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Who attends our workshops?
Although about 40% of our students are massage therapists, at the PetMassage™ Headquarters, we attract and teach people from many diverse backgrounds. Many of the students have already started on their dream of creating and operating a pet based business. These are the dog trainers, pet sitters, dog walkers, groomers, veterinarians and vet techs.
A Glimpse into One of our PetMassage™ Workshops
By Jonathan Rudinger, head instructor and founder of PetMassage™
What is
a workshop?
You have probably heard that people travel to our workshops to learn how to
massage dogs. Perhaps you've even considered attending one of the workshops
yourself; but you had some questions. We'd like to address some of your concerns.
First of all, what is a workshop? A workshop is defined as an "educational seminar or series of meetings emphasizing interaction and exchange of information among a usually small number of participants: a creative writing workshop"
Our PetMassage™ workshop is an educational seminar. We have taught over 100 workshops at the PetMassage™ Headquarters. The feedback that we get from our students is that it surpassed their expectations for the amount of information that they were able to absorb, in friendliness and comfort.
While you are with us,
during our 7-day workshop, you will learn the skills necessary to get started
on a career in massage therapy for animals. You will get important one-on-one
hands-on skills instruction (working on the other students and dogs), an understanding
of the fundamental philosophies, theories and scientific underpinnings of anatomy,
physiology, massage therapy, animal communication, body mechanics and body language.
Plus, you will get basic instruction on creating and marketing your PetMassage™
business, and discussions of legal issues and business and professional ethics.
This is a lot of information. You are not expected to absorb it all at one time. We realize that no one can become an expert at anything in only 7 days. And, learning our techniques takes a lot longer than the short time we'll have together. This workshop is an excellent beginning or continuation of your path to learning the skills to massage animals.
Legal issues
PetMassage™ is never considered to be a substitute for veterinary care.
So, rather than describing it as "alternative therapy," it makes more sense to define it as "integrative" or complementary." More enlightened veterinarians often include massage in their rehabilitation regimens. It is helpful for people, so why not animals? The competition among veterinarians for clients can be fierce. Many listen to what their clients are requesting, that is, more individualized touch and more holistic treatments. Those that listen, increase their standing with their clients (and their profits) by offering on-site PetMassage™ and training classes for their clients to continue therapeutic massage at home.
There are many places in
the country, where there are laws prohibiting anyone but the owners of dogs
(pet guardians), licensed veterinarians and those working directly under veterinary
supervision from performing therapeutic manipulations (massage therapy) on dogs.
In these areas, our students find that they can still use their valuable skills
learned at our workshops. The PetMassage™ student, in this situation, creates
a niche by teaching PetMassage™ to the owners, veterinarians and vet techs.
Who goes
to workshops? 
Many people have already discovered how much fun and educational workshops
can be. They look forward to expanding their experience and personal network
of friends whenever they hear of something that interests them. If you have
never attended a workshop before, we must caution you that they can become
addicting. You too, may become a workshop junky--which is a good thing.
Attending a workshop moves you out of your comfortable home to interact in a new place with new people. It means that you are willing to learn, to grow, make new friends and have new experiences. Everyone starts out as a "newbie," with his or her first workshop. We admit it. Your first out-of-town workshop, by yourself, can be a bit daunting.
Before I became a massage therapist, I had never taken an out-of-town workshop. I had no idea what to expect. I heard of one that really intrigued me, so I decided to take a chance. I (gulp) signed up for my first workshop. I spent more money than I thought I could budget on plane fares, hotel, food, rental car and the workshop fees. "What am I doing?" I asked myself. "I sure hope this is going to be worth this investment of my money and time (I had more time than money, then)."
I took a deep breath and boarded a plane from Toledo, to Chicago, to Austin TX and my first workshop. When I got there, I knew nobody! I was too shy to approach the people who looked like they were already in established groups. Other massage therapists were laughing, talking and hugging each other like old friends. By the end of the first hour-long interactive experiential, though, I had already met a couple of other shy people and had at least a nodding acquaintance with a few others. I had, up until then, always thought that I was alone in my thoughts, my dreams, my patterns of thinking. At the keynote address later that afternoon I found that the room was filled with people who were so like-minded, that I actually wept. I had, like Jonathan Livingston Seagull, found my flock!
