Massage, Exercise & Behaviour - it's all connected

Recently, a friend of mine put up a post on Facebook with a link to pictures of ‘dogs who have no idea where all this mess came from’.  He kindly tagged the post with “A client for Dr Les no doubt”.  Apart from the pictures being great fun I did then have to put my therapist hat on to think more about them.  As I replied to him “The editor’s note at the end sums it up from a massagey therapeuticy point of view. No exercise or attention gets a bored or tubby dog”.  

In a previous blog I have already written how a daft £1 squeaky ball gives Mr Sam hours of therapeutic and fun exercise on the beach.  He comes home too knackered to rip the toilet roll apart even if he wanted to.   Plus I can control when he has had enough so he doesn’t injure himself.

The same day I read another article (it is the ex-academic in me…I can’t stop reading research) by Brandy Arnold about the benefits of walking your dog.  The article states that “Dogs are great at providing strong motivation to maintain their owner’s exercise program – who can resist a happy dog, panting with excitement at the front door?  They make great walking companions and can serve as the perfect social support......Unlike your human buddies who are likely to skip exercise sessions due to appointments or bad weather, dogs will not give you any excuse to miss out on your daily exercise.”

This is a great article as it details not just the benefits to the two-legged walker (i.e. the owner) but also to the four legged walker (i.e. the dog).  To the owner, regular exercise by walking your dog can reduce risks of breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease and even colon cancer.  To the dog regular exercise can improve their physical and mental well-being, aid with socialization, help reduce behaviour issues (stop them ripping the toilet roll apart) and increase their longevity.

Then yesterday I was asked if I would like to attend a book show where I would be interviewed about what I do and ways that massage and myotherapy could help with dog behaviour.  The organiser said “…things like stopping a dog from barking excessively”.  I immediately remembered the above article which also refers to exercise helping to curb destructive behaviour such as excessive barking and digging.   The dog transfers any negative energy which can bring about boredom into positive opportunities to sniff and explore and run.  

As I wrote in a previous post about the myotherapy side of what we do at AchyPaw, exercising the muscles can also be done by the therapist for the client.  If fun exercise can be incorporated into the daily routine of the dog then not only will it help their health and maintain their mobility but also your own!   But if your dog is injured, immobile or maybe slowing down due to senior years, then the owner or therapist needs to help the muscles along and perform the myotherapy.  

A simple exercise to do at home to prevent boredom is a game called Go Find.  When Sam and Sarah first went to puppy behaviour class we were introduced to this.  The idea was you rub a handkerchief over you to take up your scent and then hide it somewhere in the house.  You tell the dogs to ‘Go Find’.   They then spend the next 10 minutes walking round the house, sniffing to find the handkerchief.  Sam & Sarah have always loved this game, even 8 years later.  All I need to do is say Go Find and they are off.  If they are ever recovering from an injury or the weather is totally rubbish for outdoor walking, a game or two of this will give them safe exercise in the house but keep them stimulated and prevent boredom.  Plus it costs nothing.  There are many more such simple exercises which we teach clients.  

Massage, myotherapy and dog behaviour are certainly very connected. 

Lovely ending to the event season

This year we have taken the AchyPaw gazebo and team to 14 shows and events. We have been in torrential rain three times, high winds twice, scorching sun twice, hurricanes once, and all things in between. 

Setting up the gazebo in rain and wind at Seaford

Our final outing of the year was the Annual Bulldog Rescue Picnic held at Lavant. The weather couldn’t have been better for our final outing – we didn’t even need the sides of the tent. 

This is the second year we have done that show and is certainly one of our favourites. Surrounded by bulldogs of every age, shape and colour is so much fun. Plus there were some great stalls such as the Kiss A Bull one – what a clever idea.

Marshall raising lots of money by selling kisses

Other stalls had bulldog bits of pieces of every description from pillows, bowls, mirrors, coats, and so forth.

As well as being surrounded by such a loveable breed, we were also visited by lots of interested owners. It was such a privilege to be asked so many massage questions by clearly caring owners. It could well be that people don’t take on bulldogs as a pet lightly. They are aware of the many physical problems that the breed could have throughout their life. And to rescue a bulldog as well is doubly worthy in my book.

We were questioned non-stop from 9:00 to 16:00 about ways that the owners could help their pets and maintain their mobility. Several even stayed in the tent to have some massage lessons and learn particular tips and techniques that would help their dog and the problems they were having – frequently arthritis (even in the very young) and also spinal issues. One couple even remembered us from last year and came along for their top-up massage lesson.

