I've just completed 2 more case studies and they have given me a real buzz... I LOVE this work :)
First let me tell you about Case Study number 2.....
On Wednesday I had my first session with Duke. Dukey is a gorgeous 10 year old male Lab who is also an ex-guide dog. I have met him before so I went into the session with a preconceived view of how he would respond based on my previous encounter. Being very honest, that was my mistake.
Don't get me wrong, we didn't have a bad session at all - a lot of trust building and a small amount of palpation and passive touch - but in hindsight I think I moved a bit fast for him. I've been pondering on it and had a skype call with my Dallas colleague (thanks so much Scott!) and it goes back to the type of touch we are using. When performing a massage, we are touching with intent and many dogs are not used to this. They love being petted etc but massage is different to that. Dukey was fabulous, and he told me that he wasn't comfortable with certain things and I respect that.
That's the point of the case studies right, for me to learn and hone my skills. My approach in the next session will be quite different so we'll see how that goes, but thank you Dukey for teaching me this valuable lesson.
So when I went to my session earlier today, my approach needed to be different. Stanley is a 10 year old male English Bull Terrier and I know Stan...he is Asha's boyfriend so I really didn't want to make the same mistake I made with Dukey and assume anything.
And OMG did I reap the rewards :) :) :)
He willingly came into my space, and wandered off when he needed a break which was fab...and in the end he even lay down on his side..unprompted by me. Awesome!
Lesson: Each dog, like the individual, is different. My job as a canine massage therapist is to read each dog and their signals, and then adapt to them.
Couple of photos - of Stan and of Asha.
Case study number 4 tomorrow and 5 on Monday...
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