A Better Day

Yesterday I revisited the handsome Zorro and we had a much better session.

Zorro had been to his socialization class earlier in the day and was over stimulated. I was glad to see he was able to leave that behind him and was far more relaxed and calm with me.

This time I worked with him alone in the back yard for a bit. He wore his TTouch Body Wrap and was fitted with a Step In Harness. Zorro was still an excited boy as we worked but with touches and a couple quick time-outs he was a willing student.

One way I worked on calming Zorro was to do some walking Touches. He was too excited to hold still so we'd walk and do a few touches and walk some more.

I'd set up some cones for us to use and a small ladder to step through. Zorro did really well with the cones and needed some coaxing to go through the ladder.

Toward the end of the session Jan came out and I showed her how to use the Super Balance Leash.

We talked about options for making his walks more thoughtful without having to use all the cones & poles. Jan is able walk him around trees and rocks, over different textures and do things out of the norm.

Today I got an update from Jan and she has incorporated a lot of what we talked about already today. I think Zorro is really set up on a path for success!

Iggy - Session 3

Tonight we continued to stretch Iggy's comfort zone.

I set up the backyard before Iggy came out by spreading a blue sheet on the ground and tossing a lead and a body wrap on it. These are things Iggy is not comfortable with and were certain to get a reaction from him. In addition to the sheet, his Foster Mom had a friend over that works in the rescue with her. So he had 3 people to keep an eye on.

We were all hanging out on the back porch when Iggy came out to join us. As soon as he noticed the set up in the yard he did his slow laps around the fence line. This is a typical nervous behavior for him. During this time I tossed treats on the sheet and some more on the scary things (wrap & lead) and I went back to the porch to talk.

I watched as Iggy ate the easy treats and tried to lean over to get others without actually stepping on the sheet. Soon he gave in and walked on the sheet to get treats. I was pleased to see him walk on a new and different surface.

Dobby was out with us and we all moved to the sheet and settled in. Iggy would come to me and get touches and treats. I held the wrap in one hand and asked him to touch. He'd touch the wrap with his nose and then get a treat from my other hand. I would make the wrap bigger each time by dropping more out of my hand, making it longer. We continued the game and at one point Iggy ran away but quickly returned.

As frightened as Iggy gets he is also just as curious. This curiosity confuses me sometime. Last week he was super curious about the lead and after some time we clipped one to his collar only to have him freeze. Tonight something similar happened. He was curious with the wrap. I did touches on him with the wrap folded in my hand and he also touched it with his nose for treats. At one point I draped it over his back a couple times and he was fine with it. Then I took the end and wrapped a 1/4 wrap and he was okay for about 5-10 seconds. Just as I was about to take it off he ran. I gave him a minute or so to come back but he didn't. He stayed hidden behind the patio. I went behind the patio slowly and talked softly while removing his wrap and encouraged him to come out and join us again.

Iggy came back to the sheet and allowed touches. At this point I gave him a complete break and we brought out his buddy, Ben. Ben was fitted with a harness and the Super Balance Lead and we walked around the yard. Iggy walked with us. Ben would stop and Iggy would stop. We would walk and so would Iggy. He interacted with us and sat for touches. He would interact with the lead while it was on Ben. Iggy will be a perfect "off lead" dog when we are done!

The session ended with Iggy getting lots of touches~ He allowed touch all over. I did mouth work, raccoons on the feet, python lifts and a little tail work. When I stopped for him to process he made it clear he wanted more! If I didn't know better I'd have sworn at a few points that Iggy was cuddling with me! He was really leaning his body into me and also would walk away and come back seconds later.

Although he isn't okay with a wrap or lead yet I'm amazed at how well he is responding to the TTouches! I wonder if the effect on his central nervous system will help him become more confident and more accepting of a wrap and lead down the road.

As we booked our next appointment I'd switched gears and was focusing on Nicole and reached for my day timer. I'm not sure which I notice first, that I'd made a fast move with Iggy close by or the fact that he didn't react. He came over and looked at my book and was fine. This is the same boy that was frightened of a pen not that long ago.

When it was time to leave Nicole had put the dogs in their crates in the living room. As we talked she mentioned that Iggy wasn't barking at me. Apparently it is his custom to bark at people while in his crate. Tonight he was lying in there completely at rest and peaceful.

I'm learning so much from Iggy and can tell there is so much more that he plans on teaching me.

Plan "C" ??

We have all heard how important it is to have a Plan "B". This is nothing new.

Today I needed my Plan "B".

Plan "A" was to work with Zorro on some ground work at a near-by grassy area. Yesterday they forecasted a 75% chance of rain through the end of today! Nooooo! Not rain when I want to work with Zorro outside!

Well rain it did...and it rained hard, it hailed and we had thunder. Common sense said we should reschedule. My desire to work with Zorro jumped at the opportunity to "do what we can" in the garage.

I loaded up the truck with poles and cones and off I went in the pouring rain. Thankfully the sun had broken through the black clouds, somewhat. I set up my star and cones and then put a wrap on Zorro and fitted him with a harness. All of this was fine with Zorro after some initial jumping. Keeping in mind the reason I'm working with Zorro is because he is a very exuberant boy I didn't put much stock in the jumping and mouthing.

About the time we were ready to hit the mini course we noticed a Chihuahua running off lead through around the neighborhood, right out in front of the house where we intended to work. Zorro was quickly whisked away to the side yard while Jan, Kathy and I try to round up the rogue Chi.

When we bring Zorro back we find he is way over the top excited. He is jumping, spinning, mouthing and completely out of balance and out of his body. Thinking the star was too much for him I broke it down to a simple zig zag on the grass. That did not resolve the issue.

Realizing that ground work in the front yard was counter productive we decided to take him in the back and repeat the leash work that was so successful last time.

Zorro still was highly agitated and nothing I was doing was calming him down. Thinking maybe too many of us were with him Jan and Kathy left me alone with Zorro. He was not standing for the lead at all so I tried to calm him with slow touches and some easy walking in the yard without a lead. I rewarded him for calmness when it occurred.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize things weren't going well so I called it quits for the day. Calling it quits was Plan "C".

In discussing what was different this time we realized that the thunder really upset him and then the excitement of the loose Chihuahua and add to that our own stress levels about there being a loose dog on the street. Zorro did not have things lined up for him to be successful. It made sense to call off the session and let him recoup.

We will get together and try again next Saturday. If we have more rain and thunder we will reschedule :-)

United She Stands

Honey and Becca

Have you ever seen a sweeter pair of sisters? Though they look similar they couldn't be more different. Honey is a very confident and outgoing girl and Becca is more timid and unsure. When Becca is with Honey she is very comfortable and functions quite well. If you remove her from her sister she struggles a bit.

Becca will be 8 years old in March and came to live with Kerry when she was only 5 months old. Adopted from a local shelter her exact background isn't certain but it is believed that she ran free as a feral dog with her momma those first 5 months.

Kerry has worked very hard with Becca. There was a time she was so frightened she had to be carried outside to go potty. She is afraid to be in the car and to this day will lay on the floor board with her head under the seat as far as it will go.

This is how frightened Becca used to be in the car,
she is stuck under the break.

Becca is so bonded with Honey that Kerry has concerns what will happen to her if the time comes that they no longer have Honey in their lives.

Yesterday I had my first session with Becca. We meet once before at a TTouch one-day workshop I hosted. Kerry and Becca met me outside the house and we reacquainted. Inside, we visited with both Becca and Honey.

In order to progress with Becca we put Honey in another room. Because Becca was unsure of the wrap I progressed slowly. First draping the wrap across her body and then a loop here or there until she actually wore the wrap. I did some slow touches on her and then invited her to go outside on a walk.

