I teach a small animal massage therapy program designed to enable practitioners to work safely, effectively, and in an ethical manner.  I also teach a class for people who want to learn to massage their own animals but have no desire to become practitioners, sports massage, and other ‘special application’ classes.

Practitioner Training

The Small Animal Massage Therapy seminar consists of three classes designed for people intending to work as animal massage practitioners or incorporate massage into their current work with animals:   Introduction to Small Animal Massage, Small Animal Anatomy, and Evaluation & Ethics: the Business of Animal Massage.  Each class is twenty-four hours, and is presented as an eight-week evening series at some locations and as an intensive three-day workshop at others.  Each class has hands-on work with the animals and both written and practical examinations.

Cats don’t always behave well in class, so the hands-on class work is done with dogs.  Participants are encouraged to bring their own animals; mine are always happy to work with those not having a dog to bring.

The Introduction to Small Animal Massage class includes anatomical and business overviews, but the main focus is on teaching techniques used with animals and an approach to getting the animals to work cooperatively with the practitioner.  For currently practicing massage therapists this means learning new techniques and/or adapting their existing techniques appropriately.  For them and everyone else taking the class it also means learning to work with the mindset and within the comfort level of the animals, and learning to recognize, interpret, and record the reactions of the animals to massage.   There will be opportunities to work with several different animals during the class.

Class size is limited to eight participants in order to allow for observation of each participant’s work, provide time to address individual concerns,  and maximize personal attention.  This class, or an acceptable equivalent, is a prerequisite for the Evaluation & Ethics class.  

Check Schedule   Register

A brief anatomical overview is included in the Introduction class, in the Small Animal Anatomy class all of the major body systems are reviewed.  Canine skeletal and muscular anatomy and physiology are examined in depth; differences between canine and feline anatomy and physiology are noted and explored.  This class includes basic first-aid, CPR, and emergency acupressure for shock and trauma. Check Schedule   Register

                                                                                                Anatomy can't be fun?

                      You're building a what?

Ethical issues are considered in each class; in Evaluation & Ethics: the Business of Animal Massage these are developed more fully in the context of evaluating animals as athletes and as candidates for massage therapy.  This class includes instruction in sports massage; an examination of practical business issues; an introduction to other holistic modalities used with animals; and, whenever possible, a visit to a shelter or rescue to work with the animals.

Introduction to Small Animal Massage or an acceptable equivalent are a prerequisite to this class. 

 Cats enjoy massage too!

       Massage can help animals deal with the stress of shelter life

Check Schedule   Register

Caretaker/Maintenance Massage

There are many ways to interact with your animal companion; few if any offer the range of benefits that massage does.  The physical effects are much the same as with human massage: increased circulation, improved flexibility and muscle efficiency, stress  reduction, pain relief, enhanced general health and well-being.

Massage is the best way to gain familiarity with your animal’s body, which can lead to earlier detection and treatment of tumors or other health issues.  This gentle art also benefits the caretaker/companion relationship; it is soothing and calming for both you and your animal, and leads to deeper trust and bonding as well as a greater appreciation of your animal as an individual.

And, if these are not reason enough to learn massage, studies have shown that when you give a massage, your blood pressure and stress level go down. 

Enjoying a quiet massage moment

This three-hour class is designed for people who want to learn massage as a means of enriching the relationship between themselves and the companion animals that share their lives.  Benefits of and contraindications for massage are discussed; massage techniques are explained, demonstrated, and practiced: the majority of class time is dedicated to hands-on work with dogs.  (The techniques are equally effective with cats, but cats don’t always behave well in class so we only work with dogs.)

Participants are encouraged to bring their own animals.  My favorite sites for these classes are shelters, at least in part because when a participant doesn’t have an animal to bring a shelter animal gets massaged.  (My own are also always happy to work.) 

Class size is limited to eight participants in order to allow for observation of each participant’s work, provide time to address individual concerns,  and maximize personal attention. 

Check Schedule   Register

Sports Massage

Sports Massage uses techniques adapted from Swedish massage, Russian sports massage, and other formats.  These techniques are used at differing tempos and pressures to produce very different effects: enlivening and activating tissues prior to competition; maintaining peak efficiency between runs or events; and clearing and soothing tissues after the completion of competition.

                                          Emphasis on soothing!