Canine Bowen Therapy Training UK

04/07/2024

Hi all, I hope you are all well.

To follow on from my last post about postponing the start of the full practitioner course to Spring 2024, I do feel that I would like to run a two day CPD to those fully qualified practitioners who trained with me as SCBT and potentially offer this to any other *fully qualified Canine Bowen therapist.

I have a hall booked for both Sept and Oct and will keep the booking for the weekend with most demand.

Ideally I'd like to do a 2 day CPD as I want to refresh alot of the topics you've already learnt including;

* Calming signals, working with an anxious dog
* signs of pain and mobility issues
* static and dynamic assessments
* hands on assessments
* fine tuning procedures - checking for any bad habits 😉
* some new procedures
* mental stimulation and enrichment ideas for pups, dogs recovering from surgery and those with mobility and cognitive issues - offering these ideas to owners to do between your Bowen sessions

Drop me a dm with your preferred month and we will go from there!

🐕 In addition - if anyone is interested in completing a three day course as a Self Interest option - to treat your own dog/s let me know as I could run this in either Sept / Oct as I currently still have the hall booked

Drop me a DM if you're interested in this option

Location - Pitchcombe Village Hall, Stroud. Glos.

23/06/2024

📌 Announcement

Some of you may be aware that it's been a difficult year for me with my Dad's illness and subsequent passing in February this year.

I had planned to restart teaching the full practitioner course this year and had set dates ready to start in September.

However after much deliberation I feel that I am not going to be in the best place to undertake the full course so soon.

Life is still challenging and my Mum needs quite a lot of support at the moment.

I am very passionate about canine Bowen therapy and sharing this amazing work with as many people aa possible. I have worked hard and spent many hours writing the course material, but I need to be on top form if I'm going to be responsible for the tuition, guidance and support to students who are investing a lot of time and money in this work.

I have decided to postpone the start of the full practitioner course until Spring 2025 - using part of the dates set for the September intake.

I do plan to run either a one or two day CPD course for fully qualified practitioners who trained with me under the School of Canine Bowen Therapy. This would be a refresher course covering gait analysis, hands on assessments, revising moves learnt so far and a couple of new procedures that I have found to be super effective.

📌 To those interested in starting the full practitioner course who have already been in touch with me I will drop you all an email

📌 Those interested in a practitioner CPD day / 2 day workshop please drop me a DM

Thank you all for your understanding, I will be back in the Spring and may have another amazing member to add to the teaching team 😀 🐕

29/05/2024

✨️ Thank you to those who have got in touch with me about the CBTT.UK training course starting in September. ✨️

I'll work my way through the list of everyone who has expressed an interest previously and send course information. 🐕🐕

28/05/2024

✨️ Thank you all for your patience, its been a very difficult year with my Dad being unwell and sadly passing away in February. The time just was not right for me to run a training course......but exciting news ......🥳 I plan to run my first course under the new name Canine Bowen Therapy Training UK 🇬🇧 this year!

Dates 📅 ;

2024
Module 1a; September 13,14,15th
Module 1b; November 9,10th

2025
Module 2a; March 14,15,16th
Module 2b; June 6,7,8th
Module 3; September 12,13,14th

Two course options;

1 - Self Interest for those who just want to treat their own dogs at home - this is Module 1a. You will not be qualified to treat dogs professionally *

2 - Full Practitioner course - the full years training. At the end you will receive a certificate of qualification and you will be able to treat dogs professionally

* If you decide you love the training so much you want to stay and complete the full practitioner course you can

🏠 Venue is Pitchcombe Village Hall, Pitchcombe, Stroud, Gloucestershire. A lovely rural hall surrounded by fields.

Approximately 10 minutes from the M5.

✅️ Drop me a DM with your email address for more information, course syllabus, prerequisites, costs etc......

I'll be in touch with those who have previously expressed an interest

Thanks all 🐕🐕

10/05/2024

Not bad for a 13 year old with hip OA and some spinal degeneration......and after major abdominal surgery in December!
She gets lots of Bowen from me and I also use a photizo laser regularly.

As you know for personal reasons I've had to bump this course back a couple of times but intend to start again in September 2024.

I'm currently waiting for someone to give me dates for their course which I'm attending before I set my dates hence the delay.

My plan is to start level 1 in September then level 1b in November so you get two training modules in to get you started over winter.

Apologies for the delay, but I will post dates and send out emails in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks all 🐕🐕

26/03/2024

😂 So nobody posted on this! Why not have a go at making some observations? ...there is no judgment, just encouraging you to get involved and start thinking about what you are seeing. I'll be posting more so do feel free to comment...... 🐾🐾

👩‍🏫Assessments are a vital part of our treatment process. They start the minute we meet the dog and continue right through the session until we leave.

🤷‍♀️There is so much to learn and it does take practise.....

🤷Does anyone feel brave enough to pop some thoughts to the questions in the comments?

Go on, there's no judgement here!

👉What do you see here?

👉Is it relevant....or not?

👉If so, what could it indicate?

👉How can we find out if it is relevant?

👉How can we tell if something has changed as a result of Bowen?

Can't see anything? Don't worry, this is something we cover alot during the course 😉

20/03/2024

It sleeps 💤 💤 😁

I'm giving myself until the end of the month after the passing of my Dad to get my head together then I will be looking at setting dates for the full practitioner training course. Thank you all for your patience.

Would any full practitioners who trained with me through SCBT like a one or two day practitioner workshop this year?

This would be an opportunity to revise all work covered so far, fine tune moves, learn some new ones and fine tune assessment skills.

It would also be an opportunity to renew your passion for this amazing work, share marketing ideas etc.

I'm also thinking about a CPD day looking at home exercises, gentle stretches, and simple pole work other enrichment ideas that we can share with owners - ideal for those with older dogs .....

We could do two separate days or two together to combine ideas....I know life is tough for everyone at the moment so I'd like to get some feedback on what people would like.

Thanks all. 🐕

(Feel free to add a photo of your sleeping dogs 😃)

13/03/2024

After illness, my Dad sadly passed away on February 16th. I knew that I would not be in the right frame of mind to start a full practitioner training course so soon which is why I cancelled the start this Spring.

I plan to start in the Autumn - probably mid September for module 1A then November for module 1B.

I will post dates as soon as I have organised my diary and the hall, and will post here as soon as they are confirmed.

Thank you all for your patience 🙏

(Photo of my Pippin with her crazy ears 😀)

13/02/2024

‼️ Announcement ‼️

🐕 Sadly due to significant family illness, I have made the decision to move the start of the 2024 - 2025 Practitioner course to September 2024.

I will post new dates as soon as I have looked at diaries for myself and the hall.

If you'd like course information please drop me a DM here with your email address or email [email protected]

If you've already made contact please feel free to remind me to get that information to you. 🙏

In the meantime I'll keep this page active to keep you updated and post some "pre course" homework - recommended reading and videos. There is a lot you can do to prepare yourself for the start of the course.

‼️ If you'd like to train in canine Bowen therapy you will need to have completed at least module one of a human Bowen training course. This means when you come to treat dogs you will already be confident with the Bowen move, pressure, etc ..... so you may want to get yourself booked on a course before September.
To train as a full practitioner you will need to complete the full human training course to qualify - you can complete both courses side by side.

I will accept students from any Bowen training course.

Thank you 🙏🐕🐕

29/01/2024

https://youtu.be/lztKW16oPqE?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/lztKW16oPqE?feature=shared
https://youtu.be/lztKW16oPqE?feature=shared

I am hoping this video will share properly! I just want to whet your appetite to some of the fascinating topics we cover on the Canine Bowen training course. Being able to work with the dogs rather than on them is what will make the difference between a good practitioner and a great one. The only way we can really work with our dogs is understand how they feel about us being there, in their space, and how they feel about us touching them, treating them and focusing our attention on them. Spend time just watching your dog/s, get out and watch dogs in public, just observe their subtle cues and body language that show if they are happy, anxious, stressed in pain or more........

Do make time to watch more of Turid Rugaas's videos on You Tube and I highly recommend her book On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals.

This is a topic we spend a lot of time on......

https://youtu.be/lztKW16oPqE?feature=shared

Preview of the DVD by Turid Rugaas. Uploaded with permission.

26/01/2024

Hi all! Thank you for keeping with me in this page. Life took an unexpected turn last year which led to me delaying the re-starting of this training course under the new name. My Dad is unwell sadly and my older collie had major surgery but has made an amazing recovery as only dogs can, I needed to focus my attention there.

I am aiming to start the full Practitioner course in late April 2024 and this will run in modular form over the course of 12 months with the final assessments taking place in April/ May 2025. There will be 5 modules in total with 14 attendance training days. The venue will still be Pitchcombe Village hall, Pitchcombe, Stroud. This is lovely rural location which is the ideal training space for both owners and dogs.

I will be joined on part of the course by Vet Physio Ali Marks who will be looking at anatomy and physiology with students.

I will also be adding some mindfulness exercises into the course as it really helps focus attention, clear the mind and be present with the dogs we treat.

I am currently looking at my diary and co-ordinating with the hall to set the dates. As soon as these are done I will post here.

I will send emails to everyone who has already made contact - but feel free to remind me and pop a comment below and drop me a DM with your email address if you would like more information sent to you.

There will be a payment plan in place to allow you to spread the cost of your training - but please note, you will expected to pay the full course fee once committed to training.

Dogs are encouraged and welcomed on this course and will be part of the team - their welfare is paramount at all times, no treatment or activity is forced onto any dog. Dogs are allowed to chill out with us in the hall at all times as long as they are happy to do so.

Do come and add Canine Bowen Therapy to your skill set, it is the most rewarding work!

17/12/2023

📸 Look at this post on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/100044743434825/posts/919252276242878/?sfnsn=scwspmo

If you're thinking about a career treating dogs with an amazingly effective therapy, you'll need to do your human training too - this helps form a solid understanding of the Bowen Technique responses and results to expect.
CBS have some Introduction to Bowen courses in the New Year if you want to go and see how you feel about the work before making the commitment to train.

Don't buy for the sake of buying. Instead of hand cream, chocolates or flowers, buy them something useful!
The College of Bowen Studies are running One Day Introduction's to Bowen in the Forest of Dean, Warrington and Glasgow, in January and February 2024. Learn something new! Email [email protected] to order your festive E-Voucher NOW!
Website link in comments

14/12/2023

Hi all, I want to keep this page active so that you all know I am still here and plan to start teaching this amazing therapy for dogs 2024.

I was hoping to start in the Autumn of this year but my Dad has been quite unwell and so my attention was divided between home, work and the hospital.

Now he is home, my older collie Tilly had to undergo complex surgery last week to do a liver biopsy to sample some suspicious looking lobes, a spay and vaginectomy to remove a mass that had developed within her va**nal cavity. This involved an abdominal midline incision and an episiotomy as they remove the va**na caudally. Poor girl!

The surgery went well (Wednesday) then Thursday afternoon/overnight she went downhill and by Friday morning she was clearly very poorly. She had to be carried off for an ultrasound scan which showed free fluid in her abdominal cavity, tests showed it was urine so she was rushed back into surgery surgery reopened. Her bladder had ruptured

The surgeons repaired the bladder and reinserted a catheter. She stayed in until Sunday when they were happy she was comfortable enough to come home......but now we have the responsibility of dealing with the catheter which needs to be drained every 4-6 hrs and kept spotlessly clean.

I'm very lucky to work at the Vets she is registered with and as its also a referral practice we have all the specialists surgeons in the building. I think she has had the care of 5 referral Vets over the course of the last week.....including an intern who came back to help with the surgery as she was writing a paper on vaginectomys!

She is doing very well, but I'm sleep deprived as on the living room floor and awake at every noise (and Pippin who thinks I need a face wash every hour!!) 4am starts to drain the catheter.... 😴

The catheter is scheduled to come out next Wednesday so a few days to go yet.

So for obvious reasons my head was just not in the right place to start running a full practitioner course at this end of rhe year!

I do plan to restart the full practitioner course March 2024 in Pitchcombe, Stroud, Gloucester.

I have some changes to make to the syllabus which I will do after Christmas and reply to everyone who has requested this information.

Thank you all for your patience 🙏

I hope you and your dogs all have a lovely Christmas and feel free to pop pics of your Christmassy dogs in the comments below 🎄🎅🐕

17/10/2023

🌺 Important Announcement 🌺

Due to family illness, I have decided to move all Canine Bowen Therapy Training UK courses, including the self interest course I was hoping to run in November, to Spring 2024.

This is with great regret as I was keen to get started again, but right now I need to be focused on supporting my parents at this difficult time.

Thank you for you patience and understanding 🙏

I will contact all those who have messaged and emailed me.

Please stay close to this page as I will need to confirm dates for the full practitioner course 2024 as well as the 2 day interest courses I plan to run

14/09/2023

🎉 So finally, I'm super excited to say I have finally located a new hall for the canine Bowen therapy training courses and it's five minutes from my house!

It's a lovely little rural village hall. Tucked up a little track next to the village church. It has a car park which is large and flattish to use for our static assessments, and a footpath across the field directly outside the hall.

Please stay posted as I'd really like to fit a 2 day Self Interest course in November, before starting the full practitioner course in Spring 2024.

I'll be in touch with all those who expressed an interest as soon as we have checked diaries. Thank you all for your patience, it has taken a little more time than anticipated to be in the position to get back up and running.

Here is the hall

Pitchcombe Village Hall Pitchcombe has one of the most picturesque village halls in the Cotswolds and benefits from a beautiful location with views across the Painswick Valley. Originally the village school, the community raised funds to buy and convert it in the 1950s. Since then the hall has been....

04/09/2023

As I'm busy making plans to relaunch the canine Bowen therapy training course I'm keen to get feedback on the days people find easier to be away on a course

The hall previously used often has events on a Friday and one weekend day in term time and so is proving tricky to make long term plans with.....so my question to you, those interested in training with me is,

"Would you prefer training days to be Friday - Sunday or are you able to attend on weekdays if necessary?"

If weekends are the majority, (easier for me I have to say), then I will find a different course venue - still Stroud based)

Thanks all! 🙌

29/08/2023

✴ Potentially running a self interest canine Bowen therapy training course in November 2023 in Stroud, Gloucester.

✴ This is aimed at those who are already Bowen therapists who would just like to treat their own dogs at home - this is not a qualification to treat dogs professionally

✴ The is a comprehensive two day course where we will cover ;

👉 Calming signals - signs of stress/anxiety during a treatment
👉 Signs of pain in dogs
👉 Basic gait analysis
👉 Basic static and dynamic assessments
👉 Working safely and considerately with your dog
👉 Basic A & P relevant to the treatment
👉 A simple, yet comprehensive full body treatment for your dogs.

This is ahead of me relaunching the * FULL CANINE BOWEN PRACTITIONER course in Spring 2024.

If you'd like to sign up please get in touch asap and I will set the dates - this will run over a weekend.

Contact via my page or
📧 [email protected]
With your Email address and I will send you more information

02/08/2023

📌 I will be starting the next FULL PRACTITIONER course in February 2024. This will run in modular form over the course of one year.

I have decided to offer a three day SELF INTEREST course this year.

✅ This is open to any human Bowen therapist who has their own dog/s and would like to be able to treat them at home.

During these three days you will learn about;

* Translating Bowen from people to dogs
* Calming signals, signs of stress
* Signs of pain in dogs
* Basic gait analysis
* Static analysis
* Conformation analysis
* Basic hands on assessments
* Some basic anatomy and physiology
* Bowen work - a simple full body treatment

This is the same as the full practitioner course minus discussion on case studies, written assignments etc.

⚠️ Whilst you will receive a certificate of completion, this is NOT a qualification and you will not be certified to treat as a professional canine Bowen therapist

📅 Date; 24 - 26th November 2023
📍 Location; Stroud, Gloucester.
✅ Investment £300

For more information and an application form please drop me a DM with your email address, or email me at [email protected]

25/07/2023

👉 Thank you to those who have been in touch requesting the course syllabus

I shall email you all this week to see who is interested and how people feel about a November start. I'm aware that this hasn't left people much time to plan expenses, time away from home etc so I'm keen to get feedback from people.

If a November start module 1A would be 24, 25, 25th.

It would then follow with modules in Feb, May, Aug finishing November 2024.

If I don't get numbers for this start date (I need 3 more) then it will be February 2024 start date

Feel free to get in touch for further information

A decision will be made by end of August. 🐶🐶

21/07/2023

📍 One of the many topics we cover on this canine Bowen training course is body language, signs of stress and calming signals.

To be able to treat and help a dog effectively and safely we need to work 'with' them, not 'on' them - we all know how Bowen works by now!

Calming signals help us understand the dogs state of mind throughout the session, and indicate where we may need to add an extra break, make the break a little longer, or stop the treatment for that day. Be prepared to throw alot of rules out of the window with dogs 🐕 😁

Learning to recognise these sometimes very subtle cues, takes time and is usually learnt whilst "on the job". I initially qualified in canine Bowen in 2006 and was scared to continue a treatment if a dog so much as yawned.....experience has shown me that we actually don't get very far if we stop there!
In fact, as long as we make those observations and work slowly and calmly we can usually continue to treat within a dogs threshold with quite a few calming signals.

📍 Pre course advice!

Those who are considering training with me can do some pre course coursework and get watching videos and reading books and papers on this topic. I highly recommend Turid Rugas as in the You Tube video below (it's safe to click) as she was ont of the first to really pioneer the concept of calming signals.

☕ Grab a coffee a go sit somewhere you can watch dogs walking, playing and interacting with people and other animals. The best way to learn is simply by watching and seeing. We will of course do lots of this throughout the course 🐶🐶

Available at www.dogwise.com.Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas is a noted expert on canine body language, notably calming signals which are signals dogs giv...

14/07/2023

Responses and behaviour during a canine Bowen treatment.

It sounds obvious to state, but dogs are different from people and horses, and will respond in ways we may not expect. Those who are used to treating horses are often surprised at how much more complex it can be, but many people find their human and equine treatments improve after working with dogs.

This may be partly to do with the need to really, and I do mean really, observe the dogs body language constantly and adapt our posture, position and treatment accordingly (be prepared to get yourself into some unusual positions when treating dogs - something to keep in mind before undertaking this course as you will be spending all your time on the floor with them - we do not use tables or plinths.)

Photos below are of my 5 year old collie Pippin which starts the treatment with very suspicious look before allowing herself to relax then eventually fall asleep 😴

On this course we will spend a lot of time observing the body language of the dogs we are working with and learning how to adapt and respond accordingly.

12/07/2023

Why is there a dog in a box I hear you ask?! 🤷‍♀️

One of the topics we cover on this course is the use of mental stimulation and enrichment games and the benefits of prescribing them to our clients.

These games are actually a great way to support puppies, pre surgery cases and older dogs with mobility and/or cognitive issues.

Not only to they encourage to dogs to use their noses to sniff out treats - itself a great way to get their brains working, but by using different layouts and equipment we can also help with:

📍 Proprioception
📍 Confidence
📍 Balance
📍 Strength
📍 Co-ordination
📍 Problem solving
📍 Building bonds with the owner

Your dogs will enjoy getting involved with these games.....

10/07/2023

🐶 So I'm back up and running and will be resuming teaching canine Bowen therapy after a 3 year break......and I cannot wait to share this amazing therapy with you all! 🐶

For those who are new to this page and don't know who I am here is a brief bio;

I'm Maddy Freeman and my two collies are Tilly, 12 and Pippin 5 years of age ( I also have a horse called John!)

I qualified to treat people with the Bowen Technique in 2004, dogs in 2006 and horses in 2009. I'm also qualified in canine Merishia massage and am a Reiki practitioner specialising in dogs and horses . My passion however, is always Bowen!

I worked in a Vet led multidisciplinary Rehab centre for 6 years treating dogs with Bowen alongside the specialist rehab Vet, physiotherapists, chiropractor as well as assisting on the hydrotherapy treadmill. I learnt a huge amount at PET Rehab...... we were closed down after covid but I was fortunate to be offered a job, along with Vet Physio Ali Marks, based a few miles away at the main Veterinary practice - Vale Vets and Referrals, treating dogs with Bowen, massage and laser. I worked closely alongside Ali until she moved away 😢 But she will be back to teach some modules of the course with me 😁

At Vale I'm currently working alongside First Opinion Vets and nurses to focus on supporting senior and geriatric dogs.

Away from Vale I treat people, dogs and horses privately.

