07/02/2015
PILATES FOR POOCHES?
Okay, I’m a crazy dog person. I work with dogs to improve their quality of life, and help their owners to enjoy their relationship with dogs to the fullest. The same way my Pilates guru works with me to enjoy a body with all the kinks and quirks addressed to give me a better quality of life.
Take the two together, and there are some valuable lessons I have learnt. First up is that my brain is a very dangerous neighbourhood to venture into on my own. It tells me that ‘I can’t.’ I am not a pretzel. Dogs do not have the same problem, their powers of reasoning, thoughts of consequences and social and moral limitations do not bother them. So they come with a tabula rasa of ‘I can.’ My guru tells me that I can, and motivates me to believe it. She does this by simplifying my learning process into manageable chunks, each of which reinforces the idea that ’I can.’ This is a powerful motivation for me to try.
This process is setting me up for success. And I like success. So do dogs. They aim to please us, and if we set them up for success, motivate them to try bite-sized pieces of behaviour with bite-sized treats as reinforcers, they are quick to try new ideas, and enjoy their success as much as the owner does. With dogs, this is based on the principles of classical and operant conditioning. With people, we tend to work more with cognitive behaviour principles, and sometimes forget about the simpler paths to success.
Modern science has opened up brighter horizons for the way in which we work with our dogs. In the bad old days, training was punishment based, influenced by the work of Col. Konrad Most. The aim was to convince the dog of the absolute superiority of man. Studies of captive wolves led to the belief in the pack mentality, which has been discounted. Unfortunately there are still trainers and celebrities that espouse these principles.
Old wives tales abound about using punishment, such a smacking a dog for bad behaviour or rubbing its nose in poo to house-train it. Such punishment may achieve obedience based on fear, as may the use of aversive training tools such as ‘choke’ collars or even worse, e-collars. Let’s face it, there’s enough scary stuff out there that we don’t need to add to it. Oh, and of course my guru hasn’t resorted to such punishment. Yet.
With her positive reinforcement of each little success, she motivates me. That’s fine for my cognitive brain, but I wouldn’t mind at all if she used Smarties as well!
The disciplines of Pilates, Feldenkrais and Tellington Touch have much in common, which is why we encourage ‘cross-training’ for people and dogs. We work to develop a sense of confidence, trust and ‘I can.’ We work to balance muscular activity to develop core, and also to work with neural pathways to open up new possibilities. As a crazy dog person, I am an adherent of Tellington Touch for dogs and people. I am training and learning with every day, my work being supported by those who know and share their knowledge and experience. The results speak for themselves – easing pain, strengthening balance and proprioception, helping joint mobility and much more. Works for humans, too.
The best news is that Edie Jane Eaton, international Feldenkrais practitioner and Tellington Touch Instructor will be presenting her ‘Take it Easy’ course at Wynberg Pilates in June. A not-to-be missed event for those who believe in having exceptional tools to help us live a world in which ‘I can.’
Claire Atkinson is a Counselling Psychologist, Dog Behaviourist and TTouch student. She is grateful to her guru Mandy and the team at Wynberg Pilates; the TTouch family and lots of people and dogs for keeping her in the world of ‘I can.’
