Also, if you have attended a massage school and have feedback you would like to share with us, please comment on this post, or if you prefer not to share your name, send your testimonial directly to me, and I will post it anonymously.

Lisa wrote:
Hi, I have been considering going to school for pet massage for a couple months now. Your website has a lot of great information and is the best comprehensive look at schools that I have been able to find.

The main problem I am having is finding out truly how good these schools/certification courses really are and how well they prepare you to start your own business. Of course all the schools are going to say they have the best program and prepare you to be confident to start your own business and have testimonials on their websites that stand by these statements.

But what I am looking for are the students’ individual opinions of the schools who have completed the pet massage program, with maybe some good and some bad. Or an expert who has looked over several schools and their programs and has the knowledge to compare them to one another.

Without being able to physically visit the schools myself it is very hard to tell which one would be right. I was hoping that perhaps you have some knowledge of this or maybe you have connections to people who have completed pet massage courses at a variety of schools and can give you their opinions. If you could post this information on your website it would be so helpful. Not only for me but for others trying to weigh their options.

Right now I am leaning towards Pet Massage LTD in Toledo, OH but because I haven’t seen any honest, straightforward opinions of any pet massage schools, I am still undecided and unsure. I would greatly appreciate any help. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Lisa

My answer:
Hi Lisa!
You’re absolutely right, it is very difficult to decide which school to choose, especially as more and more of these courses are popping up everywhere. Did you see my post comparing massage programs? It gives you a brief overview of the more comprehensive programs offered.

My advice would be to select a program at an accredited massage therapy school that is at least 200 hours total, and includes plenty of hands-on instruction. 200 hours is the minimum required to be able to take the NBCAAM exam, which I absolutely recommend for everybody who wants to practice animal massage or acupressure for a living. The laws about animal massage are very much up in the air in almost every state, but if you have a solid training and the NBCAAM certification, you are in a much better position if/when they do change.

I would also check each school’s website and contact their graduates and ask what they thought of the program(s). If there are none listed, I would call or email the school and ask for contact info. If they are not willing to give that to you, I’d pass on that school.

How well the schools prepare you to start your own business is a very good question. I think most focus the majority of the instruction on bodywork, and some have basic business classes. If I were to design the business part of one of these programs, I would make the students start on a business plan at the beginning of the program and have them work on it throughout the entire education, perhaps with weekly check-in sessions that would allow for idea-swapping and reality checking. I think many people who go into this don’t think enough about the business side of things until they have to (myself included!).

One thing I found out recently is that many colleges have Small Business Development Centers, where they help you with all aspects of starting a business. Some also have workshops and classes, so that’s another option if you find a massage program you love but feel is lacking on the business side of things.

Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Best
Cattie

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Question
Everyone tells me that in the area I live, people would rather massage their own dogs than pay for a professional even if they aren’t aware of what they are doing. I have such a burning desire to do this [become an animal massage therapist]. I have two dogs and have massaged them for years, based solely on intuition and my human anatomy background, having worked for chiropractors, medical doctors, done medical illustration, etc. I have been researching schools, those that have distance learning, as I have a spinal disease, which makes it impossible for me to travel too far. I have found two and I wonder if you would give me your input. Can you inspire/help me – give me the knowledge of your experience?
Thank you in advance
Patricia

Answer
My advice to you would be to find out for sure if there is a market for animal massage in your area before investing in an education. I would do this by talking to as many professionals working with animals as possible – vets, vet techs, alternative healers, shelter personnel, etc. as well as dog owners. Since you have two dogs yourself, I’m sure you spend a lot of time in dog parks, or other areas where other dog owners go, so you could easily find this out by just chatting while you’re out anyway (you might want to ask what people would be prepared to pay for such a service too). Go through a few cash flow scenarios to see if you would be able to make enough once you’ve gathered all your data.

Also think about ways that you could market your business and how you would find new clients. One sad side of working with animals is that by the time people hire you to work on their pets, many are old and not doing so well, so you have to be prepared for both the emotional and financial impact of losing your animal clients (I’m talking about the rainbow bridge here, not just people not calling you back).

It’s all well and good for people to massage their own pets, but they need to know what they’re doing. There are instances where massage is not the best option – in fact it can be downright dangerous to the pet’s health. One thing that I did was to offer dog owners the option of learning massage from me while I worked on their pets. You could work that out any way you want to of course, but I what I did was having people sign their dog up for a series of 5 massages. The first and second appointments were me massaging their dog while talking about what I was doing and why (after we went over the dog’s health history and current problems). At the third appointment, I gave the dog a massage and then had the owner try it with my help. At the fourth appointment, we massaged the dog together. I then gave the owner some homework (massage their dog basically) and at the fifth appointment, the owner massaged their dog while I observed and answered questions (and made corrections where needed). A good idea is to have an extra appointment scheduled 6 months later to go over the dog’s health again (in case things have changed) and answer questions and offer additional advice. Before massaging anybody’s pet though, make sure the owner checks with their vet and get his/her ok.

Which schools were you looking at? In my opinion, everybody needs some hands-on training with their instructor(s), I don’t feel like learning from reading and watching DVDs is good enough. Another thing to consider is that giving massages can be kind of tough on your body, depending on the size and lack of mobility of the dog – would it be too much for your back? It’s also good to be able to move fast – not all dogs take to massage and I have had a few try to bite. I always work on the floor, since many dogs get skittish when they’re up on a table, and I also don’t want them to feel trapped. If they want to get up and wander around, and maybe get a drink of water, in the middle of the massage (and many do), I want them to be able to.

Having said all this (and I know I haven’t painted the happiest of pictures here), if you are really passionate about working with animals and have the drive and determination to not let anything stop you (being a marketing whiz also helps!): go for it. You’ll find ways to work it out, even if it means having to work a full time job while getting your business off the ground, or keep a part time job for a few years until you’re making enough of a steady income to survive. Good luck and keep us updated!

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