Cody reaches a milestone!

I am absolutely delighted to report that Cody has reached a huge milestone - he is starting TTouch body work! TTouch is a series of touches, body wraps, and groundwork that works wonders for many dogs. If you follow Cattie Rattie's blog you will already be familiar with TTouch and know the dramatic difference it made in D'Light (formerly known as Dandy). When Cody came to me the idea of draping something over him or sustained touch was laughable. I draped a belly band over his back to test it one night and it triggered 30 seconds of spinning and snarling - and that was after I had removed it!

Unsure about this thing over his hips!

I cannot be more proud of this boy. In the two pictures above you can see his hesitant body language. Cody is unsure about the ace bandage touching him, but I work at his pace, never forcing him to come near me, and taking the wraps off quickly. Sometimes I give him treats from my hand, but often times I toss them on the floor to encourage him to move with the ace bandage over him. 

This brings body awareness to him as he feels the sensation of the bandage, and he learns that the bandage brings positive things. My goal here is to do short, repeated exposures paired with what Cody finds most rewarding - food! At times Cody would back off and take a break and while I would encourage him to join me again it is always his choice. If he stepped on the bandage, it fell off, even if he had bit and pulled it off, that would all be ok. I am there to encourage him, but its up to Cody to decide if the touch from the bandage is worth the reward I offer in exchange.

Watch for the change from the first video, taken just as we started, to the second video, which is after we had taken a few breaks and reinforced the ace bandage about 15 times or more.

Such a brave boy! This is a lot for Cody and so we won't be doing it two days in a row. My garage has been cleared out and I've gotten some novel items to use for TTouch groundwork. This is done wearing a harness and double-attachment leash, and while it can be done wrapped it doesn't have to be. Even though we will take 1-2 days between wrap sessions to help him settle down and not get stressed by too much, we'll still be working!

Sniffing for food as a loose bandage hangs on him.

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