Dog Massage with Heal NW
by Christy Caplan
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May 6, 2009 I attended a dog massage class with Rubi from HealNW last Friday night and brought my dog Shermie. We learned basic strokes and it was fabulous – so much so, Shermie actually fell asleep. Visit HealNW if you live in Portland and are interested. I was so preoccupied with the basic strokes I didn’t get photos… but it would literally be of Shermie asleep 🙂
Rubi’s class is really comprehensive and based on Swedish massage techniques. I’m going to list the strokes below but you have to take the class for the details…
We learned the following strokes:
- Passive touch
- Effleuarge
- Wringing
- We also learned some ear work
Rubi recommended the following book: Canine Massage, A Complete Reference Manual by Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt, LMT
I talked to a girlfriend about how cool the Northwest Animal Massage School is recently AND if I had more time in my schedule (one day) I’d love to take the distance learning program. Check out: http://www.nwsam.com/ – I get excited from just reviewing the site!! This is a great clip on KING5 in Seattle.
http://www.king5.com/video/eveningmagazine-index.html?nvid=341823
The major benefits of massage for animals includes: reduces stress (great before trips to the vet), relieves pain, increases range of motion, strengthens a weak immune system, enhances the health and nourishment of the skin and coat.
