Massage for Dogs
As people have become more health conscious in recent decades they have also become more interested in the health of their pets. That includes alternative health care for dogs. Massage for dogs was perhaps first made popular by Linda Tellington-Jones with T-Touch therapy but you don’t have to have a particular knowledge of T-Touch or of massage techniques to massage your dog. There are some simple massage techniques you can use at home to make your dog feel more relaxed.
For basic home massage of your dog all you need is a relaxed setting and your dog. If you have a small dog you can have your dog in your lap or the two of you can sit on a sofa or in the floor. For a large dog you can have your dog stretch out in the floor.
Start by stroking your dog’s head gently with your fingers. Work softly above the eyebrows, moving your fingers back toward the top of the head. Softly stroke the ears, moving your fingers from the top of the ears to the tips and imagine that you are removing the stress from your dog’s body.
Move your hands over your dog’s neck and gently massage the neck with your fingers. Stress can gather here just as it does with humans. Stroke with the fur. Massage the shoulder area and down toward the legs. Gently pick up each leg and move the energy down toward the paws. Pick up each paw and gently rub it, massaging each digit of your dog’s paw, if your dog will allow it (some dogs are fussy about their paws). If you can, massage the pads of your dog’s paws to relax them.
Go back and gently rub your dog’s chest and over the shoulders again. Bring your hands up and span your dog’s ribcage. Place your thumbs along your dog’s spine and “walk” your thumbs back and forth along the spine. Gently rub along the spine and ribs then stroke along the ribs back toward the hips. Don’t forget to gently rub the stomach area. Some dogs carry a lot of tension in their stomachs.
Then stroke your dog’s hips toward his tail. With your palms, stroke down toward his hocks. Pick up and rub each paw again. Try to work with each digit of his paws on the back paws (if he’ll allow it). If your dog is uncomfortable having his paws touched don't force the issue. Stroke inside and outside his back legs, slightly rubbing and loosening the muscles. Don’t forget the tail. Gently rub it back toward the tip. Then, go back to your dog’s head and gently rub from head to tail, petting the fur and stroking him. Help your dog relax.
If you find any areas where your dog feels especially tense or where he shows any pain, be very careful. Don’t press or try to force the area. There could be an injury or your dog could feel especially sensitive in that place. Instead, work around it and see if that helps.
Massage work will help you and your dog become closer and it will help your dog feel better. Massage can help your dog relax when he’s stressed from separation anxiety, from thunderstorms, or when he’s worried about other things. Massage can also help your dog if he’s sore from physical exertion or if he has some chronic aches and pains such as those connected with old age. Spending some time massaging your dog will also help his circulation, help with healing and can improve flexibility. You can try massaging your dog if he has a touch of arthritis, for instance, and you may see some improvement.
There are several different kinds of massage techniques: effleurage, passive touch, kneading, tapotement, stroking, and passive joint movement. You should stick to simple petting and stroking when you massage your dog at home. Some techniques can cause injury when they are used by someone untrained.
Obviously, massage is not a substitute for veterinary care. Although massage can help your dog feel better and reduce his stress, help him be more flexible and mobile, relieve pain, reduce the recovery time from surgery or trauma, improve blood circulation, and even help remove toxins from the body, massage is not suitable for all situations. You should not use massage on animals that have fevers, which are in shock, which have infections or open wounds, rashes, lumps or immune diseases. If your dog is suffering from any of these problems he should see a vet. Massage can worsen some of these conditions.
This kind of basic home massage can be very beneficial. Obviously, if your dog needs deep massage therapy or more therapeutic massage that requires knowledge of dog anatomy then you should see a professional massage therapist. Don’t try more intense massage on your dog at home since you could injure him. However, for relaxing your dog and helping with some minor aches and pains, basic home massage is something that you and your dog can enjoy together.
