TTouch & Pet Health

To witness how powerful TTouch is with physical bodily function is quite amazing.

TTouch is not meant to replace veterinary treatment, but rather, it complements it.  In fact, one of the first things a practitioner inquires of the owner is if the behavior in question has been looked into by a vet.  It is common for behavior problems to stem from physical issues.  It is also possible for medical issues to arise from behavior problems.

Here's some of the technical stuff..... A '87-88 study suggested there were changes in the brainwave patterns of animals that were treated with TTouch and that both sides of the brain were activated.  Later studies proved the studies findings.  .....A 2009 study showed immediate and cumulative benefits from TTouch that were reflected on the EEG of an anxious mare.  ......In humans studies have shown that using TTouch 5 minutes before drawing blood significantly lowered heart rate and blood pressure.

There are so many great personal testimonies of TTouch helping with the physical self.  I wouldn't confine it to "issues" because the work complements a healthy body, too.  There is something quite magical about applying TTouch around a fresh injury and witnessing no swelling, bruising and much faster recovery with much less pain.

Here's just a few of the physical issues complemented by TTouch:

Itching is one of those things (in dogs) that can all too often be a symptom of something else going on.  Itching should always be looked into by a vet.  Because treatment can be a long-term thing, there's the owner's issue of the poor dog scratching.  TTouch can give the owner an easy tool that won't cure the underlying problem but will offer the pet relief and gives the owner a positive activity that is welcomed by the pet.

TTouch therapy is a fantastic addition to orthopedic ailments and care.  TTouch can improve mobility and releases muscle tension.  The TTouch groundwork improves posture and balance while training the muscles to prevent atrophy.  Leash pulling causes pressure on joints and can lead to physical problems.  Dogs with orthopedic problems requiring surgery really, really need to "not do that anymore" (pull on the lead) before the procedure so they don't re-injure themselves afterwards.   TTouch uses specialty leash configurations to re-balance a pulling dog (without force, fear, or physical hardship) where it not only ends immediately, but the dog learns to walk in balance, on a slack lead.

Here's where I side note....

I've trained and worked with horses and dogs off and on my whole life.  It's what I do.  It's my passion.  I love helping others especially when there's fur involved.  Nine years ago I had a bike wreck that tore up my hands up pretty badly and required surgery.  I was quite literally "hand-i-capt".  I still am to an extent, I have a hard time with ziplock bags, and other lids and my hand strength just isn't there like it was before.  At the time of the wreck, surgery and recovery,  I had a 145 dog.  He was not a leash puller.  But you know how dogs are and sometimes leash pulling happens.  Well, I couldn't afford for that to happen.  If he tugged ~ he'd be free.  I had no way to hold him.  None.  So, I had heard about TTouch and I was eventually able to attended a TTouch workshop taught by Linda Tellington-Jones herself.  I was completely, absolutely, blown away!   A year later I was enrolled in the 2-year certification training course.  And you know what?  I can walk a 145 pound dog and not worry about pulling.  And I can teach it to someone else and their dog will stop pulling, too.  It's completely awesome stuff!  As a dog trainer from way back, this complementary way of working with animals really opened up my perception and practice.

Okay, back to health stuff...

TTouch is a wonderful complement to anesthesia.  Dogs who are nervous beforehand will relax after a few minutes of TTouch, lowering pulse and blood pressure.  One clinic in Germany has their veterinary technicians do TTouch on animals for 5 minutes after surgery.  TTouch supports a quicker, smoother recovery.

For geriatric care, all-over TTouch sessions complement a variety of age-related physical issues.  TTouch ground work increases cognition and mobility.  The owner learns new ways of guiding their aging friend on-lead while the aging dog's trust in the owner's guidance increases.  A boon in the bond, so-to-speak.

TTouch can be a real gift when it comes to end of life issues.  It's a hard place to be and every pet owner gets to go there, at some point.  Because TTouch so beautifully increases the bond, daily TTouch sessions certainly help the owner in recognizing "it's time".   TTouch before and during that final injection is very relaxing and comforting to both owner and pet.  It's honestly, a really beautiful way to go.

