Speed At Which to Massage Your Canine Friend or Client

Speed

Fast is always more stimulating, and slow is always more relaxing, yet both are influenced by pressure.  It is wise to usually begin with slow strokes. Practice using the following suggestions:

1)      Relax yourself first and always. If you are not relaxed and calm your client will not be receptive! Think of this EVERYTIME you ready for a Pet Massage or Acupressure Therapy. You might try taking in a few breathes (breathe in for 5-10 seconds, hold it for 1 and breathe out at the same pace). Do this several times in preparation.

2)      Perform a nose to tails end FLITS using less than 1 pound pressure. On the second stroke increase pressure. On the third stroke increase pressure. On a small dog (less than 40 pounds) count 3 seconds. On a larger dog count 4 seconds. Does this seem unnaturally slow? It should. Here is an analogy:

Many people visit Alaska and drive the highway from Anchorage to Fairbanks (400 miles). As they cross this amazing land of beauty, they often comment on how the mountains were so awesome yet how they did not see any bears or moose. The same people could stop at a mountain lake and spend the evening in one spot and likely see more than if they travelled 400 miles! The point is this: Take time to feel and “see” where you are. Close your eyes and feel temperature changes, texture changes or perhaps locate parasites or skin abnormalities. Be aware of tenderness. Slow is good.

3)      Increase speed to two seconds. Feel the difference in just one second? Practice different strokes and different speeds and pressure amounts. The more you feel and practice, the more natural it will be to use Intentional Touch Massage.

4)      Using ITM gives you the option of short and lengthy routines. Because you will often be using many therapies, you always have the option when necessary to limiting a massage to 5 minutes. For example, you may exercise a dog and then after a cool down time, you might perform a 5 minute routine of FLITS and foreleg and rear leg CCITS. In human massage, the idea (whether we admit it or not) is to enjoy a long relaxing massage. In the dog world, any massage may feel good, but the intent is to support a body system and this may mean long, short, light, heavy etc. Length of time does not dictate the effective of a routine. A massage may however take 30-45 minutes. You will be the judge of what is indicated in each scenario. There may also be times when all you do is perform a massage or it may be what a client wants for their pet. In some cases a dog may only be receptive for 5 minutes. As you learn other therapies, you may be using Flower Essence Therapy during a Spectra-Tonal Color Therapy accompanied by a Massage and Acupressure routine.

How Much Pressure To Use In Canine Massage

Pressure

The amount of pressure used in a stroke can vary greatly. You must practice these strokes to become proficient at controlling pressure. A FLIT should be a balanced stroke with the same pressure used from beginning to end. A good way to practice is with a scale. If you have access to a food scale then use it however, a bathroom scale that measures in 2lb dashes will also work.

1)      Feel how much pressure it takes to move the scale less than one dash or less than 2lbs.

2)      Feel the amount of pressure required to move the scale 5, 10, 15 pounds.

3)      Rub your first two fingers over the scale evenly at each of the above mentioned pressure amounts. (At 5 pounds or more you may switch to an open hand or palm).

4)      Do this again without moving the needle at all. (This is usually ½ lb pressure or less).

5)      Now glide your fingers down your own arm and imagine a pressure of the weight of a quarter.

6)      Become well aware of these different levels of pressure and keep in mind that a dog can feel the weight of a fly on its back or head!

It is wise to support the back (place a hand under the dog) when applying heavy pressure to the dogs topside. For a toy poodle this may be when applying ½ -1 lb pressure, or 10 lbs on a Golden Retriever. Imagine it is you that is under the weight, and use judgment. Another rule of thumb is to support the back when applying more than 1 pound of pressure for every 10 pounds of the dogs’ weight. In the case of older dogs or ill dogs, use judgment and gentleness. Always be silently communicating with the dog in order to immediately recognize signs of discomfort.

Do not use pressure of more than 2 pounds (much less in small breeds) in sensitive areas such as over the eyes, the side of the head (temple region). Do not apply pressure to individual vertebra (with the exception of stroking over the vertebra when using FLITS or SLITS.  You’ll learn more about this when we address acupressure.

Muscles in the body are usually deep layers (under other muscles) or superficial layers (closest to the skin). We will not study the depth of a particular muscle however, you should know that deep layers are stimulated with more pressure and superficial layers are stimulated with less pressure.

So then, keep in mind that lighter stokes will not stimulate deep muscle layers as much as it will superficial layers of muscle. When treating muscles, a variety of pressure amounts should be used.

