Hector's Clinical Canine Massage

Hector's Clinical Canine Massage I specialise in rehabilitation of soft tissue injuries and help provide chronic pain management for orthopaedic conditions in dogs.

Fully insured member of Canine Massage Guild and IAAT. Covering parts of Oxon, Berks, Wilts and Bucks.

15/07/2025

PLEASE SHARE! We’re looking for Ellie, who was lost today (Tuesday) between Abingdon and Culham.
She’s chipped and has a name tag, so if you find her please call her worried owner.
Ellie’s the only Elkhound in Abingdon. She has a very loud bark and curly white tail. She looks like small Husky and is very friendly.

Meet lovely Lur who is fast asleep after his massage 🖤🤍🤎🐶 Lur is a 5 year old English Setter who has been suffering with...
14/07/2025

Meet lovely Lur who is fast asleep after his massage 🖤🤍🤎

🐶 Lur is a 5 year old English Setter who has been suffering with lumbosacral pain and his owner reported he was not as spritely as usual
🐶 Lur’s vet suggested clinical canine massage so Lur’s owner booked him in with me
🐶 Lur is an active dog who does lots of running with his owner so she wants to keep him in tip top condition and pain free
🐶 Lur has responded well to his massages and now continues to have monthly maintenance massages to help identify and keep on top of any injuries or pain

📧 Please get in touch today to find out how clinical canine massage could help your dog [email protected]







I am proud to have done my 2 year in depth course with Canine Massage Therapy Centre and to be a member of Canine Massag...
09/07/2025

I am proud to have done my 2 year in depth course with Canine Massage Therapy Centre and to be a member of Canine Massage Guild. I also find it very worrying that people can claim to be a canine massage therapist after an online only course or worse, a weekend course!
I also do 25 hours CPD per year to keep my skills up to date and also learn new skills 📚 🖊️

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, it’s 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
I’ve 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, it’s 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 ‘therapists’ who can’t 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. I’m 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 I’m 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. Don’t 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 it’s 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 who’s 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.

🐕 Meet lovely Mabel. Mabel is a 4 year old Labrador who I see every 6 weeks for maintenance massages to ensure she is ke...
25/05/2025

🐕 Meet lovely Mabel. Mabel is a 4 year old Labrador who I see every 6 weeks for maintenance massages to ensure she is kept in tip top condition.
🐶 Mabel recently injured herself and became sore and stiff behind, so her owners contacted me to come and see her ASAP before her next booked session.
🐕 I was able to identify the areas that Mabel was sore and Mabel then had massages every 2 weeks until both me and her owners were happy she was back to her normal self.
🐶 Mabel’s owners did the right thing by getting her seen by both the vet and me as soon as they noticed something was not right. I was therefore able to work on the areas that were sore before the muscles became tighter and the issue could have gone on for much longer.
🐕 Canine massage is very beneficial for dogs of all ages, whether they have any known musculoskeletal issues or not.

📧 Please get in contact today to find out how clinical canine massage could benefit your dog [email protected]

14/05/2025

Muscles Matter. Dogs Deserve Better.
Whether you are a caring dog owner or a canine professional we invite you to like our page and get ready for more updates, infographics you can share on your page with your friends or with your colleagues, free information, free classes and loads more in the run up to the first ever Canine Muscular Health Awareness Month!

Because when we understand more, more dogs benefit to live happier, longer lives

So lovely meeting my stall neighbour today. I loved her jewellery and bought a ring before the show had even started! It...
10/05/2025

So lovely meeting my stall neighbour today. I loved her jewellery and bought a ring before the show had even started! It’s so great when small businesses support each other ❤️ Charming Bee Accessories

What a day! The weather was gorgeous, lots of lovely dogs to say hello to with their owners and wonderful customers.

As a small business owner it means so much to me when someone buys from me or even stops for a chat. I love sharing my jewellery journey with you. Thank you so much.

Lovely to meet my stall neighbour who was offering canine massage. It was lovely to meet you.

And thank you to all the staff and organisers who put on a wonderful event. All in aid of The guide dogs association who also gave a demonstration of their lovely working dogs.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend
Sabrina x

27/04/2025
🐕 Hector and I travelled to Herefordshire on Thursday to attend the ‘Facilitated Stretching’ CPD course with . This all ...
26/04/2025

🐕 Hector and I travelled to Herefordshire on Thursday to attend the ‘Facilitated Stretching’ CPD course with . This all day course was brilliant and gave me so many new skills to add to my treatment sessions.

🐶 CPD is not only a really important part of being a therapist, but it is also a requirement to be a member of the Canine Massage Guild

🐩 Stretching is so important for many reasons including:

- lengthening muscle
- encourages normal activity
- releases adhesions
- relaxes the muscle
- reduces spasms
- re educates the muscle
- relieves DOMS
- encourages lengthening of the fascia

📧Please get in touch today to chat about how some treatment sessions could help your dog [email protected]






Great response from Natalie Lenton regarding the GB News article criticising some Border Force staff for attending canin...
13/04/2025

Great response from Natalie Lenton regarding the GB News article criticising some Border Force staff for attending canine massage training. Canine massage is an essential part of a dogs well being, not a luxury or ‘pampering’ ❤️🐶

The Home Office claimed critics were 'barking up the wrong tree'

Proud to be part of IAAT 🐶
11/04/2025

Proud to be part of IAAT 🐶

💚 Meet lovely Milo who is relaxing here after his massage 🧡 Milo is the grand age of 16 and suffers from osteoarthritis ...
28/03/2025

💚 Meet lovely Milo who is relaxing here after his massage
🧡 Milo is the grand age of 16 and suffers from osteoarthritis and weakness in his hind legs. He has regular massages to help with:

🐾 Increasing blood flow to affected joints and surrounding tissues, supplying essential nutrients and oxygen which helps to reduce inflammation
🐕 Reducing pain and stiffness in his muscles, making it easier for him to move around and perform daily activities
🐩 Improving his mobility and flexibility
🐶 Addressing areas of overcompensation. Although Milo’s main weakness is in his hind legs, he gets sore and tight muscles in his back and neck from where he has been using these more to compensate

📧 Please get in touch today to find out how clinical canine massage could help your dog [email protected]

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Wantage

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