A Loyal Friend Canine Massage

💚 Don’t Feel Guilty 💚

So many of us – myself included – carry an overwhelming sense of guilt when it comes to our dogs.

We worry that we aren’t doing enough, or that we could have made different choices. This feeling is so common, and many of us carry that burden quietly.

We wonder if their behaviour is our fault, or if their orthopaedic conditions happened because we played too much ball, let them run the stairs, or competed in sports like flyball or agility. We ask ourselves: could I have prevented this?

But here’s the truth ⬇️
We all do the very best we can with the knowledge, time, and resources we have. Life with our dogs is a journey. Yes, there may be things we’d do differently if we could go back – but that doesn’t mean we should carry guilt.

💚 Don’t feel guilty if you can’t afford every therapy or treatment session – physio, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, swimming, or specialist training.

💚 Don’t feel guilty if your busy life doesn’t allow you to attend every class or activity.

💚 Don’t feel guilty if you can’t buy the most expensive foods, supplements, or training plans, and instead choose what works for your budget.

👉 What matters most is that your dog feels loved, safe, and respected.

You are doing a fantastic job.
You are an amazing dog owner. 🐾

What Does Your Dog’s Coat Flick Tell Us?

One of the questions I’m often asked is, “Can you tell what’s wrong with my dog just by looking at a photo of their coat?”

The answer is no, but a photograph can provide a useful clue.

A coat flick, hair whorl or change in the direction of the coat is not a diagnosis. It is simply one small piece of the clinical puzzle.

During every assessment, I don’t just look at the coat. I assess your dog’s history, posture, gait, muscle tone, joint mobility, tissue quality and movement patterns. Only by putting all these findings together can I identify areas of compensation or dysfunction.

So why do coat flicks occur?

Beneath your dog’s skin is a layer of connective tissue called fascia, which surrounds and connects muscles throughout the body.

When muscles become tight or overworked due to pain, injury or compensation, the fascia can also become restricted and lose its normal ability to glide. This creates increased tension within the tissues beneath the skin.

⬇️ The visual result may be:
• Coat flicks
• Hair whorls
• Changes in hair direction
• Small ridges or areas where the coat separates

⬇️ During my examination I often find:
• Tight, firm muscles with little “give” on palpation
• Reduced tissue mobility and flexibility
• Joint stiffness
• Altered posture
• Changes in gait and movement
• Localised skin twitch responses during treatment

In many of the dogs I’ve treated, these coat changes have been found over areas where there is increased muscle and fascial tension.

The photographs below are from dogs I have treated over the past few years that displayed noticeable changes in their coat patterns, including coat flicks, whorls and altered hair direction. These changes were most commonly seen over the epaxial (back) muscles, particularly in the lumbar (lower back) and sacral (pelvic) regions.

The epaxial muscles play an essential role in supporting and stabilising the spine, controlling posture, transferring forces between the forelimbs and hindlimbs, and allowing the back to flex, extend and rotate during movement.

During my clinical examinations, these areas were often associated with increased muscle tension, reduced tissue mobility and altered movement patterns. Following veterinary assessment and, where appropriate, diagnostic imaging, these dogs were diagnosed with underlying orthopaedic conditions. The coat changes themselves were not the diagnosis, but they appeared to be secondary to compensatory changes within the muscles and fascia caused by pain and altered biomechanics.

This is why I always say that a coat flick is simply one piece of the clinical puzzle. It should never be interpreted in isolation but considered alongside a thorough musculoskeletal assessment and, where necessary, veterinary investigation.

That doesn’t mean every coat flick indicates a problem and many healthy dogs have natural whorls. However, when combined with a thorough clinical assessment, these coat changes can provide another valuable clue to what’s happening beneath the surface.

If you’re concerned about your dog’s movement, posture or comfort, please seek advice from your veterinary or a suitably qualified canine musculoskeletal practitioner, a veterinary physiotherapist or clinical canine massage therapist with training in Myofascia.

Fascia is increasingly recognised by many human researchers as the body’s “sixth organ” because of its important roles in movement, force transmission, proprioception and pain perception. Unfortunately coat flicks and altered coat patterns are still not widely recognised by all canine professionals as potential indicators of underlying musculoskeletal compensation, so increasing awareness of these observations is important. So please spread the word.

