The Healing Touch of Dog Massage 

Should dogs be getting regular massages? Come explore the world of dog massage and Reiki with Jill Valuet, founder of Radiant Paws. Sit down with us as we discuss how to become a dog massage therapist, the benefits of bodywork for dogs, and how you can give your dog this same gift at home.  Jill provides insights into certification, practical tips, and the rewarding nature of working with dogs.

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TRANSCRIPT FOR SEASON 2, EPISODE 2 | The Healing Touch of Dog Massage 

[Music Playing]

Voiceover (00:00):

Welcome to The Matcha Guardians Podcast, brought to you by matcha.com. Here we focus on the biggest trending health topics of our time, featuring the greatest and upcoming wellness advocates. Now here are The Matcha Guardians, licensed dietitian, Diana Weil and medical journalist, Elara Hadjipateras.

Diana Weil (00:18):

Hello everyone. Welcome to this week's episode. We're excited to have you here.

Elara Hadjipateras (00:22):

Hello-hello. So, we have a very exciting guest joining us today. We have Jill Valuet, who is the owner of Radiant Paws and has been doing dog massage since 2018.

Radiant Paws is based in Ferndale, Michigan. Massage and reiki support any dog's overall wellness and is a gentle non-invasive technique, designed to work in conjunction with regular veterinary care.

It fills Jill with joy every day to bring relaxation and comfort to dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds. Jill, welcome to the podcast.

Jill Valuet (00:52):

Hello. Thank you for having me here.

Diana Weil (00:54):

We're so excited to speak with you about dog massage.

Jill Valuet (00:56):

Me too. I know most people don't realize it's a thing.

Diana Weil (01:00):

No. So, that's actually kind of where I want to start. Can you just share with us a little bit about your background and how you got into this field and what it is?

Jill Valuet (01:10):

So, my background has nothing to do with dogs. I've been a graphic designer most of my life. In 2017, I went freelance, and I got to a point where I wasn't as busy as I needed to be, but I didn't want to find more freelance work because I was feeling a little burnt out on it.

So, I was like, “Well, if I could do anything in the world, where do you even start with a new career?” And it was in my mid-40s too. So, this was a midlife career change. And I was like, “Well, I love dogs and I always have, so what can I do with them?”

So, I started researching different jobs that you could do with them. And of course there's the ones everybody knows, the groomers, the trainers, the dog walkers, all that stuff.

And then I found dog massage, and I'm in the Detroit area in Michigan. And I found a place in Toledo, Ohio that offered the certification. So, I figured why not? If I didn't like it, I could at least do it on my own dogs.

But it turns out even on the very first day that I was learning how to do it, I was like, “Oh, this is something I'm meant to do. This is going to be incredible.” So, I've been doing it ever since.

And to answer your question about what dog massage is, it's very similar to human massage. It helps to alleviate the aches and the pains. It helps with stress and anxiety. It helps speed up healing from injury and surgery. It can calm down the crazy puppy energy or the high energy that a lot of dogs have. And on perfectly healthy dogs it works as preventative care. So, it keeps them feeling incredible.

So, the one big difference between dog massage and human massage is as humans we need that deep tissue grind in there as much as you can for us to feel better. Dogs don't need that. They're built better than we are. So, it's a really light, gentle touch that they use.

Elara Hadjipateras (02:52):

How long did it take to get certified, and did you feel like you had a natural affinity at first? Like you've always been one of those people, say when you go to the dog park, all the dogs run towards you and just say, “Hey, come on, give me a nice scratch on the head.”

Jill Valuet (03:03):

Yes, and I'm a natural empath, so that led to a lot of the dogs loving me as well because I just kind of put out that energy that dogs respond really well to. So, the class itself was it was hands-on for a week and then it was at a very extensive home study that I had up to six months to finish.

So, that was for the foundational level. And then I went back for a more advanced level class that was a similar setup. That was one week hands-on, and then six months at my own pace to learn more about the energy work and just deeper techniques and that kind of thing.

Elara Hadjipateras (03:37):

What lucky dogs you have, I'm sure that they were your main practice pups, right?

Jill Valuet (03:40):

They were for sure. Yes.

Elara Hadjipateras (03:43):

How many dogs do you have and what types?

Jill Valuet (03:45):

I currently have two. Raleigh is my older dog. He's a Portidoodle, which is a Portuguese Water Dog Poodle Mix. And he is just under three-years-old and he's a rescue. And when he came to us about a year ago, he was terrified of everything. He didn't even know how to be a dog. So, massage and reiki were great ways to earn his trust and help him relax and just help him realize how happy and carefree he could be.

And my other dog is Ziggy and he's a Cavapoo. So, he's a King Charles Spaniel Toy Poodle Mix. And he's about nine months old. So, lots of crazy puppy energy with him. And he's also a rescue, but we got him early enough that he wasn't traumatized. So, he's just your happy, healthy, crazy puppy.

Diana Weil (04:31):

Aw, so cute. You've got your hands full.

Jill Valuet (04:33):

I do, I do. But they're best friends, so it works out really well.

Diana Weil (04:37):

So, you describe yourself as dog massage and reiki. Can you tell us about the reiki, what reiki is and that aspect of it?

Jill Valuet (04:45):

Yes. It's a Japanese technique. Reiki translates, loosely, to a universal energy or God energy. Some people say that. And it's the concept that we're all connected with the same kind of energy and that the earth and the sky in particular, the sun and the moon have an overabundance of energy that we can tap into at any time.

So, with reiki, I will tap into the earth's energy, pull it up into myself, and then out my hands into the dog. And the most wonderful thing about it is that it doesn't have to be hands on. So, whereas massage is hands on, I do have to physically touch the dog, with reiki, you can do it over distance. I don't tend to do that, but I tend to be at least in the same room with the dog.

So, it works really well, especially for dogs that have stranger danger or are really aggressive or are really scared. It's a good way to just slowly introduce what I do to them, and it'll help calm them down.

