Animal Health and Behaviour
• McTimoney Animal Manipulation
• Tellington Ttouch Training
“For optimum health, performance and wellbeing”
Groundwork
The groundwork consists of different obstacles and surfaces, but rather than doing it at speed as in agility or show jumping, the obstacles are used to develop balance, awareness and confidence and are done slowly. Often dogs and horses that seem to willingly jump in competition or training are actually not able to work slowly over obstacles. Sometimes a single ground pole lying flat on the ground can be an issue and animals rush over obstacles to please their owners or out of fear. Doing the obstacle course slowly and in balance helps to develop focus, teaching animals to listen and wait for our signals. Animals begin to think about each given task and concentrate as well as becoming more supple balanced and agile.
The labyrinth is an important part of the Ttouch training and human studies have
shown that working through the labyrinth greatly improved mobility and coordination
in children with physical and learning difficulties. Leading animals over different
surfaces such as boards, plastic sheets, rubber, or wire mesh can help to prepare
them for real life situations where they has to negotiate different surfaces. Other
obstacles such as different configurations of poles, cavaletti, tires, ramps and
teeter-
