Sophie Fukutome

For those who won't read much further: I warmly recommend this course because it offers new insights into our relationship with animals and a pragmatic method for creating such a relationship. Personally, I took this course not just because it sounds "cool" to have a trusting relationship with my dog, but out of necessity, because she's very difficult. I expect the TT will help us, because it seems to go to the heart of the problem. Rather than a classical course, the TT video course feels more like an apprenticeship in which we follow James and Shelley, learning how to feel and see. The spoken text is easy to understand. James speaks slowly and clearly, attracting our attention to important points. (In the Bear videos, I couldn't always hear his interlocutor well enough). The order of the videos is, I believe, more or less chronological. The structure of the learning programme is achieved by recommending a viewing order. The forums are very useful to ask questions as we experiment with the method with our own animals. The TT video course probably needs to be viewed several times, discovering a little more every time. In the first round, I was very impatient to have seen it all. I nevertheless took about 3 months. Now, I feel I can relax, take a step back, and view it again! Although the first round of the TT video course does not give me the impression I have mastered the TT, it has helped me become a little calmer (good for my husband, too!), and I am beginning to see some change in my dog. The method is founded on simple principles, and it can be practiced: it's not magic. This is an aspect I greatly appreciate. Nevertheless, I believe its application requires commitment (regular practice, viewing and reviewing the videos, TT for humans) to get a feeling for timing, and "messages" from my dog. Honing my listening and observing skills seems paramount. Many thanks to James and Shelley for setting up this course online, which is the only way I would have been able to follow it at the moment. And thanks also to the practitioners who took the time and trouble to answer my questions.