Origins of Massage to PetMassage
When we look back at the origins of massage, we see that massage, as a therapeutic medium and skill set, was primarily used to enable people to self-heal.
From the earliest times, humans recognized that the body could realign itself in the presence of a healer’s hands and intentions. Rituals employed dancing and stretching, soaking (taking the waters), applications of oils, herbs, and a little sumthin’ to drink. Most powerful were, and are, on the body hands-on work and off-the-body distance healing. We couldn’t realign the stars; but we could shift the relative positions and functionality of solar plexus systems within the body.We couldn’t change the patterns of tea leaves; but we could reinterpret them.
The aspect of massage that we now define as Energywork has a long heritage as a powerful means of assisting the imbalanced elements within the body to realign for wellness and function. Energywork helps reestablish homeostasis.
Homeostasis comes from two Greek words homeo, meaning “similar” and stasis, meaning “stable.” It is a key concept in understanding how the body works. It means “keeping things constant.” It is a state of equilibrium or a tendency to reach equilibrium, either metabolically within a cell or organism or socially and psychologically within an individual or group.
Much later, approximately 10,000 years ago, in Asia, we discovered systems that would help the body establish even more balance within itself. Scientists, philosophers, martial artists, and healers used these newly intuited holistic interpretations to define the world and the well-being of its inhabitants. We were striving to support with the health and well-being of the earth, its animals, plants, rivers, mountains, its weather, and its people.
The concept of a life force, chi, is at the core of this healing/wellness philosophy. Chi is more complicated than a just sense of general vitality. It is much more nuanced. It is pervasive. Chi is sub-categorized into various aspects; each of which has an influence on a person’s, an animal’s, or a plant’s quality of life. And combined, well, promotes homeostasis. Here are some of the applications of Chi.
There is air chi, which is air quality. The energy of the air. Fresh, clean air is more healthful to breathe than polluted air. Various fragrances in the air can have anticipated effects. Hello Aroma Therapy! Climate, and air temperature have various effects. The air in the mountains is thinner than in the valleys. Fast moving air, wind, can alter the shapes of landscapes, from blowing leaves to shifting sands to resurfacing mountains. The quality and composition of the air in your lungs is a result of, and can be altered with, exercise, massage, changes in life style and health.
There is water chi. Water is necessary for life. Most of ancient humanity lived near large bodies of water. Currently, about 40% of humanity lives within 100 meters of a coast. Fresh, clean water is a prized resource. It is more healthful to drink than dirty water. Cold water has a different effect on the body than tepid, hot water, or steam. Rainy weather, humidity, fog, ice and snow, all have pronounced affects on our physical and emotional states. We all (people, animals, plants) are affected by water availability, barometric pressure and changes in the weather. The movement of body water, blood, lymph, hydration of interstitial tissues, is affected by massage.
There is food chi. Food chi includes not only the freshness of the food and where it was grown; it also includes its physical temperature. It includes the effect it has on the body. Does the food create internal heat or cool? Habanera peppers or cucumbers? Does a food enhance digestion or restrain it? An apple a day keeps the PetMassager okay. How does a food or drink affect one’s mood? Consider chocolate, pizza, pecan cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pie. Mmmm. Tripe…Yuck. What happens when a food or a spice combined with other foods and seasonings? Some dishes in a meal compliment, support or diminish the meal’s healing and/or social effects. Were you aware that the intentions and emotional states of food preparers and servers have an effect on the quality of chi in your food? That’s the reason dogs do so well with the bones and raw food diet. It’s the reason why Mom’s or Dad’s home cooking tastes so good. And the reason processed foods taste bland and leave you with an empty feeling. The chi in these foods has been processed out.
There is the chi you were born with, and Shen, spiritual chi. These, as with the others, are enhanced or diminished with your lifestyle, the people and sounds you listen to, and your thoughts. And, of course, massage,
This awareness of the intentionality and the intuitive valuing of the ancients’ wisdom has become the hallmark of PetMassageTM. PetMassageTM is a discipline based on the appreciation and valuing of the creative application of a particular skill set of PetMassageTM techniques. Of course, PetMassageTM values and incorporates the most current Western medical understandings of anatomy, movement, pathology, of genetic propensities, and of nature and nurture.
Dogs are still hard wired to experience their world through the senses and perceptions of their ancestors. This was a time when dogs knew what and how the pack functioned. Dogs are bombarded, harboring and resonnating to all manner of stimuli. Could be external. Could be internal. Could be current. Could be from their past. Could be inherited. Dogs are often placed in situations which they may be ill equipped, mentally and emotionally, to handle.
PetMassageTM provides the dog with opportunities for gentle course corrections to balance the energy of its life and times.
I read an article in my local newspaper recently that rated occupations by job satisfaction. Participants in the study described how much value and satisfaction they felt they received in various occupations. Highlighted was the sense of being able to be of service to the greater good. The top jobs were clergy and firefighters. Teachers and social workers had high ratings too. The survey in the article didn’t mention canine massage; though I think it should have.
Canine massage, more specifically, PetMassage™ for dogs, is the most meaningful and purposeful work I have ever done or could imagine doing. The canine massage practitioner is a spiritual guide for dogs and their people. We are putting out physical, emotional, and behavioral fires. We are mediators, and translators for canines to their humans and back.
