Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual [Paperback]

Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

Use massage to help your dog relax, to condition the canine athlete, to assist in recovery from injuries or to ease chronic pain. Learn the techniques of a recognized expert in the field so that you can bring the well-known benefits of massage to your own dog or become a canine massage specialist. New edition has over 100 illustrations and 100 photos, detailed examinations of muscular stress points, diagnoses and treatments. You will learn the basics of canine anatomy and kinesiology; massage movements, pressures, techniques and systems; routines designed to address specific health problems; stretching and hydrotherapy techniques; tips on how to run a canine massage business, and more. Excellent source of information on dog anatomy as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

With sensitive insight and simple language, the author describes common muscular problems underlying gait irregularities. Jean-Pierre explains how hands skilled in massage can contribute to a dog's comfort and healing. --Rachel Page Elliott, author of Dogsteps

Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt has masterfully applied well-known effective human massage techniques to dogs. Canine Massage is a well-organized, highly readable book that places those techniques at your fingertips. --Christine Zink, DVM, PhD, author of Peak Performance and Coaching the Canine Athlete

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Direct Book Service; 2 edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929242085
• ISBN-13: 978-1929242085
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must-have" for anyone charged with holistic therapeutic treatment of a stressed or sick dog, January 10, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual (Paperback)

Now in an updated second edition, Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual is for dog trainers, breeders, handlers, and ordinary pet owners alike. Author and licensed massage therapist Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt, who treated athletes and world dignitaries before he applied his animal empathy talents toward canine massage, offers clear information illustrated with practical black-and-white "how-to" diagrams. Chapters cover dog kinesiology, principles and concepts of massage, common stress areas, stretching, hydrotherapy, common problems such as inflammation and scar tissue, and much more. Canine Massage is a serious, in-depth guide written by an expert, for professionals, although it is comprehensible to lay people. A "must-have" for anyone charged with holistic therapeutic treatment of a stressed or sick dog.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Canine Massage is Great, October 21, 2007

By 

M. Ashley "animal blessings" (Phoenix, Az.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual (Paperback)

I found Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual to be a valuable reference tool for dog massage. Together, I purchased Canine Massage: Complete Reference Manual and Canine Massage DVD (Integrated Touch Therapy). Having the ability to reference and read what is described on the DVD has enabled me to put together a great massage therapy program for my canine clients.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource for Dog Owners who Want to Learn Massage for Dogs, July 11, 2009

By 

Concerned Counsel "E" (Princeton, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canine Massage: A Complete Reference Manual (Paperback)

This book is the most useful guide I have found for canine massage. I have a large dog who loves being stroked, and so I decided to take advantage of that and learn as much about canine massage in an effort to help him with relaxation as well as rehabilitiation. This book is replete with detailed diagrams that show the skeletal and muscular anatomy of dogs so that a layman (like me) can read this book and immediately apply the techniques effectively.

From personal experience, I have been able to use the massage techniques learned from this book to relax my dog during thunderstorms, and to help relieve muscle spasms that occur (which I believe are related to his arthritis, as he is a canine senior citizen).

This book provides straightforward instructions along with detailed diagrams to speed the reader's learning curve, and I highly recommend it.

Aside from everything else, I am able to now spend time giving my dog a gentle, loving massage, just as a gesture of love. It is so nice to know I am easing away his physical tension as I massage, and his 'sighs' of relief as I work my way along his body give me the approval responses I need to know I'm doing the right things, and I know I've hit a home run when he starts to snore!