Ear bone’s connected to the lip bone.
Massaging dogs is a kind of meditation for me. I’m aware of my breathing, my heart rate. I’m open to what’s going on in the dog’s body and her body language signals. My self-awareness is activated. I’m open to any unconscious cues that my own body might be sharing. My intuitive mind and the dog’s inner voices empathically synchronize. This psychic entrainment happens often during massage.
As an instructor of canine massage, there’s also a part of me that’s always looking for something to share as a teaching moment.
That something presented itself recently while I was working with a beautiful, densely coated GSD, German Shepherd Dog. This dog is physically strong and strong willed. She’s loved and cherished; accustomed to her wants being accommodated. At home, this dog is leader. I’ve massaged her over a dozen times. Although she has never growled or snapped, her warning signals are unmistakable. She makes it very clear that she is in control and highly protective of certain areas on her body.
If my hand begins to get close to one of her “Do Not Enter” zones, she lowers her chin, bares her teeth, looks at me, and emits a frequency that says “That’s close enough. Proceed further at your own risk.” I respect that.
At one point in her massage, my head was over her spine and my line of vision was over the back of her head. Her head tilted forward as her chin lowered. Then I noticed her ear prick forward on the side my hand was advancing toward. I leaned around to make sure and, okay then; that’s not a smile. That’s a warning. I tasted the bile rising in my throat; my indication that she’s moving into the yellow zone. And I had come close to crossing the yellow ”No Passing” line.
The facial muscles between the ear and mouth were contracting when she bared her teeth. I saw it as a dime size spot turning like an antique key in an old lock. It twisted the tissues around it, into itself.
I recalled the signals I used to watch for that horses employ. Perched way back on the saddle, the rider needs to track cues about what thoughts are transpiring in the horse’s head, a meter in front of you. From that sight-line, what can you observe? The angle of the neck, the tilt of the poll, and of course, the ears.
The language of the ears tells us if the horse is scared (pinned back), bored, distracted, confused, aware, avoiding flies, or paying attention to the rider. Here’s a link to a more comprehensive translation of horse ear language: https://www.equinespot.com/horse-body-language.html
Horses are great at multitasking. I recall one cross-country event in which we were cantering up to a curve in the trail. I was feeling pretty good about how well we were doing; and as I began my self-congratulatory grin, my horse’s right ear swiveled to the right. His neck stretched out and, mid-stride, he chomped off a twig of fresh spring green shrubbery. We continued, my ears reddening (embarrassment) and pulled back (affection), as I chuckled out loud. My horse’s ears flopped in happy arcs as we cantered down the path, him munching his snack.
Ear language is similar in dogs to that of horses. Dogs have dozens of interacting muscles that affect movement of the their ears. 27 muscles coordinate to push, pull, extend, contract, and rotate each ear. And now we know a few of them insert into the sides of the mouth.
Pay attention to the dog’s ear. It may be connected to her mouth. Watch for this signal. It may save you from injury.
The general rule is when dogs ears are pinned back, it suggests fear or apprehension. The face becomes more streamlined, more aerodynamic, so it can move faster to where it needs to go. Ears pricked up and/or forward shows alertness, interest. Sometimes it’s just one ear; sometimes both. Ears project the direction of their focus. Ears flattened and down shows affection, like Bashful in the Disney Snow White cartoon.
What other ear messages have you noticed?
Protests all over the planet are revealing a lot about us and our culture. We’re learning that there are disconcerting versions of our history, our education, our culture, even our unconscious narratives.
This is a very different world from the one I knew when I was a History major in college. Our civilization is evolving. All around the world there are people expressing informed variations of the history I thought I’d learned. We are addressing and engaging in some serious life-and attitude-altering conversations.
For some of us it’s too frightening to consider alternative points of view and we prefer to cling tightly to what we believe we know. Others of us are eager to discover other cultures with the intention to blend or accommodate the best of their perspectives.
When we hold a space that is open to communication, there is aways some unsettling discomfort; and yet our goal is to participate in and honor the conversation, applying the 3 Graces of Respect, Appreciation, and Love.
