Saturday, February 9, 2013

Monster Massage

I decided to try my hand at massaging Monster today. I've long thought he'd benefit from massage, he tends to have some tight muscles along the spine and neck and it's of course also supposed to be generally beneficial. Unfortunately I can't take him to a massage therapist since I can't be sure how he'd react. I've been reading about canine massage and watching some videos on youtube to try to get the hang of it, and today I decided it was time to put theory into practice. My greatest inspiration is a youtube video of a woman massaging her Boxer. To be honest, I had to fight a bit with myself to watch it through and take her seriously - things like cutesy smiley faces and pausing to think happy thoughts just doesn't come naturally to me. I want facts and straight lines. But that's my own weakness - or prejudice if you will - and I can't let that rule everything. Because what she can do to her dog is nothing short of magic, and I would be truly closed minded if I couldn't see and admit that. There are more technical videos out there, I've watched them too, but this is the one I return to. This is what I want for Monster. Take a look and tell me if this isn't doggie nirvana:




So. Time to try the same for Monster. I put some soft blankets down for him, made sure I was calm and focused, and gave it a go... No doggie nirvana for Monster, let me tell you. What followed was 45 minutes of me trying to get him to relax, while he rolled around on the floor, chewed on my fingers, compulsively licked my hands, arms, legs and feet, got up and walked away, and eventually just started crying! Whenever he got up and left I just sat there and waited to see if he would come back, which he always did after just a few seconds (he basically walked one or two laps around me and then lay back down again). When he started licking or biting me I just took my hands back and waited for him to settle down again. Same when he rolled around, and when he started kicking me. He'd let me keep at it for a minute or two, then he'd start something again. A couple of times I did think he was starting to settle down, he'd heave a sigh and sort of plonk down on his side and even half close his eyes - but then he bounced back up again. I did get a couple of yawns too, which supposedly is also a good sign that a dog is settling into the massage, but they seemed more like precursors to finger chewing in Monster's case. The final time he seemed to settle down and relax he then started to cry - he did a sort of continuous whine/howl thing under his breath which sounded downright eerie. He didn't seem to be protesting the touch, he didn't seem to be in pain or even really unhappy (beyond the crying), but I still called it quits at that point. I'm at a loss here people. I'll probably keep trying, hopefully Monster will get better at relaxing and I'll get better at massaging. I did put the blankets down again in the same spot a few hours later and Monster came up to me right away and lay down, seemingly expectant. So he's presumably not traumatized at least... Still, we have a long way to go before we can compete with the Boxer Bliss!


4 comments:

  1. Glad you see your blog back! I don't have any technical/scientific massage experience, but Tobasco loves it. Usually he is sitting, and I sit facing him with my feet to one side, like I'm giving him a hug. He can then place his head on my shoulder as I massage his neck/shoulders/back. This way, I take the weight of his head - and it's a heavy head, no wonder those neck muscles are tight! Just a different thing you can try, I don't think he appreciates the lying down massages as much, that seems to be more like petting for him. I've tried, although not consistently or seriously, the T-Touch methods. I can't say I pursued it enough to see if there was an effect. =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, I know how heavy their heads are! Monster likes to sort of back up toward me while sitting on the couch, and when he's scooted within reach he'll sit upright (like a person, with his front paws doing the T-Rex waggle in front of his chest) and then tip his head backwards and look at me upside down, until his head lands on my shoulder - that's his "scratch my throat" signal. =)

    But you're right of course, no wonder they get stiff muscles from lugging that around. And I do try to rub his neck and top of his shoulders while he's sitting, which he seems to enjoy - at least some times, and for a while. But I'm just so tempted to try to give him a real massage, you know? And the way that Boxer in the video is just more or less passed out seems so awesome to me. It's got to feel good, so I want that for Monster... Still not getting anywhere though. ;)

    How are things going for you and Tobasco? It's great to hear from you again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some dogs just might not like massage! My newfie doesn't seek out petting as much as Tobasco! I wish I could teach them to walk on my back =)
      We are doing ok, we had a new person/dog join us on our "pack" walks and he did a growl/lunge at her while we stopped, but it wasn't too bad and the rest of the walk was non-reactive, although he wasn't too comfortable. A little stress is good for learning - I hope!

      Delete
    2. You're right of course, and I don't want to force him into something he won't enjoy anyway. I just like the sound of the supposed benefits I guess - better health, better connection, calmer. I'm a victim of advertising! ;)

      I think you're right, a challenge occasionally probably only makes for greater progress - as long as it's not too difficult of course. Glad to hear you're doing so well. =)

      Delete

Leave a comment, it's free!

Comments are moderated in order to weed out spam, pointlessness, and shocking behavior quite beyond the pale! They're not moderated to make me look good, though - you have my gracious permission to call me an idiot.