09/07/2025
As the Director of the Canine Massage Therapy Centre, Founder of the Canine Massage Guild and author of the 2 year Clinical Canine Massage Practitioner Programme as well as a specialist in this field for almost 20 years, I feel compelled to speak out about a growing concern in the industry.
The rise of quick massage courses, often delivered entirely online, is not just watering down standards, itâs putting dogs at risk as well as compromising the vulnerability of owners who are trying to do the right thing for their dog.
Many of the individuals teaching these courses have no real background in massage therapy themselves. Some offer certificates after just a few hours or days of theory, with no hands-on supervision, no case studies, and no assessments of clinical competency. Yet graduates are encouraged to call themselves "canine massage therapists" and can as its an unprotected title.
This means that:
⢠There are people working on dogs with no real understanding of anatomy, pathology, or safe techniques
⢠Students are being let loose on vulnerable dogs and owners without ever having been supervised in training or technique competency
⢠Owners are trusting their beloved dogs to therapists whose only experience may be watching a video
Iâve even come across individuals advertising massage services after just half a day of training or doing a day or 2 days training as part of another course.
This is not just disappointing, itâs dangerous and I am personally disgusted at the fraudsters who deliver these courses and at those who go on to call themselves therapists and dupe owners into thinking they are providing a real service.
At the Canine Massage Therapy Centre, our course takes over two years to complete, with extensive practical training, tutor supervision, and real casework. We also provide online theory lectures, student support sessions and tutorials online and these in no way are a substitute for the real work that happens in the classroom We work to ensure that our graduates that go on to become Canine Massage Guild members are skilled, safe, and accountable because we believe that dogs deserve nothing less.
As a professional, I am deeply distressed at what is happening in this unregulated space, and I believe that dog owners deserve transparency, not marketing fluff from so called âtherapistsâ who canât recognise or assess for a muscular issue let alone treat one despite their fraudulent claims.
It should be about this point that most would expect I say sorry for this. Iâm not sorry. If anything I think its about time I start speaking more about this. I can only be responsible for the therapists I and my team train but at the least its time to start making owners and other canine professionals and vets aware that not all massage courses and therapists have the same training.
I always say Iâm a dog owner/guardian first and a professional second, so to all the dog owners out there I urge you to check your therapists credentials, ask how long they trained for, who with and in what disciplines, ask to see their certificate of pass and importantly ask to see their insurance. Donât just jump in with the first person who says they are a therapist because it may be they are about to take your money and put your dog at risk.
People are now jumping on the canine massage bandwagon, students and so called trainers alike because they think itâs a fast and quick buck. Its not. Its hard work that comes with it a vast amount of responsibility to the dogs, owners, vets and other paraprofessionals we work with and from the side of a trainer, to the students we teach whoâs lives we influence.
Time to start calling it out.
Find a real therapist who has trained with in person supervision, taken written and practical exams, has insurance and commits to CPD training by going to visit the Canine Massage Guild professional register.
