Stonebridge logo
  • Courses

    Course Categories

    Nursing Midwifery Health Professionals Social Science Medicine and Healthcare Professions Science Humanities Business & Management Social Work Education All Access to Higher Education
    A Level Psychology A Level Biology A Level Chemistry A Level English Language A Level Maths A Level Accounting A Level English Literature A Level Sociology A Level Business Studies A Level Physics A Level History A Level Economics
    GCSE Psychology GCSE Biology GCSE Chemistry GCSE Economics GCSE English Literature GCSE Sociology GCSE Business Studies GCSE Physics GCSE History GCSE (9-1) English Language GCSE (9-1) Mathematics Foundation Tier
    Accountancy and Bookkeeping Law and Business Management Customer Care Human Resources (HR) Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Sales and Marketing Business Skills Healthcare Skills Law Skills IT Skills
    Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Coaching Early Years Educator and Childcare Education and Teaching Education, Teaching and Coaching Personal and Parenting Teaching Assistant
    Anatomy and Physiology Animal Care CBT, Psychotherapy and Counselling Complementary Therapies Foot Health Practitioner Health and Social Care Nutritional Sciences Psychology Sports and Fitness Stress Management
    English and Maths Functional Skills GCSE
    Agriculture, Horticulture and Gardening Animal Care Art and Photography Beauty, Hair and Nails CBT, Psychotherapy and Counselling Conservation and Environment Criminology and Security Hospitality, Catering and Event Management Travel, Tourism & Aviation Web Design and IT Writing and Journalism
    Canine and Feline Qualifications Animal Welfare Qualifications Veterinary and Zoology Qualifications All Veterinary Science and Animal Care Qualifications
  • How it works
  • Help and support
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Access My Learning
  • View My Basket
Student Login

OR

Click here to login
Atom LMS Logo

Forgot Password?

  • Stonebridge Home
  • Our Blog
Our Blog
December 3, 2021

Love Dogs? Consider a Career in Canine Massage!

Written by Fiona
Canine Massage Therapist

If you, like millions of other people, have an almost uncontrollable adoration for dogs, why not consider a career where you can help them get back to their best selves?  

There are so many ailments a dog can have that can cause them physical discomfort or dampen their spirit. With a practised and informed touch, a Canine Massage Therapist can target the problem areas and address any soft tissue problems the dog may have.  

For this reason, canine massage therapy has quickly become recognised as an important natural healing therapy for dogs. It allows the person performing the massage to provide hands-on help to an animal they adore, and it can bring a new lease of life into the canine as their problems are alleviated.  

As a relatively new form of canine care, you probably still have several questions surrounding this career choice. To help, we have answered the most frequently asked below.   

What is Canine Massage Therapy? 

This form of canine therapy is non-invasive and uses the power of the hands to target muscular issues in dogs. A dog has over 700 muscles that work in unison with its bones to enable movement. As such, when dogs suffer an injury or develop a condition, it’s likely their muscles are going to be affected.  

Through skilled muscle manipulation and targeted pressure, canine massage therapy is acutely effective in rehabilitating a range of issues. A Canine Message Therapist switches between four disciplines of massage, within which there are at least 50 different techniques.   

These include: 

  • Myofascial release 
  • Direct and indirect approach 
  • Deep tissue 
  • Remedial sports 
  • Swedish massage, and more 
canine massage benefits

The Benefits of Canine Massage 

There are a host of issues a clinical canine massage can work to improve, helping all manner of dogs from those that are ageing to those who need a little TLC after a hard day’s work.  

A few of the issues canine massage therapy can help include: 

  • Coat and skin conditions 
  • Injury recovery 
  • Making dogs more comfortable with being touched 
  • Neurological disorders  
  • Orthopaedic issues 
  • Pain and tension relief for working dogs 
  • Pain relief for age-related conditions 
  • Pain relief for hereditary conditions 
  • Performance enhancement 
  • Recurrent lameness 
  • Soft tissue injuries 
  • Uneven or faulty gait 

By attending clinical canine massage therapy sessions, a dog can expect to: 

  • Be in less pain 
  • Have heightened mobility 
  • Regain the ability to be active 
  • Have lameness, limping or stiffness reduced or eradicated 
  • Be more open to physical examinations and touch 
  • Overcome muscular injuries 
  • Return to normal posture and gait 
  • Be happier and have an improved mood 

What Happens in a Canine Message Session? 

