ARO-HEALING

First, make sure he respects your space. This means that whenever you are handling him, you should be the one making him move, and not the other way around.

If your horse swings his hindquarters towards you or bumps you out of the way with his shoulder, he is clearly telling you through his body language that he doesn’t see you as a leader. If he rubs his head against you, or nips at you to get your attention, he doesn’t respect your boundaries. (He would never do this to the dominant horse in a herd without paying the price.) If he walks ahead when you’re leading him, then he is taking charge.

“You don’t have to be a dictator, but you should enforce your boundaries with your horse. Bad manners and rudeness are the same whether you’re dealing with adults, kids, horses or dogs. If a horse is making me feel uncomfortable with his body language, then it’s inappropriate.”

Let’s consider the horse that steps into your space while you are grooming him. To change his mindset, you must make him move his feet. You don’t have to hit him or jerk on the lead rope, but you need to use enough pressure to make him move when you ask him to. For some horses, you might only need to raise your hand. For others, you may need to push on their shoulder or hip.

In the case of a more dominant horse, or one that you have allowed to be pushy, you may need to poke him with the handle end of a crop. However, you want to make the horse move his feet while you remain in the same place. Horses understand this pecking order lesson immediately. They know that the one whose feet move the most is lower on the totem pole.

“We don’t have more physical power than the horse, but we have mental power. The horse doesn’t know how much pressure you can apply. If a horse moves into me, I may lift my hand and wave at his eye to make him back up.”

McNabb finds that in many cases, responding to a horse with the same type of behavior he shows you is highly effective. “If a horse is nibbling at my sleeve, this is incredibly disrespectful,” he says. “So I might use my fingers to pinch him on the nose enough to annoy him. This is doing to him what he’s doing to me. The second he quits the behavior, I stop and leave him alone.”

“You don’t have to give him treats or pet him to reward him. Horses crave peace and quiet. Often, the greatest reward for a horse is to be left alone. When you step back from the horse, this releases all the pressure. You can leave him alone for just 10 seconds or so, then step up and rub him for a few seconds to reinforce that he did well. Often the horse will then sigh, drop his head and relax. Feeling safe is the ultimate thing.”

Horses don’t plot against us or try to come up with ways to frustrate us; they are simply doing what we allow them to do. In many respects, horses are like 5-year-old kids that happen to weigh 1,000 pounds. They will constantly push boundaries to see how far you’ll let them go. But as you reinforce those boundaries and consistently take on the role of the leader, they will begin looking to you for permission and guidance.

Many of the alternative equine therapies will have the same benefits for the Equine Nervous System. The nervous system affects all 3 aspects of your horse’s health—physical, mental, and emotional.

Focusing on the benefits of equine therapeutic massage and discussing the benefits of equine therapy for your horse’s mental, physical, and emotional health, there are as many different benefits as there are horses. Each horse has its own story. Each story has different needs.

Chiropractic care is a holistic approach to many health and performance problems in the horse. Chiropractic does not replace traditional veterinary medicine and surgery, but provides an alternative method of care. Chiropractic adjustments have proven to be invaluable in detecting and treating gait abnormalities and other performance-robbing problems in the athletic horse. It has also been shown to alleviate pain in the back and neck of the horse. Some nerve damage, such as pressure on the sciatic nerve, has responded well to chiropractic adjustments.

There are numerous stressful or traumatic situations, such as the birth process, training and riding equipment, shoeing, trailers, direct trauma or ability of the rider, that can cause abnormal or restricted movement in the spine. This change in proper movement of the spine is what chiropractors call a “subluxation.” When a subluxation occurs the horse’s spine loses its normal flexibility. This results in stiffness, which further leads to resistance and decreased performance. The most common symptom associated with spinal subluxations is pain, which can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Horses in pain will show compensatory changes in posture and gait. These changes cause stress in other joints and muscles.

Symptoms such as lack of power, poor mental attitude, lameness, stiffness, gait abnormalities or the presence of muscle atrophy (wasting) are commonly associated with spinal misalignments.

