up there, and I couldn't get her to pee that evening. I finally just put her in her crate. The first time out in the morning she STILL would not pee. The second time, she finally relented and peed for about 10 mintues straight, LOL!

She finally decided to pee at the seminar (outside of course) and from then on, I could take her to her place (either at the hotel or the seminar) and she would go right away. I guess she just had to establish a bathroom spot!

Poor thing, on the second day we were introducing our dogs and she would not settle. So finally I asked her if she had to go outside and she gave me a really hopeful look. So I took her out and she had to go the OTHER kind - good doggie!


Jamiya

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Jamiya
Member

Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-02-2004 08:33 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
Oh! I forgot to tell you about Jack!

He was a dog about Nala's age, but a little bigger. Cute white guy with a brown face (except for white down the center of his nose) and another brown patch around his tail. He was a shelter dog who has been adopted and returned three times. They have another couple who are adopting him now - they have no kids, which will be good. But they are novice dog owners - I hope they can handle him!

He seemed to me to be a lot like Nala was when we got her - only older and bigger and not as nippy. But you could tell he is an awesome dog that just has had no direction in his life. The trainer took out a clicker to demonstrate what you could do with a dog like that, and he was doing well!

In my mind, Jack is what Nala would have been without a family these past five months. Poor guy just needs someone to show him how to behave!

They also said he was badly abused the first time he came to the shelter. He is such a happy dog that loved all the people and dogs that he met (he and Nala REALLY wanted to play together!) that it was hard to believe. That makes him an even better dog in my mind - to overcome such a harsh beginning all on his own in a shelter.

I think I will figure out how to keep tabs on him. He is going to be a great dog with the right people.


Jamiya

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Maisey
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Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-02-2004 12:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maisey     Edit/Delete Message
Jimaya, I don't mean this to sound "motherly" or anything like that...but I am so proud of you and the way you stuck with Nala, it's very cool that you are doing this stuff with her! I'm glad you had a great weekend and are excited about what you learned.

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susan_cude@hotmail.com
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Posts: 813
From:Santa Maria, Ca.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 02-02-2004 05:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for susan_cude@hotmail.com     Edit/Delete Message
Maisey, I don't think you sounded motherly. I think you sounded like a "good friend" in Christian circles we call each other our sister's and brother's, so in our doggie circle I think of it the same way. (common interests)

Jamiya, Your heart wants another dog sooooo bad!!!! it's so obvious! one day hubby will come around. After Nala is all trained and well mannered "you can start all over again"

What was the "best" part of the seminar to you? I'm sure something stood out more than anything else.

Sincerely, Susan

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Maisey
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Posts: 1387
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-02-2004 08:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maisey     Edit/Delete Message
LOL! I think she will say the best part was seeing that other dog she now wants! *giggling*

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susan_cude@hotmail.com
Member

Posts: 813
From:Santa Maria, Ca.
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 02-02-2004 09:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for susan_cude@hotmail.com     Edit/Delete Message
I'm sure you're right Maisey!..lol

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Jamiya
Member

Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-02-2004 09:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
Hehehe! I was in doggie heaven! There were so many beautiful dogs there.

I was sort of relieved that Jack has a new family, actually. He is a lot more dog than I was looking for. We have our hands full with Nala! And I bet he would be just as awful with the cats. But I loved him anyway!

Let's see, the *best* part. I think I have to say that it was seeing so many people there with such a variety of dogs who all wanted to learn how to have a better relationship with their dogs. And finally meeting a trainer in person who poo-poo'ed the whole "you must get dominance" and "you can't let him get away with that" attitude and instead emphasized being a partner with your dog - and then showed us how well it worked! (Don't get me wrong - she still is the leader with her dogs, but it is a partnership, not a dictatorship.)

It reminds me a lot of my parenting style when the kids were small. For some reason, that came easier to me. It made sense to me that you fill a child's need rather than "letting him cry it out" or setting some artificial date when he *must* eat solid foods and when he *must* stop nursing, etc. It's the same with dogs - just harder because we don't speak the same language.


Jamiya

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Jas

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Registered: May 2003

posted 02-02-2004 10:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jas     Edit/Delete Message
Sounds like it was a great weekend. I'm envious, would love to attend a TTouch seminar. I too am impressed at your dedication to Nala, she is one very lucky dog!

Any favorite TT pointers you'd like to share??!!! Have you tried it with Nala yet? Can you elaborate on the No pull and two points of contact? If my dog is pulling, would I turn and walk in a different direction (pull and release) or would I pull my dog to me and proceed to walk again. What specific sensory touches did you learn for calming?

Glad you had a good trip!

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Jamiya
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Registered: Sep 2003

posted 02-03-2004 04:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
For pulling, she just walked slowly and kept the dog engaged. If the dog starts to pull, you pull gently back on one of the leads and then release the pressure, then do it with the other lead - very subtle movements. This keeps the dog in balance. If you are constantly pulling back, then the dog is going to be pulling against you and he will be off balance. If there's nothing to pull against, then the dog can't pull! By gently pulling on the lead and then releasing, the dog gets to stay in balance and make a choice to not pull. If you are patient and keep reminding him with gentle pulls and then release, eventually he will get the idea. She said she doesn't put a command to it, but I bet you could teach a dog to heel that way, by gently keeping it in the right position and then putting the command to it.

