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As our dogs get
older they start to go through the aging process just like we ourselves do.
Unlike us however, they accept these changes much better than we do in most
cases. They adjust to loss of hearing, sight, smell and their other senses
without a lot of hoopla. They also accept an increase in pain much the same
way.
Rarely do we know
these changes are taking place so subtle the are at first. It usually takes
their loss of appetite, movement or other obvious signs. An increase in
stiffness in the morning, more naps slept more soundly. An increase in pain. In
smaller dogs patella problems. Hip Dysplasia. There are many views and
treatments available for arthritis today. I have collected a few articles as
well as different "ways to go". There are MANY more articles and
sites on the web for more information. I am thankful to all who have taken the
time and effort to study and share the info with us. I hope having this
gathering if sources will at least give a jumping off point for your study and
illumination. |
The Tellington Touch
The touch that heals
Introduction
People and dogs get along so well
because dogs like to be touched and humans find solace in
touching another being. Petting a dog reduces tension and
awakens joy and caring in people who are immersed in grief or
depression, debilitated by age or disease, or handicapped by
physical or emotional limitations. Stroking a dog helps us
think, put things in perspective, and wile away a bit of free
time here and there.
In the past, some dog trainers have
encouraged owners not to pat their dogs in some training
circumstances. “Constant petting transfers your nervousness to
the dog,” some said. “Petting should only be a reward for
obedience,” others claimed.
Then along came Linda Tellington-Jones
and her Tellington Touch, a massage technique for reducing
tension and changing behavior in dogs, and the pendulum swings
back towards the fact we knew all along: touching the dog not
only helps us, it helps the dog.
Tellington-Jones is a horse trainer and
competitive rider who developed a method of circular touches to
enhance traditional training methods and complement medical
treatments. The techniques are based on a similar set of body
awareness exercises for humans developed by Moshe Feldnekrais;
the principle is that the exercises interrupt unacceptable
behavior patterns and responses and allow acceptable patterns to
develop. Today, as non-traditional medicine gets a workout, the
TTouch is gaining acceptance.
Susan Spalter of Mason, Ohio, a
photographer with a remarkable way with animals, is completing
her training as a TTouch practitioner. Training includes several
week-long workshops in which the physical underpinning of the
techniques are presented; participants listen to sessions about
the changes in brain wave patterns that stem from uses of the
touch; discuss concurrent use of homeopathic essences and
natural supplements, learn about animal behavior, and, of
course, study and practice the techniques themselves.
But most pet owners really don't care
about the details; they want to know if it works.
It does.
Spalter shared a testimonial from a cat
owner whose adopted pet ran the household through intimidation
of the other cats. The owner did everything she could think of
and finally confined the cat to her bedroom. In her words: “We
had two sessions wherein she taught me one of the touches. She
then suggested we try using essences along with the touch. The
blend was specifically for aggressive behavior. She encouraged
me to develop a positive attitude and try again to bring him
into the fold. I followed her advice and it worked! Simby has
undergone a dramatic change and is no longer aggressive.”
Spalter has had similar success with
aggressive, timid, and sore animals. In a few sessions in her
home studio, she evaluates the animal, begins the touches, and
teaches the owner how to use the circular motions to calm the
dog and redirect its attention. Our aloof and suspicious Akita
was a tough sell on the techniques, but once she deigned to
participate, she was captivated. Within a few minutes, her head
sank to the floor, and she dozed. Now she enjoys regular
sessions of ear slides, circular touches, and vigorous body
rubs.
One technique in particular has been
helpful; for several years, she has had periodic, non-specific
bouts of intestinal upset accompanied by lack of appetite and
oceans of motion in her gut. Since learning the touches, we use
pressure on her abdomen to relieve the discomfort and the spells
seem to dissipate within hours.
The basics
The central TTouch motion is a circle
inscribed on the dog's body. It is done by placing the
fingertips on the body and tracing a clock-face circle from six
o'clock around the dial past the starting point to eight
o'clock. Practitioners adapt pressure, speed, and size of circle
to the particular animal .
