TTouch Workshop Part 2

After lunch, we moved on from classroom lecture to practical instruction! We went out to a large horse arena where an "obstacle course" had been set up. These obstacles included posts for the dogs to step over, different surfaces, a labrynth, and several other unique obstacles to help the dog think about their body as they move. In the picture above Sappho is doing one of the surfaces. My job is to move slowly with her and encourage her to pause on surfaces and experience the different textures.

You may notice she appears to be double-leashed. One of the primary focuses on walking using TTouch is using a 2-contact leash. One point is on the back of the dog, and the other is on the sternum. Having these two points allows much greater communication with your dog as well as given more, gentler control. Instead of having a dog pulling ahead, you can gentle alternate pressure between one side the the other to encourage the dog to move with you.

Look at the concentration on Sappho's face! She is quite agile and so this basic step wasn't a challenge to her, but since we moved so slowly it encouraged her to focus on her tasks and got her brain thinking.

After spending time on the obstacle course it was back inside for a review of what we've learned and to answer any questions. For the dogs though, it the completion of a job well done and a nap!