Heaven and Hell

Wow, I can’t believe it has been a month since my last blog entry. So much has happened. I’ve just had four whole days off and I feel reenergised and ready for the next block of work. Work has dominated, it seems like, every waking hour and crept into my dreams at time. There had been highs and lows with Bea my rescue dog too. On a positive note she is 95% recovered from her fear issue around dogs again. As long as I am careful about not walking her down narrow paths which means dogs come straight towards her she is fine. Still a little anxious but choosing to come to me again, instead of bolting away. The real drama has been a mysterious lump which appeared on her neck recently. She some how managed to cut herself and by the time we got home a short time after a huge lump had appeared under it. I’m 99% certain it wasn’t there before the injury. The vet the next day took a needle stick biopsy and prescribed antibiotics in case it was an abscess. This seemed to work and it was a real shock when two days later the diagnosis was a mast cell tumour, which is one of the really nasty ones. I queried this with the vet as the lump had all but gone and she rechecked it the next day. After another chat with the pathologist we think it was a massive inflammatory reaction to the cut. We are waiting for the scab to come off to be sure but I’m feeling much better about it now. I’m using homeopathy to aid the healing process and it seems to be improving daily.

So that was the hell bit. Heaven of course is always the amazing people and animals I have been working with. I was invites to the Dogs Trust Open Day over at Newbury back in June and had a busy afternoon chatting to dog owners which lead to me seeing several as clients. I’ve worked closely with the centre for many years and teach regular staff training days as well as receiving referrals from them.

My demo with challenging dogs at the beginning of July was amazing. I had more people than ever attend and we had some very positive changes in the dogs. One owner emailed me a few weeks later to say she had seen a big difference in her dog’s behaviour and she was confident she would be able to work through the remaining issues.

My absolute heaven has been working with the keepers at Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne. I’ve never meet a group so open to learning about the work and loving working with the animals in their care in a different way. They were eager to try it out on many different species including raccoon dogs, pigs, skunks and birds. One keeper even wanted to try it on one of the leopards. How do you work with one of the most dangerous cat species in the world? The answer is very carefully! Tellington TTouch Training really can be applied to any species and for zoo animals that may be instinctually fearful of human contact, ttouch can really help with stress and rapport building. We also talked about rearing young and recovery from injuries. I hope they see a good result and I’d love to do more with them. In the evening I gave a talk at the Big Cat Experience event at the park. The talk was a success and I had queues of people who wanted help with their animals after. If you get a chance to go to the park, its one of the good ones and well worth a visit, the website is www.pwpark.com

What’s next? Time to do some more writing I hope and I have a two day course to put together for a TTouch hydro course I’m running in the autumn and a number of articles to finish. Then it’s a full on season of workshops and demos to finish off the year, oh and of course the book launch  for The Truth about Wolves & Dogs. I think I need a lay down just thinking about it all.

My dog Bea

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks supporting Bea my dog who has had a crisis of confidence. She has always been shy around other boisterous dogs but generally copes well with a little support from me. She used to bolt if they were to full on but I quickly showed her that coming to stand by me was a much better idea as I can protect her whist showing her that the other dog was quite friendly and just wanted to say hello. Recently there has been a couple of, what I thought, were minor incidents which she would normally shake off quickly but she took to not wanting to pass other dogs and when they came nearer bolting away from me and them. This was unusual but not a huge problem as I went back to basics with her, using a body wrap for confidence, doing ttouches on her in the park and taking care not to put her in overwhelming situations. In short I wanted to build her confidence up again slowly. At a round the same time I noticed when sitting she was throwing her right hind leg out to the side at a weird angle, some thing she never did. Claire Shepherd my canine osteopath was due to see her this week so I was keen to get to the bottom of this. Bea was also slower to climb the stairs and jump into the car. As posture and behaviour are linked the light bulb came on in my head as to why she was acting out of character. Sure enough her right hip was stuck. The very next day her behaviour towards approaching dogs began to improve. With the osteopathy and continued support with Tellington TTouch the situation can only get better. A play date with friends Monty, Leah and Mandy also helped. It amazes me how discomfort in the body can influence our perception of the world. Unfortunately so many dogs go through life in discomfort and get labelled as difficult. Many of my clients get blocked by vets when I suggest they visit an osteopath or chiropractor but instead suggest they see a behaviourist. Be brave people, if you think there is something amiss fight for your dog’s right to be pain free.

Swimming Dogs & Swarming Bees

I’ve decided I’m a workaholic. It’s the bank holiday weekend and although I’m not seeing clients, well not until Tuesday, I’m still itching to do a bit of work now and then. I’ve been working on an idea for a book which is very much still at the idea and development stage but it keeps popping into my head. I am trying to recharge my batteries after an exhausting four months. Not helped by my dog getting me up at 5.30am with an upset stomach. All better now but not the best way to start the day.

