How to Use Touch Therapy to Heal Your Dog

Energy work is easy and it can change your life. This may seem like an “out there” statement to some but if you think of how your mood, i.e. the energy you’re emitting, affects your day and those around you, you’ll recognize the truth of this statement. Having a bad day, a storm cloud over your head? Chances are you’ll experience upset after upset: someone cuts you off, you stub your toe, spill your coffee, have heated words with a co-worker, step in dog poo. Why? The energy you’re giving off is simply creating more of the same for you. The opposite is also true: approach the day smiling and chances are you’ll be delivered up positive experiences. Now think of how your energy can and does affect your dog. Stands to reason you could harness this power, no? 

Cindy Brody (pictured right) certainly knows this to be true. Cindy is an energy worker and an animal communicator who has been helping animals with energy balancing her whole life, having discovered her special skill for communing with animals when she was just a child. Cindy has worked with thousands of dogs, helping them to feel better physically and mentally by using her fingers in a series of light, loving touch. This may sound simple but it can be transformative. And as Cindy asserts, we all have the ability to help our dogs heal using this technique., a modality she calls CinergE. 

“Just like people, dogs hold nervous tension in their bodies.” Cindy says. “Tension causes pain and feeds insecurities, and can make a nervous dog even more distrusting. When the dog’s thoughts are honoured and their bodies are relaxed, healing begins.”

We asked Cindy to share her technique so you can practice on your dogs. Not only is it healing, it’s a great way to check in with your dog and also to bond. 

Cindy Brody's How-to For Doing Energy Work On Your Dog:

I start each session by sharing energy. It is easy. Energize your hands by rubbing them together, give a little clap, and then hold your hands about two inches apart. Do you feel the tingling in your hands? Do you feel warmth, a magnetic pull? You are feeling the energy. This is the easiest energy exercise and will give you great results. 

Practice this at night on yourself; place your hands over your face and slowly move them down your body. You may notice that your hands get warm. By self-treating you will become a better channel. And practicing on human friends can supply great feedback. 

Now we’re ready to work on our dogs. Again, energize your hands then place them lightly on your dog’s body. I let my heart tell the energy to go anywhere in the dog's body that needs it. Let your intuition guide you.

Your dog may look at you as if to say, “Hey that’s different.” They may walk away and shake. We are unlocking blocked energy that causes tight muscles and energetic imbalances. When we achieve this unblocking we are creating energetic releases. When tight muscles loosen dogs will move.

Share the energy for ten minutes or for as long as they like. I often tell people to practice this on their dogs while they are sitting on the couch watching television.

Next we're going to work on the CinergE Energetic touch chart. This is a beautiful exchange of energy between you and your dog. It comes from your heart. I like to start on the left side of the body, the heart side.

First, start out by tracing little circles all over your dog’s skull. Nervous dogs or rescue dogs often scrunch up their foreheads and the tension goes right down the neck, often resulting in headaches. I always trust my intuition with every touch. Dogs will let you know when you have achieved an energetic release: they will yawn or they may get up and stretch out with a downward dog or a play bow. So if your dog gets up and walks away, let her. She is processing the changes. You can then call her back once she's ready.

The second touch is circles down the spine. Your pressure with each touch is ultra-light. Start at the base of the neck and circle slowly your way down to the hips. Pretend your finger is a laser and that you are releasing tension as you circle one vertebra at a time. 

Step three, gently circle on either side of the spine all the way down to the hips. Anywhere your hand slows down you can send more energy by placing your hand on top of the area. If your hands get warm it means your dog's body is calling for more energy. It could be a tight muscle or a tender joint or an upset tummy. Place your hands over the warm spot. If my hands get really hot I will hover my hands above the area and imagine I am pulling the heat out. This technique is great for inflammation and swellings. 

Step four, circle over the hips. I always repeat circles over the hips while I’m working on a dog. The hips can be so tight and tender; this can really help the hips to stay loose as a dog grows older. If your dog bolts when you circle over the hips he is most likely sore there. Keep a notebook so you can remember exactly where your dog needs help.

Step four and five, circle lightly and slowly over the dog’s shoulder then work down the shoulders to the triceps, then down to the elbows. Place your fingers inside your dog’s armpit with your thumb on top, allowing the energy in your hands to relax the muscles. 

Step six is the hamstrings. The touch is the same as that used on the triceps—fingers on the inside of the muscle between your dog’s legs, thumb on top. You can experiment with what is more comfortable for your dogs. If your dog is comfortable standing up, you can work with him while he’s upright. If your dog is lying down you will have to get him to roll over to treat both sides. 

Step seven is the ribs, one of my favourite places to release. Shelter dogs hold their breath and their ribs become painfully tight and can stay that way for years. Releasing the ribs can be life changing. Start by moving your fingertips about three inches away from the spine until you feel your dog's rib cage. Beginning right behind the shoulder blade, you're going to work your way to bottom of the rib cage. Lightly touch the space between each rib with your fore finger using a gentle touch. Don't poke; less pressure is better as this is energy work, not massage. Once you've made your way to the bottom of the ribcage, start from the top again but drop down a couple of inches lower so you're further away from the spine. Work your way to the bottom of the ribcage as before then repeat the process, dropping down a couple more inches until you complete a third crossing over of the ribs. Repeat on the other side.This exercise will release tension in the ribs and is great for any dog that is stressed out or has a sore back. Last but not least, trace the ribs with your fingertips using light pressure to provide a clearing sweep. 

Step eight, the sternum. Start beneath the neck and zigzag from one side of the sternum to the other all the way to the belly.

This work is simple and you will learn so much about your dogs when you practice it regularly. It’s important to remember that when dogs move around they are resetting their energy and releasing their blockages. You do not need to do a full session all at once. In the beginning, your dog will process as he needs to and then he will beg you for more!