How dogs can benefit from massage

It can be difficult to tell when your dog is in pain or discomfort, particularly as often issues can creep up over long periods of time making them difficult to notice, additionally dogs are the masters of hiding discomfort!

The Canine Massage Guild designed an easy-to-use chart ‘the 5 principles of pain’ to help you assess if your dog may need help and would respond well to clinical canine massage therapy.

Massage can be excellent for subtle issues where your dog just isn’t quite right and often has dramatic results for dogs with significant mobility issues.

Have you noticed changes in your dog?

• Often people will say he’s limping but can’t be in pain or he wouldn’t chase a ball or be keen to go for a walk, dogs don’t think like we do and often by the time we as owners are aware of discomfort or restriction it’s quite significant.
• A common cause of poor behaviour can be chronic pain, dogs who find it hard to settle, dislike of being touched, dried or groomed, being reactive towards other dogs can all be signs of discomfort.
• Dogs with known orthopaedic and neurological conditions benefit because massage helps to address the compensatory issues which develop as a result and assist proprioception.   
• Sports dogs may not show lameness but often have restrictions which may lead to reduced performance, regular checks help ensure your dog can work to its full potential.

How might massage help my sport?

• Show ring – lacking reach, fidgeting when standing or unable to stand square or poor posture, strange hair flicks.
• Agility – weave difficulties, not turning tight, jumping issues, poor running contact performance, speed and enthusiasm. 
• Obedience – improved heelwork precision and position, dumbbell collection, clean distance control
• Working trials – scale and jump issues, stay issues, stamina in scent work.
• Gundog – May help swimmers tail, improve pick up, stamina.
• Flyball – Improved turns and speed.
• Canicross/bikejor – Speed and or endurance.

Senior dogs

Clinical Canine Massage can make significant changes to our older dogs, we don’t have to accept that they are just getting older and we can help manage their discomfort.

Symptoms to look out for:
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• Starting to become stiff
• Not enjoying or not able to walk as much as they used to
• Difficulty going up or down the stairs or jumping in the car
• Becoming grumpy or less playful
• ‘Twitchy skin’

My own experience 

My eldest dog is now 13, a few years ago she was starting to limp quite often on a walk and showed stiffness in her back.

​I had got the stage where I was planning to talk to my vet about putting her on medication and starting to cut down her walks significantly. Because of massage she can still manage fairly long walks and I no longer see limping.

I firmly believe Clinical Canine Massage can help give people extra time with their beloved pets and greatly improve their quality of life.

Laura Pye
​Clinical Canine Massage
Tel: 07977001145
Email: [email protected]
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Areas covered: South Gloucestershire, Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, Chippenham and surrounding areas