How You Can Help Your Animal

TTEAM and TTouch offer real value for money. You can learn how you can help your animal by attending a workshop or by working with a local Practitioner on a one to one basis.

One to One Sessions

You can call your local Practitioner and ask them to visit your home or take your animal to the Practitioner. All qualified Practitioners work on a one to one basis. Costs vary depending on area and skill level and there may be some travel costs as well. Most Practitioners only charge between £25.00 - £35.00 per session. You will be shown TTouches and leading exercises if appropriate that you can do to help your companion animal overcome a variety of problems. Many clients see a change in their pet within the first session although this obviously depends on the longevity of the problem and possible contributory factors.

Costs for a one to one session at Tilley Farm and in the Bath/Bristol area, for companion animals and horses, by arrangement. Travelling costs may be added if the animal is unable to come to Tilley Farm and lives outside a 10 mile radius from the farm.

Workshops

You could also attend a workshop. Practitioners qualified to Level 1 and above teach one day workshops and those qualified to Practitioner Level 2 teach two day workshops. Costs vary depending on the skill level of the Practitioner and the area. Many people who attend our workshops go on to train as Practitioners.

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TTouch for Reptiles and Wildlife

One of the many unique attributes of TTouch is that it can be used on all species. The TTouches help to reduce stress, fear and timidity and promotes calm, self-confidence and relaxation in both the animal and the handler. By offering an alternative to dominant and forceful handling techniques, TTouch can be used on reptiles, wildlife and exotic species to minimise the stress of human contact in rescue and rehabilitation as well as giving handlers and owners valuable tools to help create a unique partnership with the animal in their care whether it be a snake, a tortoise, an owl, a parrot or a bearded dragon. TTouch techniques are invaluable for animals where previous inappropriate handling or lack of socialisation has resulted in defensive reactions towards people or other animals.

TTouch can enable an animal to move beyond its instinctive responses. By using simple steps to help animals overcome habitual or learned responses to human contact, the majority of animals respond quickly to this unique approach.

TTouch in Rehabilitation

Where contact with humans needs to be minimal and as stress free as possible some of the simple body TTouches such as Ear Work can be used whilst the animal is receiving veterinary care.

TTouch does not create an unwanted dependency on human contact. In cases where human contact must be kept to a minimum to ensure a successful rehabilitation, the TTouches and techniques are used to reduce stress and shock in the sick or injured animal to enable appropriate human interaction to take place without causing further distress.

TTouch Tools

A variety of tools can be used to initiate contact with the animal.

Great emphasis is placed on approaching the animal with care and respect to allow it to become accustomed to human contact in small stages. By working with a step-by-step approach, TTouch allows an animal to think through each process so that it can learn to trust not only the human but its own ability to communicate. Simply forcing contact on an animal causes stress, encourages the animal to 'shut down' and can exacerbate the defensive cycle of behaviour.

Animals respond well to a variety of different textures. Paintbrushes, wands (schooling sticks for horses) and feathers have been used successfully in many situations to initiate contact with the animal. They enable the handler to approach the animal without overcrowding and without using the hand which can cause alarm and concern for the animal. Stroking and the circular TTouches can all be done with the tools.

Care must be taken to ensure that each item used is clean and is not used on other animals to prevent the spread of infection or disease. Cutting pieces of cleaning cloth and attaching them onto garden canes offer a good alternative to feathers. Cheap and easy to buy, the pieces of cloth can be thrown away after each session. Scented cloths are NOT appropriate for obvious reasons.

Body Work

Once the animal has settled and can be touched all over with the feather and/or paintbrush etc, TTouches can be done with the back of the hand or the back of the finger. There is less heat in the back of the hand and this approach is therefore less threatening to the animal. In the case of birds, the risk of removing oil from the feathers is reduced when using the back of the hand. Using the back of the hand or the back of the finger also enables the handler to develop a lighter touch as it reduces the chances of prodding or pushing down on the animal. TTouches with the finger tips and/or flat hand can then be used.

TTouch is not just confined to the animal that is shy of contact. It has far-reaching health benefits and can be used alone or with appropriate veterinary care to overcome a variety of problems. Many veterinarians, veterinary nurses, zoo keepers, animal handlers, carers and trainers use TTouch to enhance an overall sense of health and wellbeing in the animals in their care.

It may take several sessions to reach this stage. Short sessions over a period of time are preferable to one long session and it is often in the time out period that the animal makes the most change. There can be nothing more rewarding than helping an animal over come its fear of human contact. With TTouch the impossible can become possible.

TTouches with the flat of the hand and the finger tips can then be used to promote calm and enhance an overall sense of well-being.