So, the reiki, I liken it to charging up a dog's battery. I'm not giving them my energy. I'm channeling the earth energy through me into them and recharging them and it helps them to relax and calm down. It speeds up healing as well. And it's just a really good way to remind a dog that they are connected to the earth and that they have that energy that they can tap into themselves at any time, and it can help them feel better.

So, it works really well on anxious dogs because it gives them something to do with that crazy energy.

Elara Hadjipateras (06:13):

I have a very anxious puppy. Diana has also an anxious puppy, but I'd say that she's gotten much better. I mean, Harley, Diana's husband's been really good at working with her as far as working through her anxiety. Versus my dog Alby, if I kind of hijack a little bit from my personal pursuits here for my pup, he's about a year and a half.

And he had an incident when he was four months old where a couple fireworks went off around him and it scared him so bad. Fireworks continued going off for another 10 hours and then perpetually since that point he's become more and more scared of everything. Even seeing a light, or smelling, cooking burnt toast to just loud noises and construction. He goes and runs in the other room and shakes.

So, one of my questions to you is, how often do you need to be working with them to see results? How many sessions would you do of reiki massage and then regular massage to really see results?

Jill Valuet (07:08):

It really depends on the dogs. I have had some that have had immediate response, like after the very first session, the owners can see a difference. And I have other dogs where it's taken 6 to 12 sessions before you really see it.

So, it really depends on what the dog is picking up. But in an instance like yours where they're so reactive, if you know that there's something coming, you know there's a storm coming or you know the fireworks are coming, you can do massage or energy work on your dog beforehand to calm them down.

Any kind of touch you can do while it's going on is going to help because they're going to pull their cues from you. So, if you're nice and calm and relaxed, it can help them too, or you can do a quick grounding on them if you're familiar with that.

Elara Hadjipateras (07:47):

No, what would that — so, give me an example of what that would entail. Grounding.

Jill Valuet (07:51):

So, grounding is a type of energy work. With us, what we do is again, we tap into that earth energy, we pull it up into our bodies and we kind of flush everything back into the earth. The earth can take it, we can throw anything at her that we want and she's going to take it.

So, all that stress and anxiety that we feel, you can literally just picture it draining from your head down to your feet into the ground and then pulling that good calming energy up into your body. And you can do the same with the dog.

So, what you do with the dog is you pull that energy again into yourself, start with their head and you can run your hands along their head, down the sides of their body, down each of the four limbs and envision that energy, the anxiety draining out of them into the earth. And then filling them back up with that good calming stuff.

They could learn to do that themselves if you do it often enough. Your touch with them helps to calm them down and it's a good reminder for them that, “Yeah, I don't have to hold on to this. I can let it go.” So, grounding is a really quick way you can help calm them down.

Diana Weil (08:53):

That is so interesting. This is not to do with dogs, but my husband just got bees. We have a hive of bees now.

Jill Valuet (09:03):

It will work with them too.

Elara Hadjipateras (09:04):

Oh, you got the bees?

Diana Weil (09:05):

Yes, we have bees.

Elara Hadjipateras (09:07):

Did he capture the-

Diana Weil (09:08):

He got a wild swarm of bees.

Jill Valuet (09:11):

That’s awesome.

Diana Weil (09:12):

Yes. And it was so funny because I was standing out there and I'm not … there are some people who are terrified of bees, and I feel like those are the people who always get stung by bees. And I was out there, and I mean there's literally thousands of bees when they were moving into their hive. There are thousands of bees swarming around.

And I had this moment of just a little bit of fear and anxiety, and I really had to ground myself. I had to calm myself down, ground myself because I felt like if I started getting really anxious that the bees would sense that and that's when I was going to get stung.

So, that's what was kind of going through my mind when you were talking about grounding yourself. And for sure, I mean I think animals are so sensitive to those types of energy.

Jill Valuet (09:52):

You could do the same with the bees. If they're all anxious, you could just run that same kind of energy on them to help them calm down.

Diana Weil (09:58):

So interesting. Okay, after this, I'm going to go outside and stand next to the bees.

Jill Valuet (10:03):

But again, like you just said, animals are so in tune with our emotions that anything that we're feeling, they're feeling too. So, if you have an anxious and stressed dog, the first thing I tell people is to make sure you're taking care of yourself because they're going to pick up.

Diana Weil (10:15):

Yeah. So, what tips do you have for someone who is like, “I have no idea what grounding means. How do I even ground myself into the earth's energy?”

Jill Valuet (10:23):

It’s a lot like what I just said. So, a really quick one that I do is just close my eyes. I take a couple of really deep breaths and I just picture that I'm sinking right into that earth, sinking through all the layers down to the very core.

There's a lot of different ways you can do it and none of them are wrong. But the way that I like to envision it is that there's this cave in the center of the earth that's filled with all these wonderful crystals and there's one in particular that resonates with you.

So, you kind of plug into that kind of an avatar where they plug into everything. And once you're plugged into that crystal that it will just pulse that energy back to you and back through you.

And you just imagine that filling you up and connecting with the sky and the earth energy so that you create this channel between the heavens and the earth, with your body and it just washes you clean of all that anxiety that you're feeling and that stress and it's just a really good meditative quick way to what you're feeling and just calm yourself down and feel better, feel more grounded.

So, just pull that energy up and down a couple times, release it, let it back into your earth. Couple deep breaths and you're good to go.

Diana Weil (11:30):

Can you do it in your house or do you have to be outside barefoot? Can you do it on the third-floor apartment?

Jill Valuet (11:36):

You can do it on an airplane, you can do it anywhere. Yep.

Elara Hadjipateras (11:40):

Do you ever do remote dog reiki work? Say I brought Albert over here and you were FaceTiming.

Jill Valuet (11:48):

I have in the past. I don't offer it as a service. And the only reason I don't is because it's a tough sell. Most people don't really understand reiki and what it is and there's no way to prove to them that I am doing it and that they're going to get the results that they expect to get. It's a lot easier to do that in person when I can more thoroughly explain it and then actually physically work on the dog too.

But anybody can learn how to do it. It's not a secret, it's not hard to learn or anything. It's very common. There's a lot of reiki teachers around everywhere that can help teach you. Plus, you could do it online too. So, it's something that anybody can learn.

Elara Hadjipateras (12:25):

And Jill, is there any sort of surveying process you go through? So, a dog comes in for the first time where you kind of do a scan to figure out where they might be holding onto their stress and anxiety because maybe that varies from dog to dog.

Jill Valuet (12:39):

It absolutely does. So, the first thing I do is talk to the owner, tell me about your dog. Tell me about any aches and pains they have, any health issues, any concerns you've got.

And then the next thing I will do is watch how the dog walks. Because that will tell me a lot too, just by are they limping, are they holding something too stiff? Are they loose and relaxed?

And then I start every massage whether I'm doing just massage or massage and reiki combined, there's always a little bit of energy work in everything. And one of the first things I do is put my hands on a dog in certain spots on their body to just run that energy and see what I feel.

And a lot of times I'll feel hot and cold spots on them, which means there's something there. Inflammation is hot and blockages and the energy can be cold. They can also be hot.

And then also I do use the energy to just kind of feel around the dog's body to see if there's anything that they're sensitive to, anything they react to. And the reactions are super, super subtle. So, unless you know what to look for, most people aren't going to see them.

Because it's really just lip licking or yawning. That's the only reaction you'll get with the energy, if something doesn't feel right on a dog. Start every session with that so that I can kind of get a feel from the very beginning, where are the areas I need to work on.

And the wonderful thing about reiki and any kind of energy work is that, okay, let's say for instance a dog's got hip dysplasia. So, we know that those hips are damaged and they're in pain. A dog may not want me to touch that area because it might be sensitive.

I can work on any other part of their body, especially when I'm running the energy. And they will feel relief in that area because they're so well connected and it kind of vibrates through their fascia system.

So, they just get the healing they need, and the energy is going to go where it's needed most, not where I think it needs. So, it might be like, I think they need it in their hips, but nope, really, they've got something going on in their head. So, the energy's going to go there instead. So, which is nice.

Elara Hadjipateras (14:34):

I had a dog, or my family had a dog who was very nervous, and we ended up having to rehome him sadly, just because he had some incidents where he displayed aggression. And my mom brought in- and I remember all these different specialists and I think one of them was a dog masseuse.

And she mentioned to my mom that a technique that she could use to calm him down was just kind of bringing her hand and not too much pressure as you said, it was lighter pressure and kind of rubbing him back and forth on the shoulder.

What are other little techniques you have for as far as where you can touch a very nervous dog in a new social setting? Are there specific places where you should touch the dog? Is there truth to that?

Jill Valuet (15:16):

Yes. Especially if this is your dog and you know them well enough to know what spots they love, if it's the butt scratches or the head scratches, the ears. Dogs, if they like having their ears touched, that's a wonderful spot to help relax them. Especially under the base of the ears.

Another really good spot is right on their chest because they've got something called the thymus gland there. And when you tap that, it releases endorphins. So, it can help them to get that feel good feeling and be like, “I don't have to feel anxious. Everything feels really good right now,” just by tapping that gently.

And the other thing you can do are scratches. If your dog's really nervous, do very gentle scratches. You're not pressing hard; you're not doing it hard enough that you're leaving marks. It's like super, super light.

Go with the grain of the fur. If they're super anxious, go with the grain of their fur, that's going to be very calming and soothing, and you can do that all over their body.

Diana Weil (16:08):

So, what's the difference between me just loving on my dog and having morning snuggles and petting them versus a massage?

Jill Valuet (16:15):

That's a good question because massage is petting with intention, really. To people who don't know what I'm doing, it looks like I'm petting your dog for a half hour, which is awesome. But it's not, it's like I know where the muscle structure is, I know what arthritis feels like, I know what the inflammation feels like and stuff. So, I'm using my hands to kind of manipulate those areas and very gently release it.

Whereas when you're just petting, you're just petting, you're still going to have benefit. Absolutely. By all means, pet your dog as much as you want to, and they're going to get some massage benefits. But when you get an actual professional massage done, it's much more focused.

And the other thing is too is a lot of us, when we're just petting our dogs, it's for a couple minutes. It's 5, 10 minutes while we're laying with them. A massage is a dedicated half hour or hour of this petting with intention.

Elara Hadjipateras (17:04):

So, how often do you usually work with clients? So, you do a 30-minute massage once a week, is it bi-weekly? What's kind of the optimum amount of time?

Jill Valuet (17:12):

It depends on the dog. Yeah. I have clients that I see every week, ones I see every other week. Ones I see once a month. And I have one dog I see twice a week. She's got pretty severe arthritis and a neuropathy issue. And so, in order to keep her walking, we do an hour-long massage twice a week. And that seems to be the good fit for her.

For most clients, I would say every other week is really good. If they've got a lot of pain or anxiety, then I recommend once a week. But every other week is a good base for most dogs, but they're still going to get that even from once a month. Especially if a dog is perfectly healthy, once a month is great.

Diana Weil (17:50):

Will you tell us some success stories? What changes have you seen in dogs from this?

Jill Valuet (17:54):

Absolutely. The dog I just mentioned, the one I see twice a week, when she first came to me, they had just diagnosed this neuropathy issue and her back legs kind of cross like this when she walks and she's walking like this on her paws, rather like this on her back paws. So, they actually curl under.

So, she was having a really hard time getting up and down. And I think she's about a 65-pound Golden Retriever. And the owners had taken her to different vets to get different opinions and they're like, “Well, we can keep her comfortable, but there's not a whole lot more we can do.”

