Lenoir City Training room is open!

This lovely open space has completed its prolonged exercise as the arrival point for when we moved our music shop just in time for the holiday season as retailers. It's now ready fulfill the purpose of being an inviting, quiet place for TTouch.   Welcome future TTouch pups!

I'll post more pictures of the new place soon! Welcome to Lenoir City!

Game Time!

The role that toys and puzzles can play in your dogs life (and why) is one of the many things that excite me about TTouch: . It's the “why” that I love: the part where the effects go all the way to the wiring of the being. It's not just an observance, it's done been proven by scientific minded folk.

Behavior, wiring, the body and mind all intrigue me deeply. I'm enjoying one of my favorite authors newest release, “The Bond” (Lynne McTaggert). Fascinating. I highly recommend the book. In a chapter on environmental influences of “inherited” traits in animals ~ a portion of the result resounded deeply within me. In one group several mice (who were born) with retarded mental capacity were exposed to a room full of puzzles, games and other stimulating objects over a period of considerable time (3 weeks?). At the end of the study these 'below average' mice were indistinguishable from normal mice. To my recollection, there was more neural activity. The mice had increased their own learning potential through a stimulating environment.

Hey, that sounds like the confidence course, doesn't it?! So, if you don't have a labyrinth or other TTouch ground equipment hanging around to play with.... try toys and puzzles!

It drew me right back to class and the plethora of toys & puzzles that were brought in one afternoon (Thanks Ladies!!). I had no idea there was anything out there past the old Kong toy that never did very much for my fur-kids. “Old” Kong … I remember when those things came on the market! These new, inviting products are really interesting!

Companion animals need not only physical stimulation (exercise) but mental stimulus (exercise) as well. It's part of bringing balance to the whole being, reducing stress in the body and maybe most importantly, mental well being. Individuals are “individual” meaning different dogs will enjoy different toys ~ just like humans. Some dogs really dig challenging puzzles while other dogs find them frustrating or lack interest all together. I would recommend an easy game or puzzle for the beginner and go from there. The reasoning is that you want to develop confidence and curiosity and foster interest in the game or toy. Beginning drivers like easy vehicles to drive, not formula 1 race cars.

Why do we want to encourage confidence and problem solving with puzzles and games? It simply makes for a more grounded, mentally balanced animal. When they're content, so are you. When they have developed these mental skills, they make better choices. Imagine if your life didn't include mental stimulus. You ate, you drank, you wandered around, napped, got talked to on occasion and finally went to bed. Thoughts of such an existence alone is rather brain-numbing. We've all had that momentary feeling of “jello brain”, where we hunger for something ~anything!~ “exciting” to do. Our pets are the same way. Anxious, unfocused, hyperactive animals can learn to focus and calm from the benefits of mental stimulus that is kind and rewarding (i.e.: it's way better than the ideas your dog may come up with for his or her idea of “fun”!).

Nina Ottosson produces some amazing toys and puzzles for the companion animal ~ designed to promote mental stimulation with the reward of a favorite food. Her website gives valuable information on her products as well as the positives of using mentally stimulating games. Although she's in Sweden, her products are available here in the good ol' USA. Thank you “InterWebs” (inside joke)! Nina offers many levels of toys so that your animal never “out grows” or becomes bored as there's always a toy sure to challenge your pet. Her toys are pricey, though well made. I recommend a visit to her website just to become familiar with the products and philospohy.

“Busy Buddy” makes a fine selection of toys for the puzzle lovin' pup who likes some physical activity with their mental challenge. We know those dogs, right? Great back yard fun with a purpose that is more stimulating than the time honored “throw the ball till he drops” approach. These are great for the busy dog who isn't ready for the more challenging mind games. ~ Mind games take focus and in some dogs, focus will need to be learned and developed over time.

Enjoy browsing Amazon.com for a wide variety of pet toys and puzzles (including Nina Ottosson) and give one a try. Your dog may need some assistance to get started and certainly some time to make those neural connections that'll make puzzles and games fun! We all take time to learn new things, so don't expect a home run the first time at bat.

I have a house full of dog “toys” but no games or puzzles. I'll order a couple interesting items and we'll compare notes down the road, shall we?

It's a date.

My human kids enjoying toy-time on the beach in SC

Is it working for ya?