TTouch increases the human/animal bond, mutual trust and cooperation.  From that, a lot of good happens.




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The Power of Play

Toys, puzzles and mental stimulus play a necessary and positive roll in a dog's life.  Lynne McTaggert is the author of, "The Bond", a fascinating book that I highly recommend.  So, today we're going to explore a bit of her chapter on environmental influences.

In a study, several mice were born with retarded mental capacity.  These mice were exposed to a room full of puzzles, games and other stimulating objects over a period of several weeks.  At the end of the study these "below average" mice were indistinguishable from the "normal mice".  There was a measurable increase in neural activity with the "below average" mice.  These mice had increased their own learning potential through experiencing a stimulating environment.

Hey, that sounds just like the TTouch confidence course!

But, if you don't have a labyrinth or other TTouch ground equipment hanging around to play with....

1.  Make up your own

A labyrinth can be pretty simple.  It does not have to be the shape that I and other practitioners use.  What you want is an outlined path with turns that is negotiated with a handler calmly guiding the dog through the course and stopping to "check in" before and after each turn is negotiated.  Pretty simple stuff.  Pool noodles, garden hoses, PVC, lumber, just about anything can be used to lay out a labyrinth.

Ladders, hula hoops, burlap, textured surfaces,  2x12 board (elevated on blocks, or not), can also easily be used to add to a stimulating confidence course.

Know someone who's into dog agility?  Ask to borrow their equipment!  Unlike them, your goal is *not* to race your dog through the obstacles.  Slow and methodical is the key.  Meet your dog where he/she is at.  Most dogs are curious and will want to investigate.  That's good!  Curiosity builds confidence and gets those neurons firing.  Racing through the obstacles (for a dog that's not trained to compete) is a sign of stress.

2.  Toys and puzzles

We can't all go outside every day and stroll through a confidence course with Rover; fortunately there are toys and puzzles now specifically targeted to "keep a busy animal occupied" but it also fires up those neural connections and opens up the learning potential.  And you just thought it was keeping Rover out of your hair.  Companion animals need both physical and mental stimulation (exercise) to remain in balance physically and mentally.  This reduces stress in the body as well as emotional stress.

Dogs are individuals and that means that different dogs will enjoy different types of toys.  Rover may love challenging puzzles, where Spot finds them frustrating or lacks interest all together.  Start out with 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.   Just like a teenager beginning to drive ~ no matter what they might think, learning to drive the old Honda is going to be way more successful and instill more confidence than learning on a Ferrari.

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 healthy mental skills, they make better choices.  Imagine if your life didn't include mental stimulus. You eat, you drink, you wander around, nap, get talked to on occasion and finally you go 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 and it's way better than whatever destructive idea your dog may come up with for his or her stimulus.

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 thanks to the Internet.  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 philosophy.

“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-stimulating games take focus, and in some dogs focus will need to be learned and developed over time.   Your dog may need some assistance to get started and certainly will take some time to make those neural connections that'll make puzzles and games fun!  We all take time to learn new things (and that includes animals), so don't expect your dog to hit a home run the first time at bat.

One version of the Star.
 The dog is wearing a wrap for added focus and calming.

The Ladder.
A harness and two points of contact increase cooperation and give clear signals to the dog.

Labyrinth (with other obstacles in the foreground)

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Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!


                                         

Your Dogs Behavior & TTouch

What is the limbic system and how does this relate to animals and TTouch?

I'm so glad you asked!  

The limbic system is the innermost part of the brain, located just below the thalamus on both sides of the brain and is comprised of a set of complex brain structures.   These structures are responsible for emotion (fear, anger, pleasure, happiness, etc.), some of the structure is also involved with memory.

Emotions are constantly being processed by the body ~ the brain and the body are exquisitely intertwined and constantly interacting with the surrounding environment.  Because the senses are also involved with this system (sight, smell, taste, sound, touch), the more senses that are involved in an experience, the more the brain remembers it and the deeper the imprint.  

Here's my analogy...