So, they brought her to me thinking, well just for whatever time she's got left, let's just keep her comfortable and as mobile as we can. And at that point I was working on her once a week and within three months they told me that they had seen a huge improvement in her, and she wasn't crossing her legs as much.

Her doggy daycare said she was playing like a puppy again. She was actually jumping around, and this was almost three years ago that I started working on her and I'm still seeing her. So, now, like I said, we're up to twice a week, but it's still working.

She's still feeling great. She's still able to walk around and get up and down on her own and she's on — everything that I do should be done with veterinary care as well. So, she's seeing her vet regularly, she's getting the arthritis shot. That's been a wonderful thing for dogs. She's on other medication as she needs it. So, it's not just the massage, but that's helping to keep her mobile.

Diana Weil (19:20):

That's incredible.

Jill Valuet (19:20):

Yeah. And then the other story that I love to tell people is when a client told me I saved his dog's life because he had a Great Pyrenees, which if you're not familiar, is a very big dog. This dog I think was like 140 pounds and he was older-

Elara Hadjipateras (19:34):

Big, beautiful dog.

Jill Valuet (19:35):

Yes, big. And they're so lovable too. He was 10 or 11. And his human called me on a Friday afternoon all in a panic because he had taken the dog to get groomed. And when he went to pick him up, the dog couldn't stand up.

The groomer's like, “I'm not sure what happened, but he can't stand on his own.” And again, 140-pound dog, this is really hard for anybody to get to pick up and carry around. So, the human was a bigger guy so he could pick up the dog and take him home.

But he contacted me right away and was like, “What can I do?” And of course, on a Friday I was actually out of town. I'm like, “I'm back on Monday. I can come see you Monday, but in the meantime, here's a couple of techniques you can try.”

And so, he did the techniques that we talked about. And so, by the time I went to see him on Monday, the dog could get up and down on his own, but he wasn't walking. So they were having to carry him in and out of the house just to go to the bathroom.

So, they brought me in on Monday and I did an hour-long massage on him, and his back legs were so tight. We still don't know exactly what happened. He took him to the vet, but the vet wasn't sure either.

And by the end of the hour-long session, he could walk again, and he continued to walk, and he continued to do it on his own. And that's when his human owner was like, “You saved his life because I was preparing my kids all weekend that we were going to have to put him down, but now we've got more time with him.”

And he ended up living for I think another 10 months. Yeah. And again, I was seeing him every other week at that point. So, it was wonderful. I love hearing stories like this.

And I love hearing stories … I have another client that's a real spicy little dog, he's some kind of little Chihuahua mix and he's the cutest little thing. He's got these ears that make him look like the Flying Nun. He's so cute.

But he's got some serious anger issues. He bites his owner, he's feisty, he doesn't want people touching him. But when I come over to do massage, he's rolling on his back, exposing his belly, he's jumping up on me, giving me kisses. He's never bit me.

So, as soon as he sees me, he's like, “Oh, I know you, this is going to be fun.” And he just calms right down. So, it's wonderful to see what massage could do for pups.

Elara Hadjipateras (21:46):

Well Jill, I know one of the ways, the way we connected with you for this podcast was our amazing producer Jon, who has a dog named Jules. Maybe Jon can pop on here to kind of tell a little bit more of Jules’ stories. But we have witnessed Jules right after a massage and she looked very relaxed and happy.

Jon Gay (22:06):

Absolutely. So, I connected with Jill on another podcast that I do for a local chamber of commerce. And I'd never really heard of dog massage, but Jules, who is somewhere on the floor behind me, she has hip issues, a little bit of beginnings of hip dysplasia like Jill was talking about earlier.

And I didn't really know — we weren't quite sure what to do. She's now 10. Jill's been coming for, I want to say six months now? We're like, “Well, we want to prolong her life obviously, we want to avoid any kind of hip replacement down the road if that's coming down the road.

She came from a bad situation in another state, and we adopted her at the beginning of COVID in 2020 when she was six, we knew she had some hip issues.

And so, when Jill comes and Jill comes for us, she comes once a month and she comes for about an hour. And I remember one of the first times Jill was here, she said, “You probably don't need to take her for a walk in the afternoon because this will release enough endorphins that she'll get the same effect.”

Well, Jill left. And I looked at Jules and said, “You want to go for a walk?” She was shot out of a cannon. It was unbelievable. She was tearing it up. She'd been a little bit slower lately. I think she might have had some stiffness or whatever.

And she was ready to rock and roll. And she is every single time that Jill comes over and pays us a house call. And I have to say to Jill's point earlier about being intuitive with what's going on with the dogs, Jules had a shoulder injury I want to say about a month or so ago. And we ended up having to treat it with the doggy version of ibuprofen or whatever it was.

But Jill happened to be coming the next week and she was able to feel where the issue was in Jules’ shoulder, but at the same time know that it was healing, and it was getting better.

And then same thing as she mentioned earlier, with her hips where I think, correct me if I'm wrong here, Jill, but Jules has very sensitive hips. So, Jill would start elsewhere and sort of work at the top and sort of work her way down and get her relaxed to the point where she could work on her hips.

Jill Valuet (24:01):

Yes, yeah. Absolutely. I never start where it hurts. I start where they feel good and make my way to where it hurts. Because if you just start right where it hurts, and especially if it's a brand-new dog, they're like, “Whoa, what are you doing here? I don't like this. I don't trust you, go away.”

So, by earning their trust first, because unfortunately since we don't speak the same language, I can't tell Jules what I'm about to do. All I can do is show her. So, I start very gentle and slow, and I start with what I know doesn't hurt. And then before I move to them.

Jon Gay (24:28):

You say you don't speak the same language, but you get tail wags and butt wiggles the second you come to the front door where I say, “Who’s here?!” And she pops right up. So, yes, you speak some of the same language.

