Saturday, June 03, 2006How to give dog relaxing massage
Follow these steps to give your dog a light, restorative massage. Our tips come from canine massage practitioner Linda Knight.
Make sure you don't work on your dog when you're upset. Your intent is to bond with him. Center yourself. "Energy will flow where it needs to be," she said.
1. Cue your dog it's massage time. Go to the same place at the same time every week and he will come to expect it. After a while, your dog will go to that spot when it's time and wait for you.
Your dog may want to stand, sit or lie down. Let him lead you. Never force a massage on him.
2. Talk to your pet and stroke him gently from head to tail. Do a hand-over-hand stroke from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Repeat three times.
3. Brush lightly down each leg. Feel for hot spots, lumps, bumps. Work slowly and lightly.
4. Sometimes a dog will present an area where his problems are, such as rear or belly. Give them a nice little scratch and work the area.
5. Massage the paws using short, easy strokes, moving upward. Rotate each of the pads lightly. If your dog freaks, let him pull back.
Use passive touch. Put a hand over and under a paw to get him used to having them handled. Then move along until he's comfy with more. Down the line, you can press gently on the paw pads, but no more than 1 to 2 seconds.
4. Follow the inside of the leg upward to the belly, stroking upward.
5. Always keep both hands on your dog so he knows where they are. With your left hand underneath his belly, pat your top hand on his back, pushing your hands lightly toward one another. This compression is used on larger muscles.
6. Grasp the base of the tail and gently rotate to loosen. Compress. Work toward the tip.
7. To finish, tell your dog that the session's coming to an end. Stroke from head to tail two or three times. Start and finish the same way, hand-over-hand.
Make sure you don't work on your dog when you're upset. Your intent is to bond with him. Center yourself. "Energy will flow where it needs to be," she said.
1. Cue your dog it's massage time. Go to the same place at the same time every week and he will come to expect it. After a while, your dog will go to that spot when it's time and wait for you.
Your dog may want to stand, sit or lie down. Let him lead you. Never force a massage on him.
2. Talk to your pet and stroke him gently from head to tail. Do a hand-over-hand stroke from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. Repeat three times.
3. Brush lightly down each leg. Feel for hot spots, lumps, bumps. Work slowly and lightly.
4. Sometimes a dog will present an area where his problems are, such as rear or belly. Give them a nice little scratch and work the area.
5. Massage the paws using short, easy strokes, moving upward. Rotate each of the pads lightly. If your dog freaks, let him pull back.
Use passive touch. Put a hand over and under a paw to get him used to having them handled. Then move along until he's comfy with more. Down the line, you can press gently on the paw pads, but no more than 1 to 2 seconds.
4. Follow the inside of the leg upward to the belly, stroking upward.
5. Always keep both hands on your dog so he knows where they are. With your left hand underneath his belly, pat your top hand on his back, pushing your hands lightly toward one another. This compression is used on larger muscles.
6. Grasp the base of the tail and gently rotate to loosen. Compress. Work toward the tip.
7. To finish, tell your dog that the session's coming to an end. Stroke from head to tail two or three times. Start and finish the same way, hand-over-hand.
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