The Dog Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [83]
NEVER USE MASSAGE OILS. Clean your hands before you begin.
USE YOUR HANDS AND FINGERTIPS, not your nails, to make slow, deliberate movements. An easy position is the open hand. With your palm facing down, apply gentle pressure in long, flowing strokes from Dolly’s head to tail. Another easy stroke is called “finger circles.” Use the tips of your fingers and make small, tight circles on your dog’s muscles in clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
PAY ATTENTION to Dolly’s feedback signs. Continue if she is relaxed and stop when she becomes restless.
LOOK FOR ANY SUSPICIOUS LUMPS or bumps or signs of fleas or ticks during your massage session. Be on the alert for any stiff or sore muscles.
Check with local veterinary clinics or animal shelters to find out where canine massage classes are being held. I promise it will be one of the most fun and beneficial classes you’ve ever attended. But Dolly shouldn’t be the only one in your household getting massages. Book a monthly appointment with a massage therapist and treat yourself as well!
SNIFF IT OUT
Several scientific studies have shown that owning a pet may reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol. Pets also seem to help people cope better with stress, loneliness, and depression.
GET FIT WITH FIDO
Say the word exercise and many people respond with one word: ugh. Or they come up with excuses for not making it to the gym or breaking out their bike. But the secret to improved health is just a tail wag away. Who needs expensive home equipment or a gym membership when you have a canine workout buddy?
Dan Hamner, a sports medicine doctor from New York City and proud owner of a small but fit dog, often tells his patients to replace the word exercise with motion. A national study by the American Heart Association reported that burning 2,000 calories a week by performing a physical activity — such as walking an hour every day — could increase life expectancy by two full years.
Maintaining a regular fitness program with your dog delivers many dividends for both of you: improved health; greater flexibility and strength; reduced risk for arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease; and my favorite, spending less money on veterinary and doctor bills.
Before you lace your sneakers and grab the leash to go on a power walk, book appointments for both of you for physical examinations. Discuss workout options that are best for you and your dog. Keep in mind that an activity that may work for one dog, may not work for another. Dogs with flat faces, such as bulldogs, do not tolerate the heat easily. Long-legged dogs such as greyhounds can cover distance more effortlessly than, say, a short-legged basset hound.
Spend a few minutes warming up and helping your dog prepare his muscles, too. Have him sit up and beg, then play bow, roll over, and slowly walk in a large circle. Start modestly with a five-minute walk. Strive to increase the distance and pace to 30 minutes or longer. For longer walks, bring a water bottle for you and a collapsible bowl for your pal.
Other workout options include swimming and hiking. You might even try a more dog-focused activity like agility or canine musical freestyle. (See Canine Jocks Rule, page 202 for more suggestions.)
Turn Ho-Hum into Hooray!
Q I know it is important to walk my dog every day, but it is boring. I sense that Tippy, my corgi, is bored, too. We walk around our neighborhood for about 20 minutes twice a day. Tippy smells the same mailboxes, the same grass, the same car tires. I know that dogs like routines, but what can we do to break the monotony and make walks more interesting and fun?
A Dogs live by the motto “So Many Smells, So Little Time.” In Tippy’s case, he surely can tell you every single thing that is within your 20-minute range, so it’s time for new frontiers. Start by varying your routes, the duration of your walks, and, if possible, the time of day that you walk. Simply switching to the other side of the street will introduce Tippy to a bonanza