Last year at Discover Dogs Tellington TTouch instructor Sarah Fisher presented a one hour lecture about TTouch and how tension and stress can effect dogs, If you did not get to see Sarah's lecture we are delighted to be able to give you the opportunity to watch the full lecture. This is a very informative video and we recommend that all dog owners should watch it.

Xtra Dog offers a full range of Tellington TTouch products including harnesses suitable for groundwork, Thundershirts, calming bands etc. Click here to checkout our TTouch range

Sarah Fisher Who brought Tellington TTouch to the UK, over 17 years ago, and who is the first Tellington TTouch Instructor in the UK, last year gave a lecture at Discover Dogs at Earls Court in London. Dog World filmed the lecture and it is now on You Tube. Click the link and watch her lecture. It is a great way to find out a little about how Tellington TTouch is such an amazing way to work with dogs. 

Tellington TTouch practitioner Janet Finlay who is also a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (no.01046) looks at the 5 things that she most likes about Tellington TTouch

Janet Finlay, TTouch practitionerTTouch is a gentle and effective training method that uses a combination of bodywork, wraps and groundwork to change a dog's behaviour. There are many things I love about it, as a way of working with animals, but these are my top five:

Its ETHOS: TTouch starts from a position of respect for the animals we work with. We do TTouch for dogs, not to them. The way we work lets the dog know that we are listening to it: we constantly observe the dog's response and adjust what we do accordingly. If the dog is uncomfortable with something that we try, we move back to a point that was accepted. We are aiming always to enable the dog to be the best it is capable of being, and we recognise that the animals we work with are the very best teachers we can have.

It's EASY TO LEARN. Anyone can learn some basic TTouch to help their dog and some of the most powerful tools it provides, are among the simplest to learn. For example, TTouch ear work can reduce shock, induce relaxation, and lower the respiratory rate, and the "Zigzag" slide is great for refocusing over-stimulated or "stuck" dogs. Yet both are touches that can be learned in minutes and done anywhere.

It EMPOWERS owners, equipping them with tools they can use on a daily basis, at home and out in the world, to help their dog. Simply doing regular TTouch helps develop a stronger bond between owner and dog, and relaxes both. This gives a firm foundation for training new behaviours and making progress.

It ENABLES dogs to move forward, to learn, to focus. It releases physical tensions in the body, reducing reactivity and increasing calm. It gives them greater self-awareness and self-control and allows them to experience alternative ways of responding to situations. Whether they have "issues" or not, TTouch helps dogs to develop confidence and fulfil their potential.

It's EFFECTIVE. It is not that it works in the same way for every dog – it is certainly not a one-size fits-all "magic wand" for all canine problems. But I have yet to meet a dog that was not helped to some degree by something from the TTouch "toolkit". Sometimes the effect is dramatic: putting on a wrap, for instance, can completely change a dog's physical and emotional response – for example, a previously reactive dog may voluntarily lie down and relax. Sometimes the effect is more gradual, for instance where a dog that was previously sensitive to touch, slowly becomes more accepting of being handled. But whether the results are immediate or develop over time, or the changes dramatic or gradual, the bottom line is that TTouch works!

Janet Finlay is a TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner 2 and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (01046). She lives in Cardiff with her partner and her two dogs, Jake, a Smooth Collie, and Mirri, a Lurcher. To find out more about Janet Finlay's work or to book onto one of her workshops, visit her website http://www.canineconfidence.com/

To read more about Tellington TTouch visit  http://www.xtradog.com/ttouch-for-your-dog.html or visit www.ttouch-tteam.co.uk

These days there is an almost overwhelming choice of equipment available, all claiming to help us walk our dogs easily and safely. Tellington TTouch practitioner Janet Finlay who is also a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers UK (no.01046) looks at the benefits of using harnesses.

A wealth of different designs of collars, head collars, and harnesses. All have their proponents who feel theirs is the right tool to help you train your dog not to pull on the lead. So how do you decide what is the best for you and your dog?

As a TTouch practitioner I always want to choose equipment that will help the dog to succeed, so I start teaching loose lead walking by fitting a good harness – one that doesn’t tighten on the dog and that has at least chest and back attachments – together with a double-ended lead.