My dearly departed Border Collie, Mac, was a talented obedience and agility dog.  He was also deathly afraid of thunder.   His show career came to a screeching halt not long after getting in the AKC ring .... it was something like his second or third show, ever.  We were in Alabama.  The obedience rings were inside a large open building with huge doors that could open all around it's perimeter.  It was late spring, I think, when we were there.  Warm and nice, but not hot.  It was early afternoon and my class was in the ring, Mac and I waiting our turn ringside.  Then he began to shake.  He never did that...unless....a storm was coming.   

By the time we were "on deck" for our turn in the ring, you could clearly hear the thunder and the sky was black as ink.  All the outside doors were lowered.  I had a withering pile of pure fear shaking in my lap.  Our turn came and like an absolute idiot, I obligated myself to carry on and in we went.  It didn't go well.  The poor boy couldn't even heel on lead.  We were in and excused in just under a minute or so.  We exited the ring and I found my seat, Mac leapt into my lap and came apart while the storm rolled over.  I wasn't able to compete with him again, taking him in the ring had imprinted that terror with that setting.  I tried and tried conditioning with group training, matches, etc., but nothing would help his body recover from the trauma he experienced in that show ring in Alabama.  He did great with agility, hiking, pet therapy, all that, just no obedience in a show setting.  

What I didn't know back then was that there was a way to help.  I didn't need to "retire" him.  I just didn't know about TTouch.  Had I used it on him, he would have had a far better potential to come back around and go on to compete in obedience trials without issue.  Because, TTouch speaks kindly to the limbic system through physical touch and engaging new experiences.  It's simply powerful stuff.  

The mouth carries the closest connection to the limbic system.  Mouth work stimulates the salivary glands which triggers the relax-promoting parasympathetic nervous system.  That quiets the sympathetic nervous system down (fight or flight response) which means relaxation and less reactivity happens.  The animal learns to respond rather than to react.  Mouth work is a part of what TTouch does and I've seen remarkable improvement in behavior and performance.

And now you know the rest of the story.

***

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Diet And Your Dogs Behavior: tea

Have you ever considered giving tea a try ~ for your dog?!  

In my book, "My No Diet Revolution...", I explain how a diet loaded with chemicals and preservatives lowers our bodies sensitivity to herbal, natural foods.  So, unless your dog is eating your cheerios, drinking your sodas, and downing junk foods regularly, chances are your dogs system will be highly receptive to the wonders of herbs and herbs can be very beneficial to their health as well as behavior.

Ever have a cup of chamomile tea?  Were you able to relax and then go to sleep more easily?  Could your dog use such a benefit?  Absolutely!

Here's my two favorite teas that I fix regularly for the dog in my life and how to do it:

Chamomile
This is a very mild and gentle herb, safe for use with puppies and kittens (and I have).  This is what the actual plant looks like:

Fresh is always, always best for flavor and potency;  after that, loose-leaf tea.  Last on the potency list is bagged tea.  I fondly refer to bagged tea as "floor sweepings"; if you ever tear open an unused bag and compare it to loose leaf, you'll know why.  That said, even I have to resort to bagged tea on occasion.

Chamomile has stellar sedative qualities but is also an effective wormer, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and pain reliever.  It also is wonderful for relieving anxiety and insomnia.   It is also useful for gas, vomiting, and indigestion.   A calming tummy tamer.

Have I used it and did I see a difference?  Uh.....YEAH!  Give it about 3 days, using daily.



Ginger
Pretty sure we've been here already in an earlier blog post.  Ginger is better and safer than naproxim sodium at reducing inflammation and relieving the associated pain.  I'm not saying in any way shape or form that naproxen sodium is safe for dogs (it's not!), but I am saying that I am living proof of that and I go into great depth on the benefits of ginger root in my book.  But!  Ginger root is safe and beneficial for  dogs!  And being similar to us, of course this reduces inflammation for them and the associated pain.  Reducing pain and inflammation can certainly improve behavior!  I act better when I'm not in constant pain.....a dog will too.