Teaching and practicing canine massage we discover ourselves. We come to understand our true nature and life goals. Practicing and teaching PetMassage™, we have a way to stay honest to who and what we are. Our work is joyful and immensely gratifying. We get to continually learn and evolve.
We are blessed to be doing the “work” of helping dogs and their people find balance and comfort, while at the same time fulfilling all our own needs. What we do gives us comfort, allows us to feel good about, and value ourselves. How many people can describe their work in these terms? Whenever I consider any alternative occupation, I, well, I don’t consider any alternative occupations. Is the PetMassage™ job fulfilling? Oh yes.
My passions from the beginning were simply massaging dogs and teaching others techniques to massage their dogs. The skill set started as a relatively simple variation on the Swedish massage I learned in (human) massage school. That evolved quickly as I began experimenting, documenting, testing, and incorporating, how dogs were responding to my techniques. The more I learned about canine behavior and the canine body, the more effective was my intuition.
The Roman philosopher Seneca is quoted to have said that “luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.” He actually didn’t say that. He spoke Latin. With PetMassage™ I’ve been able to prepare myself to the point where I could channel creative juices I didn’t even know I had. Not only have I had to provide powerful course corrections to thousands of dogs and their people, I’ve been able to produce a whole lot of videos, and books, and courses.
I could never have done this all alone. I needed my village. My wife Anastasia, my staff, students and I conceived and developed the PetMassage™ brand. The PetMassage™ brand is a specific yet evolving interpretation and application of canine massage. PetMassage™ is more than “physical manipulation of tissues.” More than “mobilizing joints.” More than “increasing circulation and flexibility.” These are all important and a big part of PetMassage™; and, we know, there is so much more.
In the workshop format, working with students in workshops in Toledo Ohio, I get to access my artistic side. I love teaching. Everyone enjoys the workshops. They are as entertaining as they are educational. And, I get to train and mentor the next generation PetMassage™ practitioners and PetMassage™ instructors. The many testimonials on www.petmassage.com show that students appreciate the energy of the PetMassage™ School, the quality of course content, and the teaching style.
Last week, one of our Foundation workshop students shared that when she felt my energy while watching a Skype interview that I had with Dr Karen Becker DVM for her Healthy Pets Newsletter she felt she just had to learn more about PetMassage™. Here’s the link: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2099/12/31/pet-massage-therapy.aspx
Canine massage, PetMassage™, is more than a job. It is a spiritual path. Everyday, with each PetMassage™, we become more and more prepared to be lucky in our opportunities to be of service to the greater good. Fulfilled? Oh yes.
I invite you to join us. You too can experience the job satisfaction of helping the dogs and people where you live when you practice PetMassage™.
Full Title: Canine Large Intestine
Author: Ted Clark
Date of Publication: November 20, 2014
PDF: http://petmassage.com/wp-content/uploads/Canine-Large-Intestine-by-Ted-Clark-2014-11-20.pdf
Research Paper Text:
The large intestine of the dog extends from the small intestine to the anus. Although connected it functions less a significant role in digestion than the small intestine. By example it’s about sixteen inches in length in a forty-pound dog and is larger in diameter than the small intestine. Its primary function is to absorb water from chyme which is partially digested food and gastric secretions that are in a semi solid form. As water is absorbed the resulting feces is in more of a solid form. Its other function is to store fecal matter awaiting passage from the body.
**Circular muscles line the inside and longitudinal muscles outside. Pacemaker cells*** receive neurologic messages causing those involuntary muscles and tissues to contract or dilate for transmission. It also contains lymph nodes and mucosal glands important for lubrication. Equally important to the nerves function, local (within the intestine) and vagally (cranial) are chemicals that send signals cell to cell; paracrine (for neighboring cells around the intestine) and endocrine (that flow with the blood throughout the body).
The large intestine has three distinct parts. *The cecum a small, finger-like projection near the junction of the small intestine; responsible for microbial fermentation, absorption and transportation every three to five minutes. It moves chyme to the colon. Blood is supplied by the cranial artery.
The colon is the longest portion of the large intestine and is divided by three portions. Ascending is closest to the small intestine, transverse goes from the right side to the left of the abdomen, descending terminates within the pelvic cavity just inside the anus to the final portion of the large intestine called the rectum. Its blood supply comes from the caudal artery. It functions like the cecum responsible for microbial fermentation, absorption yet a more important part of transportation. The terms colon and large intestine are commonly used interchangeably.
The rectum stores feces and when filled stimulates pressure sensitive cells within the walls of the rectum initiating the reflex for defecation. Two sphincter muscles control the aperture.*
References:
* McGavin DM & Zachary, JF: Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease 4th edition pp.301-393
** Strombeck’s small animal Gastroenterology, 3rd edition pp.889-910
*** Wisegeekhealth.com
Full Title: A Dog's Nerve
Author: Lisa Castaneda
Date of Publication: November 20, 2014
PDF: http://petmassage.com/wp-content/uploads/A-Dog’s-Nerve-by-Lisa-Castaneda-2014-11-20.pdf
Research Paper Text:
What is a nerve? According to Dictionary.com a nerve is “one or more bundles of fibers forming part of a system that conveys impulses of sensation, motion, etc., between the brain or spinal cord and other parts of the body”. Nerve impulses enable us to walk, chew, think, sit, stand, breath, digest food, feel, makes our heart beat, blink, sneeze, run…..you get the picture, nerves allow us to function. Nerves are part of the Central Nervous System and are found thru out the body. Nerves are a
Nerves are a cord like structure consisting of many axons which are bundled together into fascicles and each fascicle is wrapped in perineurium. The entire nerve is wrapped in the epineurium.
