Your vet may be able to help you massage your dog in a firm and practical way, but for those who want to try it at home, here are some basic steps.

Make sure your dog is on a firm but soft surface, such as a carpeted floor. Starting at the head, he gently moves his hands in smooth, slow motions up to the tail.

As your dog begins to relax, you can gently rub around the ears, forehead, cheeks, under the chin, over the nose, and between the eyes.

Using a gentle but firm circular motion, slowly move down over the neck, shoulders, and chest.

Feel the difference between areas that have thick muscle under the coat, like the chest, and areas that have very little, like the nose. You can use a stronger massage on areas that have muscles, but go easy on areas that don’t.

Starting at the top of the front paw, gently squeeze down a few times. If the dog is not afraid of having its paws touched, you can massage the paw very gently in a similar way to how you do it with your own hand. Gently rub the padded areas and stroke from the wrist joint to the toenails.

Go back up to the neck and stroke from head to tail two or three times, with a steady hand. Imagine the dog was wet and you were trying to get the water out of its fur. Slow but firm strokes.

Now place your hands on the thicker muscles on either side of the spine and using a strong circular motion begin to move down the spine towards the base of the tail.

Moving down, start at the thicker muscles of the chest and using the same strong circular motions, massage towards the tail once more. This time massaging the outside of each thigh.

Gently squeeze the hind legs as you did the front legs, massaging the hind legs as well.

Finish by gently stroking the entire body of the dog, starting at the nose and working your way back to the tail. If the dog doesn’t mind, continue along the tail and each leg.