Last Sunday I ran a workshop for the Canine Hydrotherapy Association. It was specifically aimed at hydro therapists but also attracted physiotherapists. The venue and weather were perfect. We spent the morning in a paddock moving around with the shade and the afternoon saw us cooling off in the dog pool with practical sessions. Tellington TTouch can be so beneficial when combined with hydro. It can relax stressed dogs, calm excitable ones and help with pain relief amongst other things.

After a busy week I was walking my dog Bea yesterday and found a swarm of honey bees clung to each other on a low branch. They were cold and wet and as the weather wasn’t getting any better soon, I really feared for the 2000 odd bees’ survival. We need every bee we have as they are so important for pollination. A friend put me onto a local beekeeper that sent the word out and within a very short time they were rescued and re-housed in a cosy hive a few miles away. The cold can really be a problem for swarming bees that get caught out with our unpredictable weather. If you see a swarm please do call the local beekeepers representative who will be very grateful for the tip off.

Pigs, Wolves and more collies!!

It has been a while since my last blog. Just too much going on and little time to catch up on paperwork and prepare for the next thing. I’m in the final phases of editing The Truth about Wolves & Dogs with Hubble and Hattie my publishers. The re-writes are done, just the layout to go. Will it ever be out? In the mean time I’ve had a new idea for another book – I must be mad. I’ll have to do a bit of research and mull it over for a while before I decide one way or another about pitching it to a publisher. One thing I will say it will be about rescue dogs if I do go ahead with it.

                             

On the Tellington TTouch front I’ve seen more collies. I had five of them in my house at once. They stayed all day and went for a run with my dog Bea. She was hilarious mooching alone but doing double takes as five collies hared past her. I visited some lovely cats too. One was having trouble using a litter tray but with a change of tray and some TTouches within a week the owner reported her cat was using it. Some cats, especially older cats or those with less mobility find it hard to turn around comfortably in an oblong tray. I use large round water trays for patio garden pots for my oldies. They are lower to the ground and have so much more space. If you are having trouble with cat litter trays another tip is not to have them to close to the wall as again cats can struggle to feel comfortable turning around.

I went to visit my good friend Pia who works at the Paradise Wildlife Park. They have two socialised wolves that are related to some of the wolves I used to work with. I wasn’t expecting it but Pia and some of the keepers took me in the enclosure to get up close and personal with the girls. Wow, it was amazing to be back in the company of wolves. They were so gentle with me. Tatra even put her feet on my shoulders and gave me a lovely muzzle greeting. Later they asked me to look at a pig that was recovering from a serious illness and was reluctant to stand. At first he was a little defensive of the sore areas but soon relaxed. Everyone watching commented how his face softened and how he looked more comfortable. It was fab. I’m going back in July to do some staff training with the keeper. I can’t wait.

The highlight of this week was another staff training afternoon at the Newbury Dog’s Trust Centre. Maureen, the centre manager is so open and friendly and she loves the TTouch work. We concentrated on ground work as the weather was so nice. It’s so good to see how the dogs can change so quickly in the obstacles with the aid of body wraps and harnesses with a front contact ring. One GSD went from being reactive on the lead towards dogs to being able to sit and watch them calmly within minutes. Another who was so strong and unfocused eventually could take some steps in balance with out pulling us all over the place. The staff seem open to the work and are really getting to grips with its uses.

Next week I’ll be at The Highclere Game show on the Xtra dog stand. Come and see Matt, Alex and myself if you are going. I’m also teaching a TTouch workshop for Canine Hydro therapists. It’s all busy, busy, busy.

Raining Collies

It’s been a week of Collies. These dogs are so intelligent I can see them thinking. They are brilliant at chaining things together, some times getting themselves into trouble. Sensitive and mentally astute they need lots of the right stimulation and direction or they will go self employed. My favourite quote of the week from a really fantastic owner about her collie, ‘The problem is he’s more intelligent than I am’. By the end of the session I figured it wasn’t just her he was brighter than. This dog would look you right in the eye with a ‘Is that all you’ve got’ type of look. It really did make me laugh. He really enjoyed the TTouch ground work we did with him and had an expression of joy and engagement on his face. After being in my company for a couple of hours he was so relaxed he just came and sat by me for more work, all this from a dog that can be wary of strangers. Tellington TTouch is amazing for building relationship and trust, it never stops surprising me.

I’ve also been up the farm this week teaching some river studies days with children. Bea my rescue dog came out on the dry day with us and had a great time. It was wonderful watching her playing and running around the water meadows. She was even brave enough to interact with a few of the teachers and children. When I first met Bea, to encourage her to interact, I taught her to touch my hand. She now does this routinely with strangers she meets and likes. If she sniffs your hand and touches it you are, to her, a friend. She might not want you to stroke her, but a nose touch is a big step forward.