There are two types of nerve connections, Spinal Nerves and Cranial Nerves. Spinal nerves connect thru the spinal cord aid in movement. Cranial nerves connect to the brain, especially the brainstem, and aid in non-purposeful movement such as breathing, heart beating, digestion. There are three groups of nerves whose basis is the direction of
There are three groups of nerves whose basis is the direction of direction the signals are conducted. Afferent nerves are sensory nerves. They carry nerve impulses from sense organs towards the spinal cord (example of skin sensation to spinal cord). Efferent nerves are motor nerves. They carry impulses from the spinal cord to the muscle (example of bending of fingers). Finally there are mixed nerves which can send and receive impulses.
Below is an excellent representation of a nerve cell or a neuron. Typically a nerve is composed of many, many neurons. For example, the human body has 7 trillion nerves!
SEE PDF FOR IMAGE
The cell body contains the nucleus of the cell. The dendrites are receptors of stimuli from other nerve or receptor organs such as the skin. The axon carries impulses away from the cell body to another neuron. Nerve terminal are the tips of the axon that join with other cells.
So, after a brief lesson on what a nerve is and how they play an important part in our lives and our pets lives we ask “How can massage help or even hinder a pet with nerve issues?”. Most of the time nerve conduction goes on without a second thought. However, when there is an interruption of flow the result can be pain, numbness, tingling, and even paralysis of the dog’s muscles. A dog cannot verbally tell us they are in pain, experience numbness or tingling. Paralysis is the only visible thing we can confirm. But they can exhibit visual clues. Panting, limping, licking, whimpering can all be signs of a dog in discomfort.
Some of the most common nerve issues in dogs include
- Muscle Spasms – an involuntary contraction of a muscle. Typically does not cause pain, but can cause a dog to collapse. The spasms can be caused by neurological or physical disorders, resulting from injury, seizures, loss of nerve function, canine stress syndrome, dehydration, muscle weakness. Best remedy is prevention; however, if a spasm is intense then gentle stretching and specialized massage can help.
- Pinched Nerve is a nerve that has been damaged due to some sort of compression injury. It can cause a dog to experience serious pain, walk awkwardly, whimper or lick/chew the site of pain. A pinched nerve gives the sensation of pins and needles or sharp/stabbing pain. Gentle self-guided manipulation will help ease a dog’s pain along with gentle stretching and massaging the point of impingement.
- Knotted Muscle is a constricted muscle that remains in action and does not return to a relaxed state. This may happen after Muscle Spasms. A knotted muscle is very painful to dogs causing them to not walk well and limits a dogs range of motion. Gentle massage can greatly help relax the dog and facilitate healing the injured muscle.
Can you hurt your dog in a massage? Yes you can! Dogs do not need deep pressure or intense rubbing to achieve a beneficial massage. By doing deep pressure you may actually cause more harm than good. Look for signs from your dog if he/she is relaxed or at least not fighting you in the massage process. [a dog new to massage they may not be completely relaxed till the 3rd or 4th massage]. Some dogs may have a long standing issue, such as a hind leg, that they do not want touched. It is best for everyone involved to respect the dog’s wishes not to be touched in that area. It is best to keep the finger or hand pressure on a dog to firm but not heavy.
After a series of massages you should see improvement in how any dog walks, run, plays or even rests.
References
Lewis, Sharon Manuk, and Collier, Idolia Cox. Medical Surgical Nursing Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. 3rd ed. St Louis, MO 63146
One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving family dinners was the “wishbone” event. Carving the turkey, my father would gleefully discover the bone from the top opening and, with his carving fork and electric knife, precariously pull it out. I watched him, praying intently that the wishbone prize would not break. It was held high in the air so that everyone could admire it. With eyes wide and laughter, I’d think about what my wishes would be if I were chosen to be the lucky one to pinky pull it and come away with the larger piece. I think I shared that wish with everyone at the table. The wishbone was quickly whisked away by my mother to the kitchen where it was cleaned and safely hung to dry. There in the window above the sink, it would hang for days, suspended on the ring of the window shade. Each time I’d walk through the kitchen my eyes were drawn to the tiny withering V-shaped bone swaying back and forth on its little trapeze. Eventually, I got to participate in the snapping ritual. I figured out that the higher up, closer to the apex, that I held my side of the bone, the more likely I’d be to come away with the larger piece.
The custom of wishbone-cracking started a long time ago. Ancient Shamans were known to be able to divine the future, casting and reading the patterns of chicken bones. http://www.williamjames.com/History/SHAMANS.htm
The ancient Romans were known to pull apart chicken clavicles hoping for good fortune. In the New Americas, Pilgrims played tug-of-war with the larger bones of the more plentiful wild turkey.
