What Is Tellington Touch?

I often get asked to answer the question "What is Tellington Touch

? Is it a training method, a behavioral method or a physical method?" The answer is, "Yes!"

TTouch is a holistic approach to the training, behavior and care of all animals. One aspect of an animal's life affects all the aspects of their life so we don't ignore any one part.

TTouch is based in the human Feldenkrais work so our goal is always to bring a sense of balance to an animal be that mental, emotional, or physical. When any being has tension in their body, it changes who they are and how they move and act. You know how you feel on the days when you have a tension headache. It changes your mood, your gait and you seek out relief. With TTouch, we can do this for animals as well.

I get called in to help with animals who are not coping within their world very successfully. This can manifest in leash pulling, anxiety - either general or situation specific, and reactivity, as well as physical issues from injury. It is also helpful during palliative care. In all of these situations, the animal is out of balance in some way and we strive to help the animal correct that through positive, respectful, co-operation and by using non-habitual movements to create new neural pathways in the brain.

The backbone of TTouch, that most people recognize, is our movement of the animal's skin in a circle and a quarter. By moving the skin in this fashion, it helps to release tension, activates the cells of the body and brings awareness of their body to the animal. This helps with focus as well as relaxation and pain relief.

A relaxed and focused animal is an animal that thinks, not reacts. They are much better able to deduce if a situation is actually harmful or scary, and can self soothe or problem solve. In people we tend to call this Coping Skills. When you have that tension headache we mentioned, and the boss is on your back, and you just spilled your coffee on yourself, how embracing are you of the next challenge that comes along in your day? Our animals can be similar.

Some of the less recognized methods that TTouch practitioners use to help create those new neural pathways are by asking the animal to walk through obstacles while helping them to stay in physical balance using harnesses and special leashes. We ask that they maneuver through these obstacles slowly, with concentration. This can be very challenging if you are an animal that is unsure or have some physical ailment. By asking the animal to negotiate the obstacles, their brain learns how to best use their body in space, like the football player who takes ballet.

TTouch is such a great, gentle, multipurpose modality. It takes the entire animal into consideration and can help with training issues, behavioral issues and physical issues, often doing all three at once.

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by: William Greenbaum

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