The Tellington TTouch Method: Supportive Care for Senior Dogs

Jenn Merritt, CPDT-KA

anine seniors make up a growing demographic in both obedience and performance dogs sports, as well as among companion dogs. Keeping senior dogs active physically and involved mentally can help to extend their lives. The Tellington TTouch Method is an ideal complement of supportive care for active and not-so-active senior dogs. It can help a dog maintain or retain activity, alleviate the aches and pains of aging, reduce age-related anxieties, and provide comfort and aid in overall physical and mental functioning. Aging can be a confusing time for older dogs, as their senses diminish, their bodies physically weaken, and as some deal with the effects of canine cognitive dysfunction. TTouch Practitioner Marnie Black, who specializes in elderly and disabled animals, feels that the TTouch Method is actually more valuable to senior dogs than to younger dogs. The elderly animals tendons and muscles have less elasticity, arthritis has moved into injured and stressed joints, and the animal experiences increased difficulty with obstacles and complicated environments. The older animal will benefit more from external sources of support such as TTouch, and particularly from the increased time in bonding with you.1 TTouch Training Instructor Kathy Cascade further explains, As with people, dogs may experience many physiological changes with aging that affect their mobility and comfort. Older dogs who participate in a variety of sports may have an increased incidence of injury and a slower recovery. Often balance and coordination are decreased with aging, leading to diminished performance. Through the application of the Tellington TTouch method, people can help their canine companions to improve overall mobility, enhance recovery from physical exertion and stress, and maintain a positive attitude towards competition. Cascade believes that by integrating the three aspects of the TTouch Method: gentle bodywork, body wrapping and balanced movement exercises, we are not only helping the dog to feel physically and mentally stimulated, we are influencing their posture, balance, and movement.2 Bodywork for Older Bodies Due to the aches and pains of aging, many dogs can become more sensitive to touch and begin to shy away from physical contact as they age. The gentle, non-invasive aspects of TTouch make it an ideal way to reconnect with older dogs, relieve tension in their bodies, and can be done pre- or post-training/activity. And daily bodywork keeps owners more aware and able to detect new lumps and bumps, or areas of sensitivity, should they occur. TTouch bodywork is best incorporated with the regular touch you give your dog, for a few moments at a time. Start by positioning yourself comfortably at your dogs side, not looming over the dog. Your dog can be lying down,
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sitting or standing while you are doing TTouches. If your dog shies away at any point, allow him some space and try again, with a lighter pressure. There are many variations to the basic circular TTouch which can be explored in books and videos by TTouch founder Linda Tellington-Jones. Begin each session by lightly stroking your dog from head to tail two to three times (1). Then, lightly rest one hand on your dogs body as the other hand is used to make light clockwise circular touches. The warm contact of the touch is made with a relaxed, slightly cupped hand. Remember to breathe as you move the skin with your flattened fingers in a circle and a quarter. Your thumb remains anchored, as your fingers use just enough pressure to move the skin. (2). After each touch, you can either pick your hand up or slide your hand to another area and continue touches either randomly or in parallel lines down the dogs body. Finish with the same gentle stroking from head to tail as you did to begin the session.4 (3) For older dogs who are especially sensitive or recovering from injury or surgery, you can start with touches using a sheepskin mitt (those often used to groom horses or to detail cars). Very lightly use the sheepskin to apply the same circle and quarter touches (4). [continued on next page]

Picture 1: Big Sandy - beginning session stroke.

Picture 2: Big Sandy - basic circular touch. Picture 3: Big Sandy - end session stroke.

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The Tellington TTouch Method: Supportive Care for Senior Dogs

few seconds, slowly return your hand to the starting point, releasing the skin and exhaling as you do so. Slide your hand down a few inches and repeat in a series down that part of the body.5 Body Wraps for Hind End Support and Age-Related Anxieties Hind end weakness, hip dysplasia, and loss of muscle tone can be major issues for older dogs, influencing their mobility and activity, or lack thereof. Body wraps on the hindquarters can help provide a sense of support and awareness to the hind end. Along with physical weaknesses, its not unusual for older dogs to experience behavior changes, confusion, or anxieties. Body wraps and light pressure wraps, such as the Thundershirt, can be especially useful in calming the anxious older dog and providing a sense of security during thunderstorms or trips to the veterinarian. Wraps are elastic bandages (not the self stick type) or lengths of cloth wrapped in different configurations around the dogs body. They are best applied for short periods of time (10-20 minutes) when the dog is going to be mobile, as the full benefits are obtained during body movement in the wraps. While there are many variations of body wraps, this simple variation incorporates the hindquarters. Begin by placing the middle of the wrap on the front of the dogs chest, and cross behind the shoulders (8). Then take both ends around the outside of each back leg, bring both ends around the inside of the back legs (9) and tie on the back (10). For larger dogs, two wraps may be needed, as the wraps >

Picture 4: Bernie getting TTouches with sheepskin mitt.