Ginger root can be added to the dogs food in several ways.  I grate about 1/4 tsp of fresh ginger directly into my dogs food bowl and add boiling water to steep it (and melt his coconut oil).  When I add his dog food (from the refrigerator) it cools down the 'tea'.


How To Prepare Tea For Dogs
This literally could not be easier!

To make a tea, add several tea bags (or about 1/2 a tablespoon of tea leaves) to a mason jar.

This is 3 chamomile tea bags and fresh ginger root slices.  The ginger will turn the water cloudy as it steeps.

Add boiling water & close with a proper canning lid and band.

Set your jar aside and let it fully steep till cool.







Once you've opened your jar, refrigerate till it's used up.
Add to your dogs food once daily.
I use about 1/4 cup for a mini Dachshund.

Here's the finished tea.  Chamomile doesn't get very dark, so this is a fairly strong tea.  I chose to leave the tea bags & ginger in there....it won't hurt!  I just don't include the ginger slices in the tea I use because they're a bit large and ginger has some serious "bite" to it that way.








I'll be honest and say that I've used chamomile tea with my dogs on an infrequent basis but after being reminded of the benefits for this post, I'm giving it a go ~ again!   My little Dachshund has been sick most of this year with an obscure condition that has him on copious amounts of medication.   He is swollen, uncomfortable and drinks tons of water (side effect of one of his meds)...so, he has to pee a LOT.  This means that he has not had a full nights sleep since early spring.  Which means I have not slept well since early spring!

So, I made this tea and I've been giving it to him every morning.  This tea has his ginger in it already (which he's been taking since the spring), the only addition to his diet being the chamomile.   At this present date, he has had the chamomile for two days and for two nights in a row he has slept through the night in his favorite place on the bed, by my head.  Nestle is also "running" after toys and showing more energy ~ another first since last spring.   Huge, noticeable change.

I am not going to say that the chamomile is making all the difference, but I'm certainly going to continue monitoring this!  We might be on to something here.



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Diet And Your Dogs Behavior

There's tons of diet tidbits that can be linked to behavior.  We'll look at some of the more obvious ones and even explore simple herbs that can be added to the diet to make noticeable difference.   For today, let's take a peak at corn and protein.  

Enjoy!

Corn
A long time ago I had a very large Coonhound who developed diabetes.  There's nothing quite like discovering this after that 145 pound dog has had a huge, wet, sticky accident in the house!   YUK!!  Diabetic urin can be very sticky, like spilled soda pop.  Long story short (novel for me!), the vet prescribed a veterinary kibble for this dog that was targeted for diabetes (along with daily insulin shots, of course).

I'm a very trusting soul and I purchased a bag of this diabetic kibble without question.  I switched his food over within a matter of just a few days.  And then the accidents started happening again.  WTH?   I was stumped!  There was no reason for this mess to be happening again.  I chatted with a close friend of mine about this (who happens to own a feed store & really knows her dog foods!) and she woke me up to the realization that I should read the ingredient label on the dog food.  Hey,  good idea!  

Well, there it was as plane as day on the food label; the first ingredient was CORNMEAL!  Are you familiar with what corn really is?  Yeah, it's a vegetable and it's high in fiber (which is why the manufacturer put it in the diabetic dog food), BUT corn is also a carbohydrate and though it's a "complex" carbohydrate, it is the rocket fuel of complex carbohydrates!  Cornmeal has the highest glycemic index of all the natural carbohydrates out there, beating out wheat, barley, oatmeal and brown rice.  It also has a rather unremarkable nutritional value and low digestability unless it's ground, and grinding it increases the glycemic value as well as the digestibility index = rocket fuel.

A dog on a corn based diet (first ingredient on the label) can be hyperactive, unfocused, unbalanced and a host of other issues along with taxing the pancreas and spiking his blood sugar on a regular and ongoing basis.


Protein
We've all heard the ads and manufacturers have us thinking that "more is better", right?  Nope, not really.  Too much protein in the diet can certainly affect behavior:  anxiety, aggression, restlessness, light sleep and depression.  It can also exacerbate existing health and nervous system issues such as PTSD.  This comes from a lack of serotonin in the brain which regulates mood.   Serotonin comes from tryptophan, present in fish, eggs and wheat flour.

