Pandemic Insights and Opportunities
The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed a lot about us and our culture. One thing it has shown us is just how much we depend on our dogs for our basic human needs i.e., companionship, love, and protection. The pet care industry is more essential than you can imagine. All of us in it are busy, productive, and prosperous, even with all the sanitizing and social distancing protocols we follow.
Dog owners/pet parents, are passionate about the quality of care their precious fur-babies can get. They are willing to pay for the best that’s available to them.
We are on the cusp of the vocation of Canine Massage Practitioner really going mainstream; much like the one for massage therapy for people 25 years ago. In 1995 the AMTA, American Massage Therapy Association, estimated that there were 137,000 massage therapists in the US. That seemed like a big number. Now there are upwards of 385,000.
Massage therapy for people is now commonplace. It’s appreciated, accepted, affordable, and available. The demand for massage and massage therapists continues to grow. As I said, with our newly invigorated appreciation for the significant roles our dogs play in our lives, massage for dogs is inevitably next.
Now is the time. Begin your canine massage training. Expand on the skills you’ve already learned.
PetMassage Certified Canine Massage Practitioners are important for dogs’ health and wellness. We are the resources that augment and complement allopathic veterinary medical care and rehabilitation with the most holistic of approaches: hands-on massage.
The PetMassage School has been training people to massage dogs and create successful canine massage businesses since 1997. 23 years. Over 300 workshops.
The vocational training provided by the PetMassage School is 200 hours. It includes several home study courses and 2 extended weekend workshops for on-site, hands-on, personalized training.
This personalized training is the keystone of our programs. Massage bodywork is more than manipulation of tissues with rubbing and scratching. It’s a form of non-verbal communication. Massage is an expression of the heart.
This is how we approach our training. Each of us is unique. No one else thinks what you think, feels what you feel, and can convey what you mean in the same way as you. You, your particular manifestation of your canine massage form and practice, is yours, and yours alone.
Since no 2 people are alike, it is unreasonable to expect that any 2 people can give the same massage. Your training needs to be (hand-)tailored to you. Canine massage is a hands-on practice that requires hands-on instruction! This depth of individualized development cannot be learned from videos, books, or even online. To create your personal version of canine massage you need someone to guide you, seeing what you see, touching your hands with their hands.
You have already developed your own uniquely personal vocabulary of touch. My job as your instructor is to recognize what you have already developed and enhance it with the concepts, techniques, and body mechanics that I have developed from my 20+ years experience massaging dogs, writing texts, and teaching workshops.
Are you ready to take the training to be a professional canine massage practitioner? Let’s talk about when PetMassage workshops are available for you.
This pandemic has messed with all of our schedules. Our PetMassage School is striving to accommodate the ever-changing needs and schedules of our students, while still maintaining high quality training. We have reduced the size of our workshops rearranged the classroom/clinic for social distancing Deep cleaned and sanitized for a safe yet enjoyable educational experience Adjusted our workshop calendar.
Our May Foundation Level workshop needed to be cancelled. This workshop was full-and had a waiting list. Thankfully, everyone’s schedule was flexible and everyone who had registered was able to comfortably reschedule to attend future workshops.
Our June PetMassage Foundation Level workshop was also full; however some of these students were unable to attend because of travel restrictions and/or health concerns. Still, of the 8 students registered, 7 were able to attend. It was a great class, with people and dogs from Florida/France, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Some people transferring from the May and June classes were unable to move to later-in-the-year dates. For them-and you-we added an additional workshop in July. It’s Thursday-Monday, July 23-27. At the time of this writing there are still openings in this class.
If you’ve decided that now is the time for you to take your training to be a certified canine massage practitioner, you can still register for this workshop.
There are proprietary texts and videos that we ask you to review before attending class. However, during this workshop, we will be sure to cover whatever material you may not have had time to learn beforehand.
Bottom line: register for the next Foundation Level Training workshop and become part of this great and growing canine massage profession. Here’s the link: https://petmassage.com/event/petmassage-foundation-level-program-july-23-27-2020/
We have also added an additional 2020 Advanced Level Training workshop, the 2nd 100 hours.
Advanced Level workshops are
- September 17-21 https://petmassage.com/event/petmassage-advanced-level-program-september-17-21-2020/
- October 15-19 https://petmassage.com/event/petmassage-advanced-level-program-september-17-21-2020-2/
They are filling up. There are still openings in both.
Calendar
The most up-to-date workshop schedule for 2020 and 2021 is at https://petmassage.com/calendar/
Testimonials
Here’s a link to comments of former Foundation Level Workshop students: https://petmassage.com/about/testimonials/