Soon the word got round the event that the ‘massage man’ was there. We had big bulldogs, old bulldogs, young bulldogs and tiny ones all snuffling in our tent. Plus wriggly Bracken, the collie, who came for a lesson too.

The smallest security guard dog in the world

We are looking forward to our Bulldog fix next year.  Meanwhile the AchyPaw tent is all put away until 2015

How much fun can you have for £1?

Quite a lot apparently and some active stretching for your dog...well our dog anyway!

Recently Sarah lost another tooth so I decided to get rid of all the hard balls that she plays with and replace them with soft ones.  She only gets the ball on my terms now but still crunches them as she catches and chases so something softer can't be a bad thing.  The problem is that most soft type balls are also squeaky balls.  

So now when we are down the beach or on the fields and she gets her ball session, there is noise...not just barking.  And something about that squeak does it for Mr Sam. He has to have that ball.  So steals it off his sister.  

We have never favoured either dog....they are both equally spoiled!  Which meant that I had to get a second soft ball that squeaks so that when Sam steals his sister's, I can get the other one out for her. (Yes...REALLY spoiled).  A quick trip to Asda and I came out with a super soft, super flexy, super bouncy, super red, super squeaky ball.  The fact that it was meant to be an Angry Bird probably didn't register to Sam at all...it was bouncy, squeaky and soft.   

I've already posted a video of Sam on the beach and how he loves to dig which exercises every part of his body while having fun.  His favourite digging toy used to be any old plastic bottle I could find on the beach filled with stones.  Free and fun.  But now he has his £1 squeaky ball.  But a problem....this was not a plastic bottle but a soft bouncy ball.  Digging the bottle into the sand was easy but the new bouncy ball has a mind of its own.  It rolls away, it flies off down the beach while being dug, it squishes and then expands (the look on his face as the Angry Bird ball first squished in then expanded back again was a classic).

So not only is he getting his myotherapy exercise from digging he is also chasing, retrieving and holding.  Accompany that with a free low impact exercise session of swimming in the sea.  Everything you need for maintenance, exercise, hydrotherapy and mobility down the beach.  

A part of his £1 myotherapy fun active stretching session can be found on the AchyPaw YouTube channel here.

So how much fun can you have from £1?  A lot and plenty of exercise too at the same time.

I'm always learning...thankfully

I recently wrote a blog article about a post I read where a canine 'professional' had said canine massage is only about prevention. I felt that was rather narrow thinking and gave my thoughts on how there are probably far more benefits.

But I’m always learning about others. Even ones that don’t have a direct physiological benefit to the dog but a benefit to the owner is a good benefit in my eyes.

I’ve been massaging a small dog regularly for some months now. She came to me initially as she was very hyper. She did not like being touched by anyone other than the owner and often went into anxious barking snappy mode when meeting other dogs or people. My aim for her was not necessary to fix any muscular aches and strains but to get her accustomed to tactile stimulation and for relaxation. It didn’t take many sessions for this little dog to just lie in my arms for an hour and have her therapy. She never struggled, she never complained, she certainly never bit me. In fact she sinks into my lap during the session with closed eyes while every muscle and joint relaxes and calms. She always walks out with a smile and an extra spring in her step.

Recently the owner the said that the behaviour of the dog has changed noticeably. The owner now thinks that she would be able to leave the dog at the groomers – something she has never been able to do. Also, when someone comes to the door the dog still barks but it is now a bark asking for a fuss to be made of her and not flight or attack mode. So a new benefit to me is that the owner has got a social life back – one I hadn’t reckoned on when I started this therapy session.

And now I have yet another new benefit, albeit a rather tenuous one. The owner wrote to me and said “You're going to think this is wicked but now if my dog doesn't want to walk when she is out I say we are going to see Dr Les, and you will never believe it she perks up and starts walking”. It means the dog continues with her exercise (so helping her physiologically) while the owner gets to go out (helping her physiologically too!). Maybe that is a cheeky benefit but I’ll take it.

Erm….what exactly is myotherapy, Dr Les?

When people see our sign or business card they tend to understand the ‘dog massage’ bit – although nearly all didn’t know such a service existed – but ‘myotherapy’ confuses them. So what is it and why do I say massage AND myotherapy?

Massage is easy to explain but the explanation I like best is ““The scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, as apart from mere rubbing” (Prosser, E.M. (1941) A manual of Massage and Movement. 2nd ed. Faber & Faber: London). The effects and benefits of massage can be mechanical, physiological and psychological varying according to the intent with which massage is given, the selection of techniques used, the condition of the client and the frequency of sessions.

Another quote that I found when I first started my path along canine therapy was “A practitioner of massage may choose to be either a technician or a therapist. A technician is competent to administer massage as a manual skill. A therapist, in addition to being competent in the manual techniques, understands human anatomy, physiology, pathology and psychosocial issues, and will apply this knowledge when practicing massage. For the therapist, massage is one tool available to choose when, following a full assessment of the client’s needs, an evaluated problem-based treatment plan is designed”. (Holey, E., Cook, E. (2011) Evidence-Based Therapeutic Massage. 3rd ed. Churchill Livingston: Elsevier). I aim to be a therapist rather than a technician. Which is where the myotherapy comes in.

Myotherapy describes muscle therapy or, as I like to explain it, the therapist exercising the muscle for the client. It is a form of manual therapy focussing on the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal pain. The term is not just a technique taught at a particular school but was originally used in the 1970’s by Bonnie Prudden to describe a specific type of trigger point therapy which she developed following earlier research and studies into pain and from myofascial trigger points.

Used today, the term myotherapy incorporates a wider range of techniques including massage, joint mobilization, therapeutic stretching, exercise, postural advice and, most important for me, education.

After I have given the dog a massage, to ensure everything is mobile and warm, I typically incorporate some myotherapy and stretching into my treatment session. Stretching serves a very important function in the proper workings of the body; hydration, circulation, oxygenation & detoxification. Passive movements – stretches undertaken by the therapist on the client - aim to improve joint function, blood flow and flexibility and maintain the existing range of movement of the muscles and joints involved rather than to push them further or stimulate nerve receptors. Active stretches are those undertaken by the client themselves and may take the form of simple and safe exercises, which is where education comes in. They shouldn’t be too hard but just enough to help the dog exercising safely. The easiest are weight-bearing exercises.

Demonstrating a few appropriate exercises to the owner that they can do with their dog to stretch and mobilise appropriate joints and muscles can then be their ‘homework’ to build on the therapy session with me and maintain the mobility until the next session. These exercises don’t have to be expensive with lots of kit. They can be simple walking, sitting or standing exercises. Our Sam loves the beach and loves digging in the sand. This is a great free exercise that is under my control. When I think he has had enough, I take the ball away. But while he is digging he is exercising his shoulders, back and rear leg muscles…..and it is free and fun.

Look at this YouTube clip – see how our Sam uses his back, shoulder, neck and thigh muscles while getting a good workout. And all I have to do is watch, video him and grin. Result!

Canine massage – prevention, rehabilitation, maintenance or holistic?

I read a post (well, more a rant) recently from a canine professional which niggled me as it said that dog massage should only focus on prevention. I thought that was rather narrow-minded. Even though I’ve only been working in this field for a year now I have quite a variety of clients in my portfolio.

Some come regularly for maintenance massage session. This suits those who have arthritis which cannot be prevented as such but massage and myotherapy can help maintain their mobility and ease out any compensatory issues the dog might have. One of my case studies was an old German Shepherd who was a real lady but was beginning to not be able to enjoy walking. She had several sessions with me, not working on any muscle in particular but easing out her stiffness, helping to stretch her muscles and joints and generally allowing her to go “Ooooooo….that is what I needed”. After each session her owners would send me a picture of her lying flat out on the floor in what I call the Superman pose (arms outstretched in front) fast asleep instead of being in a stiff ball or being restless not being able to settle down. In a way she was healing herself. When she finally woke up she was ready for that long walk again. OK, she will never catch that rabbit again, but she could certainly move. When I last saw her, a year after her initial therapy, she was still mobile and happy. Prevention or maintenance?

Others come with a specific injury. Massage and muscle therapy can target the area that the vet has diagnosed as being the cause of the injury. Again, it is too late to prevent that injury…it has happened. But what the sessions can do is promote and hopefully hasten the natural healing process. Also by showing the owner what techniques are beneficial to that particular issue, hopefully the injury should not recur. Prevention or rehabilitation?

Four of my clients have been amputees. In these cases you have to use your skills to think what muscles and joints are possibly being overworked to compensate for the lack of one limb. As well as that, there is the back and spine to consider. The spine of amputee dogs often bends slightly to help balance. So that area should also be looked at to assess for any undue strain and tension. Prevention, maintenance, rehabilitation or what?

Other clients I have are canine athletes. They attend agility events where they have to jump walls or hurdles. In these cases maybe prevention of injury is the best therapy. I usually schedule a therapy session before or after their event to make sure everything is in working order. I also teach the owners the importance of warm-up and cool-down massage routines just before and after the actual event. So maybe this could be classed as prevention but it is also maintenance and well-being.