The rules haven’t changed since ancient times. Each person grabs an end and gives a yank. If you get the bigger piece, your wish will be granted. An interesting version of this ritual is that the wish can be transferred. You could wish that someone else would get her wish. Sure. That’s going to happen in this lifetime.
The term wishbone didn’t emerge until the mid-1800s, around the time President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday.
So what exactly is a wishbone and, does a dog have one?
The wishbone is a forked bone found in birds and some other animals. The Latin term for the shape of the wishbone is furcula, which means “little fork.” It is formed by the fusion of the two clavicles. In birds, its primary function is in the strengthening of the thoracic skeleton to withstand the rigors of flight. The furcula works as a strut between a bird’s shoulders, and articulates to each of the bird’s scapulae, shoulder blades. In conjunction with the coracoid and the scapula, it forms a unique structure called the triosseal canal, which houses a strong tendon that connects the supracoracoideus muscles to the humerus. This system is responsible for lifting the wings during the recovery stroke.
Dogs don’t have wings and dogs don’t fly, so they do not have furculae. The best reference to flying dogs that I could find was the Flying Dog brewing company. They brew one of my very favorite beers, Raging Bitch Belgian IPA. With a name like that I just had to try it. And I’m glad I did. The Flying Dog beer is great and their humorous
marketing deserves a link: http://flyingdogbrewery.com/beers/raging-bitch/.
So dogs don’t have furcula; do they have clavicles? Wait, what’s a clavicle? The clavicle in mammals is a doubly curved short bone that connects the arm (upper limb) to the body (trunk). It is located directly above the first rib. Place your thumb and forefinger around the base of your neck and the bones you feel when you press downward are your clavicles, collar bones. Your clavicle acts as a strut to keep your scapula in place so your arm can hang freely. Medially, it articulates with the manubrium of the sternum (top of the breast-bone) at the sternoclavicular joint. At its lateral end it articulates with the acromion of the scapula (shoulder blade) at the acromioclavicular joint.
The clavicle in mammals serves several functions. It serves as a rigid support from which the scapula and free forelimb (arm) are suspended. This arrangement has the function of keeping the upper limb away from the thorax (ribcage) so that the arm has maximum range of movement. Acting as a flexible, crane-like strut, the clavicle allows the scapula to move freely on the thoracic wall. Its surface features are attachment sites for muscles and ligaments of the shoulder. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clavicle
The reason some animals have either a reduced or no clavicle is that the bone supports muscles used in climbing. If the animal doesn’t climb, it doesn’t use it, doesn’t need it, and it devolves. Most mammals do have at least a vestigal remnant of a clavicle, although it is in varying degrees of development.
Do dogs and horses have clavicles? What about cats?
Animals that run like horses and dogs really don’t have a need for a clavicle or the support it provides. This is also why their wrists are fused (much more so in the horse than the dog) and they really can’t rotate their forelimbs like we can our forearms.
However, climbers like cats do have clavicles. So do squirrels, monkeys and humans. We all need the bones to support the muscles useful in climbing trees. These animals can also rotate their limbs (especially forelimbs) outward to help grasp tree trunks and limbs. So, animals that can climb trees have clavicles, and dogs really can’t climb trees! https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061124134605AAkoGih Yes, I know about the tree climbing dog Catahoula; that is more about the functionality of the dewclaws. http://www.cracked.com/article_20831_6-dog-breeds-with-secret-superpowers.html
Reduction or loss of the clavicle is actually normal in both hoofed and carnivorous mammals, so a “floating shoulder” exists in horses, dogs and many other species. This improves running efficiency because, once the shoulder blade is no longer restrained by the clavicle, it can act almost like an extra limb segment. Since running speed is equal to stride length times stride frequency (i.e. number of strides per minute, or other unit of time), long stride length allows an animal to run faster without having to move its limbs so quickly. http://www.askabiologist.org.uk/answers/viewtopic.php?id=3590 (There might be a test on this part.)
So, dogs have only vestigal remnants of clavicles. They are about the size and shape of buttons and function as sites for muscle attachment. Dogs are designed for speed. Yes, even Bassett Hounds.
See, and purchase the charts, The Skeleton of the Dog (Dog Bones) http://petmassage.com/?product=skeleton-chart-pm-3 and Dog Joints and Ligaments http://petmassage.com/?product=joints-and-ligaments-chart-pm-4
Do dogs wish on wishbones?
We humans have a very innate need to have some sense of control of our futures. We believe that we can influence the making of our dreams to come true with intention. We believe in Karma. We use prayer, affirmations (See Anastasia’s Arf. below), action, and once a year, we allow our hopes and dreams to ride on wishbones. The act of wishing is valuable in itself. Wishing, choosing what to wish for, helps us define what we want. When we know what we want, we know when we get it. When our goals are definable they are attainable.
Lying at your feet under the Thanksgiving table, you can be sure that your dogs are living in the moment without all our wishbone control issues. They don’t need a bigger crate or more toys. They are simply present, tantalized by the aroma and longing for a bite of any part of the turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving 2014 from everyone at the PetMassageTMSchool.
