As part of my job as an Animal Physiotherapist it is very important to teach the owners what they can do at home to improve the quality of life of their dog.
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If you would like to have a peek at a common stretch I teach owners here is some information for you.
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If your dog has patella luxation (often small breeds with a skipping gait) or hip dysplasia/low back pain this may not be appropriate so feel free to ask me first if this is appropriate for your dog.
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Always watch his/her face when you are doing some massage/stretches to ensure it is pain free – they will let you know if you go slowly and listen!
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Often when dogs get up in the morning they will do a ‘downward dog’ stretch (in yoga like a play bow) then an ‘upward dog’ stretch – this is like the upward dog stretch they naturally do. Dogs are so body aware they know in 2 stretches how to stretch their whole body.
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How about you join in – a great start for you also and you will often set off your dog to do some Doga also!
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Happy stretching!
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Photos courtesy of ‘The Healthy way to stretch your dog’ (S.Foster, A.Foster)
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