Page 182 - Total War on PTSD

“Our purpose in life is to feel joy. And if our dogs can help us feel better, why not reach for them in every possible way that we can.” - Suzi Teitelman
Courtenay: When I work on training my dog Crush, one thing I try to also do is work on quiet time with him. The reason I do this is to build trust between myself and him. This is not only for my own well-being, but for his as well. It is meant to make him comfortable in the future when he has to visit the veterinarian and be checked over. It is also meant to ensure he is comfortable being toughed by others.
I gently move his limbs while he is laying down, checking for a full range of motion, and making sure that I do so very slowly and carefully...stopping at the first sign of tension and soothing him with my voice and my free hand. I then massage his muscles and his sides with both hands, moving up and down his body, while he remains relaxed and accepting of my attention.
As he is still young, this often works best when he is already tired. That is, unless I bring out the brush...which is an instant ON-button. He will tolerate my brushing him, and is learning to like it, but will often tear around the house like a race horse afterwards.
He does perform an occasional Downward Dog once in a while...but that is totally of his own accord!
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