Preparation
It’s important to you that your pets lead healthier, happier lives. Whether you want veterinary advice, behavioral insight, or the best-in-market pet essentials that make every day more joyful, for both you and your cat or dog, the Well-Balanced Pet offers practical tips you can use.
Even if you’ve never heard of Tellington TTouch, created by internationally recognized animal expert Linda Tellington-Jones, Ph.D. (H), others have: trainers, breeders, veterinarians, zoo personnel, animal shelter workers, and animal owners worldwide currently use this gentle yet effective method of hands-on therapeutic bodywork. Plus, there are over 1,600 certified practitioners teaching TTouch in more than 40 countries. Many kinds of animals benefit from this method: dogs, cats, horses, and other species are excellent candidates; that includes your household pet.
This method is based on mutual respect and cooperation between animal and human—basically, the idea being that you are starting a silent communication with the animal telling them that you “see them” and understand their issues. By using simple hands-on therapy, you can correct and improve behavior and physical problems.
One of the method’s core principles? Change the posture, change the behavior. “Time and time again, we have seen the powerful connection between physical, mental, and emotional balance,” Tellington-Jones explains. “All the Tellington TTouch exercises start with changing posture and mindfulness as a means to affect behavior and cooperation.”
Knowing that the second “T” in TTouch stands for trust, it’s no surprise when Tellington-Jones tells us, “Tellington TTouch deepens trust and creates a heart-to-heart, cell-to-cell, and soul-to-soul connection between humans and animals.” This method also improves behavior, enhances performance, reduces fear and pain, fosters learning, and supports good health and well-being. In the case of dogs, Tellington TTouch can help with many common canine issues, including aggressive behavior, excessive barking, car sickness, leash pulling, and problems due to aging.
The method is simple. Tellington-Jones tells us that countless people have been successful from reading a book, watching a video, or following an article on the subject. Family members of all ages can use the TTouch successfully. Plus, once you learn the basic TTouch, it’s accessible at all times.
The basic method is the “clouded leopard,” named after a clouded leopard in the Los Angeles Zoo. The “cloud” part describes the lightness with which the whole hand contacts the body, and the “leopard” describes the degree of finger pressure. This TTouch is used over the entire body to activate cellular function and cellular intelligence.
According to Tellington-Jones, this is the method: The weight of the hand rests lightly on the body with fingers lightly curved like a leopard’s paw. The pads of your fingers push the skin in one and a quarter circles in a clockwise or counter-clockwise movement. The middle finger leads. Feel the connection between your forefinger and thumb, which are held several inches apart. Keep your wrist soft. Breathing in rhythm with the circles helps maintain gentleness in the fingers, hand, arm, and shoulder. Move the skin in a circle rather than rubbing over the hair. Watch your pet’s reaction: If he or she seems uncomfortable, lighten the pressure or change the level of touch.
