TTouch Demo with Maltese Meetup Group

Hi folks, I had the wonderful experience on Sunday of sharing TTouch with the members of a Maltese meetup group (oh yeah, there was also a Bichon who managed to sneak in as well). It was a lovely group of dogs and people, as you can see from the pictures. Many of the dogs were festively dressed and everyone got on well together.

As people were arriving, I introduced myself to some of the dogs and people, and did a few TTouches on some of the dogs. One was an older dog, with quite long fur. I showed the owner how to do hair slides, as well as a few other TTouches. The owner had had some exposure to TTouch so has been using some of the touches on her dog. This dog has arthritis, and TTouch can be very beneficial for dogs with this condition.

I shared about some of the touches, strokes and lifts used in TTouch, as well as about leash configurations, TTouch wraps and the use of a Thundershirt. Mr. Prince, who you see me with above, acted as one of my demo dogs. He is quite high-strung, and generally a pretty shy guy. His owner, Mary, started bringing him to the meetups as this was a friendly, non-threatening atmosphere in order for him to meet new dogs and become comfortable socializing with them. He generally not fond of being far from his owner so he was a little hesitant at first but as I worked on him, I felt his stress level start to come down and I felt his body start to relax against mine as he sat down next to me. I did clouded leopard touches, ear strokes, a little mouth work, and belly lifts on him. What a brave little guy. His owner sat near to where we were so that he would feel more secure. I really did feel an energy shift with him and felt his stress level drop down as we worked. I think these touches will all be very helpful for him, and the belly lift will be helpful for his stress issues as well as digestive issues, as the belly lifts help digestion as well as opening up the breath. I think use of a Thundershirt or wrap on him would be helpful as well in lowering his stress level and giving him more self-confidence.

Chaka, pictured above, belongs to Yumi, who organizes the meetup and is the one who asked me to speak. I worked with Chaka for a short time as well. She appears to be very relaxed around other dogs but her energy level in general is extremely high, as is common for these little dogs, and I felt her really relax into the touches and within just a few minutes felt her energy level shift. It is interesting how short a time it really can take to feel a change.

Above you will see all of us who were there Sunday, what a sweet group. Thanks so much for asking me to speak to you all!