To provide more warmth, a heating pad such as the Thermo-pad reusable, rechargeable heat pad can also be used to apply touches (5). Once activated, the pad becomes quite warm (up to 130 Picture 5: Thermo-pad. degrees Fahrenheit) for up to an hour and can be recharged for hundreds of applications. The pad should be wrapped in a cloth or towel. (6)

Picture 6: Bernie getting TTouches with the Thermo-pad wrapped in a cloth.

Another TTouch that can provide relaxation to tired muscles, increase circulation, and provide comfort and awareness to weakened hindquarters is a lift. One hand lifts the skin, holds and then releases. Lifts can be done in a series down the dogs legs, shoulders or back. Using one hand to stabilize your dog, place your other flat hand on his body, making light contact with Picture 7: Bernie receiving a series of lifts the whole hand (7). Gently down a hind leg. move the skin upwards about half an inch and hold. After a
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Picture 8: Royal in wrap, step 1.

Picture 9: Royal in wrap, step 2.

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Picture 10: Royal in full body wrap.

should not be tight. You may notice your dogs posture change as he feels the sensations of the wrap, especially as he moves. Groundwork for Seniors TTouch groundwork exercises encourage slow, nonhabitual movements over obstacles placed low to the ground. The goals of groundwork include increasing proprioception (awareness of the location of body parts), encouraging the dog to think about his body in space and his foot placement. Groundwork is ideal for older dogs, dogs going through physical rehabilitation, or dogs that have lost mobility, coordination, or are on a limited exercise program. Success in groundwork can help dogs with limited mobility still feel connected to life and able to achieve success and confidence in maneuvering in different environments. Begin by placing objects on the ground, such as poles/plastic gutters, traffic cones, surfaces such as carpet samples, or a creatively constructed labyrinth. Encourage your dog to move forward slowly and pause for a few seconds, then move forward again and pause. (11)

living to such an advanced age was watching her struggle as she lost coordination, balance, and mental function. TTouch was the one thing that I could offer every day to support Big Sandy. It allowed me to contribute to her comfort and sustained some functionality as her mind and Picture 12: Jenn and Big Sandy, age 17. body declined. And anytime she appeared confused or sad, I could use TTouch as a way to reconnect with her. In the end, I felt incredibly fortunate to have a dog live to such an advanced age and to have the tools of TTouch in my training repertoire. (12) In conclusion, the TTouch Method can contribute not only immediate, but lasting effects to any senior dogs quality of life. TTouch is not a replacement for proper veterinary care, but can be a useful complement to any supportive care for aging dogs. Most simply, it can be a small amount of your day dedicated to one-on-one time for reconnecting with your canine senior citizen. For more information, Linda Tellington-Jones offers several books and videos available at www.ttouch. com and there is a TTouch channel on YouTube with useful demonstrations at www.youtube.com/user/ TellingtonTTouch and at www.bluedogk9.com. Thermo-Pad reusable heat pads are available from www.thermo-pad. com. Endnotes Animal Matters Website. Listening Hands The Value Of Tellington TTouch. Retrieved December 2010 from: http:// www.marnieblack.com/purebred_article.htm.
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The Tellington TTouch Method: Supportive Care for Senior Dogs

Picture 11: TTouch Practitioner Deirdre Chitwood leading Royal through a labyrinth configured from plastic gutters.

The Senior Dogs Project Website. Tellington Touch. Retrieved December 2010 from: http://www.srdogs.com/ Pages/Tellington.Touch.html.
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Some circular touches and lifts can be incorporated into the pauses, and a wrap is ideal to apply prior to groundwork exercises. Just a few minutes each day with different obstacles can stimulate your older dogs mind and body. My Own Senior Dog, Big Sandy Ive witnessed firsthand how the TTouch method can enrich and extend the quality of a dogs life. My threelegged Australian Shepherd Big Sandy lived to the ripe old age of 17, with the help of daily bodywork, wraps, and groundwork exercises. Perhaps the hardest part of Big Sandy
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Tellington-Jones, L. (1999). Getting in ttouch with your dog: a gentle approach to influencing behavior, health, and performance. North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square Books.
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Jenn Merritt, CPDT-KA, is a Tellington TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner and owner of Blue Dog Creature Coaching in Efland, NC. She presented Tellington TTouch in the Canine Classroom and Training Canine Companions for Lifelong Partnership with Autistic Children at the 2009 APDT Conference in Oakland, CA and has written a series of articles on the TTouch Method in previous issues of The APDT Chronicle of the Dog. She can be contacted at jenn@bluedogk9.com.

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