This may seem counter-intuitive. After all, anyone who has seen a team of huskies, knows that dogs can pull pretty hard into a harness. But it is also the best tool I know to stop a dog pulling. Here are six reasons why.

1. It takes pressure off the neck.

A dog pulling into a collar around the neck pulls himself off balance and he therefore has to use you (pulling back against him) to balance himself. Pressure on the neck also restricts breathing, reducing the oxygen that reaches the brain, increasing anxiety and reactivity and reducing the ability to learn. Not to mention the risk of physical damage to the neck and spine and to the soft tissue in the throat from pulling hard into a collar. So the first thing we need to do if we want to teach a dog to walk on a loose lead is to get that pressure off his neck! A good harness means that we can take all pressure off the neck, connecting instead to the chest and/or back.

2. It allows two points of connection.
When you attach the lead to one point on the dog, when the lead tightens, the dog’s opposition reflex will mean that he pulls into it. This is the case whether the attachment is to the collar or the back of the harness, which is why attaching to the back of the harness only, encourages a dog to pull. When a dog has not yet learned to walk on a loose lead, the lead will tighten simply because his natural pace is faster than ours. But a good harness has at least two connection points, one on the chest and the other on the back, and we can connect to each of these with either end of a double-ended lead. Then, if one end of the lead tightens, we can meet that pressure and then release it, while taking up the other connection. Alternating between connections in this way means that there is nothing for the dog to pull against and the opposition reflex is not triggered.

3. It positions the dog naturally at your side.
If you want your dog to walk on a loose lead, the ideal place for it to be is beside you, matching your pace and direction. Attaching a lead to a collar or the back of a harness, positions you firmly behind the dog – in the perfect position to encourage pulling! But when you add that front connection to the harness, with two points of connection, the dog moves naturally to be positioned with his shoulder at your side. This is a much more comfortable position to walk in and does not encourage pulling, which brings us to our next point.

4. It is more comfortable for your dog.
Harnesses distribute any pressure across a much larger and less sensitive body area in the chest and flank, than the alternatives where pressure is concentrated in the neck or face. A well-fitted harness is therefore more comfortable for your dog than being led by a collar or wearing a head-collar. Combined with two points of connection, a fixed harness does not put unpleasant pressure on the dog, which makes the dog more relaxed and therefore less likely to pull. Note: harnesses that tighten on the dog work by creating an unpleasant sensation when the dog pulls, which is not comfortable and not recommended.

5. It gives you better influence and communication.
Two points of connection on a harness give you much more influence on your dog’s behaviour than a single point, and it increases your ability to communicate what you want to your dog. It can be helpful to think of the connection at the back as your “brake” and the front connection as your “steering”. If you want your dog to slow down, a gentle lift upwards (rather than backwards) on the back connection, will slow your dog without unbalancing him or triggering the opposition reflex. Direction can be communicated very clearly using the connection at the front. This allows you to use the lead gently to reinforce your verbal communication, as a cue or a signal, rather than a correction.

6. It encourages your dog to walk in balance.
Ultimately, to set your dog up to succeed in learning to walk on a loose lead, he first needs to learn to walk in his own balance, without leaning his weight against you through the lead. As we have seen, using a single point of contact on a collar works against this and encourages the dog to pull forward, putting the dog (and you!) out of balance. But using a harness with points of connection on the chest and back, encourages the dog to move his centre of gravity backwards so he is more balanced. And a dog that is physically balanced will also have better emotional balance and will therefore be better able to learn.

Once he is in that balanced position beside you, you can start to reinforce the non-pulling behaviour you want. Select what you want to reinforce – the lead being loose, your dog being in a particular position at your side – and use a clicker to mark that behaviour. You will find that it happens much more naturally and frequently using a harness in this way and he will be able to learn quickly and easily, because you have set him up to succeed. Tomorrow I will talk in more detail about the particular harnesses that work best for this.

So that is why I like to work with harnesses but what about you? Do you use harnesses? Or do you have another approach to loose lead walking that you like better? Let me know in the comments section.