Jill Valuet (24:38):

They definitely remember me and know who I am. That's for sure.

Diana Weil (24:42):

Jill, do results vary? If you kick Jon out of the room, what do you do about the owners? Do owners get to stay? Do results vary if they're there versus not there?

Jill Valuet (24:56):

It's up to the owner and the dog and it varies across the board. Jules is much better if Jon's in the room because she is so attached to him. She wants to be wherever he is. And that's totally fine. I have no problem at all with owners being in the room with the massage.

And in fact, if they are, I'm happy to show them some of what I do so that they can do it on their dogs when I'm not there. There are other dogs that won't relax if their owner is in the room, so the owner has to leave, so I've got both. So, it depends on the dog.

Elara Hadjipateras (25:25):

Jon, do you do any techniques in between the month-long sessions with Jules to optimize the results at all?

Jon Gay (25:31):

Off the top of my head, I've seen the way Jill will sort of tap along her spine, along her back. I'll try to do some of that. For the most part I'm just kind of giving her those ear scratches and head scratches and things like that.

But I'll try to take a little bit of a cue from Jill of very light touch in different areas and I try to pay attention to what Jill's doing. But for the most part, I kind of leave it to the expert.

Elara Hadjipateras (25:55):

Now what about working with, you mentioned you have the little Chihuahua who's an aggressive dog. Have you ever tried working with a really aggressive dog that you just couldn't work on?

Jill Valuet (26:06):

Not to the point where I couldn't work on them, but I have worked on aggressive breeds. I've worked on Malinois, which if you're familiar with them, the Belgian Malinois, they can be very, very spicy. And same with the Chihuahuas, they can be as well.

And that's where it really comes in handy, where I can start off very slowly and hands off and get them used to me before I touch them. And I will always, always talk to the owner about what's the best way to enter the house, what's the best way to greet the dog.

I have a client who's a King Shepherd and when I enter the house I have to not look at the dog and just interact with the owner for a few minutes and the dog knows who I am now, she remembers me, but still it's just what makes her most comfortable is to not pay any attention to her until I've been in the house for a couple minutes.

Like I said, I will work with the owner. What's the best way to approach your dog? Is there anything they don't like having touched? Some dogs like my little spicy Chihuahua mix, having his ears as cute as they are, if you touch his ears, he gets mad.

So, okay, we won't touch the ears, no problem. So, it's just getting to know what triggers them and how to avoid that and just show them what I'm here for. And so, I've had dogs that are aggressive, but they see me, and they know me. And so, once I come in and we start working, they're like, “Oh yeah, I can relax, this is fine. She's not a threat.”

Elara Hadjipateras (27:19):

Is there anything you tell, I should call it the clients…owners...iI there anything you tell your clients/ owners that they should do to prepare before you come for a massage? Should it be on an empty stomach? Should it be on a full stomach? Should they have treats on hand?

Jill Valuet (27:33):

Yeah, I would say not an empty stomach. It's good for them to have a little bit of food in their system because dogs on an empty stomach can be so … especially if they're food motivated. They might be distracted and be like, “No, it's dinner time. Get away from me.”

You can feed them right before; it doesn't matter if they've got a full stomach. It's good if they've gone outside and gone to the bathroom because just like human massage, this gets everything moving in their body.

And so, I will tell clients that after a session, the dogs are likely to be thirsty and they're going to have to go to the bathroom within like a half hour. So, it's good if they can do some of that beforehand too, so that they're prepped and ready.

But other than that, that's really all that needs to be done. Like I said, it's super gentle and non-invasive, so it doesn't really require a lot of prep work, which is nice.

Diana Weil (28:13):

The next time I get mad, I'm only referring to myself as being spicy instead of angry. I love that. I know my husband tells me that I'm being annoying. I'm being “spicy.” So, you know how humans hold, we hold tension in our shoulders and our jaw. Do dogs tend to hold tension in specific areas as well?

Jill Valuet (28:35):

Not just tension, but emotion. So, they can hold memories of their past. Especially the rescue dogs that have come from a more questionable background. They can hold that trauma in their body, so they can hold the — sometimes that's why they're so stressed and anxious is because they're still holding onto that.

So, absolutely, a lot of dogs will hold it in their shoulders and their thighs. So, those muscles can be really tight, which can then impact their walking, especially if they've got arthritis or are kind of heading towards that way where they could get arthritis, it can bring it on faster.

So, the massage is a great way to just gently help them release that. And it helps them to release the emotions too. I had a Great Dane client once who was a rescue and I was massaging her shoulder and all of a sudden, I started crying because there was something in her body that she was carrying right there, and I was working on it to help her let it go. And it was going through me. So, because of that energy connection.

And so, it's really fascinating to be working on a dog and hit something like that. I've hit happy memories too. There was another client I had where I forget what kind of dog it was. It was some kind of Lab mix where all of a sudden, I was just overwhelmed with the smell of the ocean and like the feel of sun and sand on my face and my paws.

That's what it felt like and it's like, “Okay, this is a happy memory they've got stored somewhere here so we can keep that one. Let's spread that energy through the rest of their body.”

So, another big one is grief. Dogs grieve just like we do. And so, a lot of times people will come to me after they've lost one of their dogs because their other dog is depressed and they're storing that in their body so massage can help them to just let go of all that.

It's okay, you don't have to carry this, doesn't mean you're not feeling it, it just means you don't have to hold onto it and cause yourself physical issues from these emotions.

Elara Hadjipateras (30:30):

That's amazing. Especially the feeling it in your paws, right? That's-

Jill Valuet (30:35):

Right. Yeah. That's a weird sensation, but-

Elara Hadjipateras (30:37):

Very cool. Would you say that there are certain breeds that you've worked at that tend to respond better than others?

Jill Valuet (30:44):

I wouldn't necessarily say breeds. It varies dog to dog. I mean I've had clients as little — my spicy client is five pounds, and my biggest client was 150 pounds and they all have similar issues and so it really doesn't matter what the breed is. It varies per dog.