Protests, if and when they are acknowledged and replicated, can be very influential. An individual or small group will notice that something in their lives can be better; and be so moved by what they feel, that they organize gatherings, give heartfelt speeches, and create flashy banners to attract like-minded supporters to their ranks. What begins with a small group of individuals can quickly expand, influencing an entire community’s thoughts, feelings, and actually change long-established behaviors.
On the macro level, protests challenge the consciousness of society and potentially shift it.
On the micro level, it’s what we canine massage professionals are doing with each dog, each session.
Dogs bodies – all bodies – are happiest when all of the parts of them are functioning easily and as they should. We all crave the comfort of homeostasis.
When some aspect of the body politic is misbehaving, the body registers its complaint. From the perspective of canine massage, what is a cardiovascular constriction, a swelling, a sore, a limp, or an acting out, if not a commentary by the body about its current state of affairs?
When we’re hungry, our tummies growl. When we’re deficient in magnesium, we get leg cramps. When we’re dehydrated, we get thirsty, headaches, heart palpitations, or confusion. These are protests by, and for, the body. It’s the body’s way to draw attention to where it’s needed. It makes sure its demands are heard and keeps it up until they’re acknowledged. This is the Body’s Language.
Palpation in canine massage allows us to feel the disgruntled muscle or nerve cells, that want to shift the conversation of the body politic. Our attention is drawn to them as if they were brightly colored lights, bullhorns, and bouncing banners. We sense tightness, heat, stagnation, fluttering, and any imbalance, as signals in real time, as they are happening. Their bodies are displeased with what’s going on and these are the cries for help -protests- from within dogs tissues and overtly, in their behaviors.
Canine massage addresses whatever the body has identified, in the body and the mind. The CTA, Call To Action, may be
- cognitive/thought
- somatic/feeling, orbehavioral muscle memory/long-established habitual movement.
- behavioral muscle memory/long-established habitual movement.
Once they have our attention, we can redirect untoward behavior, and in so doing, influence the whole of the dogs quality of life, in this moment and for these of her days.
The keys to successful canine massage – one that assists dogs back towards their dream homeostasis – are
- to palpate with open awareness that includes touch, intuitive thought, feeling, and subjective context
- acknowledge the protests, and
- assist the dog on her resolution of those physical and emotional disputes with the 3 Graces of Respect, Appreciation, and Love.
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed a lot about us and our culture. One thing it has shown us is just how much we depend on our dogs for our basic human needs i.e., companionship, love, and protection. The pet care industry is more essential than you can imagine. All of us in it are busy, productive, and prosperous, even with all the sanitizing and social distancing protocols we follow.
Dog owners/pet parents, are passionate about the quality of care their precious fur-babies can get. They are willing to pay for the best that’s available to them.
We are on the cusp of the vocation of Canine Massage Practitioner really going mainstream; much like the one for massage therapy for people 25 years ago. In 1995 the AMTA, American Massage Therapy Association, estimated that there were 137,000 massage therapists in the US. That seemed like a big number. Now there are upwards of 385,000.
Massage therapy for people is now commonplace. It’s appreciated, accepted, affordable, and available. The demand for massage and massage therapists continues to grow. As I said, with our newly invigorated appreciation for the significant roles our dogs play in our lives, massage for dogs is inevitably next.
Now is the time. Begin your canine massage training. Expand on the skills you’ve already learned.
PetMassage Certified Canine Massage Practitioners are important for dogs’ health and wellness. We are the resources that augment and complement allopathic veterinary medical care and rehabilitation with the most holistic of approaches: hands-on massage.
The PetMassage School has been training people to massage dogs and create successful canine massage businesses since 1997. 23 years. Over 300 workshops.
The vocational training provided by the PetMassage School is 200 hours. It includes several home study courses and 2 extended weekend workshops for on-site, hands-on, personalized training.
