Hey all,
I haven't really been active in a while since I've been busy. Between school, a new job, moving, blah blah blah. Well, it's just been a crazy year or so.

About a month or two the lady that I've gone to for dog training told me about something called TTouch. I don't know if any of you have heard about it, but I've incorporated it into my everyday with the dogs since I've seen such a difference when using it. TTouch was developed as a way to calm animals, mainly horses. But since being used it's prove to be helpful in all sorts of cases, including helping animals heal after surgery and while they are sick. While they don't particularly reference using with dogs with cancer, I'm sure it would be a huge help.

I have another dog who is fear aggressive. He was severely neglected and when he was given attention, he was abused. He was going to be put down for his fear aggression before the foster group I used stepped in and took him. Eventually we adopted him because we knew that he was supposed to be with us. Anyway, I've been taking him to the same lady for training on and off for over a year. She originally showed me the massage technique of TTouch without explaining it to me. Now that I know what it is, I've gone out of my way to be as informed as I can about the whole idea. Since incorporating TTouch into my every day, Tye has gone from a dog cowering in the corner during times of the day to walking around confident all day long. Sure he's still fearful, but I've used TTouch as a way to distract him and allow him to calm down when he is scared and it WORKS!

TTouch works based on the way that you touch your dog. Basically you position your hand like you are holding a small ball (imagine a cue ball like in pool). Then start at the base of the neck. What you want to do is move the skin in a circle. Start soft, as soft as you would apply pressure onto your eyelid, and then apply additional pressure based on what the dog likes. Now, take your hand and go in a circle. Start at the 6 o'clock and work your way back around to the 9 o'clock. Then move your hand about an inch down and do again. You continue to work all the way down the back, down the legs, and particularly down the muzzle and ears.

The muzzle is supposed to be a spot of a dog that promotes immunity. By rubbing it using TTouch, you are prompting the dog's immune system. From what I understand, TTouch is helpful for keeping dogs from getting sick and it's also helpful in cases of sick dogs because it helps them fight whatever they are sick with. TTouch is also helpful to help a dog cope with pain and discomfort after surgery and from arthritis. It even says that TTouch of the muzzle stops the dog from going into shock during an emergency situation.

I really think that all of you should take the time to go onto http://www.ttouch.com and take a look. I am amazed at how much of a difference it has made in my dogs (and it also helps me calm down when I am stressed). Lucky has gone from being a super vocal dog to being nice and quiet. Tye uses it to calm down. Jedi likes it because he gets attention. Even the cats like it!

Also, for those tripawds who are having trouble with balance, there is a thing called the TTouch wrap that is basically just an ace bandage wrapped around the body and it helps the dog learn about it's own body and how it moves.

Try it out and let me know what you think! The best part is you can't do it wrong, so even if it feels ackward thats ok!