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Massage Therapy For Dogs
October 20, 2021 11:00
There’s nothing more satisfying than being on the receiving end of a relaxing or therapeutic massage, and feeling all of the aches and pains just melt away. But did you know that dogs can also benefit from massage therapy? This is particularly beneficial in older dogs or working dogs.
Giving your dog a massage is a natural healing remedy to relieve stiffness and arthritis pain, improve body function, as well as helping to calm hyperactive and nervous dogs.
Most dogs love to be touched and will find comfort in the presence of those they love - particularly greyhounds! Here’s some tips to get give your dog a relaxing massage:
- Ensure your dog is calm and relaxed before you start. An anxious or fretful dog will not enjoy the massage and may form negative associations with the experience.
- Start by petting your dog gently all over their bed and speak to a low and soft voice
- Begin at your dog neck, with gently circular motions
- Move down to their shoulder, continuing with circular motions. Pay close attention to this area as it generally receives a lot of wear and tear, and is also a spot that your dog cannot reach themselves so they will really enjoy it!
- Now focus on the chest and front legs. Some dogs don’t like their legs being touched, and can have a natural reflex to kick. If this is the case, don’t persist with touching their legs and move on to the next body part.
- Bring your focus to their spine, by massaging in circular motions down both sides of their spine. You can repeat this by going up and down their body a number of times.
- Finish with massaging their back legs and tail. By this stage your pooch should be in pure bliss.
Massage provides a great opportunity to look for any health problems in their joints or their skin. It’s also the perfect bonding experience for you and your pooch.