Elara Hadjipateras (31:03):

Now, say if they have long fluffy hair and this huge coat that in my mind it's kind of harder to work through versus say a Beagle that has a smooth short-haired coat. But I guess that makes no difference, right?

Jill Valuet (31:14):

No, it's not really harder to work on different breeds. It's different. I mean for sure, I used to have a Samoyed, so I'm very familiar with the dogs that have those double coats and like that Great Pyrenees I mentioned.

And yeah, you have to push in a little harder to get to them, but it's still the same techniques and same kind of work that you're doing with other breeds, so-

Diana Weil (31:36):

Okay. So, let's say that you've got an hour-long massage with a dog and that dog cannot sit still for an hour. What do you do and/or if you are massaging a dog and does it ever happen where the dog gets up and moves away and goes lays down somewhere else?

Jill Valuet (31:53):

Yes. Yes, to both. Normally if a dog won't sit down for a full hour, that's one of the things I talk about the owner first and be like, “Okay, maybe we try the half hour to start with and see how they go.”

Most dogs, once they understand what I'm doing, they will sit and relax for as long as I'm going to work on them and they would be there for far longer than a half hour or an hour, if I was so willing.

I have had a couple of dogs that get up and move around. There are times, especially if I'm coming in to treat — not treat, but if I'm coming into work on anxiety or high energy or puppies, they'll run around. So, I like to be in a space that's at least somewhat contained so that I'm not chasing them around the entire house the whole time.

But usually once they understand what's going on and sometimes that can take a couple sessions, then no matter how high energy they are, they're super excited to see me. They calm down for however long I'm there and then they're super excited when we're done, which is great.

Jon Gay (32:51):

If I could jump back in here for a second. What we end up doing with Jules is Jules has her spot on the couch and Jill will work on one side and we get to about the 30-minute mark and we're about halfway, in order to get Jules to turn around so Jill can work on the other side, I have to go get a cookie out of the kitchen and bring her a Milk Bone.

And that gets her up to go get the milk bone and that gets her turned around so then Jill can work on the other side.

Diana Weil (33:16):

And what about, if you're ever working on dogs, do they ever get up and move away from you as if like, can you ever tell that they're done?

Jill Valuet (33:22):

Yes. And if that happens, I respect that. This is their massage, this is their time, and if they're not ready for it, then I have to respect that, or they're not going to relax and enjoy it. So, if that does happen, it happens very, very rarely.

I've only had it happen a handful of times, then I will say that to the owner, say, “Hey look, they don't want to be here for this whole time. We can either do longer next time or we can reduce the rate and adjust it accordingly, whatever works best for your schedule kind of thing.”

But it's pretty rare. Most dogs love the attention. I always ask the dog's permission before I start. It's not a vocal thing. Jon's probably never heard me do it.

But when I come in and greet the dog, I will often say, “Are you ready for a massage today?” And most of the time it's out loud, sometimes it's not. And I wait for the dog to answer that because they will, because they'll sense my energy, they'll know what I'm asking.

If they're happy and excited and leaning into me and making eye contact and licking me and tail wagging, then yeah, they're ready for it. If they walk away from me, if they won't look at me, if they move into a different room, then today's not the day. But it's very rare that that happens.

Elara Hadjipateras (34:26):

When that has happened, was something going on with the dog? Were they sick? Did they have some sort of pet injury where they did kind of say, “No, I'm not ready for the massage?”

Jill Valuet (34:35):

Yeah, either they were feeling too much pain that day or I had one client that was more cat-like and only wanted to be pat on his terms. And that day was not that day for him. So, we had to do it a different day. We know when he was more ready for it.

Diana Weil (34:49):

Do you work with cats or other animals?

Jill Valuet (34:52):

I don't. In theory I can, everything that I do works on any animal, works on birds, it works on reptiles, works on anything.

In reality with cats, a lot of cats tend to get overstimulated easily, so I can't sit with them for a half hour without getting bit and scratched because they're overstimulated. So, that's why I don't offer it on them, I just do dogs.

But dog massage started out as horse massage and then people realized it worked great on horses. Maybe it works on dogs too. And so, that's how they started realizing that oh yeah, dogs could benefit from this just like horses and just like humans.

Diana Weil (35:27):

And do people do this on like snakes and frogs and-

Jill Valuet (35:29):

Yep.

Elara Hadjipateras (35:31):

Wow.

Diana Weil (35:32):

Fascinating.

Elara Hadjipateras (35:33):

It's amazing.

Jill Valuet (35:33):

You can do it on anything. In fact, I've gone to the zoo and been like, “Okay, can I just run energy on this animal and see how it feels and what they do.” And yeah, sure enough, they're like, “Okay, bring it on.”

Elara Hadjipateras (35:43):

That's very cool. Do you ever work with say two dogs at the same time? Like one hand on each dog to kind of help them create a better energy connection and specifically what comes to mind is say a family has one dog and they're trying to introduce another dog to the family and they're kind of having troubles and maybe you come in as the medium and you're like, “Okay guys, get on the same page here.”

Jill Valuet (36:04):

I haven't had that specific incident happen, but I have had where it is a new dog and they have me work on the old dog to kind of help calm them down and get them used to the idea of having this new dog come in.

And I have had it happen where I'm working on a dog, but the owner has more than one dog and another dog will come up to me while I'm working. So, it kind of divides your focus a little bit, but I project the energy into the room.

So, while I am working on this dog here, this dog's going to be getting some of that energy too. And so are the humans. So, I prefer to just focus on one dog at a time. But you can do.

Elara Hadjipateras (36:41):

Jon, since you're in the room during Jules massages, do you also feel relaxed afterwards from the energy in the room?