If you’d like to send me photographs of your dog’s coat, you’re very welcome to do so. I’m always happy to have a look and advise whether a full assessment may be worthwhile. However, it’s important to remember that photographs are only one small piece of the puzzle they can never replace a comprehensive clinical assessment with posture and gait analysis.

What Can Your Dog’s Coat Tell You About the Tissues Beneath?

So many of you have asked me about your dogs and the changes you notice in their coats, coat flicks, swirls, changes in colour, texture or direction and how these visible changes could possibly relate to restriction, tightness or altered movement in the tissues and muscles underneath.

I’ll try to simply this for ease of reading.

The diagram on the left is a diagram of your dogs layers of skin. Including the superficial and deep fascia.

If we look at the image on the left, we can see the different layers of the skin. We can see the epidermis, but beneath what we can see at the surface are deeper layers of tissue, including the superficial fascia and deeper fascial tissues.

Fascia is a continuous network of connective tissue throughout the body. Where there is reduced mobility, tension or restriction within these tissues, it may influence how the overlying skin and surrounding structures move.

And this is where your dog’s coat becomes really interesting.

We cannot actually see the your dogs fascia and the deeper layers of the skin. We cannot see what is happening around it simply by looking at your dog

But we can see the result.

Changes in the position or movement of the tissues around a hair follicle especially restricted tight fascia may potentially influence the way the hair lies, creating changes in hair direction, coat texture, a flick, a swirl or an area that simply looks different from the surrounding coat.

These visible changes are not, on their own, proof that there is a fascial restriction or underlying dysfunction. There are many reasons why a dog’s coat can naturally change direction, texture or appearance. Please see previous posts

However, when I see a particular coat change alongside differences in tissue mobility, muscle tension or how the dog moves, I see it as a potential clue — something that makes me want to investigate what may be happening underneath.

And this is where the anatomy matters.

The anatomy is where all of this happens.

It is where the skin, hair follicles, connective tissues, fascia and muscles are located — and where all of these structures interact with one another.

I can give you a human example.

I have an issue around my left shoulder and rhomboid area, and my amazing myofascial bodyworker is able to work with the tissues and help alleviate the discomfort and restrictions I experience.

Working with humans is different from working with dogs in many ways.

But one of the biggest differences is that we don’t have a coat!

We don’t have that extra visual layer that can sometimes provide us with a clue about what might be happening within the tissues underneath.

With humans, my massage therapist can identify changes through palpation and assessment — feeling differences in the tissues and identifying areas that may require further attention.

With dogs, their coat can sometimes give us another piece of the puzzle.

So, when you notice a strange flick, swirl, change in direction or difference in texture in your dog’s coat, don’t automatically assume that something is wrong.

But equally, don’t dismiss it.

Sometimes the smallest changes we can see on the outside can give us a reason to look a little deeper. 🐾

This is why I believe understanding canine anatomy is so important. The more we understand about the layers beneath the coat, the better we can appreciate the relationship between the skin, fascia, muscles and movement.

References:
Merck Veterinary Manual — Structure of the Skin in Dogs
MSD Veterinary Manual — The Integumentary System in Animals
PubMed — Morphological investigation of superficial fascia relationships with the skin and underlying tissues in the canine hindlimb
PubMed — The Hair Follicle: A Comparative Review of Canine Hair Follicle Anatomy and Physiology

🟢 How Sleep Deprivation Can Affect Dogs in Pain

Especially for dogs living with osteoarthritis (OA) or other musculoskeletal conditions, poor-quality sleep is more than just a nuisance—it may contribute to a cycle of increased pain, stress and reduced recovery.

🟢 Heightened Pain Sensitivity
Research suggests that sleep deprivation can alter pain-processing pathways and increase sensitivity to painful stimuli (hyperalgesia).

🟢 Changes in Dopamine
Sleep loss can affect dopamine signalling, which is involved in motivation, mood and pain regulation. This may leave dogs more vulnerable to stress and the effects of chronic pain.

🟢 Inflammation
Poor sleep has been associated with changes in inflammatory processes. For a dog already dealing with osteoarthritis, supporting good-quality rest may therefore be an important part of overall wellbeing.

