Frequently Asked Questions

 

Are your courses recognised?

 The courses in the United Kingdom are recognised by the McTimoney Chiropractic Association and all clinics count towards compulsory annual CPD education. In the United States, Caninology is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider. Caninology is an approved RACE provider (Registry of Approved Continuing Education). Please contact the AAVSB RACE program atrace@aavsb.org to verify your individual state board’s recognition of continuing education hours. Selected courses have been chosen for the RACE program.  Caninology's courses and online classes are accepted by the American Council of Animal Naturopathy (ACAN) as electives and/or continuing education for certified animal and veterinary naturopaths. In addition, Caninology's courses are approved and recognized by the Small Animal Division of the International Equine Body Worker Association ( www.iebwa.com), UK's McTimoney Chiropractic Association and the UK Society of Osteopaths in Animal Practice.                             
 

Who are the teachers on your programme?

Our clinicians are all renowned specialists in their respective fields, so you will receive first-hand information based on the latest research in the field of canine complementary healthcare science.

They come from the United Kingdom and United States of America and teach for the programme at various locations throughout the world.

So, you will likely  find the same clinician wherever you decide to take the particular course!

You can find full clinician biographies on the website, on the Clinician Bios page.

                                                                                              Do veterinarians recognise the qualifications?

 

 

By law, you can only work on a dog with veterinary permission and/or referral.

It is up to the individual Body Worker to liaise with the veterinarian – we emphasise that we do not diagnose nor treat and where any illness or injury is suspected the animal is immediately referred to the owning veterinarian.

Around the world many veterinarians attend our classes, including the canine sports massage clinics.

 

    

Can I start my own practice and build a new career once I have taken the Canine Foundation Massage course, and once I am qualified as a Canine Body Worker®?

You will receive your Canine Body Worker® certification upon successful completion of the Canine Massage Foundation certification course and the required externship.

If you can work together with another professional in your area, for example, a chiropractor, osteopath or physiotherapist you could have a jump-start to a solid client base, this is equally so if you can work together with a veterinarian in your region.

The time to build up your client base will depend on your geographical location, size of the canine population in that area and other therapists already working in the region.

Once you are qualified, it is a good idea to introduce yourself and your work to fellow professionals in the area.  In class we spend a fair amount of time going through marketing tips and ideas to help you set up a successful practice!

 

How much can I expect to charge for consultations?

Again, this is largely dependent on your geographical location. We generally suggest a fee similar to that charged by fellow professionals in your area.

You can expect to charge slightly higher fees as your levels of qualifications increase,  for example, going from CBW to CBW Level II qualification.

 

How long will it take me to get the Canine Body Worker® Level II qualification?

 

We usually suggest a timescale of 12 to 18 months, depending on how much time you can dedicate to the courses.  The courses are all offered in modular form, which means that you can take them in any order, and there is no time restriction on how long you take before testing for a higher level of certification.

Most of our students are either working professionals or in full-time employment with a view to changing career, so the option of modular study combines well with employment.

Full details of the course prerequisites can be found on the Course Details page.

 



Is financial assistance available?

Some local councils (for example, in rural areas) will offer grants towards study fees.

If you plan to run through a number of courses to test for a higher level of certification and agree to sign up for all the required classes, we can spread the payments over a  pre-determined length of time. This option excludes course EQ3000E, the Canine Massage Foundation certification course.

 

Is there a governing body or association for qualified Canine Body Workers?

The International Equine Body Worker Association (IEBWA) is the centralised regulatory and supporting body for all student and qualified Equine Body Workers throughout the world – details can be found on www.iebwa.com.  The Small Animal Division of the IEBWA is the centralized regulatory body for graduate canine body workers.  

Members will receive full listing on the Association website and the Association will represent its members at trade shows, in professional communications and at similar functions. The Association has branches in the USA, Canada, Europe, south Africa and Australia. 

 

 Why does Caninenergy not offer distance learning? 

There are several answers to this question! It is not that Caninenergy or Caninology do not offer selected distance learning applications towards courses, it would be more correct to say we do not offer full certification through distance learning. 

First of all, distance learning is considered studying from your own home or environment. This can take various forms. Some distance learning is accomplished through one application or a combination of study guides, workbooks and videos.  Others involve on-line education which can be similar to videos, or in real time through virtual classroom tuition directly with the instructor.

Many of the study guides and workbooks entail learning on paper only but no actual practical application. Others ask you to try the application on the animal but how do you know if you are doing this correctly without supervision?

Students who register for the Caninology Canine Body Worker certification course (or any other course with a prerequisite of veterinary terminology and vocabulary), are required to work through the online anatomy CN3005, offered free (administrative fee applies) through www.caninology.com. Participants are expected to spend at least 40 hours working through this guide before the class begins.

Even though students will have gone through the material before the class, we always revise the work at the actual course, mostly because learning this hugely important material on paper only offers a two-dimensional aspect. The practical hands-on application at the course solidifies the material. Eleven years of presenting courses has proven this time and time again.

As for using a video medium, where this can be useful to show moves and positions it is not a replacement for classroom tuition. There are several videos available that demonstrate massage and stretching techniques, and although they assist learning, the practitioner is often not aware of what he or she is doing until someone is there in real time to correct a position, body mechanics and actual use of techniques. We usually find it more challenging  to undo poorly learned techniques than to instruct first-time learners.

We know we will never replace any massage foundation courses with the virtual classroom. If you have ever taken one of the certification courses with Equinology, you will know that we usually present a lecture on a particular portion of the course, this lasts around 1- 2 hours and we then follow up the theory with a practical session to instill the lecture outline or continue with earlier-learned techniques.  As such, any future course modules taught by distance learning media will continue to meet the current criteria and high standards of correct practical application.