Research Is Part of PetMassage Training
As part of the PetMassage Foundation Level Program, in addition to completing the hands-on workshop, written canine massage documentations and videos, and home study courses in canine anatomy, dog handling, and marketing, students are required to complete a short research paper.
The reason we have this as a requirement is that when our students complete a focused study on one subject,
- They become an SME, Subject Matter Expert, on their topic.
- This gives them more confidence in their freshly acquired skill set since they can draw on the knowledge that they are experts.
- They can often extrapolate what they’ve learned and apply it to other functions of their dogs.
- They attract clients that will benefit from their specialized study. For example, someone who learns about adipose tissue and the ramifications of obesity will attract dogs with weight issues.
Each of the more than 100 published papers provides a helpful and deeper understanding of dogs and canine massage. Subjects come from canine anatomy, physiology, massage and bodywork, dog handling, dog training, body mechanics, dog psychology, psychic awareness, energy work, and more.
They are on https://petmassage.com as a resource for you to use in your massage practice and general care for your dogs. I encourage you to comment on them, as a peer reviewer.
How do we choose topics? Topics for the papers are chosen based on the conversations students and I have during the workshop.
The people who choose PetMassage for their training are very diverse in their interests and approaches. A recent workshop included a(n)
- Vet tech
- Dog handler
- Dog day care owner who took this workshop the first time 18 years ago
- Instructor in a massage school
- Recently licensed massage therapist from Beijing who is shifting the focus of her practice to dogs.
I thought you’d enjoy reading the topics that our most recent class will be researching.
See if you can figure out which student chose which topic.
- Enzymes
- Piriformis, effects of tapotement
- Hernias, applications for massage
- Bone growth in large breed dogs
- Phantom limbs
All of the papers are cached on our website’s Resource Section. Please check it out. There will surely be something there that will interest you. https://petmassage.com/resources/research-papers-case-studies/
Key: 1-A, 2-D, 3-E, 4-C, 5-B