I’ve written another article this week. It’s about a spinal injury case I worked with jointly with a physiotherapist I know. The idea has been rattling around in my head for so long; it felt a little strange to finally have it down on paper. I’ve sent it off to Karl Jones so he can add his bit then we will see what to do with it.

I’m still getting phone calls from people I met at the All About Dogs Show the other weekend. It’s always nice to know you have helped people and their dogs in such a short time. It’s another busy period next week so I’m looking forward to a chilled weekend. Just one more dog to see this, then its spending time with Bea, I need to finish clipping her nails, a job that gets easier each time we do it.

Cats, Dogs and Shows

After a few days off over Easter it was back to a busy week. I ran a Tellington TTouch workshop for cats at the Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue Centre (DBARC). I had a fantastic group of people who really embraced the work and did a fantastic job working with the rescue cats. In the morning several pens had bumps under blankets. These nervous cats don’t show well and it can take a while to re-home them. Imagine our delight when in the afternoon beautiful cats emerged from under the blankets. So many cats and dogs need forever homes right now. It seems madness to me that people breed un-necessarily or buy pedigree animals. If you have the time and patience, a rescue animal can be so rewarding.

                                  

The weekend took me to Newbury Showground for the All About Dogs Show. Many thanks to Alex and Matt from Xtra Dog who are such great supporters of TTouch. Xtra Dog has worked closely with Marie Miller a fellow TTouch Practitioner, and have designed a harness which incorporates the TTouch principles. The fleece harnesses have a ring at the front on the chest as well as over the shoulder. Having two points of contact can really balance a dog effectively and quickly, turning habitual pullers into mild mannered, easy to lead pooches. We had a TTouch ring beside the stand where Marie and I worked with many dogs whose owners asked for help. Lots of the dogs where anxious or scared of something and it was great to be able to give advise and see how simple techniques could quickly start to have an effect. For as many dogs we could help I personally noticed just as many whose owners shouted at or pulled them around as the dogs bucked against tight grips and inappropriate equipment. Some dogs were obviously over faced with the whole experience and in my opinion would have preferred a quiet day at home. On Sunday I had to take my rescue lab Bea with me. She would have found being out and about around the show too much but coped well in the car behind the stand with my Mum sitting with her. She came out once, very briefly for a quick toilet break and then back in the car with a tasty treat. I know her limits and there is no reason to make her ‘cope’ with this, what she thinks, is a scary situation. It would undermine our relationship and destroy her trust I me.

I was over at the Newbury Dogs Trust on Wednesday doing some staff training. I’m invited a few times a year and I’m able to pass on tips to help the staff work with the dogs in their care. They have so much work and so little time to work with the dogs. That makes TTouch perfect as just a few minutes a day can have a profound effect and can really help turn these sticky dogs around. Dogs Trust use TTouch in lots of their centres and at their STAR unit which rehabs the most challenging dogs in their care. I love watching the staff work and come up with ideas on how this ttouch or that body wrap etc. would work with a certain dog.

After a busy couple of weeks I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend at home, (Only one dog to see on Saturday). I know the garden needs tidying but I might just have to chill out with my lovely dog and take her on some long walks in the countryside. Bliss.

Mum's, Pups, Ewes and more

It has been a while since my last blog. I’ve been busy with my other passion which is teaching children about farming and the environment. We have just finished six long weeks of lambing. If you are interested in learning more about the education programme which runs out of Rushall Organic Farm have a look at www.rushallfarm.org.uk  Over this period we saw about 4000 children and this year are on target for 1300 lambs. It was whilst in the lambing shed over the Mothers Day period that I came to the stare realisation that ewes get better care than the poor bitches in puppy farms. We often talk about the puppies which are visible due to their being in our world, often sickly, but the mothers live in a perpetual hell. If you can take a few minutes and support http://www.marcthevet.com/2012/03/new-wheres-mum-campaign-to-help-combat-puppy-farming/ that would be great. I understand the physical and emotion issues these ex-breeders go through as my little rescue was used in this way and will bare the scars both externally and internally forever.

On a lighter note recently I’ve run workshops and talks for some fabulous organisations in the past few weeks. I’m exhausted and looking forward to my Easter break but it’s been loads of fun teaching a one day workshop for Cara Dog Training in Sway down in the New Forrest and giving a talk and demo for the Southern Golden Retriever Society in Woldingham. Such lovely people and dogs,  it’s been so much fun. It is great when you and the TTouch work get such an enthusiastic reception.

So it’s chill out time over the holiday weekend but then back in full swing next week with a TTouch cat workshop at Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue and then the All About Dogs Show at Newbury Showground the following weekend. If you are going, see you at the Xtra Dog Stand.