Canine Stretch

Wagasana, greeting the day with gratefulness and curiosity!

Have you had a doga moment today!

Enlightened!

Canine Stretch

Dogs can have high impact lifestyles (playing, running, pulling, jumping, chasing, sports). Like us, they experience joint degeneration, muscle pain, stress and general body break-down.

Over a lifetime, dogs lives are sadly compressed compared to ours. At 1-year, although a dog may seem fully grown, behaviorally they are more like at 15-year. Physically, full maturity is about 3 or 4, depending on genetics, environment and conditioning.

Genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger,

we make choices about our dog's health that often reflect our own ...

Like massage, canine stretch can enhance longevity and calm energy. It can strengthen the pet / human bond.

Benefits of Canine Stretch (and Massage) include but are not limited to:

Increases blood circulation, reduces heart rate and blood pressure
Enhances muscle tone, range of motion & increases flexibility of soft tissue
Release of endorphins (nature’s Novocain, naturally occurring steroid that helps assuage pain)
Reduction of edema (swelling)
Enhancement of waste and toxin elimination
Lengthening of connective tissue and reduction in the formation of adhesions, knots and nodules
Improvement in athletic performance, body posture and balance
Prevention of atrophy in inactive muscles
Desensitizes puppies to touch and increases flexibility and well-being in older dogs
It’s therapeutic (humans/dog connection)

Massage and Stretch should not be used:

Directly on tumors or growths
Over open wounds
If the dog has any kind of skin diseases, except in the thickening condition of scar tissue
Over recent fractures; gentle massage directly above and just below, in the direction toward the heart will enhance healing
When the dog has a fever
Immediately after feeding
When you (or the dog) is distracted, overly stressed, not in the mood or in the present moment