Trust Technique®

Not just for horses….

….for all creatures great and small!

Need help with an animal’s challenging behaviour?

The “unwanted” behaviours that our animals display are an expression of the animal’s emotional state – fear, anxiety, frustration, stress etc. This can be rooted in a general feeling of anxiety or insecurity, deeply held trauma from past experiences or triggers in their every day environment.

When an animal is in this high emotional state, they are unable to respond to us and learning cannot take place. This is why training solutions are often ineffective until we can first help the animal to experience the peace of mind that promotes a listening state. Then we are in a position where we can work together for mutual benefit instead of some situations just not improving or even feeling like a constant battle.

Over time our animals’ problems can lead to feelings like anxiety, stress, frustration and embarrassment for us too. The added bonus of this mindful approach is that we have to pay attention to our own state of mind in order to help our animals, so we end up feeling better too.

We start with a mindful practice in the home or familiar environment, which becomes gradually extended towards any problem areas, until the associated behaviours are no longer triggered. Changes can occur relatively quickly or over a longer period of time, dependent on many factors including the commitment of the animal’s carer to see it through. We create the environment for change and the timeline is set by the animal.

The basic practice can be taught in the first session which will be around an hour and a half. You can then choose as many or few follow on sessions as you need to support you through the process. There is no magic wand, you will need to commit some time and patience to supporting your animal and of course I will be available to support you whenever you need it.

If you are interested, my contact details are below, please get in touch and we can arrange a call so that we can talk about your animal and any difficulties you may be experiencing including their health and behaviour, I can then explain how I may help you and answer any questions you may have.

Consultations can be in person if you are within travelling distance and can also be carried out very successfully via video call anywhere in the world.

If you decide you would like to go ahead we can arrange a suitable time and place to carry out the consultation – ideally this will be at a quiet time of day in a situation where you and your animal feel comfortable and we won’t be disturbed (as far as is realistically possible) so that we can create the best possible learning environment – for a pet this may be in your house or garden and for a horse or other large animal this may be a stable, a field, an arena or anywhere else that is suitable.

The first consultation usually takes approximately 1½ hours, – whatever is required to get to the point of feeling confident to practice on your own, or to deepen an existing practice, further sessions are approximately an hour.

It is ideal if you can set aside at least 20 minutes a day to spend some quiet time with your animal in the week following this first session. It is essential to get a solid foundation established while the new information is still fresh in your mind and before we can work on specific issues.

Learning a new skill is not enough to create change on its own; it takes time, practice and support to change habits, in both the animal and the person, especially those which have been around for a while. Please bear this in mind when you start this process because your commitment to it is the one single thing that will make more difference than anything else.

The first consultation is £60, follow up sessions are £45.

There may be an additional charge for travel expenses.

If you would like to talk about an animal in your life and find out how I can help you, please get in touch to organise a free, no obligation ‘phone or Zoom call. What have you got to lose?