🟢 Immune Function & Recovery
Sleep plays an important role in immune regulation, tissue repair and recovery. When sleep is disrupted, the body may have less opportunity to carry out these essential processes.

🟢 How Can We Support Better Sleep?

🛏️ Create a Quiet Space
Give your dog a quiet, low-traffic area where they can retreat when things become busy. Guests, children, visitors and loud music can all make it harder for some dogs to settle.

🛏️ Choose the Right Bed
For dogs with arthritis or musculoskeletal problems, a supportive orthopaedic bed can help provide comfort and distribute pressure. Memory foam and other pressure-relieving materials may be particularly useful.

🛏️ Stick to Their Routine
Try to keep feeding, toileting and walking routines as consistent as possible. Don’t forget to build in plenty of uninterrupted quiet time.

🛏️ Let Sleeping Dogs Sleep!
If your dog chooses to rest, let them. Sleep is an important part of recovery, and older or painful dogs may need more rest than they once did.

💤 Dogs’ sleep requirements vary considerably depending on age, breed, activity level and health. Puppies can sleep for 18–20 hours a day, while adult dogs commonly sleep for many hours throughout a 24-hour period, and senior dogs may need more rest again.

If your dog has arthritis or chronic pain, supporting good-quality sleep should be considered alongside the other elements of a multimodal pain-management plan.

📚 Trusted resources:
🔗 Canine Arthritis Management
🔗 The Sleep Vet – Lauren Davis

Now let’s see some photos of your dogs getting their quality sleep! 💤🐶

I’ve enclosed some photos of my own dog enjoying some much-needed rest.

Do any of you find, like I do with my dog, that they seem to need more sleep as they get older?

I’d love to see your sleepy dogs! ❤️

🐾 Posture in Dogs: More Than Just a Stance 🐾

Have you ever noticed your dog standing differently, shifting their weight, or adopting an unusual posture?

These changes may be more than just a habit. Posture can give us useful clues about how a dog is using and coping with their body.

📚 Recent research by McGowan et al. (2024) highlights the importance of considering posture and postural dysfunction as part of canine musculoskeletal assessment and veterinary physiotherapy.

🔍 What can changes in posture tell us?

🐾 Posture is influenced by neuromuscular and musculoskeletal function.

🐾 Pain can affect how a dog distributes their weight and maintains balance.

🐾 Dogs may compensate for discomfort by changing the way they stand or move.

🐾 Changes in posture can sometimes be an early clue that something isn’t quite right.

🐾 Looking at posture alongside movement can give us a better overall picture of a dog’s musculoskeletal health.

💡 And it’s not just about watching a dog move.

Sometimes we can spot important changes when a dog is simply standing or resting.

Things such as repeatedly shifting weight, standing unevenly, changing their stance, or unloading one limb may be worth paying attention to—especially if these changes are new or persistent.

At East Midlands Clinical Canine Massage, posture forms part of our overall assessment and treatment planning.

Rather than simply looking at what a dog is doing, we want to understand why they may be doing it.

By considering posture, movement, muscle function and the individual dog, we can help support better movement, comfort and quality of life. ❤️🐶

📖 Reference

McGowan, C. M., et al. (2024). Posture and postural dysfunction in dogs: Implications for veterinary physiotherapy. The Veterinary Journal, 305, 106107.

📸 Now have a look at the photos…

Can you spot any issues in the photos. Photos 1 & 2 are quite challenging to spot. 🐾

And more importantly, can you spot the differences between them? 👀

💬 Have you noticed changes in your dog’s posture as they’ve got older, developed an injury, or experienced pain?

What did you notice?

Does your Dog’s Fascia Hold Memories?

This is something I’ve found really interesting.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of reading lately and trying to get my head around the whole idea of the myofascial system “storing memories” or “holding trauma”.

And honestly, for me, I’ve struggled with that statement. I just can’t quite get my head around the science of fascia literally storing an emotional memory or trauma.

So, naturally, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole 😂

I started reading more about fascia, stress, the nervous system and how all of this might relate to our dogs.

What I’ve put together below is basically my weekend reading in a nutshell. I’m certainly not saying I have all the answers, and I’m still learning and questioning a lot of it myself.