The rest of the week flew by. By the time I had to hug my new family connections goodbye, I had not only exponentially expanded my awareness and skills as a massage therapist; I had gotten a glimpse of the larger picture. I had tasted a tiny sampling of the huge buffet of new and different philosophies, techniques and skills that I had not even dreamt existed! I was in love with the process! I was definitely hooked.
Who attends our workshops?
Although about 40% of our students are massage therapists, at the PetMassage™ Headquarters, we attract and teach people from many diverse backgrounds. Many of the students have already started on their dream of creating and operating a pet based business. These are the dog trainers, pet sitters, dog walkers, groomers, veterinarians and vet techs.
Who else attends? We've taught young men and women just out of high school to people who are either retiring or have already retired and are looking for a new profession. Everyone is transitioning to a life where his or her goal is to work with and be of service to dogs and their guardians. We've taught (and this is a short list) social workers, teachers, actors, singers and musicians, high school principles, medical technicians, nurses, medical doctors/surgeons, CPA's, bookkeepers, factory workers, truck drivers, college professors and athletic coaches, NASA scientists, small business owners, very small business executives (they've been downsized), veterinarians and vet techs.
In other words, we teach everyone who can fulfill the prerequisites for the course, which are loving and desiring to help dogs and other critters. Everything you will need to know for the workshop is covered in the books and videos (DVD or VHS) you will need to review before attending. A demographic breakdown by gender shows that about 85% are women, 15% men and 0% other. More numbers: About 60% of our students bring one dogs and 10% bring more than one dog.
How to get there from
here
Modes of transportation vary depending on the distance and time limitations
of the students. Some students have flown from as nearby as Cleveland and driven
from Vancouver, BC (over 3000 miles). Students with dogs, usually drive, and
those without, often fly.
Toledo is in the heart of the country. Ohio is the state shaped like a heart. It is 250 miles from Chicago, 110 miles from Cleveland, 60 miles from Detroit, 150 miles from Columbus and 190 miles from Cincinnati, Ohio. It is on the northern border of Ohio, on the Ohio-Michigan line, and 60 miles from Indiana. Driving, take I-80, the Ohio Turnpike, or I-75. Flying: use the Toledo Express Airport (TOL) or the Detroit Metro Airport (DTW).
Where do students come
from?
We draw our students from almost every state in the US, from Canada, Europe,
Asia and the Middle East. The Internet is a wonderful way for people to find
us. They all have chosen to invest a week of their lives to learn our PetMassage™
therapy for dogs' techniques, traveling to study in Toledo, Ohio.
Where do students stay?
We have arranged special rates with a several Toledo motels that either do or
do not accept dogs. When you register for your workshop, we will mail a list
of these motels, recommended restaurants, and other travel information. The
closest motels are two miles from our Institute.
Connecting with other
students: the group experience
Our 7-day workshops are called intensives, because, during the 49 contact, or
classroom hours, you will learn many new skills. Even experienced massage therapists
learn techniques that are not taught in the formal or extended massage training;
ones that are used specifically with animals. You'll be exposed to PetMassage™
concepts, theories and techniques. Each day you will be exposed to so much that
your evenings will be welcome times for relaxation, to integrate all the new
information into your own life experiences. Students and their dogs enjoy walks
in our metroparks before and after the workshop.
Our classes are small, averaging less than twenty students. So, everyone will get one-on- one instruction, have her specific questions addressed by the instructor, plus get support and encouragement from her new friends and colleagues in her class.
Each class takes on its own character, direction and energy; everyone in the class brings his or her own unique talents and experience. Even as we cover similar basic content each time, the unique mix of the students, their personal goals and, their dogs' needs and personalities determine the flavor of each class. Although we have taught these workshops since 1997, no two have ever been the same. We have found that the exactly right people are in each class to facilitate one another's learning.
What happens at workshops?
Our workshop are about 50% lecture and discussion, 40% learning and practicing
massage skills with hands-on instruction with students' and instructors' dogs,
and 10% playing with the dogs and taking them outside to pee.
Our classes are 7 hours each of the 7 days, for a total of 49 contact hours.
The times and dates for the classes are posted on our website, www.petmassage.com
Here's an inside look of one of our first day discussions:
After their basic orientation the students and instructor are seated around a large conference table discussing how PetMassage™ is beneficial for dogs.
