At Poppy’s last annual check-up, her doctor was concerned because our dog’s heart rate was low. We had a quick explanation. While we waited for our appointment, Poppy was on Penny’s lap getting a Tellington TTouch massage.
Petting, massage, or touch therapy are all good ideas if you and your dog both enjoy the experience. (photo by: yannick974 used under creative commons license)
Over the years, we’ve used TTouch on our own dogs and with some of the skittish rescue pups we have fostered. Mardi Richmond described the classic TTouch massage in an article in Whole Dog Journal, “... your fingers are slightly curved and you use the pads of your fingers to create the circles.” She has found this “particularly useful for anxious dogs.”
Petting, massage, or touch therapy are all good ideas if you and your dog both enjoy the experience. Some dogs melt into your lap or snuggle up beside you and soak up strokes like arid soil in a gentle rain. Others squirm and can’t wait to get away and get on with more interesting things.
Some people can’t help but automatically stroke any willing dog within reach. Others will have to work at sitting still and giving their dog a massage when needed.
Even as a tiny pup, Poppy was very relaxed at Vet visits after some gentle massage.
When to Apply Touch Therapy
Obviously a reassuring touch in a scary setting, like a veterinary office, may help calm an anxious animal. Again this will only work for critters who are receptive to it. Trained experts in TTouch may be able to work with reluctant and highly agitated dogs, but most of us have to choose which dogs we massage with foresight and knowledge of their personality.
How do you tell if the dog is willing? Start with a few gentle rubs. If the pup settles in and seems to enjoy it, continue. There are some dogs that will lean into anyone willing to give them some pats. That’s another sign that they are okay with some gentle massage.
Once you have established that massage is welcome, you can think about using it for anxious situations like a thunderstorm or when company comes.
If your dog is like Chip and willing to curl up on your lap, you can use that as an opportunity to do a gentle check of his body.
Daily Check Up
We bet you’ve used a gentle massaging technique to see if your dog is injured. Carefully running your hands over an animal’s body when they are limping or showing pain is how most of us find out what’s hurting.
If you were to spend a few minutes each day giving your pet a slow, gentle massage, you would quickly learn to recognize what is normal for him or her. Then when the daily session turns up a sensitive spot, swelling, or change in skin or coat, you’ll be able to monitor it and take action.
Before and After Exercise
A nice massage may be the perfect warm up or cool down for an exercise session. If you and your dog are about to take a long hike, an all over rubdown can warm up the pup. And who wouldn’t like a massage after hours of walking and running?
Naturally this calm session of meditative, slow, gentle, physical contact with another living creature will also benefit you. You’ll find yourself relaxing. Your own heart rate should slow, your blood pressure may decrease, and your breathing will fall into a slow, steady pace.
You can start out simply patting your animal gently. If, from there, you want to learn more tested and advanced techniques, there are books, videos, and classes that will help you learn more about simple massage or something like Tellington TTouch.
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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino
