The Certification Program for Companion Animals is designed for people who want to share the benefits of TTouch with their own animals as well as for people who want to work with animals on a full or part-time basis. There are hundreds of professional TTouch Practitioners all over the world.
The certification program to become a TTouch Practitioner requires an average of two years to complete and requires a considerable investment of time and effort. The Companion Animal Program consists of six sessions (three per year), each lasting between five and six days.
Training Sessions One through Four
In the first four classes students will learn the Tellington TTouch philosophy and techniques. There will be many opportunities for hands-on practice of techniques and our instructors will demonstrate through lectures with dogs, cats and other small animals.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Identify behavior, health and temperament problems and learn creative solutions.
- Work with cats to alleviate common issues such as aloofness, timidity and aggression.
- Learn to use a variety of harnesses, body wraps, and other TTouch training tools.
- Use ground exercises, obstacles and the playground of higher learning to increase the dog's focus, balance and willingness and ability to learn.
- Implement new approaches to stress-free grooming.
The first four sessions will give students a firm foundation in the work.
Each student will be assigned a mentor who will guide them between trainings.
They will also be invited to participate in the Tellington Training online discussion group where they can post questions and participate in discussions of the use of TTouch in a variety of cases. To enhance their education in this program, students are asked to work with animals between trainings and write case studies.
Upon successful completion of the first four trainings and all requirements, a certificate is issued for Practitioner-In-Training. Practitioners are then qualified to:
- Charge for work with individual clients and their animals according to the agreement signed on entry into the program.
- Give short presentations, of up to one hour, introducing TTouch to clubs and organizations at no charge.
- Use the official TTouch logo on business cards, letterhead and advertisements according to the terms of the agreement.
- Allowed access to the members only section of the Guild website.
- Be given a one-year membership to the TTouch Guild and listed on our website.
- Receive the free subscription to the Practitioner newsletter, Stay In TTouch for one year.
Training Sessions Five and Six
The last two trainings build on the foundational skills of the first four sessions, allowing students to deepen their understanding of the techniques and philosophy. These sessions also prepare students to work with clients and develop presentation skills. Basic business and marketing concepts are also reviewed. Students are required to complete case studies and prepare class presentations.
Upon successful completion of the six trainings and all requirements, a certificate is issued for Companion Animal Practitioner Level 1. Practitioners are then qualified to:
- Work privately with clients and their animals according to the agreement signed on entry into the program.
- Give one-day hands-on workshops.
- Give a series of hands-on trainings to groups, i.e. one session per week, afternoon or evening, for 6-8 weeks.
Continued Professional Training
Advanced Trainings are held once a year to keep Practitioners current in the latest techniques and developments. In order to advance to the higher levels of Practitioner (levels 2 and 3), graduates must assist at a number of week-long trainings and workshops.
