Touch Associated Clicker Training
Welcome!
Thank you for inquiring about the TACT behavior modification program.
On the following pages you will find valuable information on the TACT program. If, after reviewing this information, you would like to learn more about the program or the enrollment process please email [email protected] or call 781-733-TACT (8228) to schedule a phone interview. All potential candidates will have a phone interview prior to being accepted into the program.
TACT Definition: What is TACT?
TACT, Touch Associated Clicker Training creatively combines the science and art of learning theory, clicker training and massage therapy. This unique approach is used specifically to rehabilitate and prevent shy, fearful, reactive, and aggressive behavior in dogs and puppies utilizing science based positive training methods.
TACT utilizes a ritualized protocol designed with safety, structure and predictability. TACT develops confidence and coping skills while changing the emotional response in fearful dogs. TACT incorporates a detailed home management and real world exposure control program for owners to follow to coincide with their training protocol.
Who will benefit from TACT?
TACT is beneficial for all dogs, including puppies, shy dogs, and shelter dogs. One application where TACT has found great success is the prevention and rehabilitation of reactive or aggressive canine behavior directed at people.
How will TACT help? • TACT:
o Desensitizes a dog’s fear of people and new environments. o Builds confidence and coping skills.
o Provides structure bringing predictability to the dog’s life. o Develops or deepens the canine/human relationship.
o Teaches owners how to recognize canine body language and how to use this knowledge to set their dog up for success to maximize training results.
o Provides the tools necessary to implement an effective home management program.
o Develops a two way communication system between dog and handler.
o Enlists pet owners to become part of the solution in a creative and fun way. o Becomes an effective tool in the canine professional’s behavior modification
toolbox.
o TACT’s Caregivers Fatigue program provides owners and trainers alike with a plan for healthy self care.
TACT Veterinarian Recommendation
TACT is one of many behavior modification methodologies that can be used to rehabilitate reactive and aggressive behavior. This methodology is just one more option to add to your training toolbox.
Please consult with your veterinarian and a veterinarian behaviorist prior to starting the TACT program. A full medical examination will rule out any medical conditions that may be contributing to your dog’s behavior. Your veterinary or veterinary behaviorist will be able to answer questions regarding the use of behavioral pharmaceuticals for your dog. If you need a recommendation for a veterinarian that is familiar with reactive dog handling/management please ask us for a
recommendation.
It is especially important to seek guidance from a veterinarian behaviorist if your dog is: o Aggressive towards you or someone within the home environment. o Aggressive towards children.
o Has a bite history.
o If your dog guards their food or objects.
o Your dog has a long history of aggressive behavior.
Prior to your first appointment
You will complete a detailed behavior questionnaire providing us with the information necessary to create a training program specific to your dog. Detailed instructions will be sent to you after you schedule your consultation appointment. These instructions will include the equipment requirements for the program and a list of places to purchase any necessary items.
What to expect of your first appointment
The first consultation will take place in a private training facility in Walpole, Massachusetts and is approximately two and a half hours long. In your first consultation we will review the behavior questionnaire and discuss the TACT management and training program. This vital information will
help me create a custom program based on your dog’s individual needs. Your dog will not
accompany you for the first consultation. All follow up training session will include your dog. Your dog’s first training session will include a “dress rehearsal” of the training room. Introduction to the training room is necessary as new environments may be challenging for dogs with behavior
problems. We will begin to make the association that when your dog is in this room ‘good things happen’. Training sessions will also be held in the Walpole, MA location. As the program
progresses in more advanced stages we do change environments and will select new environments for training. All training sessions are approximately 1 hour in length.
Realistic Goals
It is important to have realistic goals for you and your dog. It may not be realistic to assume that all dogs, of all breeds, and all households may achieve the same results. Truly there is no end to training or management. Our dogs grow, develop and change throughout their lives and your training and management will continue for a lifetime. Our goals together will always be based on success and safety.
How many training sessions will my dog need?
There is no correct answer to this question. There are multiple factors that pertain to each case. Some dogs may advance through the program in a few training sessions to achieve the desired goals while other dogs may be in the program for dozens of sessions. Each dog in the program has a custom treatment plan based on their individual needs.
What is the pricing for private instruction?