Subluxations may also cause changes in muscle co-ordination and flexibility that affect the performance ability of the horse. These symptoms may be:

1 Unusual and perhaps indefinable gait abnormalities which vary from limb to limb and change depending on gait

2 Lack of co-ordination in gaits

3 Stiffness in lateral movements of the neck or back

4 Rope walking (in-line steps)

5 Shortened stride in one or two limbs

6 Difficulty flexing at the poll

7 Inability to engage rear quarters or being “on line” (pulling on one rein)

Common complaints from horse owners include decreased performance, irritability, resistance or stiffness when moving to one direction and sensitivity to touch, such as when being groomed.

It is important to remember that the chiropractor is not adjusting the entire horse, but rather a specific joint in the spine.

Initially, a complete chiropractic exam is performed. This usually includes a case history, any previous veterinary work performed, static and motion palpation of the spine and its joints, gait analysis, muscle palpation, posture analysis and checking for any changes in temperature over the spine.

Once the initial examination has been completed, the animal chiropractor will perform an adjustment on the area of the spine affected to return the joints to normal motion and to alleviate any muscle spasms and pain. A chiropractic adjustment is a very specific high-velocity, low-force, controlled thrust by a hand which is directed in a specific direction on a specific joint.

Several factors determine the number and frequency of adjustments required to correct a problem:

·    The horse’s age and physical condition is important: young healthy horses will require fewer adjustments than those with serious health problems or older horses.

·    The severity of the problem is another major factor: if permanent damage has occurred, a return to full flexibility seems impossible and multiple adjustments may be necessary to achieve the utmost flexibility.

·    The length of time the problem has been present is also a factor: a chronic problem requires more adjustments to correct than an acute problem.

In recent years the demand for chiropractic as an alternative modality in the treatment of joint related problems in animals has sky-rocketed throughout the world. This demand for chiropractic methods and chiropractors trained in diagnosing and treating animals, resulted in the establishment in 1989 of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) by Sharon Willoughby DVM, DC. Also established in 1989 was Options for Animals, the educational division of the AVCA.

The purpose of the Options program:

·    is to train, and ultimately certify, licensed chiropractors in the art and science of animal chiropractic based on sound, fundamental chiropractic philosophy, structural biomechanics, spinal and extra spinal anatomy

·    and to provide hands-on experience, utilizing horses and dogs, in developing sound adjusting techniques.

The treatment techniques are designed in such a way as to provide the most benefit to the animal with the least amount of discomfort.

The AVCA is the only organization offering such an extensive professional program, and by utilizing an AVCA-certified practitioner you are assured of his/her knowledge and training.

James believed that what the individual perceives as the emotion of fear is actually preceded by the release of adrenalin. Based on studies done since James’ writings, it appears he was right. In addition we also know that the release of adrenalin is a learned reaction. So what causes the release of adrenalin? Does this learned reaction need to be a response to direct experience or can we learn through other mechanisms? Studies seem to show that direct experience is not needed. Phobias, for example, seem to arise spontaneously.

The benefits that can be derived from your dog having a ‘pet massage’ or a Touch Therapy session are endless!

Tellington is not offered by Aro-healing. However, the benefits are the same. In Aro-healing it is not called Tellington Touch Therapy, but Aro-Pet Massage^TM—Touch Therapy for Pets.

1. Calms the Dog

It has been proven by experts and dog lovers that dogs bark and make noise more when they are tense, restless, hyperactive or aggressive. A good massage helps them relax.

Without massage there is a tendency that your dog can be harsh and aggressive to people, especially when the children play with him too much and too roughly.

2. Eases Aching Muscles

Massages strengthen your dog’s muscles, and are beneficial for athletic dogs; even for pet dogs who work out on a regular basis.

3. Releases Stress

When adolescent dogs are routinely massaged they experience less stress when they become older—it increases their immune system to fight common aging ailments.

