Tellington TTouchThis is Earth Clinic's favorite touch therapy for pets. We've tried energy work, acupuncture, herbs and more on our dogs, but this is the therapy that had the most immediate, profound effect. We read Linda Tellington's book a few years ago, but what was really helpful was the DVD with Linda Tellington and her sister, Robyn Hood, demonstrating various TTouch techniques on various dogs. The idea is that this touch gets the animals into 4 brain waves (beta, alpha, theta, delta) simultaneously, inducing a profound state of relaxation.' Normal stroking of a pet will induce only alpha brain waves. They hooked dogs up to electrodes at some point a few years ago and discovered this. At any rate, when we did this on our 13 year old dog for the first time not long ago, he fell asleep with his eyes open in a blissful, deep trance. The next day saw a marked improvement in his energy level and mood, and he began playing with our 1 year old golden retriever. We continue to do a 20 minute treatment every few days (depending on his needs) with the same fantastic results. Our suggestion is buy the book(s), but also make sure you get a DVD to see the master (Linda Tellington) at work!
Please learn this technique for your animals and send us your feedback after you've experimented for a few weeks. We think it is best to do this technique for at least 20 minutes at a time. However, for animals that are not used to being massaged or touched, try 10 minutes at a time.
3/25/2007 notes: This morning (Sunday), our 13 year old dog (coyote/shepherd mix) was running after a ball and slid on some pine needles. He got up and started to limp so as soon as we got him home, we started working with TTouch techniques on the left hip and leg. We focused on the area that was hot to the touch, indicating inflammation. For most of the day he hobbled around the house and going up the stairs was tough on the poor guy. We did TTouch for about 20 minutes in the morning, then again another 15 minutes at 6:00pm this evening. We are happy to report that the limp is gone and that he is walking normally. Moreover, he's been smiling all night long in a goofy, happy state. He's been a very anxious dog all his life, but lately this work has been calming him down immensely. If you haven't seen a dog smile before, well, you will after he or she's had some TTouch work. It is remarkable, truly.
4/26/2007 notes: We have made several additional discoveries that may help others embarking on this type of massage. The first is that the effects of the touch seem to last about 24-28 hours on older dogs, so regular maintenance is important. Also, the longer you do the massage, the better. 5 minutes on our dog didn't have much effect. However, 20 - 30 minutes had a profound effect. But you really have to do this every day or two with elderly dogs. This is also a great technique for those interested in bonding more deeply with their pets. You can form a bond with a new pet literally overnight by spending half an hour on this circular massage. It is remarkable the way it affects the animals and their brain chemistry.
Links:
The TTouch Official Website
Tellington Books & Videos
