Bancroft School of Massage Therapy

Animal Programs

Our goal is to extend our experience and expertise in massage education to the animal world by offering comprehensive training in animal anatomy, non-invasive basic and advanced animal massage and bodywork techniques, ethics, and business practices.

Why we are different

Our goal is to have graduates who will be viewed as competent animal massage professionals who have a valuable service to offer the horse owner, the veterinary community, and other related businesses and organizations.

At Doggone U, LLC, you receive training in a broad range of massage modalities, giving you greater flexibility and marketability in your profession. The program is wide enough in scope and long enough in length to provide a sound theoretical background as well as a strong practical application of professional massage skills.

Massage is both an art and a science. Bancroft offers an
exceptional science program, particularly in the field of anatomy.
At Bancroft you learn by doing and by feeling. You will experience all the massage strokes that the animals feel, allowing you to deeply empathize and get direct verbal feedback on your own strokes from the students and instructors that experience them.
Our instructors love what they do. Their devotion to teaching creates an ideal environment for learning.
Animal massage is an entrepreneurial business. We provide business practice skills to enable our graduates to have a high success rate in the massage field.
We provide continuing education workshops in order to maintain skills to satisfy the consumer demand for animal massage.

What We Teach

Hands-on training is the core of our program. Before beginning in person training, you will learn anatomy & physiology, health and safety, behavior and biomechanics, taught online (pre-recorded and Zoom meeting.)

Anatomy & Physiology

Bancroft's science program is extensive. Knowing what's under your hands and how it contributes to the health of the animal- being a knowledgable practitioner- is key to great outcomes.

Massage & Myofascial Release

The Bancroft Method^TMis a full-body massage sequence that you will learn to intuitively adapt to each animal and layer with fascial and deep-tissue techniques.

Business & Marketing

To make an impact in the world with your massage skills, you need clients, and you need to run a functioning business. You'll learn about taxes, accounting, marketing, ethics, and all the basics.

Biomechanics

Reading the animal's conformation and gait changes helps you plan your session and assess the quality and outcome of your work.

Behavior & Safety

We believe in honoring the animal's wishes during the session. You are taught how to read behavior so that you know you have your client's consent.

Guest Lectures

Subjects like assessing saddle fit and intro to the Masterson Method are taught by experienced guest lecturers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly can I get certified as a professional massage practitioner?

The program currently takes 10 months to complete the online and hands-on training.

How big are the class sizes?

The equine class sizes are 8 students to maximize student learning and safety. The maximum teacher/ student ratio is 1:4.

Why don't you provide fully remote or video certification?

Massage is a hands-on skill. Students learn the massage strokes by practicing each technique on each other, and then with the animals, under instructor supervision.

Will I have enough training to take the National Certification exam?

Yes, graduation from our certificate program fulfills all the requirements for sitting for the NBCAAM exam.

What is the massage experience of the instructors?

One of the cornerstones of Bancroft's reputation are the instructors. Our instructors are most appreciated for the caring, compassion, and one on one interaction with the students. They are a mix of Bancroft-trained animal practitioners, all with active practices. Also, each course is taught by instructors who have expertise in that subject.

Can I work and still go to school?

Yes. Our program is a combination of online and hands on learning. The online portion is self-paced recorded lectures that accomodate your schedule. The equine program's hands on dates are three 3-day weekends (F-S) in March, April, & May. Additionally, there is a zoom weekend in February and one Zoom weekend day in April.

Can I tour the school?

Our lectures are taught online, and we use local barns for our hands on classes.

Tours of the barns are not available as they change from year to year based upon their availability.

Do you offer financial aid?

There is no financial aid available for this program, however there is a monthly payment plan.

When will you run the small animal certification program?

The small animal program is on indefinite hiatus due to the health of the lead instructor. Please reach out to us at the form below for alternatives, and sign up to our email newletter at the bottom of the page to be notified when it will run again.