Using a Balance Leash Plus I led her outside and we took her normal and comfortable path through the neighborhood. Becca was stretching, she was stretching her comfort zone. Not only was she away from Honey but I was walking her rather than Kerry. I asked her to stop and go along our walk and she did fantastic. During the stops we did touches and had a treat or two.

Kerry decided to stretch Becca a tad more and dropped behind on the walk to see what would happen. Becca did really well. We walked on quite a bit, stopping and starting, before she discovered Kerry was pretty far behind. When she did notice she was not visibly upset. Becca kept turning and looking to make sure Kerry was there but was not overly concerned and still willing to walk with me.

Many times when a dog is overly stressed they will have an "Anxiety Poo" but that never happened with Becca. We finished up our walk and headed back in the house for lovin' TTouches and reunited Becca and Honey! That was enough for one day.

Our next step is to find somewhere we can set up the Confidence Course and let it work its magic with Becca.

You gotta stretch!

Iggy and I

No, I'm not teaching yoga classes :-) To grow and improve you have to stretch beyond your comfort zone.

I've been thinking of Iggy and wondering what would be the best and safest way to get him to stretch a little bit without setting him back. One idea kept popping up over and over. Iggy loves dogs and has many friends in his foster home. What if I worked with his friends and he observed? I'd think of it as successful if we could do this without him running around in circles and hiding. But if he did I needed to be ready to step back and try something else.

The other thing I rethought was my equipment. Usually I bring a suitcase on wheels with everything I might need. Last time I left it in the kitchen and went to the yard to meet Iggy with only my treat bag. This time I'd stretch it just a bit. I packed a few things in my net bag. A camera, a couple wraps, a harness & lead.

One of the first dogs to greet me was Dobby. She is a "Compassion Dog". This is a new term to me and I learned it is a dog that was slated to die at the shelter. Maybe it is a behavior issue or maybe medical...or both. In Dobby's case it is age and a neurological issue that keeps her from walking correctly and she falls down when she gets excited. A Compassion Dog is pulled from the shelter and they live in a loving foster home until it is time. It may be days, weeks or longer. But they know a home life and have a good time before they go.

The other dog was Darla. A very loving girl that enjoys lots of kisses.

Together we all went into the back yard to greet Iggy. To my delight Iggy came right up to me to see what Darla was getting out of my treat bag. He looked at me, took a treat and halfheartedly ran away. I smiled.

The first new thing for Iggy was my net bag and he wasn't concerned with it. Next I put scrunchies on Dobby's back feet to see if it would help her walking any. That meant I had to pick up the bag, dig through it and pull out something else that was new and put those on his friend's feet. He watched all this.

After putting scrunchies on her feet we put a body wrap on Darla. Iggy watched all we were doing.

To get him used to my small camera I held it out to him with treats on it! He came right up and ate the goodies right off the camera. After that I was free to take his picture.

Nicole recently took in 4 puppies that had been dumped at the shelter. They are skinny with big wormy bellies. One of the pups is full of attitude and has a very intense personality so into a tiny 1" wrap he went.

But first, I had to bring the dreaded suitcase out of the car an into his yard. Who knew I'd need a 1" wrap? Know what? Iggy was okay with me bringing in the case.

Off and on Iggy would come for pets, cuddles and treats and then off again.

Nicole and I start talking about the harness and lead configurations we use in TTouch and I asked her to bring out her best shot. She brings me Big Ben :-) He is a bouncy bundle of energy.

First I walked him in a Balance Leash Plus and he did fantastic (after I got him to stop spinning).

He is a very smart boy and got my signals very quickly. Next I put him in a Super Balance Leash and off we went.

He would stop and start right on cue looking at me for direction.

Guess who else was looking? Iggy! He was very curious what we were doing. Many times Iggy was walking right along with us. Starting when we did and stopping when we did.