4. Aids Injuries

Injuries can be treated effectively with a massage (injured tissues or arthritis). It restores mobility and flexibility. Recovering injuries should only be done by a registered dog therapist. Do not attempt to do it without any knowledge of canine anatomy.

5. Increases Immune System

Gentle massage triggers the chemicals called cytokines. These chemicals affect the dog’s hormonal system which decreases the level of stress hormones that weaken the immune system.

6. Disperses Pain

It induces cells to release cytokines at the spot of the massage and instructs the brain to release pain-killing endorphins.

7. Improves Blood and Lymph Circulation

It stimulates blood circulation which increases the amount of oxygen that reaches tissue and flushes out toxins and waste. It is great for dogs suffering from obesity.

8. Heightens Concentration and Alertness

It helps to improve your dog’s performance and concentration during obedience training or trick training.

9. Builds Trust

It helps to build trust and alerts you of subtle changes in your dog’s physical condition that may be overlooked during regular grooming sessions.

10. Promotes Longevity

Not only does it improve and maintain his overall health; it also motivates all dogs to want to stay with their caring owners longer.

Animals are wary of anything new. As you begin the massage, your pet may initially resist your efforts. After all, if he’s never had a massage, this will be new to him.

If you find that your pet is tense under your hands when you begin the massage, slow down your movements. If it doesn’t help, stop and let your dog or cat get up and stretch. Stretching is good for the body, but it also helps the animal relieve stress.

The next day, see if your pet will relax under your hands. As he relaxes, he will learn that the massage feels good; introducing this massage takes time. Be patient.

To massage your dog or cat is a wonderful way to spend time together. Not only can you both relax, but you can keep your pet well groomed at the same time. Learn what his body feels like, so you can keep track of any health problems. Remember that this should be relaxing for both of you. If he is hurt, doesn’t feel good, is worried or stressed, massage only while he accepts it. If your pet is uncomfortable, let him go, and massage later.

Chiropractic care is a holistic approach to many of the health and performance problems of the dog. Chiropractic does not replace traditional veterinary medicine and surgery, but provides an alternative method of care. Chiropractic adjustments have proven to be invaluable in detecting and treating gait abnormalities and other performance-robbing problems. It has also alleviated pain in the back and neck of the dog.

There are numerous, common stressful or traumatic situations, such as the birth process, that can cause abnormal or restricted movement to occur in the spine. This change in proper movement of the spine is what chiropractors call a “subluxation.” When a subluxation occurs, the dog’s spine loses its normal flexibility. This results in stiffness, which further leads to resistance and decreased performance. The most common symptoms associated with spinal subluxations are pain, which can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Dogs in pain will show compensatory changes in posture and gait. These changes can cause stress in other joints and muscles.

Symptoms such as stiffness, poor mental attitude, gait abnormalities, or the presence of muscle atrophy (wasting) are commonly associated with spinal misalignments.

Subluxations may also cause changes in muscle coordination and flexibility that affect the performance ability of the dog. These symptoms may be lack of coordination in gaits, unusual and perhaps indefinable gait abnormalities which vary from limb to limb and change depending on gait, stiffness in lateral movements of neck or back, rope walking (in-line steps), shortened stride in one or two limbs, inability to engage rear quarters, or difficulty flexing at the poll.

Common complaints from dog owners include resistance or stiffness when moving to one direction, irritability, decreased performance, and sensitivity to touch, such as when being groomed.

Once the initial examination has been completed, the animal chiropractor will perform an adjustment on the area of the spine affected so as to return the joints to normal motion and to alleviate any muscle spasms and pain. A chiropractic adjustment is a very specific high-velocity, low-force, controlled thrust by a hand, which is directed, in a specific direction on a specific joint.

Several factors determine the number and frequency of adjustments required to correct a problem. The dog’s age and physical condition are important: young healthy dogs will generally require fewer adjustments than older dogs or those with serious health problems. The severity of the problem is another major factor: if permanent damage has occurred, a return to full flexibility may not be possible and multiple adjustments may be necessary to achieve the most flexibility possible. The length of time the problem has been present is also a factor: longstanding, or chronic, problems frequently require more adjustments to correct than do acute problems.