The average, everyday adult dog living in the family home has a protein requirement of about 18% to maintain weight.   On the other end of that scale is the working dog, such as search and rescue, competition, hunting, protection dogs require a 25% amount of protein in their diet ~ they actually use it.

Most dog foods out there are marketing protein levels closer to the 25% mark and most dogs just do not need that much.  These higher protein foods are typically expensive because they're using higher quality meat sources.

Lower protein foods (where most dogs are at), while affordable, often times contain lower quality protein sources which actually drops the protein percentage further because it's basically crap and less digestible.

Protein sources labeled as, 'animal', 'meat', or 'poultry' is very likely to be a low quality source of protein.  Look for actual animals such as 'chicken', 'beef', or 'lamb'.  ....The word specifics manufacturers use can be very misleading.   (Don't even get me started on the whole commercial egg market!).

So, what do you do to level out the protein intake while keeping the quality up?  Look into "mature" foods which are typically lower in protein.  Poultry and eggs are excellent sources of protein and tryptophan, so finding a good chicken based food of suitable protein percentages will help.  You can also supplement a low quality protein dog food by adding an egg white.  Eggs are an excellent source of protein and tryptophan without adding a lot of calories.



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TTouch & Health

TTouch does so much good to a body whether it be a behavioral issue, a training issue, healing from an injury, or (what we're chatting about today) using TTouch with a health issue.

This is Nestle.  He is a long-haired miniature Dachshund who is 8 years old.  A little over two years ago he began having seizures.  If you've never experienced a dog with seizures, I pray you never have to.  If you do, than you know how gut wrenching a seizure is and how absolutely helpless you feel when it's in the midst of happening.  You want to help, but you don't know how.  If you knew how you could help, the whole thing would be much less horrible, don't you agree?  

TTouch is something you can do during and after a seizure that will help a whole lot ~ because trust me, this isn't fun for them, either.   The best perk is that doing TTouch on your pet will not only help him, it'll help you, too.  

Let's take a look:

Your dog has gone into a full blown seizure and there you are with your stress hormones hitting an all-time spike in panic.  I do it too.  For me, it only lasts a moment because I get right over to Nestle and begin my work.  As soon as I lay hands on him, I'm concentrated on helping him and I've taken a deep breath as I begin.  Now, I'm calmer, focused and more centered.  

Once the seizure has passed, it's typical for Nestle to experience a few moments of confusion or physical imbalance (or both).  He may not be able to walk well, he may be disoriented or confused and he might even be manic.  You just never know!  As soon as his seizure has finished, I'm still working on him, only now I shift my work to using connecting TTouches all over his body to get his nervous system get back on line.  

With the use of TTouch, Nestle's seizures are:

Shorter in duration

Less frightened

Seizure is less severe

No mania afterwards

No confusion afterwards

No mobility issues afterwards

And although it's too early to quantify, he has not defecated as often during a seizure when TTouch is used.

After the seizure, I keep him there with me and do 2-3 minutes of TTouch and then he's up.  He is much steadier, more physically balanced and more like his 'usual self' rather than exhibiting any whining, wandering aimlessly, running, biting; he exhibits no oddities after a TTouched seizure, where he does otherwise.  

For the person performing the TTouches, it is calming to him or her as well.  This is huge when you're dealing with a very stressful situation as being calm greatly helps the animal to calm as well.   

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you found this helpful.  If you like this article, subscribe to my blog and get more good news just like this.  

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Client Spotlight

I love stories.  We all love stories.  We love stories about things we can relate to and I love telling stories that are relatable.  Before I divorced, I kept a blog and posted a lot about TTouch.  I shared some great, relatable stories about wonderful pets with real issues and their success stories.  And I'm going to share one of those great stories with you today.

