OVERCOMING PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR WITH TTOUCH

BY SARAH FISHER

In reality, most canine problems are usually more of a problem for the owner and society rather than the actual dog itself. Many dog behaviours that may be unwanted and/or unpleasant as far as we are concerned may have actually served the dog well and unless he is given the motive and the opportunity to learn an alternative behaviour he is unlikely to change. His behaviour(s) may have helped him to feel/stay safe, deal with stress, reduce boredom, control certain aspects of his life, obtain food, keep any potential threat at bay and so on.

Naturally, any behaviour that upsets society or other companions in his life can have a detrimental effect on the dog but it is important that you separate your own emotions from the behaviour that you would like to change and understand that in order to change your dog's behaviour you may need to teach him an alternative behaviour instead such as sitting quietly when he greets a visitor instead of jumping up. You will need to focus on teaching your dog what he can do, rather than constantly telling him what he can't do and you may need to make changes to the management of the dog as environment, poor diet, allergies, stress, lack or mental and physical stimulation, noise sensitivity and so on can all contribute to problem behaviours.

If you to need to enlist the help of a professional who can help you on a one to one basis avoid anyone who uses aversive techniques including pinning, hitting, shocking, choking or hanging your dog by his collar. Training techniques that use punishments can increase aggression and depression in dogs and they do not address potential underlying causes of problem behaviours such as stress, tension, pain or fear. They are also desperately outdated and cruel. It is far kinder to use positive reinforcement to teach the dog how we would like him to behave in the world we have created for him and a combination of Tellington TTouch and clicker training can bring about the most extraordinary changes in dogs regardless of their age and breed. Both are fun to learn, highly effective and are pleasant and rewarding for you and your dog.

TTouch is a unique method of working with dogs that has formed a vital part of the rehabilitation and retraining process for countless dogs world wide. It recognises an inextricable link between posture and behaviour and observing the dog's body language, his responses to stimuli and noting any patterns of bracing in the body enables you to gain a deeper understanding of your dog even if his history is sketchy or unknown. The aim is to release tension, lower heart rate and respiration and to improve the posture of the dog using a combination of body work and groundwork. This gives the dog a new experience and changes his expectation which in turn helps him to over ride his habitual, and often instinctive, responses. By recognising early signs of stress and tension patterns in the body that may be triggering the behaviour, you can help your dog develop greater confidence and self control and take any necessary steps to reduce your dogs anxiety or lower his arousal levels before his behaviour escalates.

Clicker training is an excellent way to teach your dog how you would like him to behave. Any appropriate behaviour is marked with a click from a small mechanical device followed by a reward; usually a small piece of food. Dogs naturally repeat the behaviours that resulted in the reward and verbal cues such as 'sit', 'leave', 'look at me' and so on are only added once the dog is consistently offering the desired behaviour. Clicker training encourages the dog to use his brain and can be used to shape all kinds of behaviour including fun tricks and games resulting in a dog that is mentally and physically stimulated as well as calm and under control.

Skipper, who features in this article, is a classic example of many dogs that TTouch Practitioners see. He had multiple problems and was already on his second home even though he was only young. He disliked being groomed, chased horses, was wary of strangers and would bite if touched by people unknown to him. He was also reactive around other dogs and would lunge and bark at any dog that passed him by. His new owners were desperate and had enlisted the help of a trainer who advocated a variety of useless techniques. They thought they would have to re-home the little terrier as they thought that he could not be helped. Fortunately for Skipper, his devoted owners discovered TTouch and I had the pleasure of working with this delightful terrier and his owners Meryl and Colin.

Sadly many people still label the type of behaviours Skipper displayed as dominance but nothing could be further from the truth. His owners knew he had been desperately under socialised in his first home and also knew that he had not had much opportunity for exercise or training. This lack of education, boredom, and insecurity spells trouble for most dogs and Skipper was typical of a defensive, tense and nervous dog who was utterly overwhelmed by the big wide world. His new owners had sensibly muzzle trained their little dog and this is imperative if there is any risk that a dog will bite another dog or human.

