Welcome to Tranquil Tails Canine Massage! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard from people that massage for dogs sounds odd. But as Anthony Douglas Williams said, “If they breathe, they live. If they live, they think. If they think, they feel. Just like you and me.” So, it just makes sense that if we like and benefit from massage, dogs do too.
We have evidence that massage is very beneficial for a dog’s mood and behavior. We know that it can help with separation anxiety, food aggression, and other stresses. Now, that doesn’t mean that massage can correct those issues alone. What massage can do is help make behavior modification and other treatments prescribed by your veterinarian more effective and work faster.
Painful and arthritic dogs are more comfortable and have better range of motion, and in some cases, massage can decrease the amount of pain medications they need to take.
In addition to helping with problems, we know that working and competing dogs benefit from massage. Dogs that have had the benefit of massage have less injuries, have better competition times, have better focus, and just plain perform better. Massage helps these peak athletes stay in tip-top condition.
Even puppies can benefit from massage! A puppy that learns how to be calm is an adult that knows how to be calm. It also helps them get used to being touched regularly in places that are sometimes sensitive. If you’ve ever had a dog that hated their feet touched, you know that it can make necessary nail trims a nightmare. Regular massage can condition a puppy to understand that regular touching is not only ok, but feels good.
I hope this has given you an idea of how massage can benefit your dog in every stage of their life. In future entries, I plan to discuss all kinds of things about pet health. Let me know what you want to know! I love learning and teaching people about their dogs and how to be better pet parents. The more we know the better we can all be!
Source: Canine Massage: Benefits and Differences from Human Massage; Jonathan Rudinger, LMT; 28 Feb 2011; massagemag.com