We are working on the project of assembling the canine anatomy physiology and kinesiology research papers that are part of the PetMassage Foundation Level workshop course requirements. These papers will be available on our website as a resource for all canine massage practitioners. While we were going over the submitted papers, we were astounded that over 175 PetMassage workshop attendees never got around to sending in their paperwork. So, they, perhaps you, cannot claim to have completed the PetMassage Foundation Level workshop even though they/you (may have) attended the hands-on workshop portion. They, or you, cannot claim or use the proprietary credential of CPMP, Certified PetMassage Practitioner.
If you are one of the people who got sidetracked, you can still complete your PetMassage workshop for your Certificate of Course Completion.
You’ve already invested your time, energy and money taking the workshop, traveling to and staying in Toledo Ohio for the greater part of a week. The hardest part is done. We encourage you to finish it. When everything that you need to submit is turned in and you have your certificate in your hands, or on your wall, you’ll feel better about yourself and your canine PetMassage practice. I promise.
You can still complete your PetMassage Foundation Level workshop for your Certificate.
PetMassage, Ltd. must receive the required documentation for us to be able to award Certificates of Course Completion for the PetMassage Foundation Level Workshop. Vee must see your papers!
We get it that life, family, work, toys, and squirrels are ready distractions. They are all great at keeping us from completing our projects. Another reason you may have allowed yourself to be distracted was the possibility of the fear of moving forward. I’m not the only one who has sabotaged myself whilst in pursuit of attaining goals and dreams, lofty or mundane. Perhaps being happy and fulfilled feels like too much to ask. We may need to recognize that what we’re doing and who we’re listening to just might be holding us back.
You can still complete your PetMassage Foundation workshop for your Certificate.
I share the story in class about a workshop that I took that I never got around to finishing. I kept putting off submitting my take-home test and eventually, it – and some of the specific information I was supposed to remember, drifted off the back of my desk and out of my radar. I think about this often. Sure, I remember and use most of the content I learned. It would be also great if I could show proof of my training. I’d like to feel comfortable stating that I completed the course where I learned how to do the things I do. I’d also like to feel comfortable returning to that school with the first level completed so I could have the credentials to take additional levels of training.
If you are one of the 175 who have taken the PetMassage Foundation workshop, we want you to feel good about your workshop experience and your continuing PetMassage practice.
Our primary intention is to get our Foundation and Advanced workshop graduates to practice their hands-on PetMassage. The dogs of the world need PetMassage. It is one of their fundamental rights: life, love, food, shelter, exercise, medical care and PetMassage!
If you haven’t yet taken the Foundation workshop, this is the kind of attention and care you can expect. http://petmassage.com/?product=4-12-day-foundation-workshop-regist-deposit
The PetMassageSchool sets a 6-month deadline for your coursework to be handed in. This was an arbitrary time limit that was set to encourage students to complete the home-study part of their courses in a timely manner. Some people work better when they have a deadline. You may even know people like that.
If you are one of the 175 folks who have allowed this to slide, we want you to know that you can still complete your PetMassage Foundation Level workshop for your Certificate. We need you to send to us a copy of the PetMassage take-home test (which was completed as part of the final day review and is still in your course syllabus), the documentations of your 10 canine massages, your video of a PetMassage session, and, if your workshop was after 2010, your canine anatomy research paper, and the short-and-easy test for The Basic Anatomy of the Dog home study module. http://petmassage.com/?product=basic-anatomy-of-the-dog-distance-learning-course Then there is the business creation module, Creating and Marketing Your Canine Massage Business. http://petmassage.com/?product=creating-and-marketing-your-canine-massage-business-course
We would like for PetMassage to be available as independent businesses all over the world. However, if you are not setting up a new business and feel you would not benefit with the Creating and Marketing Your Canine Massage Business module, we will accept the answer “n/a” and send you your certificate for the balance of your Foundation workshop.
So, even though your 6 month deadline is long past, you can still complete your PetMassage Foundation Level workshop. You can still earn your PetMassage workshop Certificate. You can have your own little pin on our maps of graduates! You can be listed on the PetMassage.com site as a graduate so you can get more referrals. You can qualify to join the IAAMB, International Association of Animal Massage and Bodywork and qualify for liability insurance. www.iaamb.org
Your future in PetMassage still beckons. If several years ago, you attempted to create a business and didn’t see the success you expected, start again. Times and attitudes have changed. You have changed.
If you think that it has been too long and you would like to take the Foundation Level Refresher, you can take it at a dramatically discounted rate http://petmassage.com/?product=foundation-workshop-refresher
Talk to us. Send us what you have and let us work with you to get the rest done. Let us continue to be your resource for your canine massage training.
Do yourself and all the dogs in your area a favor. Complete your PetMassage Foundation Level workshop for your Certificate of Completion. You still can.
What is the difference between illusion and reality? And, what if there is no difference?
Look at yourself in the mirror. Is it you or could what you see be an illusion? Look at your hand. It could be your imagination, or it could be an illusion, as well. Have you ever stood between two mirrors and focused on a particular depth of field, like the fifth image of the back of your head in the row of infinite alternating images? Are all of these images a reflection or your reality?
When your dog sees his reflection in his rippling water bowl it is his reality. http://petmassage.com/?product=transitions-petmassagetm-for-the-aging-dying-dog
When you touch something, and feel the otherness of its textures, depositing the thin oils of your fingerprints, you are not illusion. You are real. You are something that interacts with the objects outside of yourself. You are part of the greater whole. You are also an essential part of the whole, integral, in that you take up its space. The complete wholeness of your universe could not exist without your presence in it.