She would stop walking or change direction if the dog was really wanting to pull. She would engage his attention to keep him interested in being with her - just by talking to him and encouraging him to walk with her. When you use the head halter and flat collar as your two points of contact, then you can control the head - so you can keep the dog from sniffing or guide him away from other distractions (like cats). She preferred the Halti to the Gentle Leader, but I already have a Gentle Leader and it seems to work okay.

It's hard to explain without a visual, and it was really enlightening to try it on each other and see how it feels to the dog. She makes a video that I think you can get on dogwise or from Kathy's site (www.spiritdog.com) that shows all the techniques. There is no jerking on the leash, no "correction" per se.

She also had us do "groundwork" where she had a few "obstacles" laid out and we would walk our dogs through them. She introduced the concept by laying two long sticks on the ground separated by about the width of your shoe. She had us walk through at a normal walking pace, putting one foot in front of the other and taking normal sized steps. Then she had us do it again, very slowly. Going slowly takes a lot more concentration and balance.

So then she set up a "labyrinth" on the ground using these long sticks and we walked our dogs through it very slowly, asking them to stop before each turn, and then turning them very slowly, using the two points of contact. She also had a "ladder" lying on the ground that the dogs could walk through, and round PVC pipes lined up that they had to step over, and a board across two cement blocks that they could walk across. She had us take them through each piece at a very slow pace, stopping every now and then, always using the two points of contact and keeping the dogs from pulling.

This exercise was supposed to teach the dogs to be in balance, to focus, and to be more aware of the positions of their bodies. Having them wrapped at the same time would further increase the effect. This is what she suggested I do with Nala and the cats - to have a cat in the room - either in a crate or working with someone else - and work Nala on some groundwork, distracting her from the cat, until she gets used to being able to glance at the cat and then look away and continue what she is doing. The idea is to teach her self control.

There were many different touches, although all were based on making small circles. For a fearful dog - like in a thunderstorm - she suggested a full body wrap and an ear massage - just stroke gently in the direction of the ear in long strokes (no circles here). She also talked about gently lifting the muscles of the shoulders and hips and stomach - cupping it in your hand and very gently lifting just a very small amount and then letting it back down very, very slowly. If you have someone try it on your own arm, you can feel that as the person lets the muscle down, it feels like it is relaxing farther than where it started.

A dog that is frozen can be coaxed to move by picking up each of its legs near the shoulder (one at a time of course) and gently rotating it both clockwise and counterclockwise. This helps the dog to regain awareness of its legs and start to walk again.

She also had us do touches on the tail - this has to be approached very slowly for some dogs. She talked about how it is essential that you not push the dog too far from where it is comfortable and how you have to allow it to move. If the dog feels trapped, he is going to go into one of the four F's - fright, flight, freeze, or fooling around. You let the dog take a few steps and then you do a few touches, etc. She also had us work with the feet and the mouth - doing tiny stokes and circles along the gums. Obviously, all of this work greatly helps with things like ear drops, trimming nails, and brushing teeth.

She had a whole routine for trimming nails - starting with getting your dog used to having his feet massaged, then feeding him treats on the clippers so that he doesn't fear them anymore, to gently stroking the clippers on his feet. Then you move to actually trying to trim the nails, but you don't grab onto the foot and hold it. You just rest the paw on your hand, and if the dog moves it away, you move with it. But you are not restraining him. Depending on the dog, it could take you days or even weeks to get him to the point where he will accept the clipping, but by not forcing and giving him a choice, you will eventually get through to him that it's not so scary. Sit on him and he will panic.

There was a whole group of shelter workers there, and I couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be to have a whole shelter practicing TTouch with the animals instead of forcing them.

She also showed us some work with separation anxiety and with reactive dogs. For separation anxiety, she would get some really yummy treats. She would approach the dog slowly and from the side, getting down on his level. She did not make eye contact with the dog. She would feed it treats and talk to it, until she could take the lead from the owner and gently coax the dog to walk away with her. The whole time she was talking to it and praising it and giving it some treats. If the dog wanted to go back to mommy, she would let it and just follow it home. It is essential that when the dog does go back to mommy, the owner must be neutral - don't greet the dog or pet it or anything. The dog gets the message that the fun stuff is happening with the other person. As she worked with this dog, she was able to be away for longer and longer periods of time. When the dog did go back, sometimes she could interrupt her and get her to stop halfway and go back to what they were doing, and sometimes the dog would just look in the direction of mom and not go back at all. It was pretty cool.

She also did a similar thing with a very reactive dog. She had a totally non-reactive dog going through the groundwork while she led the reactive dog, with his owner right next to her. She just went through the groundwork very slowly, keeping the dog engaged, and stroking it with a "wand" which would calm it down and stop the barking. She said the goal was to get the dog to the point where he could glance at the other dog and then look away - just like Nala and the cats. She did make some progress with this dog. He was constantly barking at first and by the end of the exercise - maybe 15 minutes later, he was a LOT more in control and able to be a few feet from the other dog without barking.

TTouch is way more than "just" the massage touches. It is a whole philosophy on interaction with your dog (or cat, or horse, or whatever). I highly recommend a seminar if you have the chance to go!


Jamiya

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