Fudge is a top flight agility dog whose achievements include 1st Place at Crufts Mini Circular Knockout 2006 and 1st Place at Crufts Mini Pairs 2005 & 2006 and 3rd place overall at the Kennel Club International Agility Show Peterborough 2006 as part of England’s B Team.

As a committed owner, Mrs Dawn Wood realises how the sport impacts on Fudges muscular system,, how jarring the landing after jumping can be on the joints, and how muscular ‘knots’ and tension can easily progress into more serious issues if not dealt with swiftly.

Dawn noticed that occasionally Fudge slows up in the ring, and after a collision with the side bar of a jump opted to try massage as a preventative measure to muscular injury and imbalance.

“My six year old Agility Sheltie, Fudge, underwent three massages, with Natalie. Being a competitive agility dog he is prone to occasional bouts of stiffness in some of his muscles, even though I warm him up before training and competing and cool him down afterwards. Natalie made him feel completely at ease from her first meeting with him. He trusted her implicitly at all times only bothering to get up once to turn over for her to work on the other side! The following day after each massage, he ran a lot more freely and could make very tight turns. After the second session I noticed a drastic improvement in his speed and a noticeable ease of movement when he trotted and ran. Now his gait has improved and he has got a real lick on in the agility ring!

I would recommend a massage from the Canine Massage Therapy Centre for any dog experiencing stiffness either due to their age or because of their lifestyle. The fact that you can see noticeable, beneficial changes gives you a really satisfying feeling that you are doing something proactive for your dog’s health”