The demand for chiropractic as an alternative modality in the treatment of joint related problems in animals has sky-rocketed throughout the world in recent years. This demand for chiropractors and veterinarians trained in diagnosing and treating animals utilizing chiropractic methods resulted in the establishment in 1989 of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA) by Sharon Willoughby DVM, DC. Also established in 1989 was Options For Animals, the educational division of the AVCA.

The purpose of the Options program is to train, and ultimately certify, licensed chiropractors and veterinarians in the art and science of animal chiropractic based on sound, fundamental chiropractic philosophy, structural biomechanics, spinal and extra spinal anatomy, and to provide hands-on experience, utilizing horses and dogs, in developing sound adjusting techniques. These treatment techniques are designed to provide the most benefit to the animal with the least amount of associated discomfort.

The AVCA is the only organization offering such an extensive professional program, and by utilizing an AVCA-certified practitioner you are assured of his or her knowledge and training.

Obviously, a clicker is helpful. Clickers come in many different colors and designs, and can be found at most pet supply shops for under a dollar. When choosing a clicker, make sure to click it a few times to make sure it is loose enough for you to use comfortably. Some clickers have more resistance than others, and can cause discomfort if you have to use too much pressure with your thumb to get a sound. You also want the “click” sound quickly—the issue with the clicker is to tell your bird the exact moment that he has performed correctly.

Once you have the clicker, you’ll need healthy, tasty bird treats to reward the bird. When choosing training treats keep the following in mind:

•     Choose a healthy, nutritious treat. You are repeating training sessions many times throughout every day. You also want to make sure that the reward is not only tasty and satisfying, but low in fat and high in nutritional value. Good choices for bird training treats are fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables, with the occasional seed or nut thrown in for purposes of variable reinforcement.

•     Cut the treats into tiny, easy to eat bites. To maximize your training sessions, use tiny bites of a treat so that your bird is rewarded with a tasty snack without filling him up within the first few minutes. If he is full too quickly, he won’t be interested to put the work in to earn more treats.

Once you have chosen your clicker and tasty bird treats, you are ready to move on to the next step of clicker training your pet bird—conditioning your pet to the clicker.

The use of the word language may lead to misrepresentations of the waggle dance. The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure proposed a system of language as a sign that is made up of 2 components. The signifier is the physical or phonetic representation of a sign. The signified is the conceptual component.

If the dance language followed the Saussurian dyadic model of semiotics, the signifier would be the waggle dance and the signified would be the location of the foraging resource. Though the dance language may or may not follow this sort of pattern, it is not considered to be a language with syntactical grammar or a set of symbols.

As defined by von Frisch, Tanzsprache (German for “dance language”) is the information about direction, distance, and quality of a resource (such as food or nesting sites) contained within the waggle dance. Though von Frisch insisted on the direct connection between the Tanzsprache and the performance of the waggle dance, recent criticism holds it that potential foragers need not correctly translate the dance language from the waggle dance to successfully forage.

In an experiment on the honeybee Apis mellifera, most individuals who thoroughly followed a waggle dance ignored the resource direction and location information. Instead, 93 percent of the foragers returned to foraging areas they had previous knowledge of.

Bees that follow a waggle dance can successfully forage without decoding the dance language information in several ways:

•     Dance follower may use olfactory information from the dancer and find either the same resource or a different one with a similar scent.

•     Following a dance may simply trigger foraging behavior.

•     A forager may then search randomly for resources.

•     Following a dance may reactivate private knowledge of a resource.

•     After reactivation, the forager may return to the known resource.

•     Using information communicated in the waggle dance is more useful to foragers when private information about resources is lacking.

Clicker Training is a respectful and scientific method of training your dog (or any animal). For the average pet owner or for those who want more precision in their training, it is fun, fast and easy and uses a positive approach by rewarding the behaviors you want and punishing the ones you don’t want. It is based on the science of operant conditioning used in training marine mammals like dolphins. The term Clicker Training was popularized by Karen Pryor, a marine mammal trainer, who brought this technique to the world of horses, dogs, cats, birds and other small animals.

