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Isn’t it wonderful! You have a new pup,
a squirmy, huggable, loveable, delightful
being! Sometimes, in our delight with this
enchanting creature who teaches us so
beautifully to live fully in the present
moment, we forget that we will need to offer
guidance and direction to help him grow into
a joyful and joy bringing adult, adapted to
cope with our human society and rules. The
sad fact is that the most frequent reason
for canine euthanasia is behavior not
health, and the most common age for canine
euthanasia is adolescence.
When
it comes to raising a
new pup, focusing on the Tellington Touch
precept, “Give direction not
correction” is enormously helpful. We
are integrating a new canine being into a
human household. Even young humans need a
lot of schooling. Canines, whose natural
behaviors in canid society include chewing,
digging, and biting, need significant
direction about acceptable behavior in human
society. They don’t come knowing our
rules. How can they know unless we teach
them?
Remember infant attention spans
are short; the younger the pup, the shorter
the session of any type needs to be.
There are two facets to
the work: ttouches and leading exercises.
TTouch Method leading exercises are all
about giving direction instead of
correction, as we encourage the pup to
exercise self-control by standing in
balance. Pups from our last two litters
were introduced to walking on leash not with
a collar, but with a harness. Fastening one
clip of the double-ended leash on the ring
by the right shoulder, and the other on the
ring by the left shoulder allows us to
gently rebalance the pup when he pulls.
Releasing any leash tension as soon as he is
balanced over his feet gives him the
opportunity to stand on his own as we praise
him, letting him know we are delighted when
he stands that way. This may take many
quick repetitions of rebalance/release but
he will soon be standing in his own
balance. The leash clips on either side of
the dog’s body simplify giving direction as
you walk and turn. Once they understood the
behavior we expected from them on leash, our
pups transitioned easily to collars, and
walked along confidently. So can your new
pup.
If your pup jumps,
hook your thumb into his collar applying
just enough pressure to keep those front
feet on the ground, telling him “feet on the
ground” or whatever you want to say to
convey what it is you want him to be doing.
As soon as you feel those feet are on the
ground, raise your hand only enough so that
you are applying NO pressure. He needs
direction from you to develop his
self-control. And if he begins to lose that
self-control, you can very quickly give him
direction again. Watch how quickly he
learns!
We have a playground of
higher learning set up in our pup
yard--even though they are but
kindergarteners. Items like the labyrinth,
star, balance board, dog walk , tires and
teeter-totter are explored and navigated
from about four weeks on as the pups run
through and play on them. Later, leading
the pups through the same equipment gives
them a different experience as they keep
track of the human and leash as well as the
equipment. Once your pup walks on a leash he
can also experience the benefits of the
curving turns of the labyrinth. As the
playground equipment helps him improve his
physical balance, his mental and emotional
balance are also improved, since these
facets are interrelated. His self-carriage
is improved, and so is his self-control and
self-confidence!
The touch part of the method is
the other leg on which the work stands. In
founder Linda Tellington Jones’ words, “The
Tellington TTouch Method is like a
non-verbal language.” The TTouches
“…stimulate the function and vitality of the
cells in his body and activate unused neural
pathways to the brain.” What exactly do we
do with TTouches to help our pup become a
canine good citizen while we deepen our
relationship with him? Quite simply, we use
the TTouches all over his body. We want him
to get used to being touched all over.
Obviously this will make vet exams easier;
it will simplify nail trimming; it will help
him enjoy grooming. It will also connect
the two of you. And it helps him reach his
full potential.
If
there are areas where he is not
comfortable being touched, first touch him
where he is comfortable, then do a touch or
two on a tough place and a return to a place
on his body where his is comfortable with
touch. Working with him, increasing his
comfort level by gently guiding him to
accept ttouches all over, helps give him an
awareness of and comfort with his whole
body. As you affect him physically, you are
also affecting him mentally and emotionally,
in a positive way, without using force or
fear. If he has no areas of discomfort, he
still benefits from the neural stimulation,
the warmth, and all the other proven
benefits of touch.
