HW Canine Massage

HW Canine Massage Hi, I’m Heather. I absolutely love dogs and am a total dog agility addict. o We work with the body-language of the animal to guide us. Last but by no means least!

Level 4 Diploma Canine Merishia Massage
CPCFT - Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer
Myofascial release
CAMadvocate L1
Special interest:
Agility dogs
Animal Acupressure
Helping Senior Dogs I have been involved in agility for over 9 years and been competing regularly for just over 7 years with my 3 poodle/cocker crosses. My youngest dog, 4yrs has just finished her 2nd competitive season

; she has won into Grade 6 and has made the Classic Final G5 at Dogs in Need, the Iconix 'by night' G4-7 Final - finishing 5th and has qualified for the Crufts Novice Cup Semi-Final to be held in August 2023. My 6 year old is also Grade 6 and has also qualified for a number of finals including the Classic Finals at Dogs in Need and the British Agility Novice Stakes placing 3rd in both. My 12 year old boy was my 1st agility dog and is quite a character, he retired at Grade 5 but his greatest achievement was qualifying for the Starters Cup Final at Discover Dogs at Excel and placing 3rd in the jumping round. During the last 9 years, my interest in expanding my knowledge of dogs, how they move and how ‘we’ can do the best for them has become a passion. This led me to wanting to work with these amazing animals that give us so much and ask for little in return. I completed a Level 4 Accredited Diploma - Practitioner - Canine Merishia Massage; which includes Swedish and deep tissue massage techniques, gentle yet effective mobilisations and applied soft tissue manual therapy. I have also completed additional CPD training in Myofascial Release, Animal Acupressure, Positional Release Techniques, Photo Therapy, Canine Biomechanics, more Gait Analysis and even some Muscle Testing and Reflexology for dogs. About Merishia Massage:-

The Merishia approach promotes

o The use of a variety of gentle techniques to facilitate both superficial and deep release of tension. o We enhance the effects of our massage techniques by applying specific gentle mobilisation techniques to further improve performance and flexibility. These techniques can help aid:-

o Performance
o Recovery or Rehabilitation
o Ease stiffness and tight joints
o Ease compensations and tension in older dogs
o Releases tension and aids relaxation
o Stimulates circulation
o Can help to desensitise
o Bring awareness to areas of the body
o Aid flexibility and range of movement
o And ultimately can enhance and maintain general well-being

My approach is gentle and sensitive with the welfare of the dog at the heart of every session. I will allow your dog time to settle and become comfortable with being handled with massage in mind, allowing them time to adjust, we will work together and move at your dogs own pace. I will also take the time to explain my methods to you so you’re able follow me through the process, giving you some helpful tips and advice to take away so that you can make your wonderful pets life a little easier between sessions. The initial appointment* will include gait analysis, posture analysis and I’ll take a full history of your dog from a lifestyle and veterinary background. This session will be £35.00 and is likely to last 90 mins. (contact me for geographical areas covered) *Vet consent required please ask me for a form
Follow up sessions will cost £30.00 (within geographical areas covered) for one dog. Multi-dog household sessions are available at a discounted price so please as me for more information. On-going Training and Continued Professional Development! This is something that I’m incredibly passionate about…the more I learn, the more it inspires me to want to learn more!! I regularly attend training courses and keep up to date with the latest thinking, science and studies. I’ve more courses booked already and am excited to continue learning more!

Wishing all my clients and friends a very happy and successful 2025!!Exciting times ahead!! I'm not back at work until ...
02/01/2025

Wishing all my clients and friends a very happy and successful 2025!!
Exciting times ahead!!

I'm not back at work until next Tuesday 7th January but just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year xx

23/12/2024

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Warm up and cool downs!!

Not just for dogs about to take part in sports but for daily exercise as well!! 🤗

🤗🤗 Prevention is better than cure!!! 🤗🤗

Another fantastic tip from CAM for more great tips head to Canine Arthritis Management



🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳What a great way to start my Christmas break!I found out last night....I passed the final exam!! 🎉🎉The last ...
19/12/2024

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What a great way to start my Christmas break!