This personalized training is the keystone of our programs. Massage bodywork is more than manipulation of tissues with rubbing and scratching. It’s a form of non-verbal communication. Massage is an expression of the heart.
This is how we approach our training. Each of us is unique. No one else thinks what you think, feels what you feel, and can convey what you mean in the same way as you. You, your particular manifestation of your canine massage form and practice, is yours, and yours alone.
Since no 2 people are alike, it is unreasonable to expect that any 2 people can give the same massage. Your training needs to be (hand-)tailored to you. Canine massage is a hands-on practice that requires hands-on instruction! This depth of individualized development cannot be learned from videos, books, or even online. To create your personal version of canine massage you need someone to guide you, seeing what you see, touching your hands with their hands.
You have already developed your own uniquely personal vocabulary of touch. My job as your instructor is to recognize what you have already developed and enhance it with the concepts, techniques, and body mechanics that I have developed from my 20+ years experience massaging dogs, writing texts, and teaching workshops.
Are you ready to take the training to be a professional canine massage practitioner? Let’s talk about when PetMassage workshops are available for you.
This pandemic has messed with all of our schedules. Our PetMassage School is striving to accommodate the ever-changing needs and schedules of our students, while still maintaining high quality training. We have reduced the size of our workshops rearranged the classroom/clinic for social distancing Deep cleaned and sanitized for a safe yet enjoyable educational experience Adjusted our workshop calendar.
Our May Foundation Level workshop needed to be cancelled. This workshop was full-and had a waiting list. Thankfully, everyone’s schedule was flexible and everyone who had registered was able to comfortably reschedule to attend future workshops.
Our June PetMassage Foundation Level workshop was also full; however some of these students were unable to attend because of travel restrictions and/or health concerns. Still, of the 8 students registered, 7 were able to attend. It was a great class, with people and dogs from Florida/France, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Some people transferring from the May and June classes were unable to move to later-in-the-year dates. For them-and you-we added an additional workshop in July. It’s Thursday-Monday, July 23-27. At the time of this writing there are still openings in this class.
If you’ve decided that now is the time for you to take your training to be a certified canine massage practitioner, you can still register for this workshop.
There are proprietary texts and videos that we ask you to review before attending class. However, during this workshop, we will be sure to cover whatever material you may not have had time to learn beforehand.
Bottom line: register for the next Foundation Level Training workshop and become part of this great and growing canine massage profession. Here’s the link: https://petmassage.com/event/petmassage-foundation-level-program-july-23-27-2020/
We have also added an additional 2020 Advanced Level Training workshop, the 2nd 100 hours.
Advanced Level workshops are
- September 17-21 https://petmassage.com/event/petmassage-advanced-level-program-september-17-21-2020/
- October 15-19 https://petmassage.com/event/petmassage-advanced-level-program-september-17-21-2020-2/
They are filling up. There are still openings in both.
Calendar
The most up-to-date workshop schedule for 2020 and 2021 is at https://petmassage.com/calendar/
Testimonials
Here’s a link to comments of former Foundation Level Workshop students: https://petmassage.com/about/testimonials/
We are always interested in the progress of our students. Please indulge me as I share an email that we just received. It describes how she is applying the information from our workshops in veterinary context and also – and this is exciting— how learning PetMassage is still functioning as a pathway to another career! I’m hoping, along with this graduate, Susan K. Miller, who wrote it that this can encourage other potential class participants. She writes,
“I thought I’d bring you up-to-date on the miraculous turns of events that are propelling my massage practice forward.
“The brilliant holistic vet for whom I do laser therapy had an unfortunate (for her) situation several weeks ago – her upper back/neck became horribly sore . . . to a point where she couldn’t do her Chinese massage, laser therapy – nothing at all with the larger dogs. She was diagnosed with arthritis in her upper spine. This meant she had to completely re-work how her business operated.
“She began training me on the Chinese deep tissue massage (Tui-na) that she uses on her patients. I’m learning the terms: yao-fa, tui-fa, etc. Pretty cool, as I love languages!