Instructor: If someone were to ask you why she should massage her dog and what does it do for her dog, how would you answer?
Student 1: Massage increases her dogs circulation."
Instructor: Good; you prepared for the class well. That's right out of the book. Let's go a little deeper. How does increasing circulation help the dog? What exactly is being circulated?
Student 2: I know.
Your book says it increases blood circulation, lymph circulation and something
called lactic acid, which is supposed to be the reason for muscle fatigue.
Instructor: Good. You can think of this chemical, lactic acid, as the end product
of muscle cell metabolism.
All the students get the deer looking into headlight look.
Instructor: Think of it as muscle poop. After the muscle cell has worked, it excretes lactic acid. When there is a buildup of this chemical in the muscles, it is the cause of muscle tiredness and next-day soreness after a strenuous workout. The reason why long distance runners and triathletes get massage immediately after their events is to move the muscle poop out of their tissues.
Student 3: Is that why my massage therapist always tells me to drink lots of water after my massage?
Student 4, (a massage therapist): Exactly. When you drink water, it increases your fluid level, decreases its concentration and helps filter out the lactic acid through to the kidneys, where it can be excreted in your urine.
Student 5: What does this have to do with dogs?
Instructor: When dogs exercise, their muscles cells are creating this lactic acid, too.
Student 5: Well, you can't tell a dog to drink more water, can you?
Instructor: You could try. (Laughter) You can lead a dog to water, but…
Students in unison: you can't make him drink. (Laughter)
Instructor: Dogs usually know what's best for their bodies. Normally, when they are thirsty, their body signals to their consciousness that they need to drink; and they do. You can know that adequate hydration is one of his needs, though. Dogs can be like the rest of us, though and sometimes get so involved in what they are doing that they forget to drink. Later on in the workshop we will show you how to tell if your dog is dehydrated.
Instructor: So, blood circulates around the dog's body. Can't it already move around to where it's supposed to go, without our help?
Student 4 (the MT): We learned in massage school, that the heart pumps it out but once it gets to the capillaries it sometimes needs massage to push it back up to the heart.
Instructor: Let's
back up a little. Why does the blood need to get to the cells in the first place?
It has to get there to deliver oxygen and other nutrients to each cell and accept
the cellular poop to move it out of the system. The first stop for the blood
from the heart, then, is to the lungs, where it releases carbon dioxide and
picks up oxygen. Then it flows back to the heart, where it is pumped out through
arteries and arterioles, through smaller and smaller blood vessels to the capillaries.
This is where it transfers O2 to the cells and picks up the cellular waste,
the byproducts of cellular metabolism. The blood then has to make its way through
the body, be filtered through the kidneys and end up back up to the heart. Pushing
and stroking, compressing and releasing, kneading and stroking, we can stimulate
the tissues, muscles and joints to help the blood more through the body.
What else gets a circulation boost? Student 2 mentioned lymph. What's lymph,
does anyone know?
Student 6: Your book calls it a clear watery fluid that is an important part of the dog's immune system.
Instructor: I guess you've read the book, too. Good. The lymphatics move along with the venous system. That is, they move with the return flow of blood from the cells back to the heart. There is no such thing as lymph vessels, though, they move through the interstitial tissues, the dictionary definition of interstitial is, "Anatomy. Relating to or situated in the small, narrow spaces between tissues or parts of an organ: interstitial cells; interstitial fluid"The lymph is stored, processed and released through lymph nodes, which are located throughout the body. The major lymph nodes are located at or near the large joints in the body. So, moving your dogs head and neck, shoulders, hips and legs helps to pump the lymph through his body. This is why exercise and movement is so important. When a dog gets old, experiences joint pain when he moves, is in the process of healing from a recent surgery, or lives in an apartment with guardians who are busy to get him out enough for regular exercise, their immune systems can be compromised. We've found that a half hour massage session is equivalent to a good walk or some playtime outside. The largest lymph node is the spleen. It rests just above the diaphragm, so whenever your dog takes a good, deep breath, the spleen gets massaged and stimulated. Dogs that are in pain are just like us, shallow breathers. In the workshop we will show you several ways to help the movement of lymph through the dog's body.
Instructor: There is something else that we haven't mentioned.
Student 4: Your last book was about energy flow. Are you talking about Ch'i?
Instructor: You bet! Ch'i, energy, or vitality moves through the body on paths similar to, but not the same as our Central Nervous System. It follows specific routes that have been mapped out as the Traditional Chinese/Asian Medical Meridian System. Sometimes, there is an excess of vitality, sometimes a lack. You will learn the first steps to being able to feel the differences and to balance the flow of energy through the body. Healthfulness, or wellness is the state when the energy flow throughout the body is balanced and moving gracefully.
Instructor: Is there anything else that needs its circulation enhanced?
Student 1: (Sighing, and squirming in her chair like she needs a break from all this talk) The way you ask the question implies that there is. You tell us.
Instructor: Okay,
if you insist. Dog's are social animals. Their emotions, basic needs and drives,
along with their hormones and blood chemistry all need to be assessed, accessed,
stimulated and balanced. You can see that massage affects every aspect of a
dog's quality of life. Dr. Michael W. Fox, DVM, in his 1981 book, The Healing
Touch, says, "Dog and cat massage has so many physical and psychological
benefits for your pet that you could almost call it an essential of health care,
like grooming, feeding and exercise."
This brings the role of massage to a much higher level of significance than
you might have thought. So why would you massage your dog?
Whole class: TO INCREASE CIRCULATION!
Instructor: Okay, who thinks that increasing flexibility means increasing a dog's ability to flex?
Whole class: Groans and giggles.
Your invitation
Now you have an idea of what happens at our workshops, such as what and how
lessons are taught. Our students are serious. They are there to learn. Our purpose
is to facilitate your learning in the most agreeable, entertaining and responsible
way we can. If you have never taken an out of town workshop before, or any workshop,
for that matter, we want you to know that for 7 days, you will be surrounded
with supportive, caring, like-minded, animal loving people like yourself, whose
sole goal for the time we spend together, will be to learn to enhance their
connection and service to dogs and their dogs' quality of life.
If this appeals to you, you are welcome to join us. We look forward to working
with you.
Workshop Testimonials
"A lot was learned during the week. Much more than I had expected. Very well done. Beyond great!"
"I especially appreciated our field trip to the Humane Society. I can understand now just how powerful massage can be as a means for helping these dogs become more adoptable! Thank you."
"Jonathan - it was great, "really great" and at a time and place here I needed it. I really enjoyed your integration of methods, your positive energy and knowledge that you freely shared with us."
The PetMassage™ for Dogs 7-Day Workshop Intensives at the PetMassage™ Headquarters are offered once each month, January - November. We encourage you to bring a dog with you for you and your fellow students to practice with. The facility is in a 5200 square foot building that is totally devoted to PetMassage™ training, human massage and PetMassage™ Research.
About the author
The instructor and founder of PetMassage™
is Jonathan Rudinger, BFA, Ohio State University, RN (Registered Nurse),
LMT (Massage Therapist) licensed by the Ohio State Medical Board and Certified
Aquatics Leader through the Arthritis Foundation YMCA Aquatic Program,
Founder and Instructor at the PetMassage™ Headquarters
and Director of The PetMassage™ Research Institute.
Mr. Rudinger is president of the IAAMB, The International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork. (See www.iaamb.org)
He has been interviewed on National Public Radio's, (PRI's) "Todd Mundt Show," major television and cable networks, the FOX Pet News Show and featured in Whole Dog Journal, Massage Therapy Journal, Dog Fancy, Massage Magazine and Massage & Bodywork magazines.
Mr. Rudinger guest lectures
at kennel clubs, dog-breed clubs, massage and dog training clubs and conventions.
He has demonstrated and taught the PetMassage™ method at Agility trials
AKC, UKC shows, in the US, Canada and at the Crufts Show in the UK
Copyright © 1997 - 2008 PetMassage™ LTD. All Rights Reserved
PetMassage™ is a Registered Trademark of PetMassage, LTD
3347 McGregor Lane
Toledo, Ohio
43623
Toll-Free (US only): 1-800-779-1001
Local phone: 419-475-3539
Fax: 419-475-3539
International callers: 419-475-3539
E-Mail: info@PetMassage.com