ASK PETMASSAGE

Dog wants to jump away during massage or What was I thinking?

Hi Jonathan,

I’m trying to be aware of the pressure that I’m using and go lightly.

Could it be that because they are sore it is causing them to be more sensitive? I’m really starting to have a lot of self-doubt. When I was at the workshop the dogs that I worked with seemed to appreciate what I was doing but such isn’t the case of late!

Even my own Lab just wants off the table!
Thanks.

Hi,-

You are doing it right. Any pet massage your dog gets from you is a whole lot better than his not getting a pet massage at all.

Give yourself the grace to gain the confidence that comes with experience.

The dogs are your teachers now. Listen to what they tell you.

Your lab may be reacting to the emotional pressure of your need for doing a perfect, complete massage each time. You are trying so hard it is stressing out your dog. When you put pressure on yourself you change your posture. This is Body Mechanics 101. Wait; let’s make that Body Mechanics 1.0! Your shoulders get so tight that the energy you are drawing up from your core cannot move past your neck to get to your hands.

Stress changes your scent. Your dog smells and reacts to the chemistry of your sweat you produce that supports your emotional state.

We know that sweaty paw prints on the table are a sign of stress in the dog’s health. What about the scent tracks of our emotional state that we leave in the air around us?

Staying in “touch,”

Jonathan