Linda and a friend were walking along a country road discussing what to call a long diagonal stroke across the lay of the hair when a nearby cow’s moo inspired them. This nice long TTouch is used to increase circulation and relax sore muscles or muscles worked in hard exercise.

For Horses

HOW TO: Start under the belly and gently slide your curved fingers across the barrel up across your horse’s back. You can also use the Lick of the Cow’s Tongue across the shoulders and the hindquarter. Start lightly. To relax or calm a horse, use the flattened hand for this movement, and stroke slowly from the belly across the back. To stimulate or increase circulation, curve your fingers and slide the fingertips and heel of the hand more actively. Start behind the elbow and work back to the flank across the hair. This is a great way to relax a tense horse or just to make him or her feel good.

This TTouch will usually give a horse a better sense of their bodies, often noticeably improving gait, balance and coordination along with self-confidence.

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary...... 1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing! 3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing! 5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!

Tucker is my Labrador puppy. He’s stop-dead-in-your-tracks handsome. Really. Cars have pulled over to tell me how handsome he is. Spend some time with him and you find out just how sweet and calm he is, too. He’ so calm, people can’t believe it. ("That’s the calmest, lab I’ve ever seen. Golly Jed, come over here. Do you see this sweet puppy? He’s real different from my daughter’s lab. Is it the same breed?"

Now, not much of this is my doing. I just haven’t messed it up. This past September we got Tucker from Highgarth Labradors (Kate Fulkerson). Kate is a wise lady and an innovative breeder. She clicker trains her pups right after whelping. She keeps the pups with their littermates for fourteen weeks. She does LOTS of other innovative things and all of these things gave me a great pup to begin with.

Now, can you imagine the pressure I am under to have an extraordinary dog? Here I am, I work with Karen. I’m president of the company. People might even assume I have a lot of experience training dogs. Wrong. Whoa. Hang on. Although I’ve been studying the principles of clicker training, and I have been practicing with people since I joined Karen at KPCT, it wasn’t until my youngest child turned six that I wanted to bring a puppy into the house. So, let’s face it, I have "pedigree by association" but I am a beginner clicker trainer. -(But wow, I am a lucky beginner with so many wise teachers in the offices next door!)

As a beginner I have had some real "Oh, so that’s what I should be doing" moments when I went from theory to implementation. Along the way, I kept jotting down things that I though I would want other people to know -- especially stuff that I simply missed or didn’t realize until I really started doing it!

Here are the first few....

Huge Rate of reinforcement

You are going to reinforce a lot! I mean A LOT... more than you think you would when you read about clicker training. When you are training, clicking and reinforcing is the mode of communication - so just plan on doing it a lot and don’t worry about overdoing it. When I started loose leash walking Tucker at 4 months I would click and treat him 100 times in our ten minute walk. Really, 10 times in a minute. or once every six seconds (on the average)! What about weight gain? I just subtracted what I used for treats from my pup’s regular diet.

Raising Criteria: The "Must Have" Skill

You aren’t going to be stuck at that rate of reinforcement for life, because you’ll learn to raise and shift criteria so the dog has to do more, and longer, for each click and treat. What a core skill! At ClickerExpo Steve White said that this was THE skill that tripped people up. I agree. This is so important. When I wanted Tucker to learn to sit quietly on the floor at home, I clicked and treated him every 5 seconds at first. Now we’re up to 15 minutes. He’ll just lie there for an hour in the same spot, waiting, as long as I give him a reinforcer every 15 minutes or so. You have to learn how and when to raise your criteria (or lower them). It takes some practice. Jump in there and start practicing.

Basic Theory: Don’t Leave Home Without It

Learn the basic theory. Don’t assume you know it. There are several times when, uncertain about what the outcome would be, I fell back on some part of operant conditioning theory to help make my decision.. (I used the books.) (Or I just turned to my in- house experts). But in either case, a basic grasp of the theory is important. It helps you think through what is happening or why it is not happening and how to problem-solve.

Live in The Learning Moment

This isn’t some new age mantra. It’s just that just about every interaction with your puppy is a learning opportunity. Sometimes I learn, sometimes he learns, sometimes we both learn. For example: If I give a come cue and he doesn’t respond, I’ve learned that he doesn’t know that cue. Now what do I do? Well, for one thing, I have to make a decision not to use that moment to teach "come or else!” Instead I might decide to go get him and to save the real learning for later. What has he learned from this episode? Maybe nothing. But it’s what he didn’t learn that also matters. He didn’t learn that he earns a reward for NOT coming. He didn’t learn that the consequence of getting something wrong (who knows what?) will result in something unpleasant.

