Holistic Animal Bodyworker Professional Program
The Holistic Animal Bodyworker Professional Program is our most comprehensive professional training pathway, designed for students who want to develop a broad, multi-species foundation in animal bodywork and holistic wellness rather than limiting their education to one species or one modality.
This comprehensive program brings together 14 complementary courses covering horses, dogs, and cats, with education in massage, craniosacral therapy, kinesiology taping, Animal Neuromyofascial Release (ANMR), cold laser therapy, Reiki, myofascial techniques, animal behavior, modality integration, and business development.
Build a Multi-Species Professional Toolbox
Throughout your training, you'll explore animal anatomy, palpation, massage and soft-tissue techniques, craniosacral work, kinesiology taping, neuromyofascial techniques, photobiomodulation, Reiki, myofascial concepts, animal behavior and handling, practitioner-animal connection, and professional practice.
Most importantly, you'll begin learning to look beyond a single technique—or a single species—and consider the individual animal in front of you.
The goal isn't to use every modality with every animal. It's to develop a broad enough foundation that you understand the different tools available to you and can make thoughtful decisions about which approaches may be appropriate for the individual animal.
Flexible Online Learning with Hands-On Experience
The program combines online, self-paced education with hands-on practical work, assignments, case studies, and instructor feedback, allowing you to develop your knowledge while gaining practical experience with real animals.
14 Courses in One Comprehensive Program
Your education extends beyond traditional massage training. The program includes professional bodywork certifications as well as complementary courses designed to help you understand holistic animal wellness, integrate different modalities, work more effectively with animals, and develop the business skills needed for professional practice.
Earn Multiple Professional Certifications
Rather than receiving only one general certificate for completing the program, you will work toward the individual professional certifications included within your training. This allows you to graduate with multiple credentials representing the different modalities and species you have studied.
Whether you're preparing to begin a new career in animal bodywork, expanding an existing animal wellness practice, or looking for a comprehensive education that allows you to work with multiple species, this program provides a structured pathway for developing your knowledge, practical skills, confidence, and professional foundation.
14 courses. Multiple species. Multiple professional certifications. One comprehensive animal bodywork education.
14 Courses. Multiple Species. Multiple Professional Certifications.
Your $7,500 tuition includes 14 complementary courses designed to help you develop a comprehensive professional foundation in animal bodywork, holistic wellness, practitioner development, and business.
Equine Massage Certification
Develop a strong foundation in professional equine bodywork through anatomy, palpation, assessment, and hands-on massage techniques. Learn to recognize muscular tension and compensation while developing the practical skills needed to work thoughtfully with horses.
Canine Massage Certification
Build your professional canine bodywork skills through canine anatomy, palpation, assessment, massage techniques, and practical application. Learn to evaluate the individual dog and structure effective, individualized bodywork sessions.
Feline Bodywork Certification
Expand your multi-species practice with specialized education in feline bodywork, handling, assessment, and hands-on techniques, while learning how to adapt your approach to the unique physical and behavioral needs of cats.
Animal Cold Laser Therapy Certification
Explore the science and practical application of photobiomodulation and therapeutic light. Learn safety, treatment considerations, protocols, and ways cold laser therapy can complement an animal wellness or bodywork practice.
Animal Neuromyofascial Release (ANMR) Certification
Learn Dr. Angel's specialized Animal Neuromyofascial Release technique, developed to address soft-tissue and neuromyofascial patterns while considering compensation, movement, posture, and the animal as a whole.
Equine Kinesiology Taping Certification
Learn equine taping principles, practical applications, preparation, safety, and technique. Explore how kinesiology tape can complement your hands-on work and extend support beyond the bodywork session.
Canine Kinesiology Taping Certification
Develop practical skills in canine kinesiology taping, application techniques, preparation, safety, and assessment while adding another complementary modality to your professional toolbox.
Equine Craniosacral Therapy Certification
Explore a subtle approach to equine bodywork through craniosacral and fascial techniques, assessment, palpation, and release work, developing greater sensitivity to the horse's responses and the interconnected nature of the body.
Canine Craniosacral Therapy Certification
Learn canine craniosacral and fascial techniques, assessment, subtle palpation, and release work while developing your ability to observe and respond to the individual dog's physical and behavioral cues.
Intro to Myofascial Release
Develop a deeper understanding of fascia, fascial restrictions, and myofascial techniques while learning how this interconnected tissue system can influence movement, posture, comfort, and the way you approach bodywork.
Animal Reiki Certification
Explore Reiki as a complementary energetic modality for animals, developing greater awareness, presence, connection, and sensitivity while learning how Reiki may be incorporated into a holistic animal wellness practice.
Creating Flow
Learn how to bring multiple holistic modalities together into a cohesive animal wellness session. Develop greater practitioner awareness, observation, connection, and responsiveness instead of relying on a rigid sequence of techniques.
Dealing with Behavioral Issues When Assessing & Treating Animals
Develop a better understanding of animal behavior, body language, handling, safety, and practitioner awareness so you can work more thoughtfully with animals who may be fearful, reactive, uncomfortable, or uncertain during a session.
Business 101
Learn how to begin turning your education into a professional practice through business foundations, client management, documentation, marketing, revenue streams, and professional considerations.
