• Gentle body work called Tellington TTouch comprised of circular touches, lifts, and slides;
• Groundwork/movement exercises called the Playground for Higher Learning;
• Tellington training equipment, including harnesses and body wraps;
• Intention: picturing how you want your dog to behave with the realization that you can "Change Your Mind & Change Your Animal."

• TTouch helps the dog get the space she needs to gain confidence, to learn to trust your touch, and to cope with the environment around her. This increases her tolerance for touch, people, situations, and the environment, as her posture improves and stress reduces.
• Movement is important. Allow the dog to move as much as the space allows; it gives her a choice in the situation. When a dog feels like she can move away freely, she will be more confident to approach.

• Dogs who participate in TTouch activities, like Speck in 2017, often are adopted from our seminars and classes. People want the kind of confident, trusting, and calm dogs TTouch helps to create.

• TTouch helps you focus on the dog in front of you, to be present in mind, body, and spirit with the dog.
• TTouch improves our own quality of life by helping us slow down, breathe, and be in the moment with our dogs.

1. "Get Ready For Your Date": Dress and Accessorize appropriately: have your gear ready, wraps and harnesses clean and ready to use, treats open, poop bags stowed, toys handy, and a calm attitude.
2. "Meeting Your Date": As you enter a shy dog's kennel, be mindful of your body language, where you position yourself in relation to the dog, and the signals the dog offers. Make sure you are constantly re-assessing throughout your time together.

• Harness: check clips, adjust size, make sure it's clean. Know how to put it on the dog! Practice putting equipment on other dogs. Only use equipment you've used 100 times with a shy dog.
• Wraps: Fold the wrap and put it in a convenient place so you don't have to rummage for it.
• Treats: Open your treats before you enter. Invest in a treat bag!
• Toys: If there are toys in kennel, use them. Otherwise, bring toys of different sizes for play, "hand extenders", and sometimes for safety.
• Poop bags, camera, phones, jacket, etc.: Stow these where you can get to them if needed.

• Plan things you might like to do with her.
• Bring gear for many scenarios beyond your plan.
• Don't pressure her to do something she doesn't want to.
• Allow her to set the pace for your session.
• Be ready to change if the moment changes.
• Even if you don't get to do anything you planned to do, at least you tried and you'll be more likely to make a connection in the future.
• Remember - moments, not minutes.

• If it's the right time, squat down but keep your feet under you with posture upright.
• Slowly move toward her, facing in the same direction she is.
• Speak in low tones.
• Treat toss. Show you have value. Kathy Cascade says "Use food when it's helpful, to make a connection, build trust, in training, to change the moment."

• Llama
• Chimp and Baby Chimp
• ZigZag
• Clouded Leopard
• Noah's March
• Raccoon
• Lying Leopard

Circular TTouches like Racoon or Clouded Leopard on and around the ear, and a slide from base to tip. Remember to replace ear, don't drop it.

If ears are pinned back: Determine if touch is appropriate at this moment. If so, circular touches like Baby Chimp or Raccoon or Clouded Leopard around the base and neck could be useful here.

If Tail is tightly tucked, try some Clouded Leopard TTouches around the base of the tail and on the tail, or LLama TTouch on the tail, or Noah's March sketched down the tail.

Press the tail gently against the side of a leg.

As the tail loosens on its own you can gently touch on the underside of the tail to lift it.

Check your touches - position, speed, and pressure matter

You probably need to slow down and use either more or less pressure.

Pro Tip: If you cannot touch with your hand, try using a toy to sketch touches instead. If cannot touch on her body with toy, draw circle and a quarter on ground with toy. Repeat in random places. Show her what you're doing. Try to touch again. Repeat as needed.

If you plan to take the dog out, a harness is highly recommended. Again, make sure you know how to put it on a dog!! Size it before putting it on. If she is taking food, offer food by sticking hand through the harness. As she takes the food, slip the harness over her head.

Pro Tip: Face the same direction as the dog as you harness her. Pause frequently to reconnect and assess.

Leash her using two points of contact. Keep the leash loose. Give the dog as much autonomy as possible and let her choose when she's ready to go!

Pro Tip: Clip the leash onto 2 different pieces of equipment, e.g., the harness and the collar. This way, if she pulls out of one, you will still have her by the other.