“Much of the Chinese stuff is what you taught us; it just has specific terms . . . I’ve also learned her “rou-fa,” deep massage with the palms to warm-up the tissues, then how to do slow, deep pressure between each vertebrae to find trigger points (the skin jumps, and the owners can SEE that) . . . they become sold on the massage once I’m able to relieve the twitching. I’m working on learning her sacral release technique, which relieves multiple issues in the lumbar region. She had a dear friend who recently passed who was one of a handful of people who did intense chiropractic techniques on pets . . . she learned much of his magic and will, eventually, pass along some of that to me.
“I say all this to give encouragement to potential new massage practitioners – you never know what the future holds and where you may be led. If I hadn’t taken your courses, I would never have been considered for taking over Dr. Rosado’s massage patients. As it’s turning out, I’m netting what I made when I worked at the Lower Keys Chamber, with a lot fewer hours and a much more enjoyable work situation. I deal with upscale, lovely people and very well cared-for dogs (and a couple cats!).
“Funny how things work out – it took some patience and persistence, but I’ve found myself in a great spot. I hope others may enjoy the same good fortune.”
In a follow up email, Susan went on to say
“I’ve been massaging Nina, a female GSD mix, off and on for several months. With Dr. Rosado’s turning over her massages to me, I’ve been seeing her weekly, as she has multiple systemic issues. I’ve incorporated Dr. Terri’s techniques into the massage you’ve taught: I do the vectoring, I do the grounding, then move on to the Dr.’s specific instructions. Realizing that everything is connected, I not only do what Dr. R instructs, but I do a total body massage that includes rou-fa (deep kneading with the palms) and ROM on all limbs, as well as a lot of other techniques on various body parts – much of what you taught, with Chinese names!
“During her last massage, I noticed a knot on each of Nina’s thighs. I asked Dr. R to take a look at them the next time she saw Nina (she does acupuncture weekly), as I thought there might be some muscular issues. She replied to me, thanking me for calling her attention to the problem and said Nina has lymphoma. I asked how long she’d known about that, and she said she did NOT know about it until I brought up the knots . . . they’re lymph nodes that indicated the lymphoma – she said she wouldn’t have caught it until her next annual exam. The training you provided – noticing odd things and questioning them – allowed for an earlier diagnosis, so we can treat Nina and make her comfortable for as long as she has.
“Your courses are groundbreaking – the information you provide is life-changing for these dogs. I’ve been so thankful to have taken your instruction – and to have your weekly e-blasts, videos, etc.
“Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to help our pets!”
Thank you, Susan.
As part of their training, students must write a short paper on a topic suggested by the instructor. This is one of the post-workshop requirements for them to earn their Foundation Level Certification in canine massage from the PetMassage School. These papers are organized into categories and published; and they are all available to you on the PetMassage.com [https://petmassage.com/resources/research-papers-case-studies/] to aid in your canine massage.
This research paper Piriformis Syndrome in Canines was submitted by a recent graduate of the PetMassage Foundation Level Training Program. https://petmassage.com/the-effects-of-tapotement-on-the-piriformis-muscle/
Full Title: The Effects of Tapotement on the Piriformis Muscle
Author: Shumin Yang Coleman
Date of Publication: March 20, 2020
PDF: https://petmassage.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Effects-of-Tapotement-on-the-Piriformis-Muscle.pdf
The piriformis is a small muscle located deep in the buttock, behind the superficial gluteus muscle. It rises on the lateral surface of the third sacral and first caudal vertebrae and inserts on the same site as the tendon from the middle gluteus muscle at the greater trochanter of the femur. It is completely covered by the superficial gluteus muscle, and when flexed, rotates internally and abducts the hip. In a neutral position it acts as an external rotator of the hip. It is one of the muscles affecting the pelvic girdle and is one of the rump muscles.
The piriformis is not blended with the gluteus medius. It arises from the border and ventral surface of the sacrum and from the sacro-sciatic ligament and ends on the trochanter major (of the femur) with, or close to, the gluteus medius.