There are other massage techniques that will be discussed in continuing education after your Level 1 Certification if desired. What you will learn here is completely sufficient to perform Pet Massage and Acupressure with integrity and skill. The greatest gift you can give yourself and your client is to practice strokes, pressure and speed on as many animals as possible. Remember: Gentleness is a virtue and an art. In a world where violence and dominating control seem to be all too prevalent. You will never error when being gentle… and gentle is always effective. However, there are many cases where deep muscle layers will need heavy pressure. Use wisdom and experience in every situation.

An Introduction to Pet Massage and Acupressure Therapy (Canines)

Introduction to Pet Massage and Acupressure Therapy

A man related a story about his trip to volunteer in Calcutta, India at Mother Theresa’s Home for the Destitute and Dying. He mentioned how one very ill person was crying and whimpering for hours. Everyone discussed how perhaps this man needed food, so they fed him, how he perhaps needed a drink, so they gave him water and juices; how he needed something to do, so they gave him items on which to write, color and handle; His pain or suffering seemed to completely disappear after a woman went and sat next to him and touched him. She touched him and held his hand.

That’s it! That’s all she did! That’s all he was crying out for! The touch of another person that would perhaps say: You matter! You’re important! You’re not alone! Touch conveys many things including physical, emotional and spiritual elements. Touch can be friendly and warm, sexual and stimulating, healing and recuperative, relaxing and calming, invigorating and, it can be abusive, hurtful, painful or alarming.

In Intentional Touch Animal Massage we meet a primal need and instinct. Social animals have always used touch for grooming, attention getting, instruction, comfort and more. Dogs are social animals and need to be touched. Massage in particular, is a unique therapy in that it addresses the whole body and it is not always easy to see which part of the person (or dog) it impacts the most. However, it certainly has wonderful physical restorative, relaxing, healing and stimulating results for most pets in many situations.

In this course study we will focus on massage techniques that support the nine systems of the body.

The techniques we’ll use are all Harmony APT techniques that have their similar techniques other forms of massage. Swedish massage is the most popular method of massage and certain terms used in conventional methods will be helpful to know, even though we will be using our Harmony APT terms.

Conventional Terms Used In Popular Massage:

Effleurage: A long balanced stroke

Kneading: Kneading the skin (similar to kneading dough).

Tapping: Light tapping on certain areas of the body.

Compression: A heavy pressure applied with fingers, thumb, palm or fist.

Harmony APT teaches a system called ITM or Intentional Touch Massage. In Intentional Touch Massage we use ITS or Intentional Touch Strokes.

Before we discuss the strokes, let’s look at what an Intentional Touch is.

ITM means that we have a system and a purpose in mind with each stroke we perform. A massage may feel good and it may do many things, but when we use ITM we are focusing on a body system, generally to stimulate it in some way and occasionally to relax it.

In ITM we are more concerned with all nine systems and not just muscular and circulatory functions. Where massage usually means to stimulate, relax or manipulate muscles and joints in the body by massaging the soft tissues, we expand massage to mean the following:

ITM is the use of touching techniques that focus on individual systems of the body by enhancing communication, and stimulating, relaxing and manipulating muscles, joints, electro-mechanical impulses, organ responses and circulation.

Harmony ITM Strokes (ITS)

FLITS: Full Length Intentional Touch Stroke. This stroke is different than an effleurage only in that it means we are moving from one end of the body all the way to another exit point. We always start at an end (paw, face, tail), and the stoke continues until it ends at the tip of the tail, the toes or the nose. Full length means, full length.

SLITS: Short Length Intentional Touch Strokes. This is any stroke that is less than full length. It may be a short stroke from the nose to the top of the head or it may be a stoke from the pelvis to the tibia. Any stroke that is less than full length.

CCITS: Circular Compression Intentional Touch Strokes. Using thumbs, fingers, fist or palm. This stroke is circular in motion. It may be small or large in diameter. When using CCITS along the spine you should allow the skin to move with the stroke, hence the diameter will be quite large as the skin is loose. Try this now using the index and middle finger on each hand and working from the shoulders down to the rump on each side of the spine. Use larger CCITS and then tighten the circle each time you start at the shoulders again and work down. Do this three times for practice.

AFITS: Acupoint Focused Intentional Touch Strokes: These are simply done with the use of a thumb end or finger.

There are times when all of these techniques will be used in one massage session and times when only one or parts of a massage will be used.