How To Give The Dog A Massage

Due to the unconditional love, loyalty, affectionate ways and protectiveness a dog shows its family, it is considered as man’s best friend. There is no doubt that dogs have given pet owners invaluable companionship thus a massage is the least an owner can do to pamper the pet. Dogs would appreciate all the attention and petting from its human family as these are social animals. Similar to the effects of massage to humans, dogs would get loads of benefits from massage too.

Dog massage has therapeutic benefits that can help a pet with a medical condition. The services of a well trained massage therapist are necessary if the objective is to improve the health of a dog with a serious medical concern. However, a five or ten minute daily maintenance massage can make a lot of difference to aging dogs stressed by joint and muscle pains.

Massage relaxes the muscles and consequently relieves physical and emotional stress. Massage has a calming effect that allows a dog to get through the sounds of thunder or the deafening noise of the 4th of July or New Year festivities. Most importantly massaging the dog would also be a good opportunity to bond better with the pet.

A dog would love a massage thus a pet owner should not hesitate to pamper the pet . In spite of the fact that dogs love to be petted, other individuals not accustomed to being touched would not enjoy a massage. This situation is most common in dogs adopted from rescue centers. Massaging a small dog would not be too much trouble as you can have the pet to lie on your lap. Bigger dogs though would need a firm surface like a padded table, a couch or a cushioned floor. Start the massage with slow stokes from the head to the tip of the tail. Gently scratch the area behind the dog’s ears and apply light pressure on the cheeks, chin and on the area between the eyes.

On large dogs, you can use the heel of the hands to make circular motions on the neck. Applying a little more pressure, move the heel of the hand in the same circular motion down to the shoulders and to the chest of the dog. Massage technique is a bit different on smaller dogs thus instead of the heel of the hand you can use three fingers. The stroking must follow the direction of hair growth. Stroking against the direction of hair growth must be done only on the inside of the legs.

Read more about how to massage your dog and if dogs can have apples at Sarah’s Dogs.