Second, you must come to recognize that good behavior is a very important learning moment, always! This is so important; I’ll say it again. Always reward good behavior! It is so unnatural for us to reward everyday good behavior for dogs or anyone else. Work to drop that point of view. Throw it away! Hey, Tucker, did you come by my feet and sit down even if I didn’t ask for it? Click, treat. Did you lie down in the kitchen quietly even when I didn’t ask for it? Click, treat. Did you look at my sock but not actually put it in your mouth and run around the room? Good decision! Click, treat. If you miss these moments you are not really clicker training as powerfully as you could be yet; and so you are slowing your own and your pup’s learning!

Ok... I got that off my chest. I have a few more. I’ll wait and see if anyone thought this was helpful!

With kind permission from Karen Pryor and www.clickertraining.com Aaron Clayton is President of Karen Pryor Clickertraining and TAGteach International and a member of the Clicker Expo Faculty.

Editors Note: I love this article by Aaron. It’s clear and truthful about what we teach in clicker training and what is needed.  I had the pleasure of meeting Aaron a few years ago at an APDT Conference in California. I had corresponded with him when ordering books and Clickers from them. A very nice man, although he had been convinced that Eugenie was a man!

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary...... 7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing! 8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing! 11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

     New 5-Week Class to start August 13th

Our new classes will begin the Friday evening of 13^th August and run for 5 weeks.

One full Saturday then: Saturday Mornings: 9:30 to 12:30

This class will start with an Introduction to Clicker Training on Friday Evening, August 13th from 6-9 p.m.

The first Saturday will be a full day and then 4 Saturdays mornings only.

DATES:   Friday, August 13th - Introduction to Clicker Training - 18:00 - 21:00 (only class with no dogs)

                  Saturday, August 14th - 9:30 to 15:30

                  Saturday Mornings: August 21 & 28, Sept. 4 & 11 - 9:30 to 12:30

VENUE    Sandown – Johannesburg

BOOK:     Eugenie Chopin at eugenie@ttouch.co.za  or phone 011 884 3156 for more info.

COST:      R1500: this includes the cost of the 5 week class, notes, treat bag, target stick and a clicker

If you have always wanted to learn a method of training that doesn’t need aversives to be effective, then join us for a Clicker Experience! Although Operant Conditioning and the Clicker have been around for many years, especially in the Marine World and in training many species of animals for film, it’s only in the last 10 years that it has started to become Mainstream in the Dog Training World. Here is your chance to catch up!

Clicker Training is basically about re-enforcing Behaviour that you want. It works on the principles of giving reward for correct behaviour rather than using corrections and aversives for unwanted behaviour. As a result, you can establish true respect from your dog without fear. It’s fun to do, the dogs love it and therefore gain in confidence and you can finally understand why they do the things they do and how your Behaviour and actions influence them daily!

NOTE: An aversive is anything the dog doesn’t like! So if you yell at your dog and it likes the attention, it might actually be a reward!

If you are a Trainer, are interested in being a Trainer, or just are a dog owner who wants to understand more, then this might be the class for you!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary... Day 983 of my captivity... My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.

Whereas eight-week-old puppies are universally accepting of people, adolescent dogs naturally become wary of anything unfamiliar, including noises, objects, dogs, people and places. It is not uncommon for adolescent dogs to become fearful or reactive. As puppies grow older, the world becomes a scarier place. To prevent dogs from becoming wary of children, men, strangers, skateboarders, other dogs, loud noises, vacuum cleaners, nail clippers, collar grabs, etc. etc. etc., take your time when exposing your puppy, adolescent, or newly adopted adult dog to novel (unfamiliar) stimuli, settings and situations and make sure you classically condition your dog not only to tolerate, but also to thoroughly enjoy all of these potentially scary stimuli.

Simply put, classical conditioning helps your dog form positive associations with all sorts of stimuli. Let’s say your puppy has grown to be scared of men. Rather than feeding your dog in a bowl, use his entire allotment of kibble for classical conditioning. For one week, take your dog to dine downtown. Sit on a bench and offer him a piece of dinner kibble each time a man walks by. For a second week, ask male passersby, “Excuse me, would you mind hand-feeding my dog? He’s really shy of men.” In no time at all, your dog will form a positive association between men and FOOD and might muse, “Ah yes, I love men.”

The most important times to classically condition your dog are when visitors come to your house, on walks, in dog parks and especially during dog training classes.

From puppyhood onwards, have every visitor to your house offer your dog a few pieces of kibble. Even though your puppy may be Mr. Sociable right now, unless you take this precaution, he will most certainly become more standoffish, asocial, and maybe antisocial as he grows older. Please do not take your puppies golden demeanor for granted. Have every household visitor offer a food treat to your puppy/dog and then your dog will look forward to visitors. Additionally, teach each visitor how to use the treat to teach your dog to come, sit and stay.

Most people walk their dogs too quickly through the environment. There is simply too much for the dog to take in — people, other dogs, other animals, noises and smells — “Oh there’s a squirrel. I smell Trixie. Hmm! I just love the smell of her urine. Trixie! Trixie! Trixie! Son of a female dog! That motorcycle was soooooo loud! Oh, oh, oh! Cat poo! Woo hoo! Yes!!! And another squirrel. Two squirrels Oh what’s my owner saying now? Oh, S.O.A.F.D! There’s Bruno. OH he’s HUGE! And his owner looks nervous. Why’s my owner jerking my leash? Is that a discarded hamburger wrapping. There’s a cat. I know there’s a cat. Can’t see it. Can’t hear it. Can’t smell it, but I know it’s there somewhere. I can feel it. She’s looking at me. Where is she? Oh NO! Children! I hope they don’t come this way. Another squirrel. Is that the mail truck three blocks away? I hope I get back home before he come.” And so it goes on. The dog’s brain goes into sensory overload. The dog is over-stimulated and instead of paying attention to his owner he becomes hyperactive or reactive.

When walking a dog, on-leash or off-leash, stop every 25 yards, let the dog take his time to look, listen and sniff and wait until he establishes eye contact (acknowledges your presence) and accepts a couple of pieces of kibble before saying “Let’s go” and continuing the walk for another 25 yards. Every couple of hundred yards, find a comfortable place to sit and wait for your dog to settle down and get used to the new environment. Offer your dog a piece of kibble every time the environment changes, for example, each time a person passes by, and maybe two pieces of kibble for a man, a piece of freeze-dried liver for a boy, and three pieces of liver for a boy on a skateboard.

When dogs visit unfamiliar environments, offering then kibble is a great temperament test for trainers, veterinarians and owners to check that the dog is at ease. If the dog refuses kibble from the owner, he is probably anxious about the environment — so give him time to adapt. However, if the dog accepts kibble from his owner but not from his veterinarian or trainer, then the dog most probably feels ill at ease with the veterinarian or trainer and so, proceed slowly — verrrry slowly.

For an adolescent or young adult dog, dog parks and training classes can be pretty scary environments, usually with a high-voltage social scene. Always give the dog a chance to relax and get used to the environment. Before attempting to train, wait until the dog settles down and appears and ease. Periodically keep offering pieces of kibble. Once the dog feels at ease, he will take the kibble and start to pay attention. Keep offering the kibble regardless of the dog’s behavior; it doesn’t matter whether the dog is hiding and peeking, barking, growling, or snapping and lunging. Keep offering the kibble so that the dog eventually forms positive associations with the class setting, the other dogs, the trainer, and other people.

Some people are afraid that offering kibble during classical conditioning might unintentionally reinforce bad behaviors. Certainly, when training, we are always classically conditioning and operantly conditioning at the same time. If you use your voice when classically conditioning, “There’s a good boy, it’s OK,” you might unintentionally reinforce all sorts of unwanted behavior. The classical conditioning still works for us but the operant conditioning works against us and makes the problem worse. In time, the dog will begin to feel OK about the situation but will continue barking and growling, or hiding and shaking, because that’s what he’s been unintentionally trained to do. However, by using food when classically conditioning, you can only reinforce good behavior because a dog cannot bark and lunge or eyeball another dog at the same time as turning to face you to take food.

For example, let’s say we are trying to classically condition a dog that is barking and lunging at another dog. We offer food, but the dog ignores our offerings and continues barking and lunging. Eventually though, the dog barks himself out and sniffs the food, whereupon he turns away from the other dog to take the food. Taking the food does not reinforce the dog’s barking and lunging. On the contrary, the food reinforces the dog for stopping barking and lunging, for turning away from the other dog and for turning towards his owner. After a couple of dozen repetitions, the dog will begin to form positive associations with the sight of other dogs. “I love it when other dogs approach because then my owner feeds me dinner.” And as a bonus, the dog’s trained response to seeing another dog is to turn away from the dog and to sit quietly and expectantly facing his owner.

As classical conditioning proceeds, the dog is less and less inclined to react in a negative manner towards the scary stimulus. Once a dog forms positive associations with stimuli, such as a vacuum cleaner, other dogs, or people, he doesn’t want to growl or snap and lunge at them.

You simply cannot do too much classical conditioning. Remember…

Operant Conditioning Rocks! But…Classical Conditioning Rules!

©2007-2010 Ian Dunbar

With kind permission from Ian and www.DogStarDaily.com

8a) Puppy Socialization Classes:

All classes below are given by TTouch Practitioners or Practitioners in Training and incorporate TTouch in the Handling of puppies.

õ  Bedfordview/ Edenvale/Linksfield/Orange Grove: Puppy Starter Session -One private session with comprehensive booklet; Contact Scotty on 011 882 2418 (h); 082 928 0102 or scotty@scottysdogs.co.za   

õ  Brixton / Auckland Park: Puppy classes; contact Candi Moon: furbabies.sanctuary@gmail.com, 079 490 3233, www.furbabiestraining.co.za

õ  Bryanston, Puppy 1&2, Classes Wednesday evening & Saturday afternoon. Private sessions on request. Niki Elliott 082 451 0433 or niki@thinkingpets.com

õ  Cape Town, Bellville; Puppy Socialization Saturday afternoons, call Debbie on 083 992-8767 or email Debbie.conradie@telkomsa.net 

õ  Centurion: Puppy Socialising, Basic Obedience & Clicker Classes, 8-Week Course Weekdays and Weekends.  Heather Whitfield 083 566 7009 or email heather4paws@gmail.com

õ  Durbanville: Puppy Classes for pups under 4 months. Ongoing: new every 6 weeks. Claire Grobbelaar 021 9790848 or 082 784 7524 Claire.g@mweb.co.za

õ  Heidelberg: Jordaanpark, Every Sunday; contact Ilze van der Walt:

õ  zafira.ilze@webmail.co.za or 082 921 4448

õ  Hermanus, Gordon’s Bay, Somerset West: Puppy l & ll. Tel 082 490 1650 and e-mail janina@krugerphotography.co.za

õ  Lyndhurst, Gresswold, Bramley, Kew, Waverley Area: Puppy Socialising, 6 Week courses on Sundays. Nicky Lucka 083-408-1517 lucka@absamail.co.za

õ  Parkwood: Puppy Classes, 6 Week courses on Saturday afternoons R480 Tersia Kock 082 828 0505 tkock@telkomsa.net

õ  Pretoria – Lynnwood Glen, Puppy classes for pups until 16 weeks and Basic obedience classes (using clicker training) for dogs 16 weeks and older.  Contact Anelize 079 272 4595 or Manuela 076 427 9166

õ  Randpark Ridge: Puppy Socialising with Clicker, 7 Week courses on Saturday mornings. Wendy Wilson, 083 336 1761 overthemoon@iafrica.com

Excerpts from a Cat’ Diary...... Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Excerpts from a Cat’ Diary...... Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards. There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

BEHAVIOUR: Introducing New Pets to One Another

By Daniel Estep, Ph.D. and Suzanne Hetts, Ph.D.  

www.AnimalBehaviorAssociates.com 

Copyright ABA, Inc.

Many people have more than one companion animal sharing their lives and their homes. As a result, questions arise as to the best way to introduce a new animal to resident household animals. Each introduction will be different depending on the species (dog, cat, etc.), the number of other animals, and the ages, sexes and individual temperaments of the animals involved. Despite these complications we have a few suggestions that may help to smooth the transition of a new animal into your household.

A general rule of thumb is that unfamiliar animals should never be left together unsupervised to “work things out” on their own. First impressions are important to animals as well as people and if things start out badly, the animals may never get along.

Once you get the new animal home, confine her/him in a comfortable space (spare bedroom, cage, etc.) where she/he can be visually isolated from the other household pets but can begin to get accustomed to the new home. From time to time you may want to isolate the other animals and let the new animal explore the rest of the house without the other animals present.