Finally there are the clients who come to me for relaxation. I have quite a few nervous clients who were not able to be touched or were just antsy. Often it takes several sessions to build up the trust with these clients but over the course of these sessions they visibly change from nervous excitable dogs to massage divas who run to the massage mat when they come in and lay down as though to say “OK….I’m ready now Dr Les. Start your work”. One such client is a small Chihuahua who, at the age of 5, was still not pick-upable by anyone other than the owner. She has been coming for some months now and this time the owner said that she actually feels that she would be able to leave the dog with a groomer without her getting too anxious. That was a great result. When she sits in my lap for her session, her eyes go googly immediately now and every muscle and joint relaxes so she is all floppy. Prevention, maintenance, rehabilition, behaviour or maybe just holistic?

Personally I think to pigeon- hole the rationale behind canine massage and myotherapy as having one benefit is not the way to go. I prefer to think holistically – where my therapy can work on the whole body since everything is ultimately interrelated and interconnected.  The focus should be on the dog and the many ways that massage & myotherapy can help them.

Our Sarah's Story...

......or how a grumpy dog turned back into a Diva dog who loves massage

We have two collie/spaniel dogs – brother and sister, Sam and Sarah. We were warned that they would develop obsessive behaviour so knew what to expect. As it happened they developed different obsessions. Sam soon discovered seagulls – which is fortunate as we live right by the beach and sea. His goal in life is to chase each and every seagull in Sussex, barking at the top of his voice. Why? We have never figured that out. He hasn’t a hope of catching them unless he develops wings. But the smile on his face as he runs, weaving up and down the beach, in and out of the sea is enough reason (and pleasure) for us. Sarah is not so fussed with seagulls – she discovered the delights of tennis balls. Being a good Dad (or so I thought at the time) I used to encourage her obsession by carrying a ball in every pocket and constantly giving in to her demands of ‘Throw it Dad...now”.

One day we noticed that Sarah was beginning to stiffen as she got up or walked up stairs after a heavy ball playing session. I’m a qualified masseur so automatically used to rub her down after such a session but didn’t really know what I was doing dog-wise (dogs are different from humans....they have more legs and muscles are in different places!).

We attended a very basic dog massage introductory workshop and took along Sam and Sarah for practice. Although they are siblings they are surprisingly different. Sam is a ‘normal dog’ – you can pick up his skin, it is loose. He has soft fur. Sarah was quite abnormal. Her skin was like it was superglued to her. It wouldn’t pick up. And her fur was like rubbing a loo brush. This was a classic case of the Good Dad being a Bad Dad and causing unknown injury by constantly throwing the ball. Because her exercise was largely jumping (rather than Sam’s weaving and running) she had developed what would be called a stiff neck and back in human-terms – a VERY stiff back. Because her skin was so adhered like Velcro, her fur was suffering as well and was becoming coarse and loo brush-like. Although we were only shown one technique, skin roling, this helped to lift the adhered skin to allow fresh nutrients to circulate. 
 
Sarah loved her massage and instead of having to chase her around, began to demand a massage...daily, hourly, all the time. Yes, she developed a new obsession – but a healthy one this time.  After just one week we noticed the difference in her skin – it was getting easy to lift. After a month it was not just her skin and fur but her personality which had changed. She was now back to the bright eyed, happy, loving dog we started out with and not the grumpy tired dog she had become. This change was not only visible to us but others as well. The groomer and dog walker both asked what we had done with the ‘old’ Sarah as this ‘new’ model seemed so much better. The groomer in particular said that when she used to cut Sarah’s fur it was like sandpaper but is now like running a hot knife through butter.

In the meantime, I took, and passed, a diploma course in canine massage plus a number of more advanced workshops and courses - as many as I could find to expand my toolkit of techniques and skills.

Fast forward several months later and we had our girl back. She started to drive her brother mad by constantly teasing him again. At night she slept with both eyes closed in a total relaxed state. She still gets a ball – but on my terms and for limited times only and rolled along the ground not thrown so she would have to jump. The Bad Dad has learned to be a Good Dad. And all this through canine massage and myotherapy. OK...we now have a Massage Diva but we can live with that.  She even seemed to become younger - while out walking she prances, she struts, she waggles her tail, she rounds up the rabbits for her brother....she makes me smile!

This is what convinced me to start dog massage and to qualify as a professional canine myotherapist. Yes, I still get strange looks from people when they ask me what I do and I reply that I am a professional dog massage therapist but their opinion changes when I explain what it does and how it helps. And now my skills are being put to use on more dogs and give them the same new quality of life our Sarah has.  Plus I now deliver my own workshops and courses to empower other dog owners with some of the tips and skills to bring the massage diva out in their dog.  

The chance to spend my working days with dogs was impossible to resist.