I had a wonderful time at the dog show this past weekend! I am so deeply grateful for the opportunity to meet new folks and their lovely dogs, as well as reconnect with treasured friends. I'm grateful for having had the experience of working with a few dogs and witnessing the pure joy and delight of their owner when they experienced noticeable improvement after their TTouch session. Isn't that simply awesome?! I think so. It's a very challenging environment for most dogs to feel any calm.
Clark is my "client spotlight" from the show. An adorable little Terrier (Fox? I didn't ask!) with a very sweet Mom who was a bit heartbroken that Clark had broken down in the ring on Saturday. She was competing in Open A obedience. Clark's first time in Open, but not hers. The little guy froze once he discovered the balcony and observers up there. The judge felt the owners pain as she was excused.
I worked with Clark for thirty minutes Saturday afternoon, just body work as there's no space for ground work in a 10x10' area. Clark had a huge reoccurring theme with many dogs at the show.....his butt and hindquarters were like stone and he was terribly out of balance. After several minutes of body work and going over with his owner "all about TTouch and how it applies to Clark", he visibly more relaxed and very much liked wearing his new half wrap.
Clarks next class was Sunday morning, before I got there. I was absolutely thrilled when Clark's owner stopped by with (a much more relaxed) Clark and a huge smile on her face! Clark had disqualified again, but he was so very much better in the ring! He wasn't as bothered, he didn't freeze up and he didn't blow the long down stay. I never promise that TTouch works like plugging in the toaster. It does take some time for change to occur. But it does. Sometimes very quickly. It all depends on the dog. The point is that Clark did improve dramatically, less than twenty-four hours after only 1/3 of a full TTouch session. That's huge!! What I loved most was seeing Clark more comfortable in his own skin along with the huge amount of happiness and renewed hope in his owners heart and face. It doesn't get much better than that.
Congratulations Clark!
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It's amazing what you see when you see with different eyes. All these absolutely gorgeous dogs in a really challenging environment which you'd sort of expect them to be totally used to it, right? As impressively well as every dog manages his/her experience at the show, a good eighty percent are absolutely stressing out, big time. Many carry that stress into the ring and it affects their performance, including gate, stance, and overall movement throughout the body.
The consistent things I noticed were tight and clinched hindquarters, a classic physical stress location. Because the rear end is tight, the dog is then out of balance and more weight is carried on the front end. All but one dog that I worked with had a very hard time lifting their front legs in conjunction with having a very tight rear. Shoulders were tight as were ears and facial areas. These dogs were easy to spot in the ring with their rear end simply "along for the ride" rather than balanced and more graceful and fluid in motion.
TTouch was first introduced to the horse world over thirty years ago and was later adapted to companion animals. TTouch with horses (called TTEAM: Tellington Touch Equine Awareness Method) has been proven to improve equine performance. An animal that moves more freely and in balance will always perform better, mentally and physically. It's just like having all the tires on a car at the same pressure and properly balanced. Without that, the car may look fine but it rides horribly and that imbalance directly affects other parts of the car over time.
Linda Tellington-Jones came to discover TTouch quite honestly. Her Grandfather through his success with horses, came to manage the Czar of Russia's race horses back in the early 1900's. The horses in his care were greatly successful out on the track. The great back story is his horses received a complete body rub down for thirty minutes every day after their workout.
Many of the clients that come to a TTouch practitioner come with rather severe "last resort" behaviors that have frustrated everyone else. It's our unique approach through cooperation and mutual understanding that's different. TTouch builds self confidence, not compliance through fear.
But my goodness, that doesn't mean you have to be at that "last resort" place with your pet before seeking out TTouch. It's sure is nice to know it's there if that's where you're at. It's even nicer to know that no one has to "settle" or "endure" the behavior till it gets to that point.
My point is, whether your dog is destroying everything in site or just not doing well in the show ring ~ TTouch can help.
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ETT is now on Angie's List! If you are, or have been, an East Tennessee TTouch client, please take a moment and leave a review! I'd be very grateful and deeply thank you for your time!
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| angieslist.com/review/9144025 |
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Next Post: Client Spotlight: Lucy
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