Circles are done all over the dog's
body, including the face and even the gums. Circles on the gums
are done with one or two fingers. If the dog resists, Spalter
backs up to the most pleasant touch for the dog and tries again
when the dog relaxes. In this way, she can accustom dogs to
having their feet handled, to accept fingers in the mouth, and
to other handling that they have balked at in the past.
TTouch has many variations of the
circles, slides, and rubs, including the ear slide, in which the
ear is methodically caressed in a sliding motion from base to
tip, and the body rub, an invigorating, all-over stimulation of
the senses.
Veterinarian Tom Beckett and his
assistant, TTeam praticitioner Marnie Reeder, wrote about TTouch
in Tellington-Jones' newsletter as follows:
- The circular TTouch elicits
changes in brain wave patterns . . . different from
those elicited by petting, stroking, and massage.
- With TTeam, human and animal
relate as two autonomous thinking creatures with increased
self-confidence, enhanced communications, and mutual
respect. (In other words, both dog and owner
benefit from the experience.)
- TTeam does not change the
animal's basic nature. (Our Akita is the same
self-confident girl she has always been, but she is more
relaxed.)
- TTeam does not use force,
fear, or pain for handling, treating, or managing animals.
Beckett uses TTouch as an enhancement
to his practice, not a replacement for traditional medical
protocols.
Tellington Touch sounds a bit like
voodoo. Its practitioners and proponents often fall into one of
two camps — those who embrace anything new, especially if it
seems “natural,” and those who say “I was at my wit's end
with this problem and nothing else helped.” Although the brain
wave patterns of the animal can be tracked, there is little but
anecdotal evidence that the techniques work. However, there is
no doubt that mind and body are linked in mysterious ways; a
technique that brings harmony between the two, seems to solve
problems, and makes life with family companions more peaceful is
well worth exploring.
Interested in finding
out more on TTouch?
 |
The
Tellington TTouch : A Revolutionary Natural Method to
Train and Care for Your Favorite Anima;l Linda
Tellington-Jones,/Paperback/1995 |
 |
The
Tellington TTouch for Happier, Healthier Dogs, featuring
Linda Tellington-Jones
Kelly Hart/VHS Tape/ (n/a) |
[Susan Spalter's page on Tellington
Touch]
Norma Bennett Woolf
|
More on TTouch
Tellington Touch can calm nerves, reduce tension and
improve quality of life
Introduction
By Dr. April Linville and Susan
Spalter
The first part of of this
article was written by both Dr. Linville and Susan Spalter.
The two women then wrote separate accounts of their work
with the patient
Do you have a scaredy cat? A
fear-biting dog? An animal with health problems. Do you
feel as if you've tried everything but nothing seems to be
working? Perhaps the Tellington Touch is your answer.
Dogs, cats, horses, birds, llamas,
cheetahs, rabbits — the list is too long to include all
the animals who have benefited from TTouch. The techniques
are being used all over the world by veterinarians,
technicians, groomers, and trainers in zoos, animal
shelters, and homes.
TTouch is two sets of techniques
— body work and ground work. The body work is a
collection of specific touches designed to work on
emotional and health problems. The touches are not massage
or accupressure, and they are not invasive. The body work
includes various gentle manipulation of body parts.
Ground work involves guiding the
animal through movement exercises in non-habitual ways.
Together, body work and ground work are designed to create
a calm, attentive, focused state of consciousness and bring
feelings, habitual responses, and bodily states of
awareness. In this state, the animal can use its mental and
physical resources to reorganize its programming and
develop more appropriate patterns and responses.
TTouch has helped dogs suffering
from barking and chewing, fear and shyness, car sickness,
jumping up and leash-pulling, fear aggression, submissive
urination, separation anxiety, arthritis, discomfort
associated with hip dysplasia, and more. TTouch is easy to
do and takes very little time to achieve results. Sessions
are one hour long, one week apart, for three weeks. The
first part of each hour is spent working on the animal; the
remainder is teaching the owner how to do the touches so he
can continue working at home.