Pain in or around the Sacroiliac (SI) joint is commonly recognized in human medicine, but it has received little attention in veterinary medicine. The SI joint serves to transmit the propulsive forces from the pelvic limbs to the vertebral column. It also supports the weight of the torso and may help buffer ground impact forces. SI pain is recognized in horses, but not well documented in dogs. However, given its innervation and similar anatomy, it can be postulated that disease at the SI joint could cause pain in dogs. A retrospective study evaluating canine survey radiographs found over 60% of radiographs to have calcification of the interosseous SI ligaments, and 44% have calcification of the dorsal and/or ventral SI ligaments.
As it is not a well-defined syndrome in dogs, a definitive diagnosis of SI joint pain is difficult to make. In humans, SI joint disease can cause sciatic pain secondary to compression from piriformis tension (piriformis syndrome) manifesting as buttock pain, without radiation of pain down the limb. In dogs, it has been hypothesized that piriformis tension and muscle spasm may also occur with SI joint dysfunction and pain. Diagnosis of SI joint dysfunction has been proposed to be based upon movement and stress testing, as well as evaluation of anatomic landmarks for asymmetry. Similar methods have been proposed for use in dogs as well.
Massage could be a form of relief for the piriformis muscle, however, with the piriformis being completely covered by other muscles, it can prove to be difficult to get to with hands or fingers. Tapotement is a technique which may help resolve this. It is a rhythmic percussion, usually administered with the edge of the hand, a cupped hand, or the tips of the fingers. There are five types of tapotement, including beating, slapping, hacking, tapping and cupping.
Tapotement is a repetitive staccato, striking movement of the hands, simultaneously or alternately. If performed well, it has a stimulating but relaxing effect. Applied across large muscles, hacking stimulates the muscle spindles and causes minute muscle contractions. It stimulates nerve endings, aids in decongestion and increases local blood flow. It also tones the atrophied muscles and relieves pain and gives one access to deeper structures, such as hip rotators.
Tapotement has a hyperemic effect. That is, it increases local blood circulation, which in turn, helps to warm and soften the underlying tissue. The skin will feel warm to the touch and appear flushed. It is often used to warm up an athlete prior to an event.
With this technique, nerve endings are stimulated, which produce tiny muscular contractions, resulting in an overall increase in muscle tone. This is thought to happen because of the stroke pressure being registered by the muscle’s mechanoreceptors in the fascia and Golgi tendon organ. A reflex action follows, resulting in the contraction of both voluntary and involuntary muscles.
When used in combination with other massage techniques, tapotement helps to reduce fatty deposits and tone flabby muscle areas.
Massage therapy relaxes the piriformis muscle, which can prevent spasming and reduce the pressure on the sciatic nerve. A massage also spurs the release of pain-fighting endorphins, which can reduce the pain from piriformis syndrome. Richard (1978) reminds us that a working muscle will mobilize up to 10 times the quantity of blood mobilized by a resting muscle, so massage is a means of enhancing circulation of the pelvic organs.
Information for this paper was obtained from several online sources, including the following:
- Piriformis Syndrome in Canines, by Tammy Callahan, April 12, 2019
- Is Piriformis Syndrome a Tangible Diagnosis in Animals? A Case Study by Maja Guldborg, DVM
- WikiVet.net Canine Hindlimb –Anatomy & Physiology
- www.ojaischoolofmassage.com Canine Muscle Origins, Insertions, Actions and Nerve
- Google Books, Canine Lameness, p373, Felix Duerr
- Science Direct, Leon Chaitow, ND DO, Judith DeLany LMT, in Clinical Application of Neuromuscular Techniques, Volume 2 (Second Edition), 2011
- Spine Health, Two Little-Known Treatments for Piriformis Syndrome, by Jahnna Levy, DO, 12/20/2017
- Clarysage College Website, Tapotement or Percussion
- Institute for Integrated Healthcare, Linda Fehrs LMT, Massage Stroke Review Part 3: Tapotement, June 24, 2010