There are a number of things a Canine Massage Therapist needs to tick off their list during a clinical canine massage therapy session. While your canine clients have been referred to you by a Veterinarian, there is a lot you need to establish before the hands-on work can get underway.  

Once you have met your canine clients and given them an adequate amount of cuddles and kisses, you will need to perform a: 

  • Gait Analysis 
  • Postural Analysis 
  • Superficial Tactual Exploration 
  • Full Consultation, including a Medical History and Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Assessment 

During the session you will also need to: 

  • Discuss and establish the expectations of the therapy with the dog owner 
  • Conduct the canine massage therapy session, normally lasting around 45-50 minutes 
  • Provide full feedback to the owner, often via a visual description 
  • Issue the owner with a home care plan and discuss and other recommendations 
  • Advise them to come back for the required number of sessions you believe the dog will need to overcome their issue. This is typically 3 or 4 sessions, but some dogs require less 
care for your dog

What Training Do You Need to be a Canine Masseuse? 

You don’t technically need to have official qualifications to become a Canine Massage Therapist. However, it’s illegal for anyone but the dog owner to treat a dog unless a Veterinarian has signed off on that treatment.  

Vets aren’t going to refer dog owners to someone they don’t think has the skills for the job. So, it’s wise to study clinical canine massage to evidence your knowledge and skills.  

There are many canine massage books and workshops you can do to pick up the required skills. However, studying detailed canine massage courses UK, is often the best way to complete the thorough training required to develop a working knowledge of the muscular system. 

With Stonebridge Associated Colleges, you can study: 

Principles of Canine Massage Diploma 

Through this course, you will: 

  • Understand canine anatomy and physiology 
  • Study the benefits of canine massage 
  • Learn about different treatments for common canine issues 
  • Complete your learning entirely from home 

Canine Massage Level 3 Diploma (RQF) 

Through this course, you will: 

  • Gain the knowledge and skills for a successful career in canine massage 
  • Learn how to effectively handle canines 
  • Study canine behaviours 
  • Explore numerous types of massage techniques 
  • Study the theory from home then practice your new skills in a canine massage environment 
online canine massage course

Study Canine Massage Courses Online! 

By choosing to gain your canine massage therapy education via online courses, you can more easily juggle your course with your existing commitments. This makes retraining as a Canine Massage Therapist much easier, especially if you’re doing so around your current employment or childcare responsibilities.  

As one of the leading UK distance learning providers, Stonebridge Associated Colleges has multiple courses in canine care. If clinical canine massage therapy sounds like the career path for you, you can study courses that will kick start your new working life in this area online.  

Find out more about the various canine massage courses we offer by talking to our Course Executives today. They can run you through the modules you will cover, the level of tutor support you will receive, and the payment options you can take advantage of.  

Call them on 0121 392 8288, contact them online or click below to view the Canine Massage Level 3 Diploma (RQF) in more detail. 

Canine Massage Courses
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn


More from Animal Care Courses and Advice Distance learning Courses and Advice

Animal Care Animal Careers Animal Welfare Animals Dogs

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Our Associations.

fld cma ncfe-logo abc awards asso. for coaching ccc mo ecdl fht ahha European Union Social Fund Logo BIIAB Innovate Awarding Open College Network West Midlands RFHP world fia nus cache vtct activeiq

What our customers think.

Trustpilot

Sign up to our Newsletter.

There's a whole lot happening at Stonebridge and in the world of learning. Sign up for our newsletter and you'll be among the first to know about it! All fields are required.

Stonebridge logo
Stonebridge Associated Colleges Limited is registered with the UK Register of Learning Providers: UK Provider Reference Number is 10006352.
Cookie policy | Data Protection and Privacy Statement Content and Images © Stonebridge Colleges. All rights reserved, 2021.
  • Community
  • Privacy Notice
  • Careers
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Distance Learning Courses
  • Home Learning Courses
  • Home Study Courses
  • Blog
  • Request Prospectus
  • FREE when you enrol
  • Refer a Friend
  • Information for USA Students
Chat with us