How to Give a Dog a Massage

Massages bring numerous benefits for dogs and for us too, since they'll relax and improve in many physical aspects, while also strengthening our bond thanks to the physical contact.

There are several ways to give a dog a massage, though most are practically similar, with the only difference being more focus on certain areas. The friction produced by our hands will help your dog much more than you'd imagine.

If you want to strengthen your relationship with your dog, earn its trust even more, and help it have a good time by relaxing, learn to massage it properly, as we explain at SoyUnPerro.

We also recommend reading: How to Easily Calm a Dog.

Benefits of Massaging Our Dog

Needless to say, one of the biggest benefits of giving our dog a massage is the relaxation it gets as a result — a relaxed, calm dog is a balanced, respectful dog.

But that's not everything, actually — the physical contact produced during the massage also helps us earn the dog's trust at a much deeper level. This is very beneficial for the relationship between both of you, since it strengthens your bond.

Dogs with arthritis or dysplasia, suffering muscle and joint pain, will find relief thanks to a good massage. They even help repair muscle knots and improve circulation overall.

Getting Ready for the Massage

Just as important as giving a good massage is knowing how to set up the environment where it'll happen, so both the dog and you can feel calm and relaxed to enjoy the moment.

We should look for a calm, well-lit room, free from noise disturbances or external factors like drafts or other people or animals.

We should also prepare a soft, cushioned mat where the dog can lie down comfortably to receive its massage. Needless to say, the room temperature matters too — neither too cold nor too hot.

We'll remove any watch, ring, or similar items from our hands or wrists. We'll take off any collar or harness the dog is wearing, so we can carry out the massage comfortably.

Guide to Giving Our Dog a Massage

We'll start the massage by having our dog lie down on the soft mat, making sure it's nice and comfortable. We should make every movement in a relaxed, unhurried way, taking a moment for ourselves and our dog.

Before starting the massage, we should clarify that we should never press hard on the dog — the massage isn't about working every muscle, but rather stroking them so it relaxes. If at any point it shows signs of pain or discomfort, we'll avoid that spot entirely, respecting our dog this way.

We'll start stroking our dog from the top of its head down to the end of its torso, where the tail begins (we'll avoid the tail for now). We should stroke it with both hands so there's always one hand in contact with it.

We'll make long strokes running from head to tail, and when we finish, the other hand will be starting the same path, so there's always one hand in contact with it.

Strokes should always go in the same direction as its fur, since stroking against the grain can cause skin irritation and discomfort. So, we'll always slide our hands from front to back.

We'll repeat this exercise for a good while, so our dog relaxes and lets us continue. You'll see how, in no time, it becomes completely relaxed, waiting for you to keep massaging it.

Second Part: Sacrum and Limbs

Once it's relaxed, we can move away from the long strokes and massage the sacrum area a bit, which is where its spine ends (just before the tail begins).

To do this, we'll rest the palm of our hand on its sacrum and massage in a circular motion, counterclockwise. Without pressing too hard — just enough for it to feel the contact with our hand.

Afterward, we can continue with the muscles in its limbs, the back legs first and then the front legs. For this, we can apply what's known as palmar digital kneading.

This technique focuses on massaging muscles, like those in its legs, and involves using more of our fingertips than the palm, pressing gently and releasing while making semicircular movements.

When we want to work on its little paws, we should be very careful, since, although it might seem otherwise, they're extremely sensitive. In this area, we'll simply stroke gently with our fingers, without losing contact.

To properly complete the whole massage, it should take at least fifteen to twenty minutes, though we can dedicate more time if we want the experience to be more intense for our dog.

How to Give a Head Massage

The head massage focuses exclusively on the neck and head, and we can apply it after a comfortable body massage or whenever our dog is simply relaxed.

Some people stretch out their legs and place their dog on top of them belly up, with its head against their body, to give the massage more comfortably. But this isn't a position every dog likes, so we recommend leaving our dog lying down as in the earlier example.

The head massage isn't about pressing or working the muscles either — it's about gently stroking the different areas of its head. We'll start with the neck, using our fingers to make very soft, gentle pinching motions.

Then, we'll move up to the skull, where we'll simply stroke our dog in small circles using our fingers. Once it's fully relaxed, we can gently stroke its ears and snout, always avoiding the inside of the ears and the eye area.

We'll repeat these exercises for at least ten minutes so the head massage's effects become noticeable.

When Not to Give Our Dog a Massage

If our dog is excited, it's best to take it for a walk to burn off that energy, rather than trying to relax it through a massage. Needless to say, the best massages happen after long walks, once the dog has relieved itself and burned off energy.

We also shouldn't massage our dog if it's done something wrong, since if it's behaved badly and we give it a massage, it could interpret this as a reward and think it's fine to misbehave.

If our dog has an infection, allergic dermatitis, or a skin condition, we should avoid massaging it, since we could harm it. The same applies if it's sick or has recently had surgery.

We also shouldn't massage our dog if it doesn't want to, or if it complains at the touch — a massage is meant to be enjoyed and to relax, so it should never be forced.