Learning Shiatsu Massage, Acupressure for your Dog .

De-Stress your Dog.    Pat, Scratch, Rub, Push. 

http://www.horse-acupuncture.com/canine.html

In learning to do shiatsu or acupressure its best to begin with what you know works for your dog, what they like.
Number one Rule; do only what they like.

 Patting; These are the areas they like to be patted and what they do. Included are the Chinese names for these points , their translation and their acupressure functions.

 

 

So you already know some   acupressure areas.

Scratching

Rub,

This is done in a backwards and forwards motion. Several fingers can be used at once. When it is done with  a finger  on a spot that is an acupuncture point it is called Tui Na.

 

Push ; 

in pushing in and out the acupressure point is activated like switching on a light and the healing energy can begin to flow.  This healing energy is called Chi, or Ki in Japanese. One learns to feel this.

Some points to try.

Stress points;

Each muscle has an associated stress point. But not all ‘stress points ‘ will be tight at any one time. If they are tight and a knot or seed is felt there they are called ‘Trigger points'. 
Try to find the stress points on your dog from chart below.

http://www.horse-acupuncture.com/canine.html

Shiatsu for your shih tzu-

This article will soon appear in WOOF Magazine.  http://www.woofmag.com.au/

Did you know that whenever you pat your dog you are using a massage type technique called Tui Na (from the Chinese)?  Tui Na consists of stroking gently like patting, backwards and forwards, up to 100 times. 

A variety of this is called Shiatsu (from the Japanese) and also called acupressure. Acupressure is where light pressure is used in a way like turning on and off the light switch, all the time watching top see the dogs responses and what they do like and don’t like.

These techniques can be used by you, even when the dog is well, as for example a de-stresser and it will make you feel better too. The dog and owner have a mirroring relationship.   D-o-g is g-o-d spelled backwards.  So dog brings you closer to God.

Acupressure (and Acupuncture) as we know it today is based on a very old system, of the meridians and points as shown below. Traditionally there are 12 meridians and over 360 points. It originated in China over 5000 years ago.

 

Of course this picture is not a shitzu dog ( for shiatsu) but a greyhound and acupressure would be more appropriate.

There are places your dog likes to be patted , or stroked or scratched and all of these have beneficial internal and physical effects on  their health and well being.

When they are ill there are points you can use to help them whether its stomach pains or sore muscles or sore paws. This is something you can do at home as first aid though its always good to get a veterinary diagnosis if its serious.

We will be exploring some treatments inn later issues;

More charts and treatment info can be obtained at;    http://www.horse-acupuncture.com/Canine.html