Canine Courses
The canine course is divided into two segments or phases:
1. The Myofascial Integration Phase
2. The Structural Integration Phase
Myofascial Integration Phase
After this course you will be able to work with dogs on your own as a myofascial release therapist, as well as include these techniques into your existing practice. The course is 4 days long. In this course the student is taught to identify and release fascial restrictions found in the canine structure in a way that allows the dog to "integrate" the work into their body (myofascial integration). The course blends classroom lectures, demonstrations of the techniques and supervised hands-on work with dogs. The lectures are followed with immediate demonstration and application of the lecture material with dogs to assure the participants understand the material. This is a technique driven course in that you will learn teachniques for each of the main areas of the dog and when it is appropriate to use them. Gross anatomy is not covered in this course, it is expected that you will already have studied anatomy. We will cover anatomy that is specific to the area of the dog we are working with. For instance; the psoas will be covered from the perspective of its role in the canine hip dysfunction. We will cover Range of Motion testing, the role of the nervous system, biomechanics, movement analysis, palpation skill enhancement fascial stretching, first aid, practitioner/client/animal safety and an introduction to the use of TENS and Light Therapy.
A typical class day involves theory lectures followed by demonstrations by the instructor of the applicable techniques and then practice of these by the particpants. The instructor demonstration involves one of the participants working with a dog under the close supervision of the instructor while the other participants observe. This allows the instructor to enter into a dialog with the participants about how to best approach the work for that particular animal.
This course provides a very structured method or series of sessions for working with the canine body that can be applied immediately. Class size is limited to allow close interaction with the instructor. The fee for this course includes the online anatomy/physiology course and entrance into this phase training for one year from completion. (Caveat. While the course is free from fees for one year you will be asked to lecture on a topic of your's and the instructor's desire.)
This course is recognized by Washington State and meets the animal practitioner training requirements for LMTs.
Register for the Myofascial Course
Structural Integration Phase
(The Art of Structural Integration)
This course is dedicated to training the Canine Structural Integration Practitioner. The course is 5 days long. This is the artistic phase of the program where the participant, who has been working using the myofascial techniques of the first phae, is encouraged to push through their conceptual barriers and "see" the structure of the canine. There is less technique and much more art than in the first phase. The lectures are more challenging and interactive.
The course topics include biomechanics, movement analysis, palpation of fascial "Layers" with a view to working with more specificity, nerve and joint mobilization techniques, fascial meridians, body reading--postural and movement analysis--skills are enhanced.
Class size is limited to allow close interaction with the instructor. The tone of the class is one of exploring our understanding of canine therapy as well as learning new skills.