But I thought it was interesting enough to share. Please feel free to add your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Please read on if you’re interested 🐾
⬇️⬇️⬇️

🟢 Stress, Fascia & Our Dogs — Why Does It Matter?

We often think about stress as something that affects behaviour and emotions, but it can also have an effect on the body.

Fascia is the connective tissue that runs throughout the body. It surrounds and connects muscles, nerves, blood vessels and organs. You can almost think of it as a continuous web running through the whole dog.

When the body is relaxed, tissues can move freely. But when a dog is regularly dealing with stress, fear, pain or tension, we can see changes in the way they hold themselves and move.

🟢 Think about a nervous dog.

You might see things like:

• A generally stiff or tense body
• A tucked tail
• A different head or neck position
• Tension through the back, neck or jaw
• Finding it difficult to properly switch off
• Repetitive or protective movement patterns

The dog is essentially spending more time in a state of being “on guard”.

And this is where I think it gets really interesting.

We can’t always separate what we see emotionally from what we see physically. Stress can show itself in the way a dog stands, moves and carries their body.

🟢 Does the body “remember”?

This is the bit I’ve really been questioning.

I’m not convinced that fascia itself stores emotional memories in the way that phrase sometimes suggests.

What does make more sense to me is the nervous system learning from repeated experiences.

For example, if a dog has experienced pain in one area, they may change the way they move to protect it.

Even after the original problem has improved, those movement patterns can sometimes continue because the nervous system has learned that particular way of moving.

Over time, it can become habitual.

So perhaps it isn’t that the fascia is literally “remembering” the trauma. Maybe it’s more complicated than that, involving the brain, nervous system, muscles and connective tissues all working together.

And that, to me, is far more interesting.

🟢 Why looking at the whole dog matters

Fascia is connected throughout the body, so changes in one area can influence how the rest of the body moves.

Something affecting the way a dog uses a paw or leg can potentially change how they load their body, which may then influence movement further up the chain — the hips, spine, neck and even the jaw.

This is why I think looking at the whole dog is so important rather than simply focusing on the area where we happen to notice a problem.

🟢 And what about helping a dog relax?

When we use appropriate movement, massage, bodywork, touch and a calm environment, we may be helping a dog become more comfortable and giving their nervous system an opportunity to settle.

You might see a dog sigh, yawn, shake, stretch, soften their expression or suddenly move more freely.

I think it’s important not to automatically label these things as the dog “releasing stored emotions” though.

Sometimes a yawn is just a yawn!

But they can be signs that the dog’s arousal level is changing and that they’re becoming more relaxed.

And that connection between the physical body and emotional state is something I find fascinating.

A dog that feels safer and more relaxed may move differently.

And a dog that feels physically more comfortable may also find it easier to relax.

So, is fascia actually storing memories and trauma?

I’m still not convinced.

But the relationship between stress, the nervous system, movement, pain and the fascial system is definitely a rabbit hole I’m enjoying exploring.

This is just my weekend reading and my current understanding — I’m happy to be challenged or pointed towards good research because I’m still learning! 🐾

Note :-
Those who are interested may like to read current journal by Kotler et al, 2026. “The Body Does Not Keep the Score” relating more to human field of trauma
⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2026.1812957/pdf

References / further reading

• Schleip, R. et al. — Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body
• Stecco, C. — Functional Atlas of the Human Fascial System
• Bordoni, B. & Simonelli, M. — research relating to fascia and the autonomic nervous system
• Travell & Simons — Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction

🟢 Pain, fascia, behaviour, and the nervous system…

This is something I’ve found myself thinking about more and more in practice recently.

I often say that I’m not a behaviourist or dog trainer, although I’ve completed a number of behaviour-related courses over the years. Behaviour is such a complex area, and I have huge respect for the people who work within it professionally.

One of the things I really value in this profession is being able to learn from others particularly veterinary behaviourists, trainers, vets, and rehabilitation professionals. Conversations with some incredibly knowledgeable people have made me increasingly interested in how pain, fascia, the nervous system, and behaviour may all influence one another in dogs.

For years I’ve heard phrases like “the body stores trauma” or “fascia holds emotional memory.” I’ve always been curious about how that might actually work physiologically, so I’ve spent quite a bit of time reading around the topic.