Janet Finlay is a TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner 2 and a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (01046). She lives in Cardiff with her partner and her two dogs, Jake, a Smooth Collie, and Mirri, a Lurcher. website http://www.canineconfidence.com

Checkout the Xtra Dog harnesses and TTouch harnesses, ideal for this work both recommended by Janet Finlay 

TTouch Harness 

"Designed by TTouch instructor Sarah Fisher, this is an H-style harness with front and back connection rings. The back piece is shorter than most H-style harnesses, keeping the connection further forward to balance the dog and discourage pulling. Both the neck and body straps can be unclipped, so this is a great design for those dogs that don’t like things going over their heads. The harness is very adjustable, allowing adjustments on either side of the neck, on either side of the body and on the chest, and it comes in three sizes, so can fit most dogs comfortably. It comes in green and black webbing."

"I use these harnesses regularly with my own dogs and with clients and can highly recommend them. Whichever one of these harnesses you choose,  you won’t go far wrong!"

It is important that your puppy gets used to wearing a soft collar and lead as early as possible. Prepare the nervous system by stroking the area that the collar will touch, put the collar on for short periods when the puppy is occupied eating or playing. When this is accepted, attach the lead and allow pup to drag it around, distracting with a toy or titbit if the temptation to bite the lead becomes overwhelming! If your puppy is still determined to mouth the lead, a taste deterrent such as Bitter Apple sprayed onto the lead will often help to over come this.

In order to develop a good relationship with your dog, it is important that he/she feels confident to be physically handled, groomed and contained by you. A dog who lacks confidence in being handled can become very reactive. Physical and verbal praise, essential tools in the good training of a dog should always available. However, they are only valuable as rewards if you mutually respect each other and the dog values your approval and praise.

Dogs can also become very stressed when visiting the vet, groomer or boarding kennel if they are not used to being handled. Regular grooming also lets you know how your dog normally feels, so that any lumps, injuries etc. can be recognised and sorted out quickly.

There is a big difference between Restraining and Containing. The former encourages resistance and the latter encourages confidence. For example, if you pick up a paw and the dog snatches it back or starts jumping around to move away, your instinctive reaction is to grip the paw harder. This triggers the dog to pull away harder and the human to grip the paw harder in an attempt to stop this movement. The dog's next instinctive reaction is to mouth at the hand in order to release the pressure on his/her paw. This is often successful so the behaviour will be repeated when somebody tries to lift the foot again. It becomes an unpleasant experience for both. Consider a different approach.

Pick up the paw gently and if the dog tries to pull it back, go with the movement and control the temptation to grip the paw. Eventually the dog will tire of trying to move away and relax, there is no resistance from you, no discomfort so nothing to struggle against. With a little patience the dog will soon feel confident that when you pick up a paw there is nothing to worry about.

If you would like your dog to sit still, gripping tightly will trigger a struggle to fight the restraint. To contain, have the dog sit in front of you, facing away and slightly between your knees. Keep your arms relaxed and place your open palms on the dog's chest. Give a little with the movement and then gently draw the dog back to you, relaxing your hands to contain him/her in the original position. Some dogs accept this very quickly, others continue to wriggle. Stay calm and keep repeating the gentle containing movement until the dog relaxes and is happy to sit quietly with you. Handle and contain for just a few minutes daily. Stay calm and talk quietly using long, slow syllables. Reward quiet, still behaviour. If your dog wriggles and tries to turn it into a game, quietly contain to ensure that there is no reward in wriggling. Attach a lead for this exercise until the dog has confidence to accept handling. It will avoid the temptation to grab at any movement away. You can quietly pick up the end of the lead instead. When the dog is still and accepts your handling make sure you let him/her know how pleased you are with treats and quiet praise.

Most animals hold tension in one part or another of their body. These areas can become very sensitive to touch. Run the back of your hand all over your dog. Take a mental note if he/she wiggles, moves away or looks around at an area you have just touched. Take note of any areas of heat or cold. Does the coat feel rough in some areas and soft in others perhaps?

