Downward dog, with your dog: Your guide to yoga, massage and apps to soothe and delight your pet

By Katie Visconti, Special to The Sunday

Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 | 2 a.m.

Kristen Corral’s flexibility was once on display in the Strip production “Peepshow.” Nowadays, you’ll find the dancer stretching out with her 9-year-old Chihuahua, Delilah, possibly in front of a roomful of people sharing yoga mats with their pets. In her class — Yoga with Rover — Corral works to enrich the lifestyles of domesticated animals, mentally stimulate them and fix some of their behavioral or physical ailments.

Corral is certified in IPTouch animal massage therapy, Pet Aid animal first-aid and Anima Yoga Fusion, as well as being a member of the Southern Nevada Association of Professional Pet Services and Pet Sitters International. All of this informs her business, Little White Dog Co., which offers pet sitting and animal bodywork.

She was trained in IPTouch therapy at UNLV, where the program has been taught for nearly a decade by former Cirque Du Soleil physical therapist Amy Herzlich. After 16 weeks, Corral had obtained her certification and started her business. “Over the last couple of years, I realized that I was spending most of my free time taking care of all my friends’ animals in addition to my own two dogs and two cats,” she writes on her website. “It dawned on me I should make a career out of it.”

Why do Anima yoga?

It may seem silly to imagine your dog holding a cobra pose, but Corral says yoga exercises stimulate the pet’s mind more than chasing a tennis ball at a park. The practice also creates or strengthens bonds between pets and owners.

Corral says it is completely normal for pets to be excited or anxious during the first few sessions. Barking or making noise is normal. If you know your pet has a tendency to be aggressive toward other animals, it’s best to do private sessions initially.

What is IPTouch?

IPTouch therapy is nonmedical, hands-on and based on the pet’s needs — including what is communicated during the session. While it’s especially good for older pets and helps with joint lubrication and movement, this form of massage also is a must for rescue pets and those coming into a new home. Corral says the practice bonds pet and owner and promotes self-stretching in animals, which alleviates tension patterns. Owners will notice improvements in pets’ movement, balance and overall ease. Approaches include:

• Permission: A must for rescued pets that are hesitant around strangers and have physical and emotional tension patterns. The aim is decreasing tension by activating the parasympathetic relaxation response through gentle strokes and close communication.

• Blocking: For pets that are having postural tension patterns and need help with active body motion. By helping an animal to stretch, called passive positional elongation, comfortable body motion can be achieved.

• Gentling: Helps improve soft tissue for active motion and is important for walks, play time, car tolerance, grooming needs, behavior at sporting events, potty training and sleep comfort. It involves a massaging motion that begins in a small area and is repeated and expanded over time, conditioning the animal, and easing emotional distress and resulting physical ailments.

Five must-have apps for pet owners

• Pet First Aid by American Red Cross (free; iOs/Android): Choose either the dog or cat tab, and scroll through a long list of first-aid situations, such as bleeding, choking and seizures. Click and you’ll be taken to a screen with a short description of the problem and a step-by-step guide to addressing it. The app also has an emergency section with a vet hospital locator and quizzes to test your knowledge of pet health conditions.

• Bring Fido (free; iOs, also available online): Enter the name of a city and choose categories such as outdoor restaurants and dog-friendly hotels. Click on a search result, and the app will provide reviews, a brief description and the address. You also can use it to find dog-friendly parks and beaches. This app is great for planning vacations or for mapping out fun days here in the valley.

• DogVacay (free; iOs/Android, also available online): Peruse dogsitters and make reservations for boarding, in-home sitting or day care. On each sitter’s profile, you can view credentials and see if he or she has undergone a background check. The company offers 24/7 customer support, covers your pet with insurance and offers daily photo updates. Sitters set their own prices, but typically are $20-$30 per day range in the Las Vegas area.

• MapMyDogWalk (free; iOs/Android): You can connect the app to some human fitness tracking devices or just use the manual function to track your workout with your pup. The app will suggest nearby walks and map water stations, public parking, trailheads and dog-friendly restaurants.

• Cat Fishing 2 (free; iOs/Android): Press “start game” and the screen will fill with colorful fish. All your cat has to do to rack up points is tap the fish as they spawn. Each of the three levels is 30 seconds long and offers your cat an opportunity to chase down one, two or three fish at once. You’ll probably want to get this one for your tablet device to give your cat more space to swat.