TTouch is one of those things that after 45+ years it is still pretty obscure to many folks.  So, since I love to tell relatable stories and you love to read stories that you might could relate to ~ I'm going to be posting "Client Spotlight" success stories on occasion.  I encourage you to give TTouch a try if you find a story relatable, because you can do this and you'll absolutely love it.  Your pet will thank you.  So, if you like what you hear and I like you, schedule a TTouch session.

Here's my client spotlight:

Darwyn
Male Border Collie

A key part of the TTouch practitioner training is working with actual clients with real issues.  Like many clients that come to TTouch, the practitioner and his/her work is often times the last ditch effort (for the owner) before possibly choosing to do something drastic with their animal, such as rehoming or worse.  Clients that come to TTouch practitioner trainings are in the same boat, real issues, often times severe.  For this I passionately urge my clients to not be embarrassed by their pet.  I'm here to help.  I understand.  I get it.   I don't judge...that just gets in the way of doing the work and getting results.

Practitioner training sessions are a six day deal and along about day 4 is typically "client day".  These individuals have signed up for this session and have been screened by the practitioners organizing the week long training.  As a prac-in-training, I received my client questionnaire the night before the session, much like I would (and do) in my actual practice.  The next morning the clients and their dogs arrived and I met mine.  Darwyn, was a young Border Collie male who experienced severe fear issues with strangers.  Darwyn had a wonderful and knowledgeable owner who had done wonders with him as far as bonding to her and training for athletic events.  Darwin was a stellar agility and obedience dog, except for the fear of strangers issue.  A truly gifted dog and a very dedicated owner.

When Darwyn arrived he was absolutely catatonic with reactivity and fear.  He was crouched low, his tail tucked between his legs, his head low and whipping around wildly, absolutely frantic with fear and his respiration was quite high (panting furiously).  He could not be still and he was absolutely terrified.  If he had been off lead I believe he would have hit the woods never to be seen again.  You could see the devastation in the owners face for her dog.  

Our hour began with establishing trust between me and Darwyn which involved following me and my handful of treats through the confidence course to keep him moving with no eye contact.  He could check me out all he wanted, and he did.

After that and creating a space where I could be near Darwyn without upsetting him, I coached the owner in doing some specific TTouches aimed at helping him gain body awareness which opens the door to learning to relax.  We worked on his ears, his diaphragm, tail and legs.  

Darwyn calmed considerably!  His respiration came down, he engaged more into his surroundings, his tail relaxed and he was able to stand still and in balance.  We put a wrap on Darwyn and he visibly relaxed more as we again negotiated the ground equipment but with me more engaged this time.  The owner was clearly delighted with Darwyn's rapid progress! 

By session's end, we had fitted a Thundershirt to Darwyn to take place of the wrap that I'd used.  Darwyn was by hours' end, accepting of me touching him and engaging with him in a low key manner.

Darwyn relaxing after his TTouch session ~ in a large room full of other dogs and people ~ and he naps.

After a client session concludes, practitioners-in-training, their clients and their dogs all gather together in a large training room, seated in a large circle with the instructor and her assistants at the helm.  Each client shares how their session went, changes they saw, stuff they learned, etc.   Huge learning for the students and wonderful benefits for the owners and animals.

The picture above shows Darwyn shortly after our client session, roughly an hour and fifteen minutes since arriving in such a wild and catatonic state.  We are in a large room full of TTouch students, their dogs,  clients and client dogs and an instructor.  With all the stimulus around Darwyn, he is relaxed, content and falling asleep!  Sure, sleepiness is a way of dealing with stress, but it's a great choice for Darwyn to make versus being a crazy maniac that his owner couldn't deal with.   

When it was Darwyn's Moms turn to share her session experience she said, "I don't know who this dog is.  It's not Darwyn.  But I'll take this new dog home anyway!"   She was rather dumbstruck by this calm she had never seen in him before.

The next day an email from Darwyn's owner arrived.  She excitedly reported that Darwyn had allowed a stranger to approach and pet him.  A first!!

The power and effect of TTouch therapy continually amazes and delights me.  Stuff like this happens all the time.  It is an honor and a privilege for me to be able to bring this work to dogs and their owners and witness such wonderful and dramatic change as Darwyn experienced.