The Masterson Method® Read and Release online course is the next practical step after reading the Beyond Dog Massage book.

You will learn how to recognize and use the visual responses of the dog to your touch to find and release tension. Learning the techniques taught in the Read and Release course will improve your dog’s movement, comfort, and longevity while opening exciting new doors to better communication and a more meaningful relationship.

The Read and Release course is an online, interactive, classroom style learning course.  You will be participating with your dog each week.  These courses are structured with a combination of visual aids, instructor demonstration, and student practicing.  The small group setting provides more focused instruction and practice time with guidance.  In this course, the student will learn Levels of Touch and Search Response Stay Release (SRSR) points.

The course will meet weekly for four consecutive weeks.  Students should plan each weekly class lasting approximately two to two and a half hours, depending on class size.  There will be breaks interspersed throughout the class time for both you and your dog!

We do require you to purchase and review the Beyond Dog Massage book before attending the Read and Release course.  All courses will use the Beyond Dog Massage book for course material.

Course Prerequisites

You have reviewed the Beyond Dog Massage Book (can be added when purchasing your registration).

This is an online, interactive course in which you will be working in a group classroom setting with your dog each week.  Plan ahead for your at-home learning workstation for class time, and ensure you meet the minimum technical requirements:

• A practice and learning station that is a quiet area, free from distractions.
• A device with a camera, speaker, and microphone.
• A stable, high-speed internet connection.

Completing these prerequisites will help ensure you (and your dog) get the most out of the learning each week!

Canine Courses FAQs

Amelia Nalli, MMCP Equine

If you would like to hear Amelia’s message to you, please click here.

Amelia is a Masterson Method practitioner and instructor for the Light to the Core horse bodywork courses.  She also produced and edited the videos linked in the Beyond Dog Massage book, which gave her the unique opportunity to watch Jim work with many types of dogs with very different temperaments. That experience helped her to understand the importance and differences of bodywork between dogs and horses. The techniques are similar on a smaller scale but the release of tension is just as rewarding.

An avid animal lover, Amelia volunteers at a dog adoption center to offer canine bodywork and relieve tension with as many dogs as possible who are in difficult situations.

Coralie Hughes, MMCP Equine

If it has four legs and fur, Coralie loves it. Throughout her 14 years of Masterson Method experience as an equine practitioner and human instructor, Coralie has developed a deep understanding and instinct for the Masterson Method. For many years Coralie has applied The Masterson Method to dogs in her world that needed help, and found it to be profoundly beneficial.

As a Beyond Dog Massage instructor, Coralie delights in sharing the method with dog enthusiasts, recognizing that dog behavior with the method is quite different from that of the horse.

Kalin Finsand, MMCP Equine, NBCAAM

As a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner Equine, I have experienced and experimented with the The Masterson Method® bodywork on all sorts of barn dogs at the ranches I visit. It’s not unusual to see a dog waiting outside the stall for their turn at some gentle touch to help release accumulated tensions. With the start of 2024, I am honored to be on the forefront of instructors who will embark on teaching the Masterson Method Beyond Dog Massage courses.

My bodywork journey may have begun with the horse, but it has continually been infused with delving into learning canine techniques. Currently I am certified through the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure & Massage, Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute in canine and equine acupressure, and have also completed the Tallgrass Tui-Na canine massage course. I know that having this knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine acupressure meridians and points is a continuous benefit to my Masterson Method bodywork.

If there is a dog (or more) in your life, the Masterson Method Beyond Dog Massage courses are a must. You will learn how to read your dog’s response to gentle touch and help them release tension that affects movement, comfort and longevity.

My dogs and I look forward to meeting you and your pup in class!

Leslie Kennedy, MMCP Equine

If you would like to hear Leslie’s message to you, please click here.

Leslie has enjoyed a lifelong experience with dogs, from simply enjoying dogs as family pets, to family show dogs, and more recently agility. She is a professional, board certified canine and equine health care practitioner experienced in a broad spectrum of bodywork techniques. For the past eight years Leslie has achieved tremendous results using integrated bodywork to restore whole body balance and muscle symmetry in canines and equines. The Masterson Method® techniques are successfully used by Leslie on a daily basis for her canine and equine clients.

Canine clients range from those suffering from neurological deficits, anxiety, trauma, tension, sport  injuries arthritis, muscle tension and numerous other imbalances. Young dogs, senior dogs, retired racing dogs, and high performance athletes enjoy and greatly benefit from The Masterson Method® to help maintain optimal health.

Leslie’s clients include professional dog trainers to loving pet owners. The Masterson Method Beyond Dog Massage is for everyone.  Leslie looks forward to helping you help your cherished canine companion. By learning The Masterson Method Beyond Dog Massage techniques you can help keep your dog’s mind and body in ideal harmony.

Robin Robinett DVM

Dr. Robin Robinett grew up in the Houston area and always had a love of animals. At 3 years old after getting her first puppy, she decided she wanted to become a veterinarian and worked toward that goal throughout her education. She graduated from Pasadena Dobie High School with Honors and has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Texas A&M in Biology. She returned to Houston and worked at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center for two years before returning to Texas A&M. She graduated in 1989 from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine with a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine.

Robin rode and showed horses in hunter shows, dressage and combined training/eventing before graduating from vet school. Dr. Robinett worked for the Houston SPCA after graduation. Then she was a co-owner and founder of a veterinary hospital in Pearland. After leaving that practice in 1997, she did small animal veterinary relief work and had a mobile practice for veterinary chiropractic. She received her Veterinary Chiropractic Certification by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association in September 1996, then became certified in Acupuncture from the Chi University in 2009.

Dr. Robinett opened Veterinary Chiropractic and Rehabilitation Clinic, PC. (VCRC) in October 2008. VCRC provides Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Rehabilitation services for dogs, cats, and horses.  VCRC is one of the few privately owned clinics in the USA, which does small animal and equine rehabilitation and has an underwater treadmill for dogs and one for horses.

Dr. Robinett is certified in Equine Rehabilitation by the Animal Rehab Institute in Florida and has completed a practice-based residency and will sit for exams in 2025 for board certification by the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR. Dr. Robinett is a member of many professional veterinary organizations including: American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA), American Association of Equine Veterinarians (AAEP), American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA), American Association of Rehabilitation Veterinarians (AARV), the Texas Equine Veterinary Association (TEVA), the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM), and the International Association of Veterinary Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy (IAVRPT). She was a finalist for IAVRPT International Rehab Therapist of the year in 2020 and 2021.

After taking the Masterson Method Equine courses, Dr. Robinett met Jim Masterson and became a Masterson Method Certified Veterinary Practitioner in 2021. Robin co-authored the book, Beyond Canine Massage with Jim, which was released in October 2023.

Stef Watts, MMCP Equine

Stef is based in Nottinