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Optimum ConnectionsNews from Optimum Choices, LLCApril 2004To receive this newsletter in your e-mail, click here. ContentsCurrent News Current News
We are offering a FREE talk on the benefits of canine massage at The Whole Cat on Saturday, April 3, from 1:00-3:00 pm. For more details, click here. BioSuperfood has been optimized for animals and released in smaller sized bottles to save you money! This new product is called "BioPreparation" and is now available on our website. Click here for more details. Misha May Foundation Benefit—bring your dog to Journey Books on May 2nd for
a mini massage in exchange for a donation to the Misha May Foundation, which
benefits mixed-breed shelter dogs.
Click here for
details. Oil of the Month:
This month we feature a product that can help ease the aches and pains from
overdoing exercise as you start getting active again in the spring. Ortho Sport is designed for soothing
strained muscles and ligaments for both professional and amateur athletes. It is
a stronger version of Ortho Ease Massage Oil, with a higher phenol content, which may
produce a greater warming sensation. We have both found this effective in
relieving sore muscles from overdoing exercise. The information in this article is from the Essential Oils Desk Reference, which
can be ordered here: How to select a canine massage provider
Once thought to be a luxury for dogs, it is now becoming widely recognized that dogs can benefit from massage just as much as their human counterparts. In fact, they may need it even more than us because their structure has been altered due to breeding which can lead to muscle strains and joint pain. So, once you’ve decided to incorporate massage into your dog’s health care program, how do you go about finding a qualified canine massage provider? Many people assume that canine massage providers are licensed and certified just like human massage therapists but this is not yet the case. There is no organization or board that certifies or licenses canine massage providers. Someone can call themselves “certified” when they have just taken a weekend course in canine massage and received a certificate for it. Or they may have taken a correspondence course but not received any hands-on training. So the title that a massage provider uses doesn’t tell you anything about their knowledge level. Most canine massage providers call themselves “certified canine massage therapists” but actually the correct legal term is “canine massage provider”. In Colorado and most other states, a person cannot call themselves a “therapist” or “practitioner” or say they do “therapy” on animals unless they are a veterinarian. Otherwise, they can be accused of practicing veterinary medicine without a license. The laws are typically looser for humans. So a human massage provider can legally call themselves a “massage therapist” but a canine massage provider cannot. Most canine massage providers are unaware of this distinction so they follow the traditions of human massage therapists by calling themselves “canine massage therapists” practicing “canine massage therapy”. To keep from upsetting veterinarians, I like to use the term “canine massage provider”, even though that is a little more confusing for people. Since you can’t judge the quality of a canine massage provider by their title, what should you look for in selecting one? The first thing is to find out where they got their training and how many hours of instruction they received. There are numerous schools and organizations offering many different types of instruction in canine massage. Since human massage therapists generally need at least 500 hours of instruction to get licensed, the best canine massage schools offer a comparable amount of instruction. Ask if your massage provider has received supervised hands-on practice in their studies. Some programs consist only of home study or perhaps the provider sends in a videotape of their massage sessions. Or maybe they were in a large class where they had little supervision. The best training consists of hands-on practice on numerous dogs in a small class where the instructor can work one-on-one with the student demonstrating correct technique and correcting the student’s mistakes. The next thing to find out about a massage provider is what techniques they were taught. There are many styles of massage and bodywork. The most commonly taught technique is Swedish massage, which consists of specific strokes such as effleurage, involving broad strokes on the body, petrissage with smaller focused strokes and tapotement, which involves tapping. This is also the style typically found in the books and videos intended to teach owners to do massage on their dogs or cats. Swedish massage is generally very relaxing but can be limited in its therapeutic value. Some schools teach other techniques, such as neuromuscular therapy, which can be more effective at addressing specific problems in the muscles, relieving muscle pain and improving movement. A deeper understanding of dog anatomy and movement is required to practice this technique safely and effectively. Therefore the provider should receive the same level of training as a professional human massage therapist. This is not a good technique for an untrained owner to try on their dog. The massage provider may also be trained in stretching techniques, such as active/passive resistance technique. These stretches can be very effective if the provider has been trained in how to do them safely, without tearing or damaging muscles. To be concluded next month in Part 2. Upcoming ClassesFollowing is our schedule of upcoming classes. Click on the class listing for more information. Why Dogs Need Massage — Saturday, April 3rd, FREE Natural Pet Care — Saturday, May 22nd Beyond Aromatherapy: The Wonderful World of Essential Oils — Sunday, June 13th Using the Tao in Business — Sunday, June 27th Book of the Month
How to Speak Dog, by Stanley Coren ISBN: 074320297X Click picture to order from Dogwise If you liked the book Calming Signals: On Talking Terms with Dogs, which we previously recommended, you'll love this book. How to Speak Dog goes into much greater depth about how dogs communicate, covering not just calming signals but all aspects of canine communication. Stanley Coren draws on substantial research in animal behavior, evolutionary biology, and years of personal experience to explain how dogs communicate and how we can effectively communicate with them. It contains entire chapters on how dogs communicate with their face, ears, eyes and tail, as well as body. The book includes original drawings illustrating the subtleties of their body language, and a handy visual glossary and "Doggish" phrasebook. Why should you care about learning how to communicate with your dog? Stanley Coren's stories of what happens when people misunderstand their dog's communication answer this question. For instance, in the first chapter, he describes a situation where a dog was treated harshly by its master while being housebroken, having its nose rubbed in its pee and then being shoved outside with a swat on the rear. At 7 months old, it was now peeing in front of the man and enraging him because the dog was not "housebroken". The wife described the dog to Coren as peeing out of "spite". The last straw happened when the dog rolled over exposing its belly and peed in the man's face as he bent to pet the dog. As is evident to anyone with a good understanding of dog behavior, the dog was not peeing out of spite. It was peeing submissively, trying to appease its angry master—exposing its belly and peeing was the ultimate submissive signal. Since the couple were ignorant of dog language, they interpreted the behavior as it the dog were a human, attributing the behavior to "spite". Fortunately, the wife consulted Coren and learned what the dog was really trying to communicate. Many dogs are not so fortunate and their miscommunication lands them in a dog shelter, awaiting adoption or euthanasia. This book is an eye opener on how dogs communicate, that can help anyone with a dog develop a better relationship. For those who also have cats, there is a separate chapter on how dogs and cats can misunderstand each other's signals, because their "vocabulary" is different. Contact Us
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Ortho
Sport Massage Oil
Part I
