Whelping is a high point
in the life of a breeder, a marker of months
or years of planning and working wrapped in
hopes and expectations. We are looking
forward to the whelps, and have wishes for
them such as: continue with the dam’s
wonderful temperament and the good health
behind her; add perhaps stronger herding
instinct, or a better-laid shoulder, or a
bit more pizzazz. Foremost, we want a
complication-free whelping, vigorous pups
and a happy, relaxed mom. Happily, we can
encourage the easy whelping, vigorous pups
and relaxed mom. In addition to providing
good nutrition with proper exercise, and
accessing excellent medical care, we can use
Tellington Touch.
In
most cases the bitches’ hormones
and instinct are in ascendance so the
miracle of birth proceeds smoothly. Happily,
there are many things we can do to support
and encourage this with various Tellington
Touches. Gentle belly lifts can ease the
pull of gravity, and allow the dam to relax
between contractions, saving her energy for
when it is needed. Ear work is another
good tool. Using steady, smooth strokes
from the base of the ear to the tip, and
doing circles around the base can slow the
respiration rate of the heavily panting
bitch. If she is anxious, mouth work can
help her to focus and calm down. Very
gentle tail work with tiny circles around
the base of the tail, pearling, and
especially the spinal stretches can ease her
tension. For some bitches, rows of connected
circles along her side, in the direction the
whelps are traveling, seem to encourage her
contractions. Other bitches seem to respond
well to slides, either Zig-Zags or Noah’s
March, also going from the head towards the
tail. The easy, steady, drawn out syllables
of toning as in “ Eeeeeaaasyyyy, giirrrlll,
goooooood giirrrlll” encourage calmness on
the part of the bitch, and keep the human
breathing easily and slowly as well.
As a pup is born,
after the bitch has stimulated it by
licking, or you have cleared the airway and
toweled it, doing some ear slides and
circles on those teeny ear nubbins can
support the general welfare of the pup.
When a pup is slow to come around, in
addition to the things you already do, try
using the ear work. Do it a bit more
vigorously than normal, applying more
pressure at the tip of the ear as you slide
off. We’ve done this and had pups gasp and
then begin breathing normally. Raccoon
TTouches around the mouth usually stimulate
the sucking reflex. TTouches on the feet
bring awareness to the body parts that knead
and push during nursing. How much of this
you do at any one time depends on how fast
the whelps are arriving, how sluggish or not
a pup is, and how fast it gets nursing.
Once the pup is breathing easily, the other
TTouches just mentioned continue to be
helpful, especially over the next week or
so. Very light jellyfish jiggles, done by
cupping your hand lightly over the body of a
sleeping pup and very softly wiggling your
hand as though the pup was the jello-like
consistency of a jellyfish that you are
jiggling, can bring awareness to much of the
developing nervous system. Abalone TTouches
on the whole pup are a good combination of
soothing and stimulating for these new
beings.
For
a nervous bitch--
often the case with a first-timer who is
anxious about what strange things are
happening in her body-- mouth work can help
her calm and focus. Slow, easy slides along
the flews, circles on the gums, and rubbing
back and forth on the gum at the front of
the muzzle give her some unusual, but
pleasant, body sensations and help her cope
with all else going on. Often these bitches
are calmed by Abalone circles combined with
lifts, done on the thighs as close as
possible to the vaginal area since the
vaginal area is being flooded with unusual
feelings.
During the times when there are
problems,
we are all very grateful for our
knowledgeable and skilled veterinarians, who
have saved the lives of many dams and
whelps. If your bitch has had a c-section
you can support her recovery and her
acceptance of the pups with TTouch. Ear
work can help her come fully awake from the
anesthesia. If she is wondering about, or
afraid of, or seemingly hostile to those
squirmy new little beings, mouth work can
calm her emotions, and Clouded Leopard and
Raccoon TTouches around her teats can
prepare her for the sensations of pups
nursing.
We had a bitch who after her
caesarian would not stay in the box with the
2 pups. Mouth and teat work got her to
accept them, clean and stimulate them—as
long as we were sitting there in the box,
too. If we got up, she also wanted to leave.
This continued for about 24 hours, during
which time she and the pups got most of the
Tellington Touches we could think of.
Finally it was as though she decided she had
responsibility for these things we had
strangely presented her with—or perhaps the
anesthesia was all worn off and the hormones
kicked in. In any case, we were able to
support her and her pups during the crucial
first day.
As breeders you are used to being observant
of your dogs, and thoughtful and creative as
you work with them. Continue to use and
develop these skills when you use the
Tellington Touch. If the bitch moves away,
or a TTouch seems overwhelming, try doing it
in an area of her body that she is more
comfortable about your touching, or try a
different TTouch, or a different speed, or a
different pressure. The focused,
intentional touch brings a very different
awareness from the casual petting she is
more used to. The better you observe, and
the more you let your creativity flow, the
easier it becomes and the more you are able
to support and help.
We have 3 generations
of bitches at home with us now.
We were just seriously getting into
Tellington-TTouch when Drumlin (the 10 year
old grandmother) was in whelp. Drummy got
lots of TTouches during pregnancy. At times
when we could feel the movement of the pups
we did TTouches on them in utero, mostly
Abalone and Jellyfish-jiggles if we could
feel a whole pup, Clouded Leopard or Raccoon
when we could just feel parts. It was
Drummy’s first litter, and we were very
pleased to know TTouch to help her through
what was a scary time for her (it had come
in very handy for the mating also—both
animals being virgins, he overeager and she
trying to avoid his enthusiasm). Pups were
TTouched, and introduced to the playground
of higher learning (off leash) as soon as
they could maneuver. These pups, as a
group, are all eager and confident.
We
have been breeding for over 30 years, and
with this litter got more excited
people calling us frequently with happy
reports than we had ever gotten before—and
we thought we had lots of happy people/dog
families previously. Greyling, the bitch we
kept is a delight--intelligent and with a
joie-de-vivre that always brings us smiles.
She was an easier breeder and whelper than
her mother. We still did lots of TTouch
with her, and with the whole litter. And
their new families are just as delighted
with these pups, and we are having lots of
fun with Iriana. Coincidence? Perhaps.
But we don’t think so, and you can bet we
are continuing to TTouch our way through
whelpings.
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 extensive
information about how to do the TTouches and
exercises mentioned above.
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