Now you are ready to try Tellington TTouch  (More detailed information about Tellington TTouch can be found in the TTouch section of the Dogucation Zone) in an area that the dog finds safe and comfortable. If there are any areas of your dog's body sensitive to touch, quietly reassure by touching in an area which he/she finds comfortable. Now very briefly do a TTouch in a more sensitive area. Quickly return to TTouch the comfy area - almost before the dog realises what has happened. The nervous system will have registered that TTouch. Repeat this over short sessions until the area ceases to be sensitive. Your dog will soon become accustomed to being handled all over, ears, mouth, feet, under the tail etc. When grooming, it is important to use a soft brush in the beginning. This avoids the possibility of injury if the dog makes a sudden movement before he/she is confident with being handled. 

Tethering

It is also worth training your dog to be tethered from an early age.

When he/she is used to wearing a collar and lead, tether the dog (make sure you use a quick release knot) and sit on the floor just out of reach. Click and drop a treat on the floor within reach of the dog when he/she is quiet. Ignore whines or barks, turn your head away and stay silent. Ensure that you breathe calmly to ensure that your body does not tense up.

Slowly build up the time by delaying the click. Keep the sessions as short as possible, aim for success. As the dog gains confidence, gradually increase the distance that you move away.

When this is accepted, pop out of sight. If the exercise has been built up slowly and consistantly the dog should remain calm so that a helper standing nearby can reward. There are times in every dog's life when tethering may be neccessary for a few minutes, especially in an emergency. However, this can be very distressing if a dog is not used to it.

Training Your Dog to Accept a Muzzle

It is useful to teach your dog to wear a muzzle by training a positive association with it. You never know when the dog might become ill or injured and react defensively from fear to neccessary handling for veterinary treatement. If he/she is used to wearing a muzzle it is one less area of stress for both dog and owners. I prefer the plastic, basket style of muzzle with a hole at the end to post treats through. This type still allows the dog to open his/her mouth comfortably to pant, eat and drink.

Allow the dog to sniff and look at the muzzle, rewarding with tasty treats. Clicker Training can really speed up the process of your dog forming a good association with the muzzle.

Place a treat just inside the muzzle and allow the dog to take it out.

Progress slowly until you are able to post a treat through the hole in the end of the muzzle and your dog will put his/her nose right inside to take it.

Progress by gently holding the straps behind the dog's ears as he takes the treat. If he panics and tries to shake off the muzzle, with hold the treat and allow him to shake it off. Do not attempt to correct the dog verbally or hold the muzzle on. The dog will quickly learn to accept the slight restriction in order to get the treat.

Only do up the straps behind the dogs ears when he is comfortable with putting his/her nose into the muzzle calmly and accepting it.

Continue to occasionally put the muzzle on at home and feed tasty treats so that it is most often associated with pleasant experiences for your dog.

Marie Miller is recognised as one of the UK's leading dog trainers, a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers' UK (no 0130) and a Tellington TTouch Practitioner (P3), she also has 2 books in print, co-authored with Sarah Fisher. Marie teaches, lectures and does dog related demonstrations around the UK. Marie is also technical consultant to Xtra Dog. Marie's also runs her Coventry based puppy and dog training school Paws 'n' Learn, teaches UK Rally and is a co-founder (with Sarah Fisher) and lecturer on the new Cool To Be Kind training courses - to find out more about Marie, visit her website www.pawsnlearn.com

Suggested Equipment (click on the link below to find out more)

Clickers

Spiffy Dog Collar

Training Leads

Thundershirt

Soft Crate

Further Reading

100 Ways to Train The Perfect Dog by Marie Miller and Sarah Fisher

100 Ways to Solve Your Dogs Problems by Marie Miller and Sarah Fisher

Depending on the severity of your dog’s travel anxiety, a Thundershirt alone may be enough to solve your issues. The use of Thundershirt alone has eliminated or significantly reduced symptoms such as severe shaking, panting, excitability, barking and even vomiting. But there are also easy steps you can take to further help your dog to be a happy traveller. See overleaf for a training program and training video. We have also provided answers to a variety of common questions for travel anxiety.