I went on to develop the School of Canine Bowen Therapy with a fellow Bowen therapist and we ran courses between 2016 - 2020. Then c*vid arrived......

I have been itching to start teaching again, inspiring more people to get out there and help dogs with this amazing therapy.

In between work I spend time walking with these two crazy collies, doing a little scent work with them, they often 'help' me with the horses and we all love a regular week down on Exmoor for long walks......

Ali will post a short bio about herself soon......

📌 Welcome to Canine Bowen Therapy Training UK 🇬🇧

05/07/2023

🎉I can finally go ahead and push to restart teaching self interest and fill practitioner canine Bowen therapy courses 🎉

I was initially planning to start the next full course in October 2023, but it's taken a long time with staff shortages and lost paperwork to get the insurance sorted and I have lots of work to do with some new note changes and writing.

In reality I think that most people need more than three months to plan for undertaking a course like this - finances, days off, travel etc.....

So I'm thinking the best plan would be to defer the start of the course until 2024.

👉 I aim to start February 2024 and the course will run in modular form over over one year with the final module / assessment and examination in February 2025.....unless of course if I promote this and I get enough people to start in October/November then I'll go with that!

🙏 Stay posted and get in touch if you're interested in training

👉 CURRENT practitioners of mine through SCBT - Would you be interested in a practitioner CPD? It would be a refresher of work so far, some additonal procedures I have found helpful and tome to build some confidence in your work....... let me know and I'll get some dates together ❤

08/06/2023

So in 2019 I did a thing......I gave a short talk on canine Bowen therapy at VetVest!
I'm re-designing the canine Bowen training course and plan to restart teaching (just as soon as the insurance pull their finger out!!). Hope to be able to give more talks in the future and spread the word about this amazing therapy! 🐶

27/05/2023

👉 Update 👈

After my paper work was mislaid I'm now just waiting for Balens to sort my insurance and then I will be busy busy booking the hall and sending out dates to people who have made enquiries.

To give you an idea of course format ;

The course will start Sept/Oct 2023 and run in modular form over a year, finishing in Sept/Oct 2024.

Module 1a is 3 days - Sept (probably)

Module 1b - 3 days - Nov

Module 2a - 3 days - Feb/March 2024

Module 2b - 3 days - June

Module 3 (final) - Sept

There will be case studies to complete and three written papers.

The final exam weekend is two days of revision - what students want to go over.

Exam day - three written papers - short answers/ labelling anatomy images then a practical session with volunteers coming in with dogs to work with.

⭐ This course is designed to support, inspire and encourage forward thinking passionate and confident canine Bowen practitioners.

I'm really looking forward to re-starting teaching and sharing this amazing therapy with you all!

👉 Oh, and there will be CPD's with practitioner workshops for those who qualified with me through SCBT to revise work and create a little inspiration.

👉 And CPD to look at basic rehabilitation exercises run with Vet Physio Ali Marks (who will be joining me for part of the course to look at A&P). As well as looking at mental stimulation and enrichment ideas for older dogs with mobility and cognitive issues.

Please stay posted 🙏

15/05/2023

* Update, just waiting for insurance to re start teaching then I'll be booking the venue and promoting dates....hopefully this will be in the next couple of weeks....they're short staffed which is why it is taking so long!

Anyway, in the mean time I'll start posting course content here so you know what to expect.

I keep the groups small - a max of 6 students at a time, this allows plenty of 1-2-1 time with everyone. I am assessing students right from the start and throughout the course and I cannot do this with a large group of people.

We spend a lot of time with the dogs, they are an integral part of the course and training. They will be with us in the hall at all times as long as they are happy to so so.

One of the important parts of treating dogs is understanding their perception of what is going on. They do not know we are there to help them, they may be in pain, discomfort, or struggling with anxiety or trauma......it is up to us to respect their feelings and adapt our treatment around them.

We will spend a lot of time studying signs of stress and anxiety in dogs which will enable us to know when to put an extra or longer break in, or when to step away completely. Even removing a dog from the room, going outside for a sniff around and chill is an option.....we have to be prepared to throw all the 'rules' out of the window when working with dogs!

Working with dogs is fun, challenging and very rewarding! 🐶