Maybe you’d like to teach your dog tricks, use the clicker to perfect the obedience commands or have quality fun time with your pet. A good way is to start with a combination of clicker and TTouch.

Clicker Training is a respectful and scientific method of training your dog (or any animal). For the average pet owner or for those who want more precision in their training, it is fun, fast and easy and uses a positive approach by rewarding the behaviors you want and punishing the ones you don’t want. It is based on the science of operant conditioning used in training marine mammals like dolphins. The term Clicker Training was popularized by Karen Pryor, a marine mammal trainer, who brought this technique to the world of horses, dogs, cats, birds and other small animals.

Maybe you’d like to teach your dog tricks, use the clicker to perfect the obedience commands or have quality fun time with your pet. A good way is to start with a combination of clicker and TTouch.

Clicker Training is a respectful and scientific method of training your dog (or any animal). For the average pet owner or for those who want more precision in their training, it is fun, fast and easy and uses a positive approach by rewarding the behaviors you want and punishing the ones you don’t want. It is based on the science of operant conditioning used in training marine mammals like dolphins. The term Clicker Training was popularized by Karen Pryor, a marine mammal trainer, who brought this technique to the world of horses, dogs, cats, birds and other small animals.

Maybe you’d like to teach your dog tricks, use the clicker to perfect the obedience commands or have quality fun time with your pet. A good way is to start with a combination of clicker and TTouch.

Trainers use a toy clicker with a unique sound to mark the behavior they like. After they “click”, the dog receives a reward. This can be anything that the dog likes, from fetch, a walk to food. Food is a staple part of clicker training. It’s easy to dispense and rewarding for the dog.

Clicker Training relies on Positive Reinforcement to make it likely the dog will repeat the desired behavior in the future.

It is unique in that there is a step-by-step recipe to get any behavior. The tools used to obtain these behaviors are vast. The clicker is used as a marker signal for the animal to know when he has done something right. Rather like a camera taking a picture, marking the exact moment.

Basically it’s to get the behavior, mark the behavior and reward or reinforce the behavior. An example is if you want to teach your dog to sit. When he sits, you click. Then you give him a treat. The click means, “That behavior is what I want”! If you click and treat every time the dog sits, he quickly understands that sitting is a good thing. You can start to add the cue word “Sit” before your dog sits so that the association develops between the word and the behavior.

Tellington TTouch, South Africa believes that Clicker Training is compatible with TTouch as both modalities are based on working with the animals with co-operation, understanding and respect. They are both working towards getting the animals to think for themselves and communication on the highest level.

When an animal intentionally performs a behavior in order to bring about a desired consequence, as clicker trained animals do, they are learning in a way that researchers call “operant conditioning.”

Animals (and people) may also associate a person, action, place, event or object with a consequence, whether pleasant or unpleasant. The more a certain event or environment is paired with a particular consequence, the stronger the association. This type of learning is “classical conditioning” and represents automatic (reflexive) behavior, rather than intentional behavior.

While clicker training initially employs classical conditioning; it quickly becomes operant conditioning as soon as the animal intentionally repeats an action in order to earn a reward. Training through operant conditioning results in purposeful behavior, while training through classical conditioning results in habitual behavior.

The difference between an animal that behaves with purpose, rather than by habit, is vast. Clicker trained or operant conditioned animals learn new behaviors. They remember behaviors years later because they were aware of them as they learned them, rather than acquiring them without awareness. They develop confidence because they have control over the consequences of their actions. They are enthusiastic because they expect those consequences to be pleasurable.

The essential difference between clicker training and other reward-based training is that the animal is told exactly which behavior earned it a reward. This information is communicated with a distinct sound, a click, which occurs at the time of the desired behavior. The reward follows.