Recently I came across an interesting paper by Kotler, Mannino, Fox & Friston (2026):

📖 The body does not keep the score: trauma, predictive coding, and the restoration of metastability.

What I found particularly interesting was the idea that trauma may not literally be stored in tissue itself, but that the brain and nervous system can become locked into protective prediction patterns.

In very simple terms:
🐾 the brain begins expecting threat
🐾 the nervous system stays on alert
🐾 the body continues responding protectively, even when danger may no longer be present

Behaviourists
⬇️⬇️⬇️
When we think about anxious, reactive, hypervigilant, or chronically painful dogs, this starts to feel highly relevant.

Dogs living with pain, repeated discomfort, injury, chronic stress, or negative experiences may show:

• increased tension and muscle guarding
• altered posture and movement patterns
• exaggerated responses
• difficulty relaxing or settling
• avoidance behaviours
• persistent protective patterns long after healing has occurred

To me, this doesn’t lessen the importance of fascia or the body’s role in pain and behaviour, if anything, it reinforces how interconnected the nervous system and body really are.

Therapists
⬇️⬇️⬇️
In rehabilitation work, we regularly see how pain can influence behaviour, and equally how stress and behavioural state can influence pain, movement quality, posture, muscle tone, and recovery.

🟢can you help?

It’s an area I’d genuinely love to understand more deeply.

I’d be really interested to hear thoughts from:
🐾 veterinary behaviourists
🐾 accredited trainers
🐾 clinical animal behaviourists
🐾 rehabilitation professionals
🐾 vets involved in pain management

Especially around chronic pain, nervous system dysregulation, fascia, and behavioural presentation in dogs.

There’s still so much for all of us to learn together in order to better support dogs living with pain.

🟢 What Is Fascia?

Fascia is a three-dimensional, collagen-based connective tissue system that permeates the entire body. It surrounds and interpenetrates muscles, bones, organs, and nerves, serving both mechanical and communicative roles.

Key properties of fascia include:
• Tensile strength and adaptability
• Viscoelasticity—fascia can deform and return to shape depending on load and hydration
• Neural richness: Fascia contains a dense network of mechanoreceptors and nociceptors (Schleip et al., 2006)

🟢 The Neurology of Fascia

According to Schleip and colleagues (2006), fascia is more densely innervated than muscle tissue, especially by:
• Ruffini and Pacinian corpuscles (pressure/stretch sensors)
• Nociceptors (pain receptors)
• Interoceptors, which link fascia to emotional and autonomic regulation (Craig, 2002)

This explains why manipulating fascia can have immediate effects on pain modulation and parasympathetic activation—key components in trauma recovery and chronic pain management.

🟢 Fascia and Trauma

Fascia is believed to “record” physical and emotional stress through changes in tone, stiffness, and glide. Prolonged trauma—whether mechanical (injury, overuse) or psychological—leads to:
• Densification (Stecco et al., 2013)
• Neurological sensitisation
• Altered biomechanics and compensation patterns

Without intervention, these adaptations become chronic dysfunctions.

🟢 Why Skilled Fascia Work Matters

Releasing fascial tension is not simply about applying pressure—it requires clinical skill, palpatory sensitivity, and a deep understanding of fascia’s multidimensional behavior.

Effective myofascial work:
• Identifies and follows lines of tension—not just superficial restrictions
• Uses low-load, sustained techniques to engage tissue at a neurological level
• Responds to visceral, emotional, and somatic cues the body presents in real time

Only trained and experienced practitioners can accurately perceive and influence these patterns without causing reactive guarding or further sensitisation.

🟢 Advanced Myofascial Release in Practice

In equine and canine work, these techniques offer a significant advantage by:
✔️ Resolving deep fascial adhesions and densification
✔️ Addressing compensatory movement patterns
✔️ Supporting neurological regulation and parasympathetic shift
✔️ Helping animals with trauma histories restore postural and emotional balance

References:
• Schleip, R. et al. (2006). Fascia is richly innervated with sensory nerve endings. Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies.
• Stecco, C. et al. (2013). Fascial densification as a cause of musculoskeletal pain. Current Pain and Headache Reports.
• Craig, A.D. (2002). How do you feel? Interoception: the sense of the physiological condition of the body. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.