For the past 15yrs I have worked as a McTimoney practitioner and Equine and Canine Touch practitioner and Instructor specializing in the treatment and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal injury in horses. I have treated dogs over the years with McTimoney with some success but always felt I was unable to resolve more serious muscle issues. I was looking for a course that would provide me with a technique that could address canine muscle issues . I wanted a high level of anatomy and physiology learning content and I wanted to be taught how to locate, identify, understand and treat different muscle issues.
Having previously attended a course run by another professional body offering canine courses, I was left feeling very disappointed; the course had weak content, unprofessional delivery with little support or feedback and very poor training facilities. I am a trainer myself and understand that everyone has different learning styles but I felt this course was not professional and I chose not to complete it. Feeling disillusioned and still seeking someone to train with I was lucky enough to see Natalie Lenton assessing a dog at a seminar we were both attending. I was immediately drawn to her enthusiasm, professionalism and above all her incredibly vast knowledge of anatomy, physiology and canine muscle injury. At last I had found someone who I could really learn from and after a very friendly but detailed phone interview with Natalie I was accepted onto her course.
This is truly a unique course, and not one you should take on lightly, it really is tough going at times. There is a lot to learn but you are never alone, Nat is always available to help and support and there is a wonderful Yahoo community of fellow students, qualified practitioners and tutors on line. You will learn in depth anatomy and physiology which I think is the key to understanding how the canine body works and identify dysfunction. Very advanced palpation techniques are taught (this is totally unique to this course) and this takes some real concentration but we all had our ‘eureka’ moments during the course when we could actually identify those trigger points, strains, adhesions, scar tissue, areas of fascial pain etc. that we had learned so much about in the theory section, this was such a confidence boost. Then there are the different massage techniques; Swedish, Sports, Myofascial Release (MFR), Deep Tissue and the amazing Advanced Customised Canine Massage Techniques developed by Natalie. There are 50 different techniques that you will learn and by the end of the course I can honestly say we were all quite confident in using them, which we would never have believed at the beginning of the course. We had a huge variety of interesting dogs to work with and we were really lucky to be able to feel all the soft tissue issues we had learned about over and over again on many dogs. We also went out to a racing greyhound rescue centre quite a few times and got hands-on with the dogs their which was brilliant experience. We had clients with dogs with real issues and gradually gained confidence.
The course seems to be designed to build your techniques experience and confidence over time and when you look back over the months its incredible just how much you have learned.
Natalie is an engaging, fun, professional and approachable teacher with a vast amount of knowledge, a true leader in the field of Canine Massage, and we also had the wonderful Helen Clarke as our class assistant with amazing knowledge and experience who could not have done more to help us all through. I have made friends for life and I feel confident and competent as a Canine Massage Practitioner and I am lucky enough to have a very successful and thriving business thanks to my training.
This is by far the most comprehensive, professional well-structured and delivered course I have ever attended, leaving students confident and competent with a supportive professional association giving you the backing you need after you qualify.
Don’t look any further, if you want to be the best in your field then this is the course for you.
Emma Overend
Address: Northants, Leicestershire, Beds
Website: www.pawdimensions.com www.equinetouchcourses.co.uk
