What Massage Can Do For Your Dog

This may sound a little bit like a new-fad, but we’re going to talk a bit now about emotional support dog massage. Yes, that’s right, dog massages. Chances are you’ve never actually massaged your furry friend before, even if you do scratch and rub the little guy all the time. Massage can be just as good for dogs as it is for human. It’s a popular way to calm a nervous animal, create a closer bond, and even help with anxiety issues (yes, dogs can have anxiety!). Massage can also be great for relieiving pain in older or injured dogs and is also a great warm up before exercise. So let’s look at some of the best techniques for different situations.

Daily Massage

This one is easy and is actually more than just the actual massage itself. First, what you want to do here is use your palms and slowly rub and touch all the parts of your dog’s body. Of course, this will help calm him and will also help with bonding in the same way playing or scratching does. But more than that, it gets your more familiar with your dog’s. By knowing how the little guy feels when he’s healthy, you’re in a better position to notice when something doesn’t feel right down the line. This daily massage, about ten minutes at most, is an important part of knowing your dog.

Warm-Up

Some dogs are more active than others and a little warm-up before activity, especially in cold weather, can go a long way. Here you’ll want to rub your dog’s large muscles a little more heavily than petting. Focus on the neck shoulders, butt, and thigh and don’t be afraid to use the heel of your palm or even your fingers to give some extra pressure. Another useful technique is to wrap your hand gently around your dog’s lower legs and squeeze gently. Repeat this motion as you move up the dog’s legs. These kinds of motions help to get blood flowing and loosen potentially stiff muscles before activity.

Joint Pain

This is great for older dogs but you should limit it to them. Any dog can push themselves to far and experience sore or stiff joints. The easy part here is you usually know exactly what part is ailing because your dog will be obviously limping. You want to start out here very gently, by simply petting the sore area. Then, put your hands over the sore area and gently compress and decompress with them. Keep a regular rhythm – this compression and decompression helps with get fluids into the area and loosens up joints. Just be sure not to apply this technique directly onto a bone.

Calming Nerves

Dogs can get nervous for all kinds of reasons and massage is a great way to calm them down. This is another petting-like motion. You’ll want to put your palm on the top of the dogs head, and sweep it gently but firmly all the way down the little guy’s back all the way to his tail. You can keep repeating it and if he seems like it, you can increase the pressure a bit. Just be sure not to press too hard on the lower back specifically. When you’re done, rest one hand on his head and one on his hip area for a few moments.

All of these techniques are so easy and go such a long way to making your dog’s life easier and more comfortable. We recommend dog massage for all kinds of situations and hope you’ll incorporate it into your routine.