One of many alternative options
available in veterinary health care, TTouch should never
replace veterinary care. However, pet owners interested in
holistic therapies for their pets and those who want to
make a change in behavior or help relieve pain and
discomfort may find it useful. Holistic therapies run the
gamut from acupuncture to herbal remedies and flower
essences to vitamin and mineral supplementation. The
difficulty for veterinarians and pet owners alike is that
this is a relatively new field in veterinary medicine and
there is little hard evidence from scientific studies to
assess the response of pets to these treatments.
We recommend a blend of
traditional and holistic treatments for pets. There are
many diseases that we do not understand and that we cannot
cure with traditional medicine. Some holistic treatments
can relieve pain and improve quality of life —
particularly in behavioral problems or terminal illnesses.
The reverse is also true, however.
Infections that have the causative bacteria cultured will
respond much better to an antibiotic that the bacteria is
sensitive to. There is room for both types of treatments in
pets; we need to keep an open mind and strive to offer the
best options to the pet owner.
Pet owner's perspective
By Dr. April Linville
Barbara Shane and her Golden
Retriever Alexandra visited Kings Veterinary Hospital (near
Cincinnati, Ohio) last April for an evaluation of a lump on
the right side of Alex's chest. A needle aspirate of the
mass only revealed blood, and Dr. Paul LeCompte recommended
surgical removal. Alex had a great deal of discomfort
following the surgery; Barbara slept on the floor with her
for two nights.
The mass was sent for evaluation
by a pathologist; the results indicated a
well-differentiated chondrosarcoma, a malignant tumor of
cartilage that can spread or be invasive locally. (Cancer
cells that are not well-differentiated are usually thought
to be more likely to metastasize. The fact that it was well
differentiated indicated it might be less likely to
spread.)
Chest radiographs (x-rays) in
mid-May revealed no evidence of spread to the lungs, but
Alex was back at the clinic in early June when she
exhibited weakness in her front legs and a reluctance to go
up stairs. Dr. LeCompte and Barbara decided to treat Alex's
signs with low-dose steroids, and she responded well over
the next two months.
Early in October, Barbara called
to say it appeared the tumor was returning to the previous
site. Dr. LaCompte saw Alex and agreed. At that time, the
prognosis was that Alex had a few months left, and they
resolved to keep her comfortable and to enjoy her remaining
time. Later that month, Barbara stopped in to ask me if
there was anything else she could do to improve the quality
(and perhaps the quantity) of time Alex had remaining. She
was familiar with herbs and used them in a variety of ways,
so she wondered if herbs or other therapies might help
Alex.
We agreed on an initial course of
vitamins, holistic remedies, and a recommendation to
contact Susan Spalter, a registered TTouch practitioner in
Mason. They also began using coenzyme Q-10, alfalfa, and
shark cartilage. Barbara said that within one week, friends
remarked that Alex seemed so much better — more alert,
happy, and playful.
TTouch therapy
By Susan Spalter
Early in November, I met with
Barbara and Alex at Kings Veterinary Hospital for their
first TTouch session. The first session involved certain
touches to help calm Alex and Barbara. After Alex was calm,
specific touches for improving circulation, reducing
inflammation, and pain management were instituted. All
agreed that Alex arrived as a tired, somewhat anxious dog
and left more relaxed with that typical Golden smile.
Barbara noted that when she
performed TTouch at home, Alex inevitably relaxed and went
to sleep. She would wake up refreshed and more interested
in play and food. Alex soon learned to nudge Barbara when
she came home from work — to let her know it was time for
the touches.
Unfortunately, relief was
short-lived. The tumor continued tog row rapidly and the
quality of Alex's life was compromised. In mid-November,
Alex was put to sleep.
Barbara stressed the importance of
TTouch and the alternative healing methods that were used
in helping her and Alex. “I felt like I was a member of
the team caring for Alex and making a difference with the
TTouch,” she said. “TTouch reinforced the bond between
Alex and me. I felt the vitamins and other therapy improved
the quality of Alex's life. Even the morning I had to take
her to the veterinarian, Alex still wanted to play ball.