Introductions between new and resident animals should be as pleasant as possible. Watch closely for signs of fear or aggression and separate animals if this occurs. Use food treats or toys to reward non-fearful and non-aggressive behavior and to keep the animals in a happy, pleasant mood.

Restrain the animals at first with leashes or by holding them near you. Animals that aren’t moving around freely are less likely to cause fearful or aggressive responses in others. Additionally, fights are easier to break up among restrained animals.

Make initial introductions brief (5-10 minutes) but let them go longer and give the animals more freedom with each other as they become more relaxed around each other. Don’t be tempted into leaving the animals together for long periods of time if the first few short introductions go well. Gradually work up to longer periods.

Don’t punish animals for threatening each other or fighting. Simply remove them from the situation. The punishment may make them more aggressive with each other in the future.

Be patient. Several short introductions over a several days or weeks works better than a few longer sessions. If the animals haven’t been fully integrated within a week or two you may need professional help.

Taking the extra time and effort in the beginning to insure that relations start off well may prevent fighting problems later that can be dangerous and difficult to resolve. As with most other behavior problems, prevention is the best medicine

With kind permission from Suzanne Hetts & Daniel Estep. Edited version first published in the Rocky Mountain News, Denver, CO. Any use of this article must cite the authors and the Rocky Mountain News. For more interesting articles, go to http://www.animalbehaviorassociates.com/

9b.  HEALTH: Pets Helping to Keep us Healthy – by Gail Pryor

In a study of 50 dog owners and 50 people who don’t own dogs, test subjects interact with dogs they own, dogs belonging to others, and a robot dog manufactured by Sony. Researchers take blood pressure readings and blood samples from the people and the dogs. Preliminary findings show the best results from interaction between people and the dogs they own. Both the dogs and humans have experienced lower blood pressure, better levels of good hormones and decreased levels of hormones related to stress. — Rebecca Johnson, Pet-a-Pet study, School of Nursing, University of Missouri at Columbia

Johannes Odendaal, of South Africa, found that after 20 minutes of quiet interaction, 18 people and 18 dogs had significant changes in beneficial hormones: oxytocin, a hormone associated with feelings of happiness; prolactin, associated with increased feelings of nurturing; endorphin, runner’s high hormone; and phenylethylamine, which gives a feeling similar to the euphoria of chocolate. Cortisol, a stress hormone, decreased during the interaction.— Research by Johannes Odendaal, Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria, South Africa

People living with Alzheimer’s disease ate more when sitting in front of fish tanks.
— Alan Beck, director of the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine

Animals eased feelings of loneliness among older people. This research at St. Louis University was the only study on this list to show a beneficial response to a mechanical dog. Others showed the mechanical dog had no benefits or poor benefits. The tests did not check blood hormone levels.  — William A. Banks, division of geriatric medicine, St. Louis University School of Medicine

Women who underwent surgery for breast cancer showed improved recovery and mental health if they owned a dog, cat, or other pet. — University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom

Dogs have a significant, beneficial health effect on people who live alone and have borderline hypertension. — Millard Fillmore Hospital, Buffalo, NY

Owning a pet can buffer the response to mental stress better than ACE inhibitors —medications used to fight hypertension. Animals provided social support that reduced the response to stressful situations. "Those with high social support and pets had the lowest reactivity, and those with low social support and no pets had the highest reactivity." — Hypertension Journal, 2001, study at University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom

For older people, research suggests that pets can play a useful role in moderating the effect of aging on blood pressure.  — American Psychosomatic Society paper, 1997

A study of 6,000 households with people suffering cardiovascular disease showed dog and cat owners made fewer visits to doctors and had lower rates of medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol, sleeping difficulties, and heart problems. The researchers said the study supports "the notion that individuals with a close relationship to animals carry a lower burden of some risk factors." — A paper at the International Conference on Human-Animal Interactions, Animals, Health and Quality of Life, 1995, Geneva

With kind permission from Karen Pryor and http://www.clickertraining.com/.  About the author:  Gale Pryor is a writer and editor at Pen and Press, an editorial services and consulting company. Her writing credits include Parenting Magazine, Mothering Magazine, Teaching Dogs, National Public Radio, and two bestselling books.

                                                                                               

Excerpts from a Cat’s Diary...... Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.