Your dog becomes complete when she leans up against your leg. http://petmassage.com/?product=petmassagetm-for-the-family-dog
When you believe in yourself, you believe in all the elements of who you are. Your belief validates the reality of your existence. Your thoughts are things, with shapes, masses, textures, volume, frequencies, colors, aromas, and hooks. Hooks? Yes, interconnections with emotions and memories that links us with a myriad of plexus’ of our other thoughts. Any chain of thoughts will demonstrate how it works. Think of summer, evenings, warm breezes, sounds of birds, racket of cicadas, deafening, ear shattering rock concert, oh watch out, the young man casting his body onto the crowd, they may not be aware of them, he is caught and surfed, his trust has been justified and the cell phones wave from side to side glowing in the sexual patchouli sweat of the crowd. Fireflies sparkling below the pyrotechnics of the stage show. Hooks.
Squirrels. http://petmassage.com/?product=transitions-petmassagetm-for-the-aging-dying-dog
All of the dreams you’ve ever had are also held suspended in plexus reservoirs of interconnecting thoughts and behavior patterns. Have you ever had a dream that’s a continuation of another dream? Have you ever noticed in your dream state that you are comfortable with the places and people? That you recognize and have a history with places and people that do not exist in your waking state? In my dream state, I know where the parking lots are, I know where the restaurants are, I know what is in the next room and what the walls and furniture and artwork are. My dream state is part of my extended reality. After midnight and until sunrise, it, it all its varied forms, is my reality. Do I believe in it? Most assuredly.
REM sleep dogs chasing squirrels. http://petmassage.com/?product=petmassagetm-energy-work-with-dogs-book
What else is in my reality, in my thoughts? All of my memories and my interpretations of my memories and my fanciful reimagining’s of said interpretations. These include my victories, my disappointments; we’ll call these “lessons,” and the billions of awareness’s between these two extremes. The shadow beneath the stick on the sidewalk, the mushroom next to the path, the possibility that my mother was telling the truth about invisible fairies that play under it when I’m not around.
The empty yard on our walks where the huge black dobie used to lunge at the fence.
Everyone’s reality includes their dreams, their passions, their goals. So, your reality includes all the possibilities of ways your future can unfold. Sounds very quantum. For those of us who are entrepreneurs, we have created immediate, short term, and long term goals. For ourselves and our businesses. Our businesses are an integral part of our personal identities. They are extensions of ourselves. In fact, each of our businesses is unique because each of us is unique. You could never have created and developed the PetMassage business that I have created. And I could never recreate what you do, or say, or think, or define as a reality. I could never see your fifth reflection or leave your fingerprint. If you choose to become a licensed PetMassage instructor, you’ll get our training and your school will be still a reflection of you. It will be your path and a path for your student dog massage practitioners.
Become a licensed PetMassage instructor. http://petmassage.com/?page_id=124 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrSvkcKpo2Y
Our realities, the selves that we believe in, change. I am not the same person I was this morning. Since this morning, I’ve showered, so the surface of my body is different: cleaner and has a fresher scent. I’ve eaten breakfast and lunch (and a snack in between meals, because I can). I’ve digested the nutrients and loaded up on carbs. So, chemically I’m not the same. I’ve had conversations with several people, considered their points of view and integrated my interpretations of the conversations into my thought patterns, altering the anatomy and physiology of my brain. So I’ve become different and in the process, my world view quietly shape-shifted. This morning was typical and since this morning, I have become a fundamentally different person.
This morning started so long ago, and so much has happened since then to you and the dog you are PetMassaging. http://petmassage.com/?product=art-and-essence-of-canine-massage-petmassagetm-for-dogs
My goals are in a constant state of flux as well. Not because I am indecisive, or wishy-washy, or am continually questioning the veracity of my choices, or that I have a tendency toward redundancy. It is because I am alive. How can I possibly have the identical perspective on anything from one moment to the next? I am interconnected with my otherness and feel the impressions of other fingerprints on my understanding of whom and where(m) I am. I am real. My reality shifts. My awareness of it shifts. My belief systems shift. The I that I believe in includes who, what and where I am. It is for all time, past, present and future. It is a soul journey.
Trust in your realities. Truly, you are living the dream.
Full Title: The Nervous Cough
Author: Paige Alpine
Date of Publication: January 1, 2017
PDF: http://petmassage.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Cough-Nervous-by-Paige-Alpine-2014-11-01.pdf
Research Paper Text:
There is many reasons for dog coughing. It is always best to talk with your veterinarian if your dog has a history of coughing. Coughing can be a symptom for serious diseases so please check with your veterinarian.
Coughing can be divided in four categories:
- Infectious
- Auto Immune
- Congenital/Breed Related
- Geriatric Conditions (old age)
Infectious coughing can be a symptom of Kennel cough, Distemper, heart worm, pneumonia, and valley fever. This is why it is important to get a proper diagnosis before you believe your client’s dog has stress coughing. Kennel cough and Distemper are extremely contagious and need immediate attention. Heart worm is caused by a mosquito bite, over time as the worms grow inside the heart they can move into the lung and the dog will have the symptom of coughing. Pneumonia can be brought on from kennel cough that has gone to far and becomes a secondary condition. This needs to be treated right away.
