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A framed quotation about peace hung on the wall. Relaxing music played softly.

When the treatment was over, the client crawled under the massage table and chewed on a clear quartz crystal rock he found.

They’ve come to expect this behavior in the holistic therapy room at the Alex Brooks Canine Center in Des Plaines, where the clients are all four-legged and furry.

The center, at 1300 Rand Road, primarily focuses on doggy day care but recently started offering holistic treatments, including aromatherapy and massage.

Administered by specially trained staff members, the holistic therapies are used to treat everything from arthritis to kidney problems. A few pet owners do it solely as a treat for their dogs.

“It feels good. It’s that simple,” said Marcy Brooks, who co-owns the center with her husband, Alex. “We’ll bring them in here and spend some time with them, and it makes a difference.”

Many people are skeptical of holistic medical practices for dogs, questioning both the benefit and cost. (The Essential Oil Raindrop Therapy is $70 per session. Six sessions of myotherapy, where pressure is applied to key body spots, go for $300.)

“Some clients say, ‘I’d rather have that for myself than for the dog,’” admits Rick Hartke, the canine center’s dog trainer, behaviorist and one of its three Reiki and myotherapy specialists. “It’s just a way to treat your dog without all the medicine.”

The American Veterinary Medical Association, based in Schaumburg, does not endorse or dismiss the practice. However, Hartke and Brooks both say they’ve witnessed changes in animals who’ve received treatments. Dogs with arthritis or hip problems will have more mobility and reduced pain after Trigger Point Myotherapy or Reiki massages, they say. Hyper or traumatized dogs might calm down after aromatherapy, where a drop of lavender is strategically rubbed between their foot pads. A dog with cancer can have a brief respite from pain with a relaxing massage.

“It’s the same reaction you or I would have,” Brooks said. “But, like humans, some respond to it and some don’t.”

Some treatments last for an hour, and some for only for 10 minutes, depending on the dog’s comfort level. They had one dog stay for hours, Brooks said.

Holistic therapy for pets is nothing new, although it’s not widely practiced.

Des Plaines veterinarian Chris Serpico estimates that only 5 percent of Chicago area vets use these practices, and he’s one of them.

After going through expensive and time-consuming training at places like the Chi Institute and the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, Serpico now offers alternative, holistic practices as well as traditional Western medicine for the animals he treats at his Rising Sun Veterinary Clinic (formerly the Des Plaines Animal Hospital).

While he doesn’t recommend holistic medicine as a last resort for dying animals, he does think it should be part of a pet’s general wellness care. For example, he had a dog come in for vomiting. He gave the dog an injection to stop the vomiting, but administered the shot at a specific acupuncture point that would best benefit the animal (at no extra charge).

Serpico admits he was skeptical of holistic practices at first, but has seen them work on animals with chronic problems like seizures, epilepsy and arthritis.

“All my friends laugh behind my back, because it’s hard for an academic mind to understand,” he said. “People will say, ‘My dog has cancer. What can I do?’ This gives you more options.”

Serpico dislikes the word holistic, because he thinks it conjures up imagines of voodoo medicine.

“A better word is ‘integrative,’” Serpico said. “You look at the whole picture. The dog, the environment, the food, the ethnic background … you want to combine traditional Western practices with alternative eastern practices.”

Brooks agrees, saying that her center’s holistic practices should complement veterinary care, not replace it.

“It’s all about how you believe and what you believe,” she said.

1. What I try to convey to the owners is to keep the dogs mind moving forward. What this means is to redirect the dogs mind in the event that they become distracted to a point where you are unable to communicate with them. If you are walking down the street with your dog, you must be able to anticipate a situation whereby your dog is going to have a blow up that is directed towards another dog. You have to be especially aware of what’s going on in front of you (any dogs coming my way). The moment that you see your dog sees the other dog, you must turn and walk away from the oncoming dog. You will notice that your dog will try to continuously look back to eye the other dog. You must be attentive to that and continue to move in the opposite direction while giving your dog a tug on the leash (quick but not hard) toward your body. You must also be as quick and punctual with your praise as the moment my dog looks straight ahead or at you, you let them know in your own way how much you appreciate their attention and that correct behavior. In other words, you praise them.
2. DO NOT STOP WALKING. Once you feel you dog has his mind on you, you can turn and start walking towards the other dog. Your goal is to give the dog quick correction at the moment he looks at the other dog. This is posturing or staring and can quickly escalate into aggression if your dog’s attention is not refocused. The most common mistakes I see are when people wait way to long to correct their dog or not at all. You know what they say. . . “Timing is everything” so please do your best not to let you dog get into a mode of staring at the other dog. If this happens, you must react quickly and decisively to again turn away from the other dog and repeat the process as described above.

Remember that training dogs for any unwanted behavior is done through repetition and consistency. You may have to practice by passing 20, 100, or 500 dogs before you start to see a difference in your dog. It really depends on your commitment, handling abilities, and your dog’s learning curve. You cannot avoid other dogs in New York, it’s just not possible and it’s not healthy for you or your dog to be tense and upset when these situations arise. That state only leads to an aggressive mindset for your dog. Please understand that this is one method that you might be able to help a dog with this type of behavior. Different dogs will respond differently to different techniques. It is important that you remain patient and be flexible in your approach. Although the techniques may change, the principals of good leadership and appropriate discipline remain the same.

Please feel free to post your questions or comments. Thank you all and please never quit trying to make your dog as happy as they make us.

Stay tuned in for more blog entries with helpful training advice.

Alex