Tellington TTouch Training Canada

Our instructors are the heart of our organization.

Our teachers and instructors are dynamic, inclusive, and creative individuals  devoted to the betterment of animals and their people through knowledge, awareness, and understanding.  Each teacher brings their own spin to the work, providing a supportive, multi-layered learning experience.

Linda tellington Jones rides bareback and bridle lessLinda Tellington-Jones’ highly effective and revolutionary approach to working with animals has brought her worldwide recognition. She is the founder and president of Tellington TTouch Training with certified TTouch practitioners for horses, companion animals and humans in 27 countries.

Her pioneering work has its roots in a philosophy that sees all beings — humans and animals alike — as reflections of a Divine Whole. The Tellington Method was first created 4 decades ago as a system of animal training and communication that allows people to relate to animals in a deeper, more compassionate way — a way that furthers inter-species connection and honors the body, mind and spirit of both animals and their people. She is the author of 17 books in 13 languages.

In 2007 she was awarded an honorary PhD from Wisdom University and appointed as Chair for the Wisdom University Institute of Interspecies Connections.

Learn more about Linda Tellington-Jones

Robyn Hood, senior Tellington TTOuch instructor and her dogsRobyn, Linda’s youngest sister, has been riding horses since before she could walk. She went through Pony Club and showed as a junior competitor in Alberta. She later attended and then instructed at the Pacific Coast School of Horsemanship in California owned by her sister Linda Tellington-Jones. Robyn competed successfully in hunter, jumper, three-day eventing, endurance, western events and more recently with gaited horses, throughout North America and Europe.

In 1982 Robyn became involved full-time with the Tellington TTouch Method. For the past three decades she has been the editor of the TTEAM Newsletter and principle of Tellington TTouch Training Canada. Since 1986 she has been teaching TTouch on a full-time basis in Canada, the US, Europe, South Africa, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand, spending about 160 days a year traveling. Robyn has given demonstrations and lectures at various venues including Spruce Meadows; Equitana USA, Equitana Asia Pacific, and Germany; Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan; International Humane Society Conference in Vienna and Murdoch University in Perth.

  Robyn, along with her daughter Mandy Pretty, have written and published several TTouch related publications to enhance the ongoing development and refinement of the Tellington TTouch Method.  “All Wrapped Up:For Pets”,  “All Wrapped Up: For Horses”,  “All Wrapped Up: For You”, and “Harnessing Your Dog’s Perfection” are available through the online store.

Besides teaching around the world and at her farm in Vernon, BC, she and her husband have been importing and breeding Icelandic horses since 1976. In addition to their Icelandic herd which numbers around 40, they also share their farm with a cat, two dogs and a very talented parrot named Frances.

Mandy Pretty uses TTouch on a large draft cross horse.Born and raised with horses, Mandy Pretty was literally riding before she could walk.  As a child she was immersed in the world of horses, helping to start youngsters, exercise sales horses, as well as participating in demonstrations and competitions with some of her parents’ many Icelandic horses.

  Her exposure to the horse world was somewhat unconventional.  Daughter of clinician Robyn Hood, and niece of Internationally renowned horse woman Linda Tellington-Jones, meant that her norm for handling and interacting with horses was several decades ahead of its time.  Looking for tangible physical and emotional reasons for unwanted behaviour long before equine chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists were main stream meant that black and white behavioural labels like “stubborn”, “lazy”, or “disrespectful” were seldom used.  Instead, horse behaviour was looked at from a point of view as being the reaction to a concrete catalyst, looking at balance, pain, fear, and issues of rider communication.

Her clinics focus on creating a positive experience for horse and rider, while improving performance without compromising physical, emotional, or mental well being. These are often geared toward the Icelandic horse enthusiast but can be easily applicable to an all breed format. Mandy teaches 1 to 5 day workshops throughout the year, offering several at The Icelandic Horse Farm. She is available for demonstrations, riding lessons, lectures, and clinics.

 Mandy is currently a Tellington TTouch Instructor and a Certified Connected Riding Instructor.  She lives near Vernon, BC, down the road from Robyn and Phil (aka Grandma & Grandpa) with her husband Walt, and two young sons on their “Faux Farm”.  Visit her own website; www.intouchwithyourhorse.com.

