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Massage Therapy Benefits Animals

By Nan Talleno

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A soothing and relaxing massage is not just for people. It has been used as a method to achieve successful rehabilitation in many species of animals including dogs, cats and horses. In fact, Linda Tellington-Jones has created her internationally known courses - called the T-Touch - to use calming massage to recondition fearful animals of many different species.

Massage therapy helps to release fear, stress and anxiety at a deeper level and in a calm and soothing way, creating relaxation, trust and well-being. This works in harmony, successfully too, with behavioral modification. It helps to promote a sense of trust and a strong emotional bond. It can ultimately prompt the dog to relax and to make the association to a more pleasant and inviting environment.

The end result is that it can be a strong aid to help eliminate fear.

As a trainer and canine specialist, I recently have had great success with an extremely and highly excessively fearful shepherd mix through massage therapy, along with a program of behavioral modification. Her fear has greatly subsided as she made a positive association with a calmer and more relaxed state.

She can now begin to take direction and become much more focused to begin her training and reconditioning.

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