subject: Dog Massage: Your Dog Will Love It! [print this page] Who doesn't love a good massage? They can be relaxing or invigorating. They're great after hard exercise or soothing just before bedtime. Your dog is no different. He would say pop your knuckles and let him feel the love with a good doggy massage!
As with humans, you should leave attempts at deep tissue massage to the experts, but there's no reason that you can't give your dog a massage he will love all the same.
If you have a small dog you can give the massage with him lying in your lap. For larger dogs it's usually best if they are lying on a towel or rug in the floor. A soft, firm surface is best. You could work on both small and large dogs lying on a bed or sofa, for instance. It's usually best to begin by giving your dog some gentle strokes from head to tail. Use a soft, slow motion. Then you can begin focusing on his head as he begins to relax. Scratch gently behind the ears, rub under the chin, softly touch the whiskers. Don't forget to gently soothe the area over your dog's eyes. Gently use your fingers over the cheeks, the lips, between your dog's eyes and over his head. Spend time rubbing each ear -- most dogs love to have their ears rubbed. You can start where the ear attaches to your dog's head and work your way to the bottom of the ear to release tension.
Using the tips of your fingers you can work your way slowly over your dog's neck, his shoulders and his chest. Try using a small circular pattern. Gently run your hands down each of your dog's forelegs and then lightly use your hands to run up in the opposite direction a few times.
If your dog will tolerate having his paws handled you can give each paw a gentle squeeze.
During your dog's massage you can look for things like fleas, ticks or any skin problems. If your dog has any lumps or bumps you will want to take care to avoid them. Be gentle in your dog's sensitive areas.
Move to your dog's neck and shoulder area and perform the same kind of gentle circular motions that you used on his shoulders the first time. You will want to gently begin working along his spine. You can place your thumb and index finger on each side of his spine and being "walking" them back toward his tail. Slowly move your hands down the outside of each thigh. Gently squeeze your hands down your dog's tail and down each of his rear legs, then up again. You can finish your dog's massage with soft, gentle strokes from head to tail.
Remember that if there is anything that your dog doesn't like you should stop what you're doing. Go back to something you were doing that your dog enjoyed and move on from there. The massage is supposed to be something pleasant and enjoyable for your dog so don't inflict rubbing or squeezing on him that he finds uncomfortable.
Keep your dog's massage soft and gentle. Use a light touch. It takes a trained expert to do the deeper massages and you could accidentally injure your dog if you try to manipulate his muscles or bones.
Your dog will most likely enjoy the massage you give him. He'll probably be sound asleep by the time you finish. That's a good sign! So let him sleep peacefully. Take his peaceful sleep as a sign that you helped soothe away all the tension from his body.