This is more than a collection of individual courses.
Together, these 14 courses help you develop a multi-species professional toolbox, stronger hands-on skills, complementary holistic approaches, and a more complete foundation for building a career working with animals and their owners.
See What a Broader Bodywork Education Can Lead To
Meet two Holistic Animal Studies students who have used complementary bodywork and holistic modalities to expand their skills, help animals, and grow professionally.
Denise: Building a Holistic Canine Bodywork Toolbox
Denise shares how learning multiple modalities has helped her develop a more integrated and individualized approach to supporting dogs.
Denise has explored a wide range of bodywork and holistic wellness modalities through Holistic Animal Studies, including Canine Massage, Acupressure, Cold Laser Therapy, Animal Neuromyofascial Release (ANMR), Craniosacral Therapy, Kinesiology Taping, Raindrop Therapy, and Aromatherapy.
A Reiki Master who is also continuing her education through our Animal Communication Certification, Denise has developed a diverse toolbox that allows her to draw from different approaches depending on the individual animal in front of her.
Denise's experience demonstrates how complementary modalities can work together to create a more adaptable, individualized approach to animal wellness.
Anna: How One Horse Turned Into Eight
Anna Keever shares how her education in equine massage, kinesiology taping, and craniosacral therapy helped transform both the way she works with horses and the opportunities she began receiving as a practitioner.
Anna's training has included Equine Massage, Equine Kinesiology Taping, and Equine Craniosacral Therapy. After she began applying her new skills with one horse at a local barn, the owner was pleased with the experience and word began to spread.
What began with one horse grew into eight regular equine clients at the same barn.
Anna's story illustrates how developing strong hands-on skills and providing thoughtful care can help build trust with animal owners. Those relationships can lead to referrals, repeat clients, and new professional opportunities.
Why These Stories Matter
Denise and Anna followed different paths, worked with different species, and explored different combinations of modalities—but their experiences share something important.
Neither limited their education to a single technique. By developing skills across complementary approaches, they built broader professional toolboxes that allow them to respond more thoughtfully to the individual animals they work with.
That same philosophy is at the heart of the Holistic Animal Bodyworker Professional Program: providing students with multi-species, multi-modality education so they can develop the knowledge, practical skills, and professional foundation needed to build a more versatile animal bodywork practice.
Your first session may be the beginning of something much bigger.
Build your skills. Explore complementary modalities. Work across species. Create a professional toolbox that can grow with you.
Approved Professional Education
Holistic Animal Studies is proud to offer professional education recognized and approved through respected organizations within the massage, animal bodywork, and holistic animal wellness industries.
Eligible to Pursue IAHAP Board Certification
Students who successfully complete the applicable Holistic Animal Studies massage training meet the educational requirements to apply to sit for the IAHAP Animal Massage Board Examination. Passing the independent IAHAP board examination provides graduates with an additional opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and pursue professional board certification.
Graduates who complete additional certification courses within the Holistic Animal Bodyworker Professional Program may also be eligible to apply for IAHAP Specialty Designations in those areas of training. These designations provide an additional way to document advanced education beyond massage and highlight the complementary modalities included in your professional skill set.
Build Credentials Beyond Your Core Massage Certification
Because this program includes multiple professional certification courses, graduates have the opportunity to pursue recognition not only through the IAHAP Animal Massage Board Examination, but also through specialty designations reflecting additional areas of study such as craniosacral therapy, kinesiology taping, ANMR, cold laser therapy, Reiki, and other qualifying modalities.
Completion of a Holistic Animal Studies certification, IAHAP board certification, and IAHAP specialty designations are separate credentials. IAHAP maintains its own application, membership, examination, fee, approval, and eligibility requirements.
Choose Courses À La Carte
You do not have to enroll in the complete Holistic Animal Bodyworker Professional Program to begin your education with Holistic Animal Studies.
If you prefer to begin with one species or one modality at a time, you can choose from our individual professional courses in equine massage, canine massage, feline bodywork, kinesiology taping, craniosacral therapy, Animal Neuromyofascial Release (ANMR), cold laser therapy, Reiki, and more.
Where should you begin? If your goal is to pursue advanced hands-on bodywork certifications, we generally recommend beginning with the foundational massage course for the species you plan to work with most—Equine Massage or Canine Massage. These courses help establish the anatomy, palpation, assessment, and hands-on skills that support more advanced training.
Start À La Carte
Choose the individual species and modalities that best match your goals. Begin with massage, bodywork, cold laser, Reiki, or another area of interest and continue expanding your professional education over time.
Try a Free Preview
Not ready to commit? Explore our available free course previews to experience our teaching style, review sample lessons, and take a look inside the training before enrolling.
Explore Payment Plans
Prefer to spread your tuition over time? Visit our Holistic Animal Studies learning platform to explore available payment-plan options for individual courses and professional training programs.
As you complete your foundational education, you can continue building your professional toolbox with additional advanced bodywork certifications, complementary holistic modalities, multi-species training, and professional development courses.
Not sure whether to choose the complete program or begin à la carte?
There is no single path that works for everyone. The complete program provides the broadest multi-species education and the greatest bundled savings, while à-la-carte enrollment allows you to focus on the courses that best fit your immediate goals, schedule, and budget.