As pet parents seek out more health care options for their canine companions, a whole host of exciting and interesting dog-related careers have sprung up. These careers offer dog lovers a variety of ways to positively impact the lives of our furry friends, without investing the many years and hefty financial resources necessary to earn a veterinary degree.
In fact, in many instances, training for these careers with dogs is more accessible than ever – with educational opportunities ranging from flexible on-site class schedules to online distance learning programs offering the ability to complete your education at home while studying at your own pace.
One exciting area that has exploded with new dog-related career opportunities is the alternative, or holistic, field of animal wellness.
There are many interesting educational opportunities for careers in this arena. Before you decide to engage in training for any of these careers, however, you should check with your state's veterinary medical association to ascertain its rules and regulations regarding non-DVMs providing various alternative and complimentary animal care services. This is also true if you live in a country outside of the United States.
In the UK, for example, physiotherapy, osteopaths and chiropractors may treat an animal, providing it has first been seen by a veterinary surgeon who has diagnosed the condition and decided that it should be treated by physiotherapy under his/her direction. Physiotherapy is interpreted as including all kinds of manipulative therapy. It therefore includes osteopathy and chiropractic but would not, for example, include acupuncture or aromatherapy. All other forms of complementary therapy in the treatment of animals, including homeopathy, must be administered by veterinary surgeons.
Some interesting alternative animal care educational opportunities include:
Tellington Touch
According to Tellington Touch Training’s Web site, “TTouch - the Tellington TTouch - is a method based on circular movements of the fingers and hands all over the body. The intent of the TTouch is to activate the function of the cells and awaken cellular intelligence - a little like ‘turning on the electric lights of the body’.”
Tellington Touch can be used for everything from releasing tension and helping improve behavioral problems to assisting an animal to recover from illness or injury. You can learn more about TTouch at http:tteam-ttouch.com/.
Massage Therapy and acupressure are two other gentle, non-invasive ways to support animal health through the practice of healing touch. You can learn more about these disciplines by visiting the International Association of Animal Massage & Bodywork. The site also contains an extensive list of schools providing educational training in the animal massage and bodywork fields.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy operates under a completely different premise than traditional Western (allopathic) medicine. Whereas conventional medicine applies the “law of opposites” to treat symptoms by finding a drug that creates the opposite symptom, (i.e. – treat a runny nose with a drug that produces a dry nose), homeopathy treats disease via the “law of similars”. This means that a homeopath would treat a runny nose by giving a remedy made with a substance that causes a runny nose in a healthy person, such as red onion.
By giving a sick person a substance that induces the same symptoms, homeopathy thereby triggers the body’s own self-healing mechanism, enabling it to more effectively push out the disease.
Two excellent resources on homeopathy, including directories of educational resources, are the National Center for Homeopathy and the North American Society of Homeopaths.
Herbal Medicine
Herbalists practice “therapeutic herbalism” (the use of plants as medicine). For more information on herbalism, including educational and career resources, visit The American Herbalists Guild. The site also contains a “Guide to Getting an Herbal Education”, which discusses what you should look for when choosing an herbal education program.
Companion Animal Behavior Counseling
Does a careers as a board certified Canine Behavior Counselor sound interesting to you? Or how about a professional dog trainer, or working on staff in a veterinary practice, animal shelter, dog day care center or other such animal-related facility? If so, you might want to investigate the programs offered at The American College of Applied Science. This distance learning organization offers a variety of educational opportunities in the fields of companion animal science and behavior including: Diploma in Canine Behavior Counseling; Bachelor of Science Companion Animal Science; and Associate in Science Dog Training, Care and Caregiver Counseling. There are even graduate level programs such as the Master of Science Companion Animal Behavior Counseling and the Master of Science Animal Shelter Administration.
Hopefully, this article opened your eyes as to some of the exciting careers with dogs that are out there today. Good luck continuing your exploration and deciding which new career you want to em“bark” upon!
