I liked the fact that I learnt how to do the touches so I can continue with her after the practitioner sessions have ended. It’s useful understanding the touches are helpful on an ongoing basis and in preparation for and to diffuse difficult situations. Magic is less anxious around bigger dogs in the park – she walks by them quite happily usually now."        

Madeleine Zinobar, SE London

Buffy - Birman cat

Issue: Buffy had been stripping an area at the base of her spine so that it was bald and raw. She had been treated for fleas which had not alleviated the problem. She was also a very picky eater and did not put weight on easily. See here for the full case study.

Number of sessions: 4

"The method that Claire taught me to use on Buffy's mouth which is very easy to use on a daily basis has really helped her eating.  I think that the way Claire communicates with animals is remarkable. Her rapport with Buffy was extraordinary, I don't think that she has ever made emotional eye contact with anyone else except me. The area which had been hot and tight as well as bald now feels loose and normal and I haven't seen her biting herself for ages. The treatment is the only thing that worked. I had been to the Vets, sought advice on the web including cat behavioural specialists and none of their advice had helped. I am very happy and relieved and would highly recommend both T Touch and Claire herself as a practitioner."

Anne Jones, Tonbridge

Elmo - Saluki-cross rescue dog

Issues: Fear aggression - lunging and barking at any dog no matter how far away. Very strong dog so hard to control. Very picky eater. Lack of focus on owners making training/control quite hard.

Number of sessions: 6

"The most significant areas of improvement have been Elmo’s ability to think before acting and his confidence and trust in us. He also sleeps much better and more deeply and will eat MUCH more happily than before – he now always finishes his dinner and will eat any snacks/treats offered. He also is more willing to look to us for direction rather than acting independently. Elmo was an aggressive dog which I think is probably the most difficult thing to deal with and if an improvement can be made to HIS behaviour, then I think TTouch would work well on so many other aspects. I have total confidence in recommending and being willing to use TTouch as a method for dealing with animals in the future.

Both Ed and I felt it was a brilliant and subtle approach that has been very effective in encouraging moderate behaviour and improving his over-all demeanor. He’s now a much happier dog all round! He’s got more confidence, is calmer and is more predictable in his behaviour which is exactly what we were looking for!!!"

Lorna Fleming, Greenwich, February 2010

Client: Sunny, 9yr old Staffie.

Issues: Sunny had been attacked on his doorstep by another dog 4 months previously, and since then had become extremely cautious of leaving home to the point that he was barely going out. Having previously been quite comfortable going for walks with family and friends whilst the client was at work, he would now not step outside the front door with anyone other than his owner, and even then would not go very far.

No. of sessions: 7 up to this testimonial, but sessions are continuing on a regular basis at client's request

"I was recently introduced to Claire by a friend (another dog lover, of course!) and can only say how grateful I am for the work she has done with Sunny, my Staffordshire Bull Terrier. After being attacked by another dog on our own doorstep, Sunny became extremely cautious of leaving home. He used to enjoy going out for long walks but, after this incident, rarely went outside the front door and, although he already had a ‘clinging nature’, he would not go out with anyone but me. Obviously, this has lead to him putting on weight and, because he had become so dependent on me, meant that I could not go out for any length of time or on holiday without him.

Claire’s techniques and patience has helped transform Sunny’s confidence and he now goes out for longer walks, even going out with friends and family, which he has not done since late last year.

I am absolutely delighted with the progress Sunny has made and would, without hesitation, recommend Claire and the TTouch techniques, and have already done so to Sunny’s vet! I would love to see this therapy more widely available so more dogs and their owners could benefit."

Barbara, SE London, Nov 2010

Clients: Brecon & Moss, 3 month old rescue rats.

Issues: Very nervous of contact, too scared to interact with their owner, freezing or nipping when owner's hand going into cage.

No. of sessions: 4 (sessions ongoing)

"I asked Claire to help me with Brecon and Moss, as although I'd kept rats for years and had tried all the usual tricks to boost their confidence, Brecon and Moss were very different to any others I'd met. They were incredibly scared and it seemed to me that they'd decided that people just weren't worth the risk. I hoped Claire would be able to help make them just feel safe and at home in their cage and get them to the point where they could accept being picked up.

After their first session with Claire, working with them in the cage with soft brushes, they quickly became more curious and didn't fear people nearby anymore. Claire worked with them to build up confidence at their pace and gave me lots of ideas of new things I could do to help them. Claire was brilliant at listening to Brecon and Moss and soon rather than just accepting people, they started to enjoy contact.

At out last session Claire felt that Brecon seemed tense around his mouth. She did some work there, and Brecon clearly felt so much better - he yawned, relaxed and bruxed (the rat version of purring) and since then, has been as happy to eat out of his cage as in it - he would never eat out of his cage before. He is also no longer as grabby with his mouth, something that castration made had no affect on.

Claire has been able to show Brecon and Moss that interacting with people can be really positive and enjoyable for them, to build up their confidence and to help them be livelier, happier rats.

We're now starting clicker training and I am a much happier owner, having two playful bucks rather than two scared, nippy boys!"

Katie Dorr, SE London, Feb 2011