I found out last night....I passed the final exam!! 🎉🎉

The last 18 months have been a lot of hard work so I'm over the moon!!

A huge 'Thank you' to my amazing case studies!! I've learnt so much from working with you 💖🤗🙏🏻💖

'Heather Walker - CPCFT - Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer'. I like the sound of that! 😀🐕😀

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🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀Wishing Amy Bennett and the most amazing Neva all the luck in the world as they compete in The KC Agility Sta...
17/12/2024

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Wishing Amy Bennett and the most amazing Neva all the luck in the world as they compete in The KC Agility Stakes at The London International Horse Show tomorrow!!

What an incredible team they are!!

Competing at LHIS is such a huge achievement and one that most handlers can only dream of.

🍀🍀 Good Luck Amy and Neva! 🍀🍀

Photo credit Ginger & Black Photography

09/12/2024

Seasons Greetings to all my amazing clients, human and canine 🥰

Thank you for all your amazing support again this year 🥰🥰

Wishing you all a wonderful Festive Season ###

Thank you Dinobark Digital for the Christmas logo x

04/12/2024
04/12/2024

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Gorgeous 6 month old Daisy came for another short familiarisation session 🤗🥰🥰

I'm incredibly passionate about building trust and working with force free methods. We are making things fun while also introducing some calm and thoughtful games 🥰🤗

I'm very conscious about using very different cues than will be used for their agility foundations 🤗🥰

What a very beautiful and special girl she is!! 💗💗💗







Thank you so much for these beautiful words following Pronto's session 🙏🏻🥰🤗🤗🥰🤗🥰🤗🥰🤗🥰🤗🥰"Once Pronto stops sulking.. he Liv...
08/11/2024

Thank you so much for these beautiful words following Pronto's session 🙏🏻🥰🤗

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"Once Pronto stops sulking.. he Lives for the snuggle 🥰

Honestly though, it makes me so at ease with how relaxed he is with heather. The gentle, patient approach really works with him.
He's not always very trusting with being handled, often removing or tensing himself. So to see him choose to lean in, and lay his head let's me know how much he enjoys his massage & trusts Heather 🥰"

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31/10/2024

The sad truth is, that an immense su***de rate exists in veterinary medicine. We have to care more for ourselves and our colleagues and we have to find a way to stay healthy.

If you are struggling with feeling depressed or overwhelmed, tell your friends and family, and go get help.

Depression has many faces, so to your vet, respect their time, and remember that they also have your dog's best interest at heart.

Find help and support - a great supporter for mental health.

28/10/2024

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I'm passionate about setting dogs up for success when they come to visit 🥰🥰

So here's a little snippet video of gorgeous, Working Cocker puppy, Daisy's first socialisation visit 🥰🥰
....Some lovely feedback from her mum 🤗:-

"They all slept solidly on the way home. I wanted to say a big thank you for everything you planned for Daisy, setting up the pen, the puppy track and all the treats. She had a great experience with you."

Building trust from that very 1st visit is so important 🤗🥰🤗🥰

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🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟A little more information about "How Photizo Vetcare works"🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
22/10/2024

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A little more information about

"How Photizo Vetcare works"

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🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟The Photizo Vetcare is a great addition to your toolkit!!Don't forget I'm a reseller for all Photizo units ...
20/10/2024

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The Photizo Vetcare is a great addition to your toolkit!!

Don't forget I'm a reseller for all Photizo units so drop me a message if you are interested in getting one or have any questions 🤗🤗

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Q: Will the light from the Photizo Vetcare device pe*****te through a dog's coat or hair? Does the type of coat affect how much light reaches the skin?

A: Yes, the Photizo Vetcare device is designed to pe*****te through various types of human and animal hair, including feathers. The type of coat does not significantly impact how much light reaches the skin. In over 10 years of use, there have been no reports of hair reducing the effectiveness of the light.

The light from Photizo does not pe*****te clothing because clothing is not a natural extension of the body. While very thin or see-through clothing may allow some light through, it will reduce the intensity and affect the dose applied.