Every morning she was ready and waiting for her peanut
butter and pills and every evening she was ready for a good
TTouch session. It reduced stress for Alex and for me.”
Barbara still uses TTouch on
Heidi, her Schnauzer, initially for grief and now for
Heidi's jealousy over Annie, her new Golden sister.
Dr. April Linville is a
veterinarian In the Cincinnati, OH USA area; Susan Spalter
is a licensed TTouch practitioner in Mason. They will
periodically contribute further pieces about TTouch and
other alternatives to be used in conjunction with
traditional veterinary medicine to benefit dogs.
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TTouch helps end submissive
urination
Maggie doesn't piddle in fear any more
When I moved into my fiancé's
place in December, I was excited and nervous about
building our life together. I knew there would be
many changes and challenges, but the rewards would
always be worth the compromise. What I hadn't
anticipated was that our first challenge would be
Maggie, my 15-month-old Shih Tzu.
Maggie was wonderful and
affectionate and loving with me, but Eric was used to
big dogs — Golden Retrievers to be specific. Eric
said that when we moved into a bigger house, he was
going to get a "real dog. While Eric was very
good to Maggie, I know she had to sense that she
wasn't measuring up.
This atmosphere in the new
house created some new behaviors for Maggie. Not only
would she exhibit submissive urination when we came
home or when someone new arrived, but sometimes Eric
would call her name and she would just start peeing
wherever she was. This created a lot of stress for
Maggie and for Eric and me as well. I was anxious to
have everything go well upon moving in, and this
little black dog urinating all over Eric's white
carpet was not conducive to a heavenly home. I was
becoming defensive of Maggie and angry with Eric for
having such an effect on my dog.
Eric really did try to work
through it. We tried everything we could think of:
having Eric and Maggie spend more play time together,
soft voices, etc. -- but nothing worked. Then I ran
into my friend Susan Spalter who does Tellington
Touch. I had forgotten all about this work. This
would be perfect. And there would be nothing to lose.
Things were stressful and I didn't want to be in a
position to choose between my dog and my future
husband.
I told Eric about Tellington
Touch and how I thought Susan could help us, but I
would need his full commitment for three weeks. He
was willing to try. So off we went for three
sessions, one each week, in January. Susan lives more
than 25 miles away and I looked forward to the
journey every time. The payback was immediate.
Susan shared the simple
touches with us. When Susan tried to demonstrate the
touches on Maggie, she started out squirmy and wasn't
too cooperative. But by the second day of doing the
touches at home, she would sit still patiently and
let the magic happen.
Susan's advice that only
Eric do the touches for the first couple of weeks
really paid off. The first week, Eric spent 10-15
minutes twice each day working with Maggie. The
relationship between the two changed dramatically.
They became buddies. Maggie would hang out near
Eric's feet, and he was much more inclined to be
affectionate with her. The submissive urination
didn't go away the first week, but it did decrease.
We still had problems when we returned home and when
guests arrived.
The second week we learned
more touches and had a bigger repertoire to pull
from. By now, I could join in the TTouch practice
sessions, but Eric still needed to be active. We were
still doing two 10-minute sessions per day. We also
started working with Maggie on her commands and
introduced new tricks such as “rollover.” It was
fun for all of us.
In addition, Susan suggested
that I ignore Maggie for 10-15 minutes after I return
home from work. This time would give Maggie a chance
to gain control of herself while she was still in her
crate. Susan also suggested that we document every
incident of submissive urination. It sounded silly
but it was incredibly helpful. We realized that Eric
though that Maggie was very unreliable and my
impression was that she almost never had a problem.
The documentation clearly showed that her behavior
was somewhere in-between.
By the third week, the
submissive urination had almost stopped. We cut back
to three days a week for the TTouch sessions. Today
we still have little challenges with submissive
urination when I return from a long business trip or
when we have a new guest with a loud voice. Whenever
these stresses op up, Eric and I have confidence in
the Tellington Touch process to spend a couple of
days a week doing touch sessions and we're back on
solid -- and dry -- ground. Best of all, Maggie loves
it.
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Original
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Updated
12-31-03 |
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