Here is where I'd have done things differently. Iggy was so intrigued by the lead that I asked if Nicole would like to put a leash on his collar and she agreed. He froze. The leash came off immediately and he ran and hid for about 15 seconds. We quickly recovered with an offer of treats and an invitation to join Ben and I under the tree.

I wanted him to make friends with the lead like he had the camera so I coiled it on my leg and hid treats in it. Iggy was happy to hunt for tuna fudge! The leash didn't scare him.



With that we called it a day for Iggy and put everyone in their crates to process what just happened.

Now it was Gigi's turn. She is a rescued fighting dog that loves people! She is so tender and sweet and loves to give kisses. Nicole applied what she had learned and took Gigi through some poles I added to the yard after Iggy left. Both Nicole and Gigi were quick studies!

I'm blessed to have such a fantastic group of dogs to work with all in one session!

A Day of Thankfulness

This year I have so much to be thankful for and there is a fullness in my life and heart.

Over the last few days I have taken some time to think and reflect on the past year. There seems to be more different in the past 12 months than at any other time in my life.

Embracing TTouch, its philosophies, and all it has to offer has changed me in ways I never imagined. What started out as a way to help our precious Sammi walk again without surgery has fully integrated itself into every aspect of my entire being.

This past year I set out to become a TTouch Practitioner. I have a vision of teaching workshops in shelters and to individuals that want a kinder and more loving way to work with their pets. In the beginning I had doubts that I could do this. What do I know about dogs other than our own 3 French Bulldogs? How will we fund this undertaking? How am I going to leave my family for 6-7 days at a time and go all alone to places I've never been? And, again, I would ask.....what am I thinking???

One by one I discovered that the funds will find me, I can rent a car and find my way around a place I've never been, and I can LEARN what I need to know. A very important thought hit me one day. Maybe lacking a strong history with animals just might be more to my benefit than to my detriment. I've not had time to develop bad habits. I didn't have to go through the times when rough treatment of animals was the norm to get them to "do what they are told". I came in as a clean slate with a desire to learn.

The only time I had been in a shelter was when we took Pierre, now 6 years old, to his puppy class. I now spend 5-6 hours a week helping shelter animals while they help me learn to read them, to listen to what they are telling me. I've learned that Pit Bulls are just a dog, just like any other dog....only more misunderstood. I've worked with tiny baby Chihuahuas and a big beautiful English Mastiff, and I think just about everything in between.

So here we are 8 months after my first class. In March, 2010 I plan on taking the magical session 4 in Portland, Oregon (again) with Kathy Cascade (again) and become certified as a Practitioner in Training just one year after I set foot on my new path. Who would have thought?

Steve has been fantastic all along the way. I couldn't do this without his encouragement and support. He is so good to sacrifice so we have the money for classes, travel and equipment. He minds the home front while I train, work in the shelter and take on private case studies. I couldn't ask for a better partner and friend in life.

I'm in awe of the gift that Linda Tellington-Jones has given the world. Linda has truly taught us that we CAN talk to the animals and they CAN talk to us.

Photos of Iggy!

A special Thank You goes out to Iggy's foster mom, Nicole. I really wanted everyone to see what an adorable boy Iggy is and asked if she had any pics of him I could post....and here he is!!

This is how happy Iggy is in the comfort of his home, his yard and with his people. I really hope we can get him to look this happy most, if not all, of the time. This little boy is inside of the frightened boy I met Friday night.

Together, Nicole and I are going to encourage him to come out and play with us more and more.

Here is what Iggy looked like when he was released from his bondage in the woods of Michael Vick's fighting compound in Virginia. He was over a year old but not yet 2. He had been tied up in the woods where he could hear all the fighting, possibly see the executions and had no socialization.

Looks like he is just wishing everyone would go away!

I hope you will keep Nicole, Iggy and I in your thoughts and prayers as we teach him that life...and NEW things and people...can be very good!