Even though Skipper was muzzled I asked Meryl to start gently stroking him with a fake hand. When working with a defensive and/or timid dog it is important that the person the dog trusts the most is the one to introduce anything new to help him feel as safe as possible as the majority of reactive behaviours are based in fear. Using fake hands (or the long dressage schooling sticks we call wands) to initiate contact with a defensive animal, enables us to stay at an acceptable distance from them and can change the animals expectation of what human contact may mean.

Once a dog is happy to be stroked by his owner with the fake hand, we then progress to stroking the dog ourselves with the hand. If it is acceptable for us to then handle the dog ourselves we then progress to gentle TTouch body work. Contact with the back of the hand is far less threatening to a nervous and/or defensive dog as the heat from the palm of the hand may be more intimidating. We stay to the side of the dog and avoid leaning over him, which may make him feel trapped and trigger defensive behaviours. We feel for any areas of tension, temperature changes through the body and any changes in the texture of the coat. Nervous dogs that hide away will generally have tension through the hindquarters and tail and may have cold feet and ear tips whilst those that move forward to bite when stressed will often have tension through the neck, back and hindquarters with a high or rigid head and tail set. They may also have hot spots on the head and in the middle of the back.

The slow, rhythmical TTouches have a powerful effect on the nervous system. They release tension, increase trust and encourage deep breathing and we work in short sessions giving the dog plenty of breaks to allow him time to process the information we are giving him.

If a dog has any concerns about being touched, we start with ground work. It is preferable to use a harness and two points of connection with a double clipped lead as tension on the collar will increase stress in the dog. We may teach the owner how to lead the dog over patterns of poles on the ground, over different surfaces, a low level see saw, raised boards and so on to improve physical balance which in turn improves mental and emotional balance. Alternatively we may take the dog through the groundwork ourselves or support him on the other side with a second lead attached to another point on a harness. It just depends on the dog. Negotiating the ground work obstacles increases flexibility in the body and encourages more considered movement and thought. This combination of exercises interspersed with slow gentle Ear Slides, circular TTouches, slides and lifts can have a miraculous effect.

This approach worked well for Skipper, he began to settle, and relax enabling me to remove his muzzle and continue building his confidence through further clicker training and TTouch. His posture changed dramatically and his eyes softened. When a horse appeared he adopted his defensive chase posture immediately but recovered quickly as I used the gentle TTouches on his body and within a very short space of time he was able to sit next to me quietly observing the horse as it walked around him.

It isn't always necessary to train each unwanted behaviour out of dogs as behaviours are usually linked. As the dog learns to settle and to relax with the body work and groundwork exercises, he begins to make more appropriate choices which can be marked with the clicker and rewarded with a variety of tidbits, verbal praise, physical contact or a game. I worked with Skipper over two sessions and his owners also took him to their local TTouch Practitioner Garry Hinton who continued with the work and the result is a happy, friendly, outgoing dog who has many friends and admirers. Here is an update from his owners.

Dear Sarah,

Skip has come such a long way since we first met you and we thought we would give you an update on his progress as we approach the end of the year. We no longer visit Garry because we don't need to!!

We are now able to take him out without the muzzle and let him off lead in the company of other dogs. He plays happily with all sizes, colours and breeds and is even happy to share his toys (!!!!) but still returns to us when called. He also loves to swim in the ponds, even in the chilliest of weather. He also now stands quietly while the horses with riders pass and ignores all the wild ponies and cattle grazing on the heath.

He allows us to hold his paws to trim his nails and happily stands to be bathed and groomed.

The opportunity to introduce him to children has been limited but he is firm friends with the 8 year old daughter of a close friend of ours.

It truly was a fortuitous day when we met you and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Skip means so much to Trevor and I. Having him around has helped me so much and he is now the root of so much fun and laughter in our home I can't bear to think that we were on the verge of having to re-home him when we met you.

We are looking forward to starting classes with him and trying to teach him all the skills in your great new book. Meryl

Pictures © Bob Atkins courtesy of David and Charles Publishing Ltd

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