To ensure the best results, make sure the dog's coat is clean from debris, as dirt can interfere with the light’s intensity. Some studies suggest that darker hair may need a slightly higher dose than lighter hair, but this is not usually an issue in practice. For dogs with very thick coats, parting the hair and applying the device directly to the skin is recommended.

It’s also safe to apply an extra dose for deeper pain or tissue trauma, except for open wounds, which only need one dose per spot.

Find more FAQ at danetrehealthproducts.com/faqs

10/10/2024
07/10/2024

Balls and dogs… 🥎

Recently at a wedding someone was asking me for some advice for their dog after his recent surgery. He had fractured a bone in his forelimb and they said “it happened chasing a ball, if we had known it wasn’t a good thing to do we wouldn’t have done it”.

We hear this so often; everyone we see loves their dog and wants the best for them, but ball throwing and dogs have become synonymous in people’s minds and there is a strong culture for it - it looks so fun, it tires them out quickly and we think it is keeping them fit.

But what is actually happening?

Repeatedly stimulating their prey drive keeps them wired and overstimulated.
Motivated to carry on chasing, they work way past muscle fatigue, and high adrenaline means they won’t be aware of pain at the time.

What is chasing?

Fast uncontrolled acceleration and deceleration; twisting and turning without thinking about their bodies.

What happens to humans who do this in sport in a much more controlled way?

ACL injuries, Achilles ruptures, fractures… no surprise then that this is similar to what we see in our canine clinic.
Help us to help your dogs and spread the word.

We will be following this up with some ideas of fun ball related activities for your dog which aren’t repetitive chasing 🙌

🫶🥰🫶🥰🫶🥰🫶🥰🫶🥰Happy National Animal Therapist Day to all my fellow Canine Therapists who work so incredibly hard to continue...
26/09/2024

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Happy National Animal Therapist Day to all my fellow Canine Therapists who work so incredibly hard to continue to build and develop their knowledge to help their clients, both Canine and Human


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Today is National Animal Therapist Day
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A day to celebrate and be thankful for the hard and passionate work of all animal therapists.

Massage therapists, physiotherapists, osteopaths and other specialist complimentary therapists work hard to keep our pets and working animals fit and healthy alongside owners and veterinarians – internationally. 🌍🌎🌏

How are you celebrating today? Tag us in your posts and use

16/09/2024

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HUGE Congratulations to Amy Bennett and the fabulous Neva!!

They absolutely smashed it at the weekend taking 3rd place at the KC Agility Stakes Semi-Final, which takes them through to the Final held at the incredibly prestigious The London Horse Show in December!!

I'm so so happy for you!! Massive Congratulations!

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Send a message to learn more

🫶🍀🫶🍀🫶🍀🫶🍀🫶🍀Wishing our lovely clients & friends "Good Luck"KC Agility Stakes Quarter/Semi Finals tomorrow!!🍀💪🏻🍀💪🏻🍀💪🏻🍀💪🏻🍀💪...
13/09/2024

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Wishing our lovely clients & friends "Good Luck"
KC Agility Stakes Quarter/Semi Finals tomorrow!!

🍀💪🏻🍀💪🏻🍀💪🏻🍀💪🏻🍀💪🏻🍀

September is Animal Pain Awareness Month. If you'd like to understand more, the amazing team at Canine Arthritis Managem...
02/09/2024

September is Animal Pain Awareness Month.

If you'd like to understand more, the amazing team at Canine Arthritis Management have a free course to help you recognise if your dog could be in pain 🫂🫂

Are you worried your dog may be in pain? Learn how to identify signs of pain and prepare for your dog's vet consult.

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Videos

Seasons Greetings to all my amazing clients, human and canine 🥰 Thank you for all your amazing support again this year 🥰🥰 Wishing you all a wonderful Festive Season ### Thank you Dinobark Digital for the Christmas logo x

🥰🤗🥰🤗🥰🤗🥰🤗🥰 Gorgeous 6 month old Daisy came for another short familiarisation session 🤗🥰🥰 I'm incredibly passionate about building trust and working with force free methods. We are making things fun while also introducing some calm and thoughtful games 🥰🤗 I'm very conscious about using very different cues than will be used for their agility foundations 🤗🥰 What a very beautiful and special girl she is!! 💗💗💗 #forcefree #puppyconfidence #buildingtrust #keepingthedogatthecentre #dogschoice #caninemassagetherapist #hwcaninemassage

