The power of teamwork

Another busy couple of weeks.  I've picked up 2 new case study clients; Maggie, the 3 year old Rottweiler, and Elvis the 7 year old Tibetan Spaniel.  Neither Maggie nor Elvis are really too sure what to make of massage, but we’ll get there!  At the moment we’re focusing mainly on trust building which is essential.

On Tuesday I was lucky enough to attend my first canine physio session with one of my clients.  It was sooo interesting!  What was also really cool was that the physiotherapist was supportive of massage and recommended some areas to focus on….The power of teamwork ;)

I met up with Kingston and his pet parents at WaterWoofs over the weekend when he had his first session on the underwater treadmill.  He handled it beautifully.  When you think about it from a dogs’ perspective it must be a bit unnerving at first…you are encouraged into an open topped glass box, the door is closed, water starts coming in round your feet and then OMG the thing starts moving under your feet.  It’ll be so good for him though, it should really help strengthen his muscles in his bad leg.

Asha and I went on an awesome walk last week on some farmland over in Mangere – check out the photo of Asha and Kelly preparing to cool off in the cow trough.  And yes, they did go in…and yes they were smelly!

Since I got back from Chicago I have been giving Asha regular massages (which she loves!) and in one of these sessions I felt a little lump at the back of her hamstrings that I hadn't noticed before.  I watched/felt it for a couple of weeks and yesterday we popped into the vet so it could be checked out.  Initial tests were inconclusive so she’s heading in for some minor surgery next week to have it removed – rather be safe than sorry.  If I hadn't been giving her regular massages it may have taken longer to notice it so I’m definitely going to be offering Pet Parent classes when I’m properly up and running so people can learn how to perform an assessment massage on their own pooch.  Not only does it help relax them, strengthen the bond between you, feel fantastic, but it also means you will identify anything that doesn't feel quite right!

Other big news, I've FINALLY landed on a logo design so will be sharing that soon….:)

There once was a dog called Asha...

There once was a dog called Asha who was a beautiful, soppy, loving, lazy, SPCA special.  Asha didn't complain about much, but when it came to nail trimming time she was having none of it.  Her owners weren't the most skilled at trimming nails when they first got her, so Asha may have been a bit surprised by the first ever nail trim…but she wasn't hurt.  She was fine with having her paws touched but following that first trim, she wouldn't let them do it again.  They tried all sorts - treats, holding her etc - but the only way they could cut her nails was when she was fast asleep on the sofa with her paws in the air.  There she would be, snoozing away blissfully dreaming of chasing rabbits (or Pukekos) when all of a sudden there would be a click and she’d be a nail down.   Damn those humans…now she’d have to leave the sofa and go and sleep somewhere where they couldn't get her.  This little routine went on every few months for about 3 years.

Once she even went to the Vet to have them clipped because only being able to do a claw a night at best, her owners had left it too late and they all needed doing before visitors arrived.  It took 3 people to hold her in place and she looked so scared that her owner decided never to put her through that again.

Then one of her humans read this book by Dr Sophia Yin called Low Stress Handling for Dogs & Cats. 

One of the chapters was about desensitization to nail clipping, so Asha found herself one evening lying on her side on the floor being fed yummy high value treats by one human, while the other one held her paw.  As soon as her paw stopped being held, the treats stopped so she enjoyed having her paw held.  The next evening there she was again lying on her side being fed the same yummy treats while the other one touched the clippers to her paw, then clipped in the air so she got used to the sound.  Again, lots of treats but slowly the length of time paw holding was going up and she was getting the treats now when the hands came off.

The next evening, she knew the drill so she led there patiently waiting for the treats, while the other one played with her paws…and clipped her nails!!!!  All of them that needed doing, front and back!  Awesome J She was jack-potted with treats for that.

The moral of the story…go at the pace of the dog, don’t hurry, let them get comfortable with what you’re doing in their own time…and always always associate it with good things.

I can’t believe we’re at the end of the first week in January already

We had a wonderful time in Perth over Christmas and then went camping with friends in Ocean Beach for NY.  We even took the pooch camping which was an interesting experience…we now have half a fly screen between the 2 rooms of our tent.

This week I was lucky enough to spend 2 full mornings at Complete Canine Care building up my observation hours.  I 'observed' from inside the big dog section, the medium dog section and the small and puppy groups.  On my first session I wanted to run away with a Ridgeback and on the second one I was torn between a young Vizsla and an Irish Wolfhound :).  It was a fantastic experience and I have learnt SO much being immersed and surrounded by so many dogs. CCC have a great facility and the handlers are super knowledgeable about canine behaviour.  I loved it!

Over the holiday period I was given some advice on the “right” way to discipline my dog.  The person subscribed to the method of feeding your dog once all family member have already eaten, to show it who’s boss.  Now I’m sure that there will be some evidence out there that could show me how this works but honestly it just doesn't make sense to me.  Each to their own so I am not telling people how to train their dogs, but for me, this is nonsense and I can find far more sensible ways for Asha to understand who the leader is.

On that note I’m reading a brilliant book by Suzanne Clothier called “If a dogs prayers were answered bones would rain from the sky”.  It’s fascinating, loads of interesting and useful information but written in a non-textbook way with humour, stories etc.  I definitely recommend it for anyone interested in learning more about how to build their relationship with their dog(s).

I also saw my newest case studies this week – a gorgeous GSD and a Moodle (MaltesePoodle).  I've finished case study sessions with the dynamic Tusk and I've continued with sessions on Aggie, Kingston and Mako.

For the rest of January I am focusing on finishing all my home study exercises so that I can get my Certificate showing I've completed 300 hours in Advanced Canine Massage – woo hoo, can’t wait!!