Autoimmune problems in dogs are very common, this is more than likely where the “stress/nervous coughing” When the immune system is affected this may cause allergies or asthma. It is believed that some of these autoimmune issues happen from the young age of 6 months to 2 years. It could be due to accumulation of all the puppy vaccinations followed by the stress of surgery for spaying or neutering. These procedures even though they are necessary cause the body to have lower resistance. Improving the dog’s diet and trying your best to relive stress from the environment may help with these symptoms. Rescue Remedy or a holistic approach may also help with the stress level and help the dog over come the “nervous coughing”.
Congenital/ Breed related can also be an issue for coughing, the tracheal collapse is often a cause, some times it is just the structor of the dog that can be an issues. Short nose and pushed in face (brachycephalic breedsexample Bulldog) is a very normal cause for the collapsed trachea, which will cause coughing. Other factors could also play a role, using choke chains or collar that could puts pressure on the trachea. A dog that pulls consistently on leash with a collar could over time have a collapsed trachea and cause coughing.
Geriatric conditions (old dog) coughing in older dogs could be a sign of lung cancer, laryngeal paralysis or congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure is caused by a leak in one of the valves of the heart. This is normally more common for the older dog and can be treated with medication and better diet, good dental hygiene is a must for some believe heart failure is caused by poor dental care. Coughing could also be caused by Lung Cancer, this is where the cancer has spread to the lungs and has caused difficult breathing. Laryngeal paralysis in dogs normally occurs around the age 8 to 10. It is unknown why the laryngeal nerve becomes paralyzed but it restrict the air slow and causes difficulty breathing and coughing. Stress could of course make this issue become worse and it is best to keep the dog calm and relaxed. Dog acupuncture and electro-acupuncture have been know to help stimulate the laryngeal nerve and create movement in the folds in 60 to 70% of patients treated.
In conclusion there could be many reason why a dog has “nervous coughing” It is also important to remember that coughing can be a symptom to a bigger problem.
Last week in our Advanced PetMassageTM for Dogs workshop, we had an exercise in which students practiced verbalizing, putting into words, the sometimes difficult to describe experiences of sensing subsurface movements in dogs bodies. The lyric of a Sting song surfaced. It was “If you love someone, set them free.” It was totally appropriate in these discussions because the dogs were releasing all sorts of things. There were stretches, yawns, twitches, shudders, burps and farts. In previous Helpful Hints we’ve discussed “releases,” what they are and what they might do. You can find all the past Hints on the website blog page: http://petmassage.com/?cat=25
I started musing about the phrase “If you love something, or someone, set them free.” Where did it come from and what are its implications?
The creator of this general saying is not known. Jess Lair helped to popularize one version starting in 1969. He was given the statement by an anonymous student. Peter Max helped to popularize another shorter version in 1972. He was sent the expression by Chantal Sicile.
Here’s an irreverent version from 1999:
But, if it just sits in your living room,
messes up your stuff, eats your food,
uses your telephone, takes your money,
and doesn’t appear to realize that you had set it free…..
You either married it or gave birth to it.
“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were” has also been attributed to Richard Bach, author of Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, among others. Bach’s books made a big impression on this writer and helped me recognize and accept my personal sense of divinity.
“If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” was the first single released from Sting’s solo debut album The Dream of the Blue Turtles.
The earliest version of the sentiment was in the 1951 Esquire magazine, in a short story titled “The Tyranny of Love” by Harry Kronman. It contained a quotation that prefigured part of the saying http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/08/love-set-free/: This is what Kronman penned: “I mean, if you love something very much, you’ve got to go easy with it—give it some room to move around.”
There is a universal truth in these lines. From a massage and bodywork perspective, these lines prefigured the approaches of Orthobionomy, Cranial Sacral work, Rolfing, Alexander, Healing Touch, Reiki, and PetMassageTM Positional Release.
Let’s take a slightly different tack. “If you love yourself, set yourself free.” Muscle memory and emotional references can be healthful and freeing, and they can also be self-limiting and restrictive. Once you identify a restrictive imbalance you can correct it. If you have the habit of bending your arms during your back take-away in golf, until you recognize the error, and choose to relearn the takeaway with a straightened elbow, you’ll never have control over the shape of your swing or where the ball goes.
If you’re not aware that your shoulders are slumped, you don’t know that you have a choice to correct your posture. When you see it, you can know what needs to be set free. And with the correction, you discover that your entire life shifts. You stand straighter and taller. Your spine and resolution are stronger. Your breathing is easier, deeper, more healthful. Your sleep is easier, deeper, more restorative. Your movements are more coordinated, in balance, and comfortable.
Your effect on others is shifted as well. People and dogs, who both respond to their interpretations of your body language, see you as stronger, more vital, more confident, more knowledgeable, more worthy of their trust; and someone they can follow. http://petmassage.com/?product=dog-handling-in-canine-massage-yoga-consciousness-dvd
It is only when we become aware of how we are moving that we can do something about it. Only one’s objective self view, one’s seer, can let us know that corrections are needed to alter the shape and trajectory of our life.
When we touch an area of the dog’s body, such as the paw, or the hip, you become by extension, its seer. You provide the means for the dog to become more self-aware.