Kathy Cascade does TTouch on a dog

Kathy’s introduction to dog training began in 1991 when Spirit, a slightly wild and wonderful Alaskan Malamute puppy, came into her life. Kathy and Spirit’s partnership lead them to the obedience ring, participation in flyball, agility, and as a visiting Therapy Dog/Handler team in hospitals and nursing homes. Searching for a truly respectful and gentle approach to working with animals, Kathy and Spirit attended their first Tellington TTouch workshop in 1994. The work resonated so much with Kathy that she went on to complete the first two-year TTouch Practitioner Certification Program, graduating in October 1996 and later becoming an instructor in 2003.

With her professional training and experience in Physical Therapy, Kathy offers a unique perspective on the neurophysiological and sensory aspects of TTouch to her students. Known for her creative, engaging, and often-humorous teaching style, Kathy believes learning should always be fun for people and animals alike.

Kathy’s skillful approach to working with dogs with aggression and fear issues lead her to develop a series of seminars titled S.A.N.E. Solutions for Extreme Dog Behavior. Her calm, confident demeanor serves her especially well in working with these cases, and she has had great success helping many reactive dogs make the transformation from living in a state of fear to feeling safe in the world.

You can learn more about the four legged crew and Kathy at www.sanedogtraining.com.

As long as she can remember, Maryse, was always fascinated by the oneness of life and nature. As a child, following her father’s teachings, she would wander in silence in the forest, in a sort of meditative state, ‘’listening to the sound of life’’ as her father and grandfather would say. She became fascinated by interspecies bonds and relationships, including the human and companion animal bond.

What always piqued her interest was trying to understand the other and trying to establish a bond of trust without using words. As a result of this, she would unexpectedly find herself being touched by vivid emotions forming relationships that are sometimes so simple and sometimes very complex.

Later, two events brought TTouch on her path. Her dog was diagnosed with Addison’s disease, and she met with Lucie Leclerc, who was then a TTouch practitioner and assistant. These life events gave her the curiosity and interest to learn more about TTouch and it ended up completely changing her life path and career goals.

She continued her TTouch training until she became a TTouch practitioner. Up until this point, she had received her degrees in Geology and Communication but was also working, in her spare time, as a dog trainer using positive reinforcement and as an animal-assisted activities practitioner and teacher.

From then on, she dedicated her life to teaching TTouch to numerous groups of people with different backgrounds within the animal field like groomers, shelter employees, dog trainers, and animal-assisted activities practitioners, for example. She was also an active mentor to both French and English-speaking students.

She wrote articles in French for blogs, also translating numerous documents and training, and teaching online classes as well.

In her desire to better understand the TTouch method and develop her self-awareness abilities, she went on to explore the world of somatic education. She amongst other methods, explored Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Karate, the Feldenkrais Method… She ended up earning a degree in the field and now also teaches voice guided somatic work inspired by Moshe Feldenkrais in Québec, Canada.

That work, along with the TTouch work, influenced and changed the way she teaches animal-assisted activities/therapy work. She has worked with dogs, rabbits and other small animals from shelters and helping them manage their stress, anxiety and nervousness has been a growing passion from the very beginning.

As a companion animal Tellington TTouch instructor, Maryse, sees again and again how animals, like humans, possess the resources that allow them to express their full potential and their relational skills.

She is proud to partake in the changes humans are putting forward in order to collaborate and to create authentic, supportive, and respectful alliances with their pets.

For more information about Maryse, visit her website www.essenceetalliances.com or contact her directly at [email protected].

 

 

TTouch instructor Debby Potts works with horses and dogs.For as long as she can remember, Debby knew she would spend her life working with animals. She began to live the TTouch philosophy of creative problem solving even before she had any idea this would be her life’s work; she was extremely allergic to anything covered with hair or fur!

Of course she dreamed of having a dog. Her turtle named Herman and her canary, Tangie, were wonderful but it wasn’t the same as thoughts of walks around the block with her very own dog. One day her parents learned that poodles didn’t shed. Shoni, a silver miniature poodle, soon became her best friend.

Debby’s interest in health and well-being was sparked by her childhood companion animals, and continued with her becoming one of Oregon’s first board certified veterinary technicians. She grew up breeding and showing horses, which gave her an extensive background into working with many different breeds and disciplines of horses. A horse born with severe neurological damage initially brought Debby to TTEAM and TTouch in 1984 after the veterinarians had done all they could to help the filly. The amazing progress Spirit made inspired Debby to use TTEAM and TTouch to improve the lives of animals and their people on a physical, mental and emotional level.

Debby’s passion for helping people and animals in a fun, positive and creative way is evident in the many workshops and trainings she teaches every year. She has been a popular speaker at various international conferences including the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the International Symposium on Rescue Dogs. She established TTouch in Japan and oversees the TTouch Companion Animal Practitioner Training there.

From the beginning, Debby has used TTouch to help humans as well as animals. Today Debby frequently works with people to help them reduce pain, recover from illness or injury and to improve mobility and function. She finds the TTouch work and philosophy to be an important part of helping people to find balance and well being in their lives. She often says, “TTouch isn’t just what I do, it’s who I am.” TTouch philosophy has strongly influenced her life and that of her family. Her 2 wonderful sons were raised with these concepts and often asked their mom for TTouch when they had bumps and bruises.

Debby travels much of the year teaching trainings and working privately with individuals in North America, Europe, South Africa and various parts of Asia. She lives near Portland, Oregon with her human and animal family. For more information about Debby visit her website www.IntegratedAnimal.com.

 

Andy Robertson Tellington ttouch instructor in australia

Andy Robertson, Tellington TTouch Instructor for Companion Animals, incorporates her skills as a Motivational Dog Trainer and Feldenkrais practitioner in her teaching.

In the late 1980’s Andy attended an evening demonstration of TTEAM, the original name for the Tellington TTouch Method. The TTEAM presenter did not touch a person or an animal, but had participants pair up and gave direction from the floor. At that stage. Andy was ready for a change as she was uncomfortable with the way most others were training dogs and TTouch just felt “right”. Changing how Andy touched her own dog has benefited all the other animals that she has come in contact with from that day forward.

As a Motivational Trainer, Andy uses TTouch when she teaches Puppy classes as well as Teen and Adult classes. Andy teaches workshops and one-on-one sessions. While Andy mainly works with dogs, she is interested in working with other species and has had occasion to work with wildlife.

Andy’s special interest is with animals lacking the basic social skills needed to live in society.  The owners/partners find it very interesting how TTouch, Ground Work and use of TTouch Equipment can make changes that affect both the animals and themselves.

Andy lives just outside of Sydney, NSW, Australia.

The world lost a bright light in September of 2022. We are still in shock that our wonderful colleague, teacher and friend Edie Jane Eaton passed away suddenly after a short illness. We are dedicating this year’s “Cell-ebration” in her honour and memory. We wish she could have joined us in person.

Edie Jane came to TTouch in the 1980’s on the suggestion of her Feldenkrais teacher. After one demo she was hooked and would become one of our beloved instructors.

Edie Jane was a phenomenal teacher and had a knack for balancing rational, concrete thought and her intuition and spirit. She was driven by curiosity for knowledge and possessed a calm, kindness that put everyone she met at ease. Well-spoken and full of wry observations, Edie Jane loved the natural world, a geologist by training, and had a thirst for adventure, she could count rally car racing as a hobby!

As a friend, she was fun, full of life and always interested in learning more. She had an eye for detail like no other. Edie Jane took many groups to Botswana on safari, horseback and otherwise, and loved the magic of the African bush. Her latest trip had been in May of this year and by all accounts it was spectacular.

We will miss Edie Jane more than words can describe. She changed the lives of so many people and animals over the decades she shared the Tellington TTouch around the world and she was an integral part of the development of the work. Her pivotal analogy of Shedding Some Candlelight on Resistancewill continue to be shared in her memory.

Her family shared her obituary here: https://www.hpmcgarry.ca/…/edit…/4971918/obituary.php…

We have been comforted with the wonderful stories and thoughts shared in our community as we have remembered Edie Jane. We will never forget her and we hope that she knew how life changing she was for so many.

 These represent the Tellington TTouch teachers who work closely with Tellington TTouch Training Canada, here is information about our entire roster of instructors, internationally.