What Lindy's clients have to say...

TTouch Dog workshop, 2012

The TTouch training was awesome, I learnt a lot and had a lot of fun. I don't think anything should be changed about the course it’s perfect. The informal atmosphere makes it easy to relax and ask questions. Leandra MacLure

Thank you so much for an awesome workshop last weekend. I have learnt sooo much, and Jenna did too.
My Bertie-boy has benefitted so much in the period of only a few days. He is a compulsive barker. I have been working with body and mouth wraps, and mouth and ear work. He is so much quieter, we can hardly believe it! A very interesting thing I noticed is that when I just mindlessly stroke Bertie with one eye on the computer/TV, Jenna comes and butts in (and vice versa). However, when I focus on what I’m doing and do proper touches, the other dog leaves us alone. I wonder how that works? Course participant

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I bought Linda's book a while ago and it is one thing to read up on how to do the touches, but one needs practical experience to get it right, and that is what I got from the workshop this past weekend. I thought Lindy presented it very well and I enjoyed her sense of humour. I also enjoyed the many success stories she shared with us to illustrate what can be done and how the touches can be used. I would recommend the workshop to anyone  who loves animals and would like to make a difference in an animal's life. Andrea Jones

I absolutely loved the course this weekend. A really nice group of ladies! Not only was it incredibly interesting but we had the opportunity to work with some of the boarding dogs, dogs that we didn't know, and to see the results within just a few hours was phenomenal. I also enjoyed the practical aspect of the course, being able to take what Nicky and Lindy had just shown us and put it into practice straight away. Would definitely recommend this course to anyone who has in interest in TTouch. Brenda Hopewell

In August 2011 Lindy Dekker presented a TTouch CPD workshop, as part of the new curriculum for the ThinkingPets Assistants.

“I had a fantastic time at the TTouch course! It was absolutely amazing to see the changes in the doggies after each session. Lindy Dekker was very knowledgeable and made the classes fun and interactive. She also made sure she had a chance to work with everyone. Her explanations were clear and precise and I now have a much better understanding of TTouch. I would definitely attend another course like that as my dogs and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you very much!” Clair Thain

“The TTouch weekend was very helpful. Lindy Dekker was a really good speaker and gave us practical examples of TTouch on our own animals. We also learned various techniques to apply to leads and harnesses which was an eye opener. Lindy also showed us how wraps can be used to allow the animal to focus more on their own body movements.” Samantha Reid

“I always knew that I would learn a lot from ThinkingPets, but the TTouch weekend I had was something spectacular!! I never knew that you as a person could make such a big difference in an animal’s life, by just a few stretches, touches, and balance courses to walk through. And the best part was, you practiced with the dog on the Saturday, and on the Sunday you could see a huge difference! Lizelle Britz

“The TTouch weekend was very informative. Me and my puppy Womble had a great time and learned so much. Lindy was a great teacher and I love that we could put the theory to test in our practical sessions and to see the difference it made in the animals! TTouch is a very valuable tool that I will use in my puppy classes and in my behaviour consults to strengthen the bond between owners and pets. Thanks a lot for the opportunity to learn more about TTouch.” Lizann Brown

“As the owner of a rescue-cross-breed, Lola, I have often struggled with helping her remain calm when she is confronted with situations she deems threatening. The TTouch workshop facilitated her in so many ways and in such a short period of time. Her demeanour, posture and mannerisms were visually different as the days progressed which encouraged me to start re-training her with ThinkingPets as this also incorporates elements of TTouch. For me, the workshop was eye opening and stimulating, so much so that I would like to incorporate TTouch into my final C01 assignment. I feel like the techniques that I learnt will stay with me and be used in whatever field of work I partake in.” Gabrielle Waterston

“I was very impressed with Lindy - she is an excellent presenter and the passion she has for the work that she does was clearly demonstrated over the course of the weekend. I learned a lot during the workshop, not only about the different TTouches and their application, but also about the philosophy behind TTouch. I cannot wait to put all that I learned into practice with the rescue cats at the shelter where I volunteer!” Christelle Smith

Zeplin's progress

Hi Lindy,

Just wanted to share a wonderful experience I had with Zepi with you :)) Took him on a long outride with some other ladies on Friday morning, he was super forward and even gave a few (small ;-)) "bucks of joy" at the start of our 2 canters (to my delight ;-))))

Back home I put him into the arena as he seems to enjoy a roll in the warm sand. After a good rub he walked straight over to me and put his head in my arms/against my chest and stayed there - yah yah yah (no treats involved, he seemed to really seek out and want body contact :)))) I know, nothing special for most horses, but very special for us considering that a few months ago he did not want anybody near him, did not enjoy touch and would rather be left alone in his field than interact with people...

So, thank you again for all your help with him! I strongly feel that riding should be a "team sport" and fun for both rider and horse. I was seeking to establish a friendship with my horse, had good intentions but definitely was not getting through to him in the beginning. The "traditional" riding lessons, which at first seemed to aggravate the situation rather than improve it.

The TTeam work has enabled me to start a two-way communication with Zeplin, it is not just me asking all the time, he also gets a say, e.g. long reins – if he needs to cough during his warm up (no matter what the instructor says ;-)), outrides rather than arena work. Lots of brain work and play time... we both still have a long way to go, we both make mistakes, e.g. he can still be unpleasant in his stable (but it is less frequent and almost happens as if it is his default behaviour and then he is like "oh ok, it is you, ok hi").

I still pull him in his mouth sometimes when I loose balance, but we seem to have reached a mutual understanding that we both try our best and that small mistakes won't dampen our enthusiasm (or from Zepi's side, acceptance, would not say he is enthusiastic re. anything other than food and a cross-country gallop ;-)) for each other.
Manuela