During your initial interview we will determine what services may be best for you and your dog. At this time we will provide pricing based on recommended services. We do provide a discount for canine professionals and for dogs that have been adopted/rescued within the last six months. Proof of adoption/employment is required prior to services. Julie Robitaille does provide one scholarship to a deserving student each year.
Requested phone consultations are also available. Phone consultations are helpful for individuals who live further away and may not be able to visit us here in Massachusetts or maybe helpful for family members who may not be able to attend the training appointments but want to stay informed. Payment options include cash, check, credit/debit card via PayPal.
Does an End Goal mean a Cure?
No. There is no “cure” for reactivity and aggression. Through the counter conditioning desensitizing process, we desensitize dogs to their fears ultimately changing the emotional response. We can not take away all of the information in the brain from past experiences, your
dog may have years of practicing this undesirable behavior. We can only add new positive
information into the brain and as the dog’s behavior is shaped from rehearsing negative behaviors to rehearing the desirable positive calm behaviors, we see a progressive shift in behavior.
This is a process that takes time, but if we are working our TACT program properly, then we should see the positive changes occur steadily. Each dog will progress through the program at a different pace. It is important to remember that success breeds success.
Homework assignments – Your investment
You will be provided management and training homework assignments each week. Some of these assignments may only take a few minutes while others may take longer. We understand that it is not always easy to find extra time in the day. Just like any goal you are working towards,
commitment and consistency will affect overall results. Students of a behavior modification program will need to invest time, resources, consistency, patience, thoughtful care, planning and attention in their training, home management and real world exposure control.
TACT Founder and Co-Author of the TACT DVD - Julie Robitaille
Julie Robitaille, CAMT, CPDT-KA, is the Founder of Animal Wellness Massage Therapy and Touch Click Calm, LLC, a Certified Small Animal Massage Therapist and a Certified Pet Dog Trainer. She is a graduate of the Bancroft School of Massage Therapy and completed an internship at Sterling Impressions Animal Rehabilitation Center of New England where she currently works. Julie is best known for her work with reactive and aggressive canine behavior modification/rehabilitation and is the Founder of the TACT methodology, Touch Associated Clicker Training. Julie has been a canine behavior consultant with Emma Parsons author of Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog in reactive dog training classes and seminars since 2007. Julie and Emma have presented seminars for Click to Calm, TACT, and How to Teach a Reactive Dog Class in the US and in Europe. Parsons and Robitaille recently co- authored and published the TACT methodology as a 5 set DVD and Companion Workbook through Clean Run Productions. Julie is the Operations Committee Member of the State of Massachusetts Animal Response Team (SMART), and the Co-Team Leader for SMART’s Search and Rescue Team. Julie has completed the ACOAM, Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts Certification Program for Massachusetts Animal Protection and Law Enforcement and currently works with many Animal Control officers with canine behavior
modification programs.
Co-Author of the TACT DVD, Author of Click to Calm - Emma Parsons
Emma Parsons is the author of the world renowned book Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog. Emma has been training dogs for more than 20 years, and is currently the Canine Behavior Training Consultant for the VCA Rotherwood Animal Hospital in Newton, MA. Emma is a faculty member of Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior as well as of the Karen Pryor
Clickertraining-sponsored ClickerExpo conferences. She gives "Click to Calm" seminars around the world, teaching others how to manage and rehabilitate reactive and aggressive dogs. Emma also teaches reactive dog classes at Masterpeace Dog Training in Franklin, MA, and Control Unleashed classes at the MSPCA in Methuen, MA. She is a member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT), the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI). Emma holds a BA degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
TACT History:
TACT began its experimental stages in early 2007 when Julie was repeatedly requested by clients to provide canine massage therapy services to dogs that did not welcome the touch of human strangers. Julie experimented with Parsons Click to Calm methodology and over time developed a new training methodology specifically designed to prevent and rehabilitate fearful, reactive, and aggressive canine behavior directed at people. Parsons and Robitaille debuted TACT in Tomelilla, Sweden in September of 2009. Julie has taken on case study dogs since early 2007 including Swedish case study dogs with Natasja and Malvina Ravenklint of Hundens Utbildningsakademi through online video web conferencing.
