What is Tellington Touch?
Tellington Touch for Dogs is a method originated by Linda Tellington-Jones in the 1970s. Ms. Tellington-Jones grew up around animals and worked training horses for several years. She started developing her method of using touch to reteach and enhance training and health in horses and later in all animals. She has several books on the market, one of which, is “The Tellington TTouch,” which I just finished. You can find out more about her through this link to her website.
How does it work?
I have to make a disclaimer here. I am just learning about this approach, so I don’t have much personal experience to pass on. At least not yet. I’m fascinated by how it’s explained and the situations I’ve read about and will be applying what I learn to our dogs, horses, and humans. Etc.
Basically, Tellington Touch for dogs works on a cellular level to help cells heal themselves. As the practitioner applies circles and other hand motions, the nervous system and the acupressure meridians are also affected.
The hand motions might remind you of massage, but this isn’t massage. Instead of going deep to work muscles, the focus is on moving the skin. The idea was that engaging in non-habitual movement could activate unused neural pathways, therefore expanding the potential to learn and ease the pain.
While her foundation was with horses, the TTouch method that Ms. Tellington-Jones developed expanded from horses to include all animal species. The book I read referred to all animals, but she has several that are specific to dogs. The idea is the same from one species to the next, however.
What can Tellington Touch for dogs help with?
Tellington Touch for dogs can help with several different issues. It can help with
- the increasing focus during training
- relieving fear and anxiety
- building trust
- relieving stress
- improving circulation
- decreasing pain and discomfort
Among others. All of these issues can be a problem for dogs and other animals. Addressing them can help with your relationship with your dog as well as their comfort and happiness.
Who can do Tellington Touch?
Pretty much anyone can learn to work with this method in a short amount of time. I’ve already started using the ideas from the books on my dogs. I have not yet taken a class, although they’re available online or in person. You can also find videos on YouTube that will help you get started.
What do my dogs think of it?
Right now, my dogs think Tellington Touch is a little weird, but we’re all getting the hang of it. Fortunately, as long as you don’t put yourself in an unsafe situation, you can’t do this wrong. Part of the training for the practitioner includes how to approach an animal safely and eventually put hands on them as they’re ready.
I plan on learning a whole lot more about this approach and will be writing new posts from time to time. Have you tried Tellington Touch for dogs? Tell me about it in the comments below.
To find out about other holistic approaches, read these posts too!
A dog chiropractor can help your dog
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