Canine Massage

Canine Massage Hub

The Canine Massage Guild invites you and your dog to join them in our unmissable Canine Massage Hub. Learn a couple of massage techniques you can take away to use safely with your dog at home and hear more about the benefits of Clinical Canine Massage Therapy for all dogs. It's great fun, helps your dog and is a fantastic bonding experience. There are 'Free Muscular Health Checks' for all dogs visiting Edition Dog Live.

You are also invited to take part in a massage therapy session in our Live Arena. Join the Guild team, along with other dog owners, to get some hands on experience and advice on implementing massage techniques into your dog care routine. 

Why this activity?

Canine massage is a valuable part of a natural healthcare regime and offers a varied range of benefits. 

Massage therapy has a positive effect on the circulatory, respiratory, immune, digestive and excretory systems as well as muscular and skeletal health. Through massage you influence the health and tone of the muscles, add nourishment to bones, cartilage and connective tissue and assist the circulatory and lymphatic flow.

Although the skeleton provides an essential frame work, without muscles, movement would be impossible. A dog has 350 pairs of muscles which work hard to provide forward motion, maintain good posture as well as adapting to varying terrain, speed and aiding balance.

Massage can be useful for certain dogs that due to previous handling, anticipate touch as being a negative experience. Carried out in a very considerate way, the power of touch can help with building confidence and creating a new outlook to the physical process of hands on therapy.

Physical benefits

The skin is the largest organ in the body with a vast structure of sensory nerves, blood vessels and sebaceous glands so it can readily be influenced by touch.
We have all experienced our own instinctive reaction when, for example, we hit our leg on the dining table and immediately “rub” the painful area. This triggers the release within the body of naturally occurring pain- relieving chemicals called endorphins which disperse the pain and lessen the risk of resulting muscle spasm. Massage also increases blood circulation, bringing more oxygen and nutrients to the muscles helping reduce muscle fatigue and aid in faster toxin and waste removal.

The aim is to restore or increase the body’s range of movement and reduce the stress on joints by improving muscle tone, breaking down scar tissue, decreasing inflammation and removing a build-up of toxins.