Unlike most canine massage books which usually filled with long text and/or illustrations, this book is rather thin—109 pages long but not in any way lack of quality or pertinent content. Personally, I think manual book such as canine massage should be concise with easy-to-follow steps and explanations, and that’s what the authors did. It is a no fluff book and can be put to immediate use after an hour read.

Although the book clearly states it is a guide book, it’s more than that—a quarter of it is workbook, consists about two to six questions each related to the topic that just covered. Some of the questions are not targeted to the massage experience with your dog per se, rather it questions your massage experience on yourself. For example on the chapter on strokes: vibration,

Practice on your thigh by starting with a compression stroke. Hold briefly and then begin to let your hand tremble. Imagine that you are tricking the muscle into relaxation! How did it feel?

For most of us, inexperience dog owners/therapists, may not know how much pressure should be employed when working on our dogs; so by doing on ourselves we have the first-hand experience of our own “medicine” and also to gauge the comfortability of different pressure and stroke.

One of my favorite sections of the book is chapter eight: Common Dog Group: Their history, stress areas and massage emphasis (seen on the right). It a brief overview of what are the common injuries (stress areas) of 77 dog breeds and the antidotes (massage emphasis) to decrease the chances of injury should the dog perform more intense and strenuous activities than his normal routines.

I understand perfectly why this section may not be of a greater value to owners with only one dog—or a few dogs of the same breed—where the dog’s daily routine is confined to four-walls activities with bare minimum physical exertion. The least you could get out of this 7-pages is a better understanding of your dog breed’s stress areas (that if you haven’t know it yet) and the massage emphasis for him to enjoy the many benefits of massage therapy even if he is a couch potato.

As to why I like this section isn’t because I have two different breeds under my care rather I see it as an added benefit for my clients. Of course, not all the dogs that come for their regular grooming session are performance dogs but I’m certain 60% of them are doing some sort of moderate exercises daily. So it wouldn’t hurt to give all of them (almost…as some of dogs aren’t accustomed to being touched in a structured and rhythmic movement) a 3-minutes massage therapy as a thank-you service.

Regardless, this book is a must-have for any dog owner (be it canine performance enthusiast or laid back pet parent) who is into holistic therapeutic treatment of a stressed or “sick” dog.

I would like to leave you with this beautiful phrase extracted from Linda’s bio.

The truth is, my dogs don’t know the meaning of petting because all touch has become massage. My dogs continue to teach me about temperament, strokes, timing, ambience and scents as well as when or where to stretch them.

I couldn’t agree more, the true teacher is our dogs. This book is the fundamental guide to canine massage. With regular practices and attentive awareness to our dogs’ responses, only then we can fully appreciate the art of canine massage.

On the same note, Linda has an audio book (Giving Back: A Guided Canine Massage) that is pretty much similar to the book. When I received the complimentary copies of the book and CD, both were sold in Amazon. The CD was sold in a downloaded MP3 format at $0.99 (which I think it was a steal), lasts about 27 minutes.

I don’t know what is the deal now, Amazon carries only the book.

Updates: For more information about the book and CD or even courses on canine massage conducted by Linda Jackson, please visit her websites: http://www.centreforacupuncture.com and http://www.caninemassagebook.com

Surprised? Well, don’t be. Humans are not the only ones that deserve to be pampered. Your dog equally deserves a good massage once in a while, preferably on a regular basis.

A good massage for your dog doesn’t have to be just because he needs to relax. It can also help him when healing from certain illnesses.

10 Benefits of Therapeutic Canine Massage

1. Calms the Dogs

It has been proven by experts and dog lovers alike that dogs bark and make noise more when they are restless, tense, hyperactive or aggressive. A good massage therefore helps them relax and ultimately makes them quieter.

Without a regular dose of massage there is a tendency that your dog can be harsh and aggressive to people, especially when the children play with the dog too much and too roughly.

2. Eases Aching Muscles

Just as humans feel a lot of relief to their aching muscles after a good massage, the same happens to your dog. Extremely beneficial for athletic dogs; even for pet dogs who workout of a regular basis as massages strengthen your dog’s muscles.

3. Increases Immune System

Gentle massage triggers the chemicals called cytokines. These chemicals affect the dog’s hormonal system which brings down the level of stress hormones that weaken the immune system.

4. Improves Blood and Lymph Circulation

It stimulates blood circulation which then increases the amount of oxygen that reaches tissue and flushes out toxins and waste. Great on dogs suffering from obesity.

5. Disperses Pain

At the spot of the massage, it induces cells to release cytokines and then instructs the brain to release pain-killing endorphins.

6. Releases Stress

When adolescent dogs are introduced to routine massage experience less stress when they become older therefore increases his immune system to fight some common aging aliments.

7. Aids Injuries

Certain injuries that your dog has can be treated effectively with a good massage. For examples, injured tissues or arthritis tissues. It restores mobility and flexibility.

Please note: Recovering injuries should only be administered by a registered dog therapist. Do not attempt to administer it without any knowledge of canine anatomy.

8. Builds Trust

It helps to build trust and makes you aware of subtle changes in your dog’s physical conditions that maybe overlook during regular grooming sessions.

9. Heightens Concentration and Alertness

It helps to improve your dog’s performance and concentration during obedience training or tricks training.

10. Promotes Longevity

Don’t we all want our best friends to live a longer and aliment-free lifestyle? Not only it improves and maintains his overall health, it also invigorates all dogs to want to stay longer with their caring owners – You.

A Brief Introduction of TTouch Therapy

Other than recovering injuries, you might want to try your hands on one of the best dog massaging techniques – TTouch Therapy. A professional therapist is not necessary needed for this treatment. Neither it is difficult to learn. There are books and videos available that explain the technique.

TTouch Therapy (also known as The Tellington Touch). This type of massage is used mostly to ease dogs with behavior problems like aggressive or frightened dogs. One of the techniques of this massage method is by making certain tiny circles on the dog’s muzzle and its jaw with your fingers. Then you tenderly move the skin of your dog in a certain clockwise direction beginning at the six o’clock position and completing a circle and a quarter finishing at eight o’clock. Pressure is adjusted for different dogs and different parts of the body, depending upon what is comfortable and non-threatening to the dog. Doing this tenderly and repeatedly will greatly aid your dog’s focus during their training sessions.