- HEART HUG Sit in a comfortable spot with your dog, cat, horse or rabbit present. Place your hands over your heart and move them in a circle and a quarter to do a TTouch Heart Hug. Look with soft eyes at your animal and send love and appreciation to them for being in your life.
- SNIFF WALK Take your dog for a walk with no agenda and no rush. Let him sniff, mark, wander wherever he wants to, and you follow along noticing what he notices and seeing with new eyes.
- SPEND TIME Take some extra time–no coincidence it’s a Saturday!–just petting, admiring, and being with your pet. His favorite thing is to be with you after all, so give him what his heart desires!
- PLAY with his favorite toy. Put a few on the floor and see which one he likes most. Toss the ball, tug with the squeakie or rope, or flip the soft frisbee. Let your dog decide when he’s had enough.
- MAKE A SPECIAL MEAL and maybe cook up a homemade meal from the recipes in Dr. Judy Morgan’s book “What’s for Dinner Dexter?” Or if you aren’t a vegetarian, make a meal to share with your pet. I also like to put a variety of treats out all at once, and see which ones my dog likes the best.
- BARK SONGS My dog loves to have me bark with him. When he barks while playing his toss game, he waits for me to sing along and bark back. He barks once, I bark one. He does two barks and a little woof, then I repeat back to him. Your dog’s expression will show you that he is trying to understand you.
- MASSAGE your pet. You can get one of the many TTouch books and practice TTouches on your pet. Or, start around his face with gentle strokes, and work your way down the body, legs, and tail with a gentle pressure. He will show you what he likes. It’s always nice to end with a TTouch Noah’s March, wherein you run your hands lightly over animals body, nose to ears, to each leg connecting it with the earth, and down the tail (if your dog has a docked tail, extend your hands to where the tail would have ended), as you reflect your dog’s perfection back to him.
- PLAY DATE Set up a play date or walk with one of your animal’s friends. Maybe even make some homemade treats (many recipes online) to share with your animal and his friends.
- MEDITATION with your animal. This does not have to be formal–just some quiet time to sit in nature, or near a window, with your animal nearby. Take deep breathes in through your nose and out through your mouth. Find some words that resonate with you such as peace, love, harmony, connection to breath in that will help you make a connection with your pet.
- LISTEN to your dog, cat or horse. Learn how to see what she feels or what she wants. Observe her ear position, her whiskers and mouth, the way her eyes are shaped, the movements of her tail. Notice when something is interesting to her and how she responds. Pay attention to what she does when you call her name, or tell her how much you love her.
