Not just a silly notion
What is massage for your dog? It can be described as “The manipulation of soft tissues of the body. It brings about positive changes in muscles, tendons (which attach muscle to bone) and ligaments (which attach bone to bone).”
Massage is intentional touch, not just heavy petting! It is helping pets feel good without doing any harm. Great natural therapy and it is believed massage unblocks the body’s systems and allows it to heal itself.
The benefits of massage for dogs are many but here are just a few:
- Relaxation
- Pain management
- Faster healing from injury or surgery
- Helps increase the range of motion and muscle tone
- Reduce the effects of aging
- A calming effect for emotional problems caused by trauma, anxiety, and fear
Massaging your dog increases the bond or creates one with a new dog. It is also a great way to do weekly wellness checks. It’s a good time to check for a new lump or bump. Does touching a certain spot seem to cause him pain? Detecting problems early can possibly prevent something serious.
Massaging their neck or paws is something they cannot do for themselves. Your dog, of course, can’t tell you if it hurts or itches, but with experience, you can read signals and notice changes while massaging. You don’t have to pay an expensive dog masseuse to do it, you can do it yourself.
How to massage your dog:
I love Nic and Pancho, although I don’t think Nic knows how to give a message and I would never do the “circulation stimulation” on a dog. But, I can’t resist Pancho, he is so cute and patient with his human even though he doesn’t know what he is doing. Panchos’s expression shows how he really feels about it! 🙂