Your touch is felt and draws a response. Acceptance. Rejection. Annoyance. Play. Tickling. Distraction. Discomfort. Release of heat. Surfacing of a memory of a similar touch. The awareness of the experiencing of your touch takes the event to a new level; the dog becomes the observer. It now realizes that it has choices, intentional options. The support and direction you provide during a PetMassageTM is the component that dogs are unable to access on their own.
The issues that arise may be fragile and vulnerable. Often, we must touch and hold with the gentleness and delicateness of cradling an injured bird. If the dog’s body is in distress, confused, or panicky, too much pressure could injure it. Within the safety of your cradle of intention, PetMassageTM positioning helps the dog’s tissues move into their comfort zone, into freshly chosen rebalancement.
Rebalancement (if there is such a word) suggests that something is out of balance. In bodywork, “out of balance” infers that there is an unusual, inappropriate, and ultimately unhealthy flow of fluids and energy in the body. Too much or too little. Like the yin-yang symbol, the black and white drops are constantly moving, tending toward the goal of balance. Absolute balance, though, is stillness. Death. Movement is life. The activity is the journey. The means are the ends. The delicate tension between the two makes for perfect health.
Muscle spasms, cramps, and chronic flexion impact the activities of movement, digestion, respiration, sleep patterns, self awareness, and relationships with other dogs and people.
So, if you love yourself, release what is not working for you and set your healthy self free. If you love something, such as your dog, use the techniques of PetMassageTM positional release to set his/her imbalances free.
Learn more about how you can use PetMassageTM positional release with the book, “Art and Essence of Canine Massage: PetMassageTM for Dogs” http://petmassage.com/?product=art-and-essence-of-canine-massage-petmassagetm-for-dogs
If you are in business for any length of time, you experience good times and bad. At the PetMassageTM School in Toledo Ohio, dog massage and dog massage instruction have been offered for seventeen years. We’ve experienced mostly prosperous times and we’ve experienced times that one could generously describe as “lean.”
We remember the brief times of struggle more than the times of abundance because, fortunately. they are the exceptions rather than the rule. It is the same as the way current events are reported by the news media. Mostly, everything and everybody is fine; the exceptions become the headlines. If it bleeds, it leads. In this newsletter we will talk about lean times and the lessons learned from them.
One of the lean times was at the very beginning of our business. Back in the 1990’s the very concept of PetMassageTM was new. The value of massage for dogs was not taken seriously. To market our first two VHS tapes and first book, and promote the early on-site, hands-on dog massage workshops in Toledo Ohio, I attended many AKC and UKC dog shows as a vendor.
It was a strange and lonely time. I often felt invisible. Many people just couldn’t see me or the value of PetMassageTM. I liken the experience to the way that the ancient Mayans are reported to have been unable to see invading Spanish galleons coming over the horizon. For them, it was because they had no context for the images in their limited world view. To the uninformed people at dog shows, PetMassageTM was simply all about spoiling Fluffy. The research that showed the benefits had not yet been done. The TV interviews had not yet been broadcast. Magazine and newspaper articles with case histories had not yet been written or published or read or assimilated into the culture. It is a different world now.
The most destructive recent “lean period” was with the 2008 economic train wreck that paralyzed everyone in the world who banks. It was a very rough economy for all of business. Many companies failed or disappeared. We tightened belts we didn’t even know we had. And, we are still here.
Lean times test one’s commitment and confidence. Having lots of income is easy. When bills need to be paid though, what does one do when there is guano for income? We knew that historically everything is cyclical. Better economic times eventually do return. We just had to be patient. We had to stay ready and relevant.
And, because we had to take a realistic look at what we’d been doing and how we’d been doing it, how we might have been coasting a bit, and we were inspired and compelled to make some positive changes. We improved the PetMassageTM School. We expanded our home study offerings. We revised our on-site workshops and schedule of appearances.
Sometimes, just as it was during the lean years of the PetMassageTM School, you may find that you are not pleased with the levels of acceptance and income you are experiencing. Sure, we’ve all been told that if you want to have a different future, all you need to do is change what you are doing now. That’s a great slogan and a long term plan; but what if the only view you have for the present is from the bottom of your vortex? What if right now the animal massage and bodywork business you are creating is not providing you the income you need, want, and deserve? What if you are marketing the heck out of your new business and not seeing immediate rewards? What if you have invested your time and money for training and all you hear the marketplace whispering is “No one cares (now).”
You may not have control over the economy, or even business at this moment. And, you can choose to be patient and to stay ready and relevant. Remember who you are. Value your dreams. Honor your goals. Renew your vow and your commitment to your passion to help animals and their people, through PetMassageTM. Times and opinions are cyclical. What is real and true is that when you build it and they will (eventually) come. You can do it. For a time, you may need to supplement your income with other skills.
Give yourself time and space and renewed commitment to know your prosperity.
If you would like some support and fresh inspiration for your business, here are two ways we can help you. One is to follow the suggestions in the book, “Creating and Marketing Your Animal Massage Business” http://petmassage.com/?product=creating-marketing-your-animal-massage-business. Another is to take the home study course, “Creating and Marketing Your Canine Massage Business” http://petmassage.com/?product=creating-and-marketing-your-canine-massage-business-course.