Clean Run Magazine - March 2010 - 14

Simple Is Better. massage their dog while waiting to go in the ring. Now this is probably not the only reason a dog and handler did not connect in the ring, but it may very well have been a contributing factor. There are two main reasons you should massage your dog. The first one is for muscular repair and the second is for relaxation or bonding. If you are looking at massage for relaxation of a nervous dog before he competes, then you might want to look into something like T-Touch to work on calming the dog and leave the muscle repair massaging until the end of the day. A dog’s muscles do need to be woken up before competing but this can be done by a nice firm rub all over his body to help him wake up, which is much better for the dog than putting the muscles to sleep. As massage requires human intervention the decision about when to massage and relax the dog lies in your hands. Make a sensible choice about when the dog should be treated and always ask yourself “Will this do harm?” If in doubt, then don’t do it—it’s that simple and your dog will thank you for it. WHOLE LIFE DOG TREATS Single-ingredient treats: NO grains, llers, or preservatives Made from USDA-inspected human-grade ingredients in the same facility used to freeze dry foods for human consumption Freeze dried to intensify avor and lock in nutritional quality Perfect for dogs with allergies Perfect for training Completely produced & packaged in the USA When to Massage Your Dog So we have been through when not to massage. When should you massage a canine athlete? Well by far the best time to massage a canine athlete is at the end of the dog’s performance day. I like my client’s dogs to have been cooled down properly and the time frame of at least one hour to have passed from the dog’s last event. There are two main reasons for this. First, having warm blood in the dog’s system only gives a massage therapist a negative reading of any real problems. When the blood is warm it no longer shows “tight” spots, which are injuries that are very evident when the dog has cooled down. For example, I know after I run on some surfaces my legs ache a little. After cooling my dogs down properly (Okay, so those times I remember!) I sit down and chat with friends and some time later I go to get up and ouch, the pain (I bet you know the feeling yourself!). That pain was not there immediately after I ran but showed up in my body when my blood cooled. To massage a dog that has not cooled down and still has warm blood does not do anyone any good, and it’s a lose-lose situation for all involved. The second reason for allowing your dog to cool down before a massage is by waiting an hour it allows you time to pack up and walk the dogs around. The dog then starts to relax since he knows camp is packed and home is where he is heading. Also people have started to disperse so it’s a much more relaxing situation all round. This is the correct time for the dog to be relaxed instead of before he is about to run an agility course or during the day of the event when he still has to compete. The dog is massaged, then kept quiet for the night, allowing the muscles time to refresh with fresh blood and new nutrients, which are vital to the dog’s well-being, and he has had a nice end to a great day out with you. Ultimately the best time to massage your dog is anytime you do not have to compete, so any day besides competition day is great. If you don’t have a therapist who lives nearby and can work on your dog on a different day from competition day and if you find yourself in a situation where you need to go to a professional who is at the show that day, see the therapist the Clean Run | March 10 ® www.cleanrun.com

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Clean Run Magazine - March 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - March 2010