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I'm passionate about setting dogs up for success when they come to visit 🥰🥰 So here's a little snippet video of gorgeous, Working Cocker puppy, Daisy's first socialisation visit 🥰🥰 .....Some lovely feedback from her mum 🤗:- "They all slept solidly on the way home. I wanted to say a big thank you for everything you planned for Daisy, setting up the pen, the puppy track and all the treats. She had a great experience with you." Building trust from that very 1st visit is so important 🤗🥰🤗🥰 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💚 Novice Cup Final at Crufts 💚 So my own dog, Piper and I did a 'thing' last Thursday 🥰 We competed at Crufts in the main ring!! 💚 This was a huge personal achievement but also driven by wanting to understand and appreciate the environment and pressure faced by both handler and our gorgeous dogs at these type of events. 🤗 My own dog is quite sensitive so it was difficult to anticipate how she would cope with the environment at Crufts as there is nowhere like it! It's difficult to expose our dogs to anything similar. I worked with amazing trainers and a specialist in canine behaviour to try and prepare Piper (and myself) for this dream event. We attended several shows and training sessions on astro turf so we knew she was more than happy with the surface (she loves it!) We placed camera tripods all over the house to try to normalise these for her 🤗🤞🏼 We did lots of environmental work, conditioning, sprint work, massage and of course agility training in the lead up. On the day Piper was amazing and took everything in her stride. Understandably she was a little 'aware' on the startline but was so happy and driven on course!! She was beautiful 🤩💖. Our mistakes were completely my fault, a lack of communication on my part but I'm so incredibly proud of her!! She loved it out there!! 💚🧡💚 We finished 3rd in the jumping and 3rd overall, which is incredible!! 🎉🎉🌟🌟 She's now had several days off, just doing 'dog things' to recover physically and mentally 🤗🥰. What a truly magical experience with my beautiful and amazing girl 🤗🥰🤗 Thank you Piper and absolutely everyone who helped us get there!! 🙏🏼💚🙏🏼🥰😘

😴🥰😴🥰😴 When you have to build in 5-10 mins to allow a post session snooze before very gently waking him up 🥰🤗🥰🤗 Gorgeous Marley today 🤗🥰🤗🥰 It's fantastic that also this evening another therapist friend Emma, who I greatly admire, posted a very similar post about allowing additional time to allow her clients to also have a post session snooze 🤗🤗. It's absolutely wonderful and makes my heart sing that our amazing canine friends are receiving such fabulous treatment! I'm a strong believer in collaboration and building a wonderful supportive network to benefit our amazing dogs! #caninemassage #collaborationovercompetition #hwcaninemassage

Wow what a year 2023 was!! High points:- 🌟 I was delighted to open the treatment room in Berkhamsted whilst also continuing to offer home visits 🌟 Our Agility clients achieved some absolutely incredible results at all levels including the world stage! 🤗 🎉🎉 🌟 A super high percentage of repeat bookings 🤗🥰 🌟 More fabulous CPD with Rose Holistic Therapies and Training 🌟 Additional Membership of both IRVAP & IAAT to open up even more CPD options 🌟 Completion of the CPCFT Units 1 - 4. Each unit consists of 6 weeks of learning and homework assignments. It's been intense and a huge undertaking but I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment and am now looking forward to completing the Case Studies and then the final exam!! 🌟 I'm a reseller for Photizo UK - LED Light Therapy Devices 🌟 But most of all, gaining the trust and working with these beautiful dogs!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰 Thank you so much for continued support, kind words and for trusting me with your amazing best friends!! Looking forward to a very exciting 2024!! HW Canine Massage

Happy New Year to all my fabulous clients!! Thank you so much for a truly wonderful year, I've absolutely loved working with you and your incredible dogs!! 🥰🤗🥰 Thank you also to the amazing therapists I've met these last few years! You guys are an inspiration and thanks for all your help and support!! 🙏🏻 Wishing you all a fabulous and successful 2024! 🎆🎊🎊

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