Without hearing a click during an action, an animal may not connect the reward with that action. Or, the animal may associate the reward with another, unwanted action. With the click, a trainer can “mark” behavior so that the animal knows what it was doing. That’s why clicker trainers call the click an “event marker.” The click also bridges or connects the behavior and its reward. It is also called a “bridging signal.”

 WHY USE A CLICK? WHY NOT JUST A WORD?

A click is more powerful for training than a spoken word because it is not a sound heard by the animal in other circumstances. It means one thing only: a reward is coming because of what you did when you heard the click. It can be produced instantly and at the exact moment a behavior occurs. Even a quick and subtle behavior, the twitch of an ear for example, can be clicked.

Unlike our voices, which can say the same word in different ways, and so express different meanings or emotions each time, the click sounds the same every time; its meaning never differs. Humans are verbal creatures, pets are not. It can be difficult for them to pick out a word from the stream of words they hear us speak every day. The click’s meaning is clear. It is directed at the animal and it is always good news.

The clarity with which a click enables trainers to communicate with the animal has a profound effect on their relationship. Their level of interaction increases. Trainer and animal become more interesting and fun.

Clicker trainers differ from traditional trainers in that they wait until the behavior is well understood by the animal before using a command or “cue.” A cue is the name of a behavior, such as “sit,” or a hand movement or other clear signal. Until the animal knows what the behavior is, a name for it would be meaningless.

When the animal has been clicked several times for a behavior, he confidently repeats the behavior, showing that he knows what earns him a click and a reward. He is ready to learn the name of the behavior. Clicker trainers call this “introducing the cue.”

To teach the animal the name of the behavior, or the cue, the trainer says or signals the cue before the animal repeats the behavior. After several repetitions, the trainer begins to click and reward when the animal does the behavior, but only after the cue is given. No click is given if the animal does the behavior without being given the cue first. The animal quickly learns to listen or watch for its cue, which tells it: If you do this behavior now, you will get a click and earn a reward.

WHAT IF THE ANIMAL DOES NOT OBEY THE CUE?

Clicker trained animals want to perform behaviors for which they have been rewarded in the past. If they understand the meaning of the cue and desire the reward, they will perform the behavior.

If they do not perform the behavior, clicker trainers do not assume that the animal is “disobeying.” Instead the trainer asks the following questions:

•     Does the animal know the meaning of the cue?

•     Does the animal know the meaning of the cue in the environment in which it was first taught, but not in the environment in which it was given?

•     Is the reward for doing the behavior desired by the animal?

Answering these questions, the clicker trainer revises the training process to be sure that the animal knows the meaning of the cue in all environments and feels rewarded for the behavior, regardless of distractions.

A consequence of any behavior can be unpleasant as well as pleasant. So why shouldn’t punishments follow unwanted behaviors, just as rewards follow wanted behaviors?

Research tells us that punishment may decrease the frequency of an unwanted behavior, but it results in producing another unwanted behavior. The results of punishment as a training method are difficult to predict and to control.

In addition, punishment is not identified with an event marker. It comes after the event and is connected with a specific behavior. In the animal’s perception, punishment is a random, meaningless event. It is, therefore, less effective than the combined use of an event marker and positive reinforcement in changing behavior.

Clicker trainers feel that their relationships with their animals are stronger and more rewarding when they focus on the positive rather than the negative. Like the difference between an animal behaving with intention rather than by habit, the difference in attitude and enthusiasm between an animal that works to earn rewards rather than to avoid punishment is vast.

Clicker trainers allow unwanted behaviors to disappear through lack of reinforcement. If a behavior is not rewarding to the animal, eventually it will disappear. If an unwanted behavior persists, clicker trainers study the behavior to understand why it is reinforcing to the animal. Sometimes the behavior reinforces itself: a barking dog is less bored than a quiet dog. The barking is its own reward. The clicker trainer provides this dog with an alternate wanted behavior to replace the unwanted behavior. The bored dog may simply need more activity, or perhaps quiet resting for longer periods can become a rewarding behavior. Then the clicker trainer would teach the dog a cue for “silence.”