Working on snakes using the Python Lifts - so named after Linda developed the TTouch when working on a Python at the San Diego Zoo - helps to clear their lungs and enables them to be handled easily and without causing stress. This Python is being worked on by several participants at once and is loving the attention.   Orphans can benefit from TTouch. The light body TTouches can help to stimulate muscle development and can help animals feed. Ear Work can be beneficial in reducing stress and shock. This baby possum was found drowning in a pool. After a few minutes of Ear Work he came out of shock and began to clean himself. After a little Mouth Work with a cotton bud, he began feeding and drinking. In all five babies were found during the course of the day. Two were found in the water and the others were collected from the yard. The two that were in the water received TTouches to revive them and were instantly content, feeding and unaffected by their ordeal - the others were fearful, highly stressed and unable to feed until TTouches were done on them as well. Top of page

 ON THE WILD SIDE
WORKING WITH WOLVES

By Toni Shelbourne - TTouch Practitioner 2 and TTEAM Practitioner

As a Tellington Touch Practitioner I have the privilege to work with many different species, all of whom are unique in their own way. Out of all the canines I've worked with, to me, wolves are the ultimate. I first started working with wolves in 2001. An Assistant Senior handler contacted me to ask if I would be interested in working with a pack of 7 socialised wolves using the Tellington TTouch Method. Like many people, wolves hold a special place in my heart and I readily agreed. Three years on and I am heavily involved with the UK Wolf Conservation Trust, (UKWTC), and its wolves, having myself become an Assistant Senior Wolf Handler, a member of the council and the organiser of the Trust's seminars.

Wolves are by nature a timid, nervous animal. It is said by Native American Indians that if you see a wolf once it has seen you a thousand times. All the fairy tales and legends are misleading. They are incredibly clever, very resourceful and the ultimate team player.

Being socialised means the wolves have been raised with humans. Don't mistake the word socialised for domesticated or tame. The wolves at the Trust are wild animals that have learned to trust and tolerate the presence of humans as long as the humans obey the rules. Our wolves interact with many different people from children to adults. They walk with members of the UKWCT in the woods and attend many shows and schools each year. In return, when they are not being ambassadors for their wild cousins, helping to raise awareness and funds for projects in Europe, they live in large enriched enclosures back at our base near Reading in Berkshire. We feel it is a big responsibility looking after captive animals and ensure that their health and welfare is paramount. This means they get the best care we can provide them and when not working they live in an environment which is the closest to their natural habitat as possible. Some of us at the Trust have had the privilege to observe wild wolves and our 7 socialised wolves show the same characteristics and routines as the wild ones, often playing tag with each other at dawn and dusk and displaying hunting skills and strategies toward any pheasants or small rodents who are unfortunate enough to stray into their enclosure. So where does TTouch come in to all this? The wolves display no behavioural problems, they don't suffer from many illnesses or injuries and they don't need their performance enhanced. They do however react very instinctively, at times they can be shy or nervous in new situations or to some stimuli. TTouch is a tool at help them act beyond instinct. It can calm, reassure and help them to cope with the limited demands we put them under.

For example we often do meet and greets. This is where a member of the public can, (if the wolf is willing), stroke them. This is controlled by the wolf handler and assistant handler. Occasionally someone doesn't listen to our instruction and touches the wolf in a dominating manner, this can unsettle the wolf and make it nervous and unwilling to be touched again by anyone it doesn't know or trust. In these situations I have used TTouch to help calm and reassure them. Once settled they generally allow other people to come and meet them. This is also true of objects in the environment which might spook them. One wolf is fearful of hot air balloons and all are suspicious of anything new around the farm or building and maintenance work being carried out. By using the TTouches I've managed to stop them bolting or been able to calm them enough to walk past a scary object without using force.

that looks very serious to us will often heal with in days. Where possible we let nature do its job and only step in if the situation looks to be getting worse. Treating a wild animal, even a socialised one is never easy. They revert to instinct and can often guard an area of pain. At the UKWTC we have an experienced Wolf Welfare Officer whose job it is to ensure the wolves are happy and healthy. It's his job to make decisions and liase with vets etc. Ultimately it's the welfare officer who will go in to treat the wolf. Over the last 3 years I have helped him apply medications and devise ways of getting wolves to take meds orally. We have found that a calm, efficient approach that includes TTouches works the best. The wolf is less stressed and we can always reapply the medication the next time we come to do it - a good test of how the animal felt about the experience.

Having captive animals is never ideal. In a perfect world all wild animals would be free to live their lives as nature intended. If we do have the responsibility of caring for captive animals I feel it is our duty to make their life as enriched and as stress free as possible. We have so much to learn from them and if I can give back a little of what I get from these beautiful creatures then I will. Tellington TTouch seems a great way to do that. I enjoy working with the wolves and they seem to love it too!

For more information about the UK Wolf Conservation Trust website.

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