Doggie Massage and Yoga.....

[GBK]

This weekend, Eva, Willow, Kona and I joined a class at the University, it was for dog yoga. I didn't know it was going to be yoga :o I thought it was going to be like the class I took a couple of years ago with Buddy that taught us how to relieve stress, arthritic joint pain, and develop bonding with our dogs. We had a couple of play breaks as you can see in the pics, and then Kona and Willow decided halfway through the 3 1/2 hour class that they would have way more fun rolling around with each other :) I guess they found their own dog yoga moves between the two of them more interesting than the ones we were learing for the dogs and humans.

I do have to say, Kona did enjoy the massage moves we practiced. On Sunday she placed her little head between my knees and wanted me to knead her back like we practiced on Sat. Buddy also still assumes the massage position he likes best even after the three years it's been since he took the class!

[Penny, Comiskey & Beemer]

Thank you for the link....very interesting...and well worth the read....

[GBK]

LOL, usually it is after a bathtime for the feet kissing :)

[Adina P]

Rosco gets a head massage several times a day...he loves it. I'm not following any specific protocol...just knead away and caress his head and neck and ears... I don't massage his body as much, at least not for a specific 'massage time' time period, but he does get belly rubs and I think he enjoys full body brushings. I HAVE smelled my doggies frito chip feet, but I don't think I can compare their feet to a baby's feet...at least I can't kiss them! LOL ... nothing wrong with it. But to me it's like kissing the bottom of a shoe...they've been everywhere on walks and occasionally step in poo so my lips ain't going near those things! =)

[GBK]

I love it Penny, isn't it wonderful how connected these guys become through something as simple as our touching them? The stretching, rubbing and getting those paws off the ground one at a time is so easy and important for their health.

I don't find it a bit silly! :) I think that some people are more in tune with touch than others. Some people in our class never thought to touch their dogs in intimate ways, other's instictively touch every part of their dogs. Kona and I used positions and stroking that the instructor hadn't taught yet and used us a few times as examples. From the time my dog's enter my life, they are touched and stroked and loved with my heart, my hands, my thoughts and my words.

I had a lady in our obedience class mention how she had heard a funny story about dogs paws smelling like frito chips. Most of the class looked at her really strange, I told her I had heard that too and thought that they did smell like fritos. The other people were like, how do you know what their paws smell like!
I said haven't you ever kissed and smelled your pups paws before? They may have looked at me a little strangely, but they are the ones missing out...... It is like kissing your babies hands and feet and blowing on their bellies :)

If you haven't heard of Tellington Touch Penny, check out the link below, it is the first think I used with my wild child Buddy and worked wonders:

ttouch.html

[Penny, Comiskey & Beemer]

Comiskey and Beemer get massages every morning....I started doing this when they were just babies....Comiskey sits in front of me and bows her head...that is my signal to touch my forehead to hers and then I massage down her back into her hips and hind legs...then I work my way forward....next is her neck...head...snout and down into her neck and chest...lastly I ask for a paw....she brings her paw up...very gentle squeezing and stroking...then I ask for her other paw....she puts one paw down and the other up.....I know this must sound silly...but when I first got her, I broke my shoulder and there was very little I could do...so we lit on this...it calmed her and myself as well.....Beemer on the other hand...throws himself on the floor and rolls on his back...loves to have his legs stretched and a big ol belly rub!

[GBK]

LOL Joanne, wouldn't that be a nice trick :) I can't even get my hubby to return the favor most of the time......

Jane, I use Picasa 3 for most everything I do with my pictures. It is a free download and the collage feature is so great, they have different ways to display the collages too. Download and have fun!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Can you teach the dog to return the massage? Count me in and sign me up.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I really love how you put all these pictures together into a collage. What software did you use?