There are some special areas of
the body to give attention to in order to
maximize your pup’s development, notably his
extremeties: mouth, paws, tail and ears.
For the teething, chewing pup, in
addition to all of the safe chewing
experiences you are providing him with,
working his mouth can ease his discomfort,
reducing his urge to chew, thereby saving
many of your possessions. Brief, frequent
mouth work sessions are very helpful. A few
slides along the flews, lightly holding the
lips between your thumb and forefingers, a
couple of circles on the gums of the upper
jaw, along with a few horizontal slides on
the gum just under the nose will soothe the
sore gums, and relieve the need to chew.
Work on the mouth activates the limbic
system, the seat of the emotions, so the
benefits of mouth work go far beyond chewing
issues, and can help your pup cope better
with all types of situations.
Working on and around
your pup’s tail can help with issues
of fear and timidity as well as with
aggression issues. If that sounds as though
we are dealing with two different extremes,
remember this work is about balance.
Balance is about bringing something to a
centered place. Very soft, gentle traction
on the tail brings awareness throughout your
pup’s whole body, as will holding his tail
at the base and circling it a few times in
both directions. Raccoon ttouches around
the base of his tail will help soften tense
muscles in his hindquarters. Very light
raccoon ttouches on and around the scar
tissue of docked tails is soothing and
calming. Slightly flexing each tail
vertebra between your thumb and forefinger
gives your pup good awareness of his whole
tail.
Doing Tellington TTouch on
your pup’s paws, including nails and pads,
can help him be more comfortable as he
encounters different surfaces, some of which
might be very slick. Increasing circulation
in the paws means giving him greater
awareness. Ever have cold, clammy hands when
under stress? Your body is preparing to
defend you by closing down your capillaries
and directing circulation to your trunk.
This can happen with your pup as well. If
your pup is concerned when you first begin
touching his paw with your hand, you can
touch that paw and make tiny circles using
his other paw. You might also use the back
of your hand, or have something soft between
your hand and the pup, to do the touches in
a way that feels less invasive for him. If
he is standing, you can move his leg in a
small circle with his foot remaining on the
floor as a way to give him a new sensory
experience. Doing TTouch with your “best
bud” can be a lot of fun, as it calls forth
your creativity and ingenuity when you
figure out how to make it the best
experience possible.
A very helpful area of
your pup’s body to work are his ears. Most
of us have been taught by various dogs to
touch their ears and see their pleasure.
With Tellington Touch you can increase that
pleasure, help calm a very busy pup, and
have a tool at hand that could someday save
his life by keeping him out of shock until
you are able to get him to a veterinarian
for treatment. Do Raccoon circles around
the base of his ear, then gently hold the
ear at the base and slowly circle the whole
ear. Do ear slides, holding one of his ears
between your thumb and forefinger and
stroke outwards from the base to the tip, in
the direction the ear is naturally held (up
for prick ears, downward for hanging ears).
If your pup has been injured, doing ear
slides more quickly and firmly, and applying
a bit of a squeeze as you reach the tip of
his ear, can stabilize his circulation
enough to keep him out of shock.
Preceding are
a lot of suggestions. Please don’t feel
overwhelmed, thinking you SHOULD spend all
of your free time doing Tellington Touch on
your pup. When you sit with him, and are
petting him, do a few ttouches as well. As
he runs over to greet you, give him a few
ttouches. A ttouch or two with each of the
many interactions you have in the course of
a day can make a wonderful difference in
your pup and in your relationship.
The video,
“Unleash Your Dog’s Potential, Getting in
TTouch With Your Canine Friend” and the book
Getting in TTouch with Your Dog: a Gentle
Approach to Influencing Behavior, Health,
and Performance give detailed
information about how to do the TTouches and
exercises mentioned above.
Wendy and Frances offer private sessions and
weekend workshops that can focus on
many aspects of TTouch, including sessions
and workshops for the conformation and
performance dog as well as for that very
special family companion.
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