TTouch in Buenos Aires 2013

This year's courses were extremely well attended by a wide variety of professionals across a broad specttrum. We had the usual Introductory course followed by three modules on sensitivities, fears and the importance of observation when working with animals. The participants really did participate and the dogs offered us many opportunities to learn and help the dogs learn how to learn and find new responses which might serve them better in their daily lives than the options they may have found so far. To see anxious and stressed dogs relax and others with physical difficulties find a more comfortable position is more than rewarding.

Introductory Course

Follow-up module

Julieta tries a wrap for her sore shoulder

Australian labradoodle gets his certificate!

Buenos Aires Workshops

Once again Buenos Aires proved to be an exciting and inspiring place to work. We had a   great  group of people from different countries - Venezuela, Brasil, Spain as well as the majority of local Argentinians - with a motley crew of dogs whic, as usual, were our best allies and teachers over the weekend, presenting us with opportunities to learn and progress. Some people who attended the one day seminar held in March joined the group for the second day of this two day seminar. This gave me the chance to catch up on their experiences so far. The group was receptive and participative and it has been encouraging to see how many people have been keen to continue to the work  after the seminars. This has allowed them to see the results of their efforts when their dogs were able to deal in a more balanced way with the fireworks at New Year. The best gift for me would be for them to continue to use the work into the future. I am sure many of them will!  

Once again the success of this venture is due in large measure to the dedication and organisational expertise of Claudia and Marcelo with the support of their three sons "Los Africa". A big thank you to them!

Workshop in BIlbao

This Saturday, May 5th. we have a one day workshop in Bilbao which will explore the possibilities of TTouch bodywork.

TTouch - a First in Buenos Aires

The first two TTouch workshops held in Buenos Aires on Saturday and Sunday March 17th & 18th. were a resounding success. The venue was the impressive installations of the National Sports Centre in the Ezeiza district run by the government. The grounds are extensive with woodland and open parkland and we were able to choose where to work. The first day we held the morning session indoors, but on Sunday we decided to move outdoors for the whole day. The morning session was held in an open but roofed pavilion where we had an electricity supply which allowed us to set up a monitor and the computer for the presentation. For the groundwork session in the afternoon the Confidence Course was set up on the grass but participants and their dogs could shelter from the sun in the pavilion.

On Saturday most of the dogs were large - GSDs, golden retrievers, a black lab. and a beautiful boerboel called Emma. The exception was a wire-haired Jack Russell puppy that was a ball of energy. On Sunday most of the dogs were border collies that compete in agilty or discdog. We also had two puppies, a three month old golden retriever and a two month old border collie, as well as a mixed breed.

The participants were a great bunch on both days. On Saturday most of them were dog trainers or dog walkers and one girl had a rescue centre and boarding kennel. On Sunday the participants were mostly professionals in the field: the president of the Argentine Association of Utility & Sports Dogs, two lecturers from the Dog Training Department of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Buenos Aires University, dog trainers, and dog walkers and a criminal lawyer with her retriever puppy. Interestingly in Argentina dog training is now a recognised profession with a two year course being taught at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

The dogs present provided plenty of scope for teaching and the wraps were a great success particularly with those who compete, as they were able to see how the gait could change under the influence of the different wraps and they could see how using the wraps and scrunchies could make a great contribution to improving their dogs' performance. The puppies gave a great opportunity to demonstrate mouthwork and earwork and the mixed breed dog on Sunday allowed the participants to see very clearly how changes in coat texture and growth may indicate underlying tensions in the dog. By the end of the day with very gentle body work and wraps the dog was able to accept touch on his hindquarters whereas in the morning from the middle back onwards he displayed great sensitivity. Another tool which the participants found fascinating was the head wrap, and in two cases they were able to appreciate a distinct change in tension levels and greater relaxation.

The groundwork sessions were very popular although, as most of the participants were dog trainers or dog walkers used to a quite different form of leash work, they found it challenging at first to coordinate both side of their body and work the leads in a relaxed manner. Eventually, however, most had their "Eureka" moment when they discovered that they also had a right hand!

It was gratifying that at the end of the day all the participants felt that they had discovered some new tools which they were sure they could incorporate into their own particular disciplines, and without exception have asked for further workshops to be held to delve a little further into what TTouch has to offer. The President of the Argentine Association of Utility & Sports Dogs has offered to publish information regarding TTouch on the Association's website.