There's a reason there are so many different methods of "dog training" or - communicating to our companion animals. They like us, are different, or as individual as you and I are. You and I don't think exactly alike and our living environments will be different from one another, right? And so it is for our dogs, too.

Most "methods" of dog training or problem solving rely on a cookie cutter sort of approach. Last time I noticed, not all dogs are the same... so it would be reasonable to feel that the "one answer fits all" approach isn't really reasonable for all dogs, is it? Let's look at a few as an example to get your creative juices flowing:

Prong collars. Oh, my aren't these just the most torturous things you've ever seen? Don't get me wrong, I used to own no less than 3 of them in a variety of sizes. I used to preach blindly in my classes how they're safer than choke collars. Uh, yeah.... and jeans are safer than bare skin on motorcycles but you're still going to get really nasty road rash if you crash. I know this from experience. Road rash knows no barriers, except for the proper gear. Just ask, I'll show you.

Prong collars were created in the Schutzhund field of canine work for promoting aggression.

Read that again: Prong collars initial function was for encouraging aggression in the animal.

Let's look at the prong closer. For the dog who's wearing it, it's sort of like wearing underwear with irritating burrs trapped against the skin. Ouch?! It may not "hurt", but it's definitely going to drive you nuts and can any living thing think rationally when their being driven crazy? Now that whole "promoting aggression" thing makes sense.

Why do folks gravitate to using the prong, then? They know of no better solution to the issue they're dealing with. This is usually pulling.

~

Corrective noises such as the "game show buzzer". Are you familiar? Tighten your diaphragm and chest and belt out a loud "eeennnggghh!" like the buzzer on a game show. Yes, I used to promote the use of this noise to stop unwanted behavior in its tracks. I used to use it on my own dogs. One; how does that feel to make that noise? Lots of tension needs to happen in the body to create it, doesn't it? It's not pleasant. And, most importantly.... Is it working?

~

How about suffering through a destructive behavior because someone told you to "wait till they stop" so you're not "encouraging" the behavior? .... Is it working?

I look at it this way. Your dog has fear issues and is freaking out, clawing desperately at the door to be let in. Is it really healthy to allow the dog to continue to freak out till they stop? IS the dog going to stop? IS allowing them suffer really teaching them to stop the behavior? Put yourself in their paws: you're really afraid of spiders and there's a bunch on the back porch. The door is locked & you're desperately trying to be let in but the folks inside say, "you need to stop freaking out about this and then we'll let you in." .... How fair is that? How likely are you to calm down to be let in? My physical stress points tighten up at the thought of this scenario.
So, the dog freaks out and claws desperately at the door. What else is there to do? You don't want the dog to freak out and you really don't want the dog tearing up your door.

No matter what method you're using, no matter the behavior at issue.... ask yourself, "is it working?" If you're stressing out over it and your dog is continuing the undesired behavior, odds are you're answer is an honest and heartfelt, "no".

So, smile and know that there are other options for you and your companion animal. Our animals come to us for a reason.... to grow and enrich our lives. Sometimes we need a good challenge.


Why is TTouch so successful? TTouch doesn't try to pound a square peg into a round hole. TTouch recognizes that dogs are individuals with different needs; unique issues calling for unique answers. I can virtually guarantee that every single TTouch practitioner out there has the most impressive "tool kit" you'll ever see. The "right answer" is the application of an approach or method that works for that individual dog and their human.

Let's be honest. It takes time to change a behavior. Just as it takes time to learn how to drive, to learn a new language, to loose weight. There is no overnight answer in the healthiest of ways with long-lasting change. In this "have it now" society, we must remember that ourselves, our very cells can and do change, but not in the blink of an eye. Patience, grasshopper.

So, how can TTouch help with pulling if the prong is so wrong? There are many methods available to us for the degree of pulling going on. It just takes finding the one that works for the individual animal. Why does the dog pull? He's out of balance. And he doesn't know he has a choice. TTouch is educating the dog that 1) he has a choice, and 2) we can teach them that pulling is not necessary. Relief for both animal and owner is usually huge.

Alternatives to that annoying game show buzzer? Great question. The animal is most likely doing something unwanted because the buzzer noise is to interrupt or abruptly halt the behavior. But, what if it doesn't work out that way? Answering a behavior with stress signals is sort of like yelling, "Fire!" in a restaurant after someone drops a tray of dishes. .... It may not be real (the fire) but everyone will react strongly to the perceived threat. There are alternatives and it really depends on the dog as to what works. For that, "Hey!" attention getter, I just use a, "pppsssssttt!", like that whispery "hey" you get when cheating on a test or something. Then, I follow up with what I want the dog to do.

What about the dog freaking out wanting inside? Fear issues are not uncommon. In fact when you really sit down and think about it, all behavior issues stem from fear. Anger stems from fear. Aggression stems from fear. TTouch works at the cellular level to release fear issues and simple adjustments in the home can promote the further release of these fear-based behaviors. How about a doggie door bell? One paw on the bells and wala, the door opens. Whew, that is much less stressful, now isn't it? Eventually the dog will learn that one ring equals the door opening which in turn lowers the stress level in the home.

What I love about the TTouch is many things:

Incorporating TTouch into the home lowers stress levels in both the human and the animal.

TTouch works at the cellular level to promote healing, self-awareness, harmony and balance (both mental and physical).

TTouch teaches the animal to learn. It actually increases their ability to learn. How? The TTouches and the ground work activate all four areas of the brain simultaneously, releasing both beta and alpha waves.... left and right brain are activated together. Learning pathways are actually and physically made and learning ability increases. Pretty cool, isn't it?

TTouch also establishes trust. Prong collars don't. Think of all the people you truly, deeply trust with all your whole being. Those folks are really special, aren't they?
You can have that with your companion animal, too.

Heart Hugs

My girl, JazzieBell

Remember Your Stillness

Oh my goodness, Session 3 is now under my belt and I'm officially "half way" to being a P1 Practitioner for companion animals! My dearly-beloved husband is encouraging me to consider taking my 4th training earlier than November... even if I have to fly to the location. There's Oakland, CA in August... that's out near family and with an instructor I have yet to experience. Incentive!

We had a great group of people at this training! Sadly we lost 2 fine ladies to "life" calling them away early on, but I want you to know that they are both doing well. I hope to see them again in the future.

We were blessed with dogs that really needed help. Here's how their week went:

Pandora
A lovely mix who began the week as a busy, nervous dog who could not be still. She also resisted mouth and tail TTouches (stores of emotion). ~ By weeks' end, Pandora was a whole new dog. She had come to like mouth and tail TTouches and had relaxed considerably into a calm, centered, balanced dog who could lie down and be content.

Izabella Izzy is a 1 1/2 year old Vizsla who has experienced a couple of really stressful experiences and now has serious fear issues in which she shuts down completely and becomes unresponsive. I've known Miss Izzy since my 1st training session (which was hers as well). At our first TTouch training session, I hardly saw Izzy. She rarely left her crate. ~ At this session she would shut down upon hearing the tractor trailer rigs outside the building and it would take her nearly an hour to recover. By weeks end, her (tractor trailer) recover time was TEN MINUTES! No joke, Izabella experienced HUGE advances in her fear issues much to her Mommy's relief. She also let us know that she prefers to be addressed by her full name, Izabella.

JoeyThis lovely little dog and his person, Kandi came all the way from Utah to seek out Linda's help with Joey's serious barking issue which the husband can not deal with, stressing the issue more, right? Joey began his week shaking violently all over and barking endlessly at every little noise. His trembles may be in part to the possibility of having lime disease. ~ By weeks' end, Joeys' barking was dramatically reduced to just a brief alert (and not at every little noise) and his shaking was all but history. Here he is pictured wearing a Halti as a comfort band to help reduce stress as the face/mouth region is a storehouse of emotion.

Nestle Nestle is also a reactive barker who didn't know he could stop himself. He began his week with the usual "bark, bark, bark!" at everything and everyone. Linda (pictured with Nestle) and I worked a lot on TTouches with his ears, tail, and mouth area (He LOVES his "Auntie Linda").
~ By weeks' end Nestle was a much more contented dog. Still a bit reactive, but much less so with much more ability to "collect himself". As I left my family's home (where I stayed) he did not react at all to the utility workers in their yard. This was huge!

On our last day Linda took us on a mental/visual journey. This proved quite powerful for many folk and it was quite a tear fest afterwards! My own journey is what I've named this entry. A doe (deer) came up to me and putting her nose to mine, breathed into me the words, "Remember your stillness". Now when I'm working on anything (especially TTouch), when I recall her words within me, a stillness comes and a shift occurs both within myself and the one I'm working on.

Magical.