Jon Gay (36:47):

I think so. It's funny because Jill and I'll often make a lot of small talk while she's here and she's working on Jules, but sometimes we're just quiet because she's working on Jules and I'm sitting there, and I think I'm feeling that energy in the room too.

I'll say as your producer, so I don't have to remind the two of you to say it. As a callback, we had two very related episodes in our first season of The Matcha Guardians, one on dogs and one on energy. So, we'll link those in the show notes if you want to go back and check those out as well.

Diana Weil (37:16):

Yeah, absolutely. You know what I want… You know how you can do couples massages with your partner? I want a dog couples massage. I want my two dogs-

Jill Valuet (37:24):

You know what, I've talked to a couple different human massage therapists about doing just that. It's just a matter of finding the space that will allow dogs and just setting up a day to do it. But I think that's awesome. I would love to do a doggy and me pamper day kind of thing.

Elara Hadjipateras (37:40):

That would be amazing. I totally agree. Can it be doggy mommy pampering and also have babysitting so we — just everything all in one. (Laughter) Did we just come up with a new business? What about, have you ever done any sort of a puppy party?

Jill Valuet (37:55):

I haven't but that would be so much fun. Or in the puppy yoga and stuff too, that would be so much fun. Yeah, I haven't done that yet though. I have set up at dog events, there's a lot of drinking with the dog events around the Detroit area and I have set up at a couple of those where people can come and just do a quick 5 or 10 minute session while they're there.

But it could be a little challenging because there's a lot of activity going on, but it's super fun.

Diana Weil (38:18):

So, Jill, it sounds like for the most part, someone who would seek you out or seek out dog massage is someone who has a dog with arthritis or who's an older dog, who else would benefit from a dog massage besides a dog that's dealing with hip dysplasia or arthritis?

Jill Valuet (38:34):

Right. My standard answer is every dog, most of my clients are senior dogs because people understand how that works and how that can help them because it does reduce the aches and pains and the inflammation and helps mobility.

But it helps any kind of dog in any stage of their life. Let's start with puppies. Have you ever seen the x-ray of a puppy? Their bones aren't connected. They look like they're just floating within the dog's body.

Massaging a puppy can help those bones and ligaments to form correctly and fill in correctly. So, especially on a breed like a German Shepherd that you know is prone to hip dysplasia, massaging the puppy, starting as a puppy can set them up for better success in life and it can help give the owners a break from the crazy puppy energy.

And a half hour or full hour massage is the equivalent of a half hour walk. So, it disperses some of that energy. So, you get a tired dog afterward with most people. Not with everybody, like Jules.

So, like I said, so it helps with a lot of different things with puppies. It helps dogs that just have that stress and anxiety that just do not know how to calm down. Again, I tell the humans, start with themselves and then we work on the dog.

I've seen it do wonderful things where this dog is no longer as spicy, as crazy, as anxious, as scared. It's done wonders on my scaredy cat dog. It's, it's helped him realize that nope, he doesn't have to freak out every time he hears a sound. It's okay. If I don't react, he doesn't have to react. That kind of thing.

And it's also good for dogs recovering from surgery or illness. It can help, especially the reiki that speeds up the healing process. I like to tell people about my own experience with that, with a Samoyed that I used to have, well actually I had a Samoyed and a Toy Poodle.

So, I think this happened with the Toy Poodle that they tore their ACL, so we had to do that ACL surgery, which is not fun. It's an expensive surgery, it's a three-month recovery and in the first two weeks are very critical to make sure everything is healing up correctly.

And so, I don't do massage right after a surgery. I like to wait two weeks until the vet has cleared the dog to be like, “Yep, it's okay to start doing minimal activity.” But I did run the energy on, so I just ran energy on him every day.

Sometimes it would be just five minutes at a time. Other times it would be 20 or 30 minutes. And when I took my Toy Poodle in for his checkup, his two-week checkup, the vet was like … the surgeon I should say. She was like — she came back with this really weird look on her face and she's like, “He's healing up really well. Like almost too well.”

And I was like, “Well I'm running energy on him every day. And she's like, “Well, keep it up because it's working.” So, it was a really nice kind of validation to hear from this surgeon that, “Oh yeah, this energy is doing its thing, so do it.”

And I've had that success with other clients as well that it speeds up when a dog can start walking again and start playing again and that kind of thing from a surgery.

But dog massage also works on perfectly healthy dogs. I liken it to an apple a day keeps the doctor away. If we're doing regular care on our dogs, it works as preventative care. It helps to slow down the progression of anything that's going to happen down the road.

So, again, like I say, I use the Shepherd a lot because everybody knows they're prone to hip dysplasia. If you massage a dog early enough in their life, it can push back when that arthritis is going to set in, and it slows down its progression when it does set in.

And on healthy dogs, it helps prevent minor aches and pains from turning into major ones. So, little minor tears or bruises or things before it turns into a full ACL tear. You can kind of work on it and heal it up a little bit.

Elara Hadjipateras (42:11):

You're making me feel guilty about not having a dog masseuse in my life for my dogs. I feel like I need it. My 11-and-a-half-year-old who has hip dysplasia. 

Jill Valuet (42:21):

Yeah, no kidding. The other thing is that if I'm seeing a dog regularly, I will notice changes in them. I will notice if there's a stiffness that wasn't there before or a lump or an ear infection or an open wound, I've found all kinds of crazy things in paws that caused limps.

Now I can't diagnose anything because I'm not a vet and I don't have that training, but I can point it out to the owner and say, “Hey, this doesn't look right. You might need to take your dog into your vet and see what's going on.”

And so, I've had owners come back to me and be like, “Thank you so much. We had an infection going on, we didn't know it.”

Diana Weil (42:55):

I'm really ready for this mommy and me doggy massage.

Elara Hadjipateras (42:59):

The mommy and me daycare doggy center.

Diana Weil (43:01):

Yes. Yes. I want it.

Jill Valuet (43:04):

I like it.

Elara Hadjipateras (43:05):

So, if I want to find a dog masseuse in my area, how would I go about doing it besides just, would it just be Google?

Jill Valuet (43:11):

Yeah, unfortunately there's not one great dedicated website for it yet. So, I have had a lot of clients that have found me through Google searches. So, that's what I would do is just search for a dog massage in your area, take a look at their website, they should list what kind of certifications and training they have.

So, as long as they've got some kind of certification in training, then they're likely a reputable place. So, go ahead and contact them.

They're going to be different in every state. Every state has different rules. In Michigan it's a little flexible because there's not a lot of rules in place yet because dog massage is so new. So, in other areas you have to have very specific kind of trainings. So, if you're aware of what kind of trainings you need, you can look for that too.

Diana Weil (43:50):

Should we become dog masseuses?

Jill Valuet (43:52):

Absolutely.

Elara Hadjipateras (43:53):

I was just thinking maybe this is something that we should do.

Jill Valuet (43:55):

It is fabulous. If you love dogs, it's wonderful.

Elara Hadjipateras (43:58):

Diana, I think we found something we need to do in our off time.

Jill Valuet (44:02):

Yeah, I'm on TikTok and I do quick little videos explaining what dog massage is and how you can do it on your dog. So, there's a lot of resources out there like that where you can watch some quick videos on how to do it yourself. I don't post as regularly as I should, but I'm trying to get better at that.

Diana Weil (44:19):

Okay. Well Jill, this was so informative and about a topic that to be totally honest, I'd never even heard about before getting to know Jon and Jules. Thank you for coming on here and sharing with us about dog massage and reiki.

Jill Valuet (44:33):

Thank you so much for having me.

Diana Weil (44:35):

Before we wrap up, we do have two questions for you that we always like to end our podcast with. So, the first question is — and it can relate to your career as a dog masseuse or something entirely different, but what is a life lesson that you've had to learn the hard way?

Jill Valuet (44:51):

Ironically enough, how to follow my dreams because I am a recovering people pleaser, so I spent most of my life making sure everybody else was happy. And when I was saying I needed more business and I didn't want it, it was like, that was like the first time in my life that I was like, “Well, what do I want?”

And I had no idea because I was so used to doing what everybody else needed done rather than taking care of myself.

So, it took a lot of hard work to figure out what do I want and how do I make that happen? And it was like, well, that's why I said, “I know I love dogs, so what can I do with them?” And that's what led me to dog massage.

But it was a lesson that took me way longer than it should have to follow my dreams. And guess what? That's going to make me happy. Imagine that.

Elara Hadjipateras (45:36):

That's inspiring, Jill. I'm telling you, Diana, I feel like right after this, I'm not only googling finding a dog, masseuse, but I'm going to look up how to become certified. I think this is such an amazing skill that more animal lovers should have.

But you clearly have a gift, Jill. I mean, I think that you've obviously fallen into exactly what you should be doing, and you ignite passion and inspiration in others.

One more question and then we'll let you go. What's something right now that you would say is a mantra? So, something that you haven't learned the hard way, but just something that is kind of sticking you with you right now that maybe you learned from a parent, teacher, friend that you live by?

Jill Valuet (46:16):

Use my voice. Use it every day. Again, recovering people pleaser. I did not- I stayed quiet for far too long, and I had to learn the hard way that I have to use my voice to stand up for myself and to do what is best for me and to follow my passion. And nobody else is going to do that for me. Only I can and only I can if I use my voice.

Diana Weil (46:38):

I love that. Okay. I'm going to sneak in one more question. I'm sorry. As soon as this podcast ends and my two Golden Retrievers come running in here, what is one thing that I can do for both of them? One way to touch them in to make their day better?

Jill Valuet (46:53):

You can tap them on the chest, that thymus gland to release the endorphins. You can also do skin rolls. Dogs have really loose skin where you can just pick it up and play with it. It doesn't hurt them at all. They love it.

So, especially around the neck and the rough area or around the tail area, especially on dogs that have looser or looser skin. Just knead it. Knead it like you're kneading bread, pick it up, roll it in your fingers. It feels really good for you. It feels great for them, so-

Diana Weil (47:23):

Okay. And right below their neck, so right-

Jill Valuet (47:26):

All over the neck. Especially even you … actually anywhere on their body where you can pick up their skin and play with it. You can do it anywhere. It'll feel good.

Diana Weil (47:34):

What about for the tapping? Where do you tap? Just right on that heart bone?

Jill Valuet (47:37):

Yeah, it's pretty much right on the front of their chest. So, as long as you're using — and it's a really light touch, you're not smacking them. It's just a really light tap, that's enough to really those endorphins.

Diana Weil (47:48):

Thank you.

Elara Hadjipateras (47:48):

Tap and knead. I got it. Tap and knead.

Jill Valuet (47:50):

Yeah.

Elara Hadjipateras (47:51):

I'm going to do it right after this.

Diana Weil (47:53):

Jill, where can people find you besides TikTok?

Jill Valuet (47:56):

Yes, my website is radiantpawspm.com. It's PM for Pet Massage. I'm also on Instagram and Facebook. It's radiant_paws. And again, I'm located in the Detroit area.

Elara Hadjipateras (48:09):

Amazing, amazing. Thank you so much, Jill. This has been really inspiring. Like I said, I think we have — I don't know. Diana, I think I'm going to look into possibly doing this at some point. I just think it's absolutely incredible.

Jill Valuet (48:23):

Please do. And if you have any questions, just let me know. I'm happy to answer any of them, but it's a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.

Diana Weil (48:29):

Thank you so much, Jill. This was great.

Elara Hadjipateras (48:31):

Thank you.

Voiceover (48:32):

Sip, savor, and live well with new episodes of The Matcha Guardians every Wednesday. Follow our show for free on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you're listening right now. Leave your questions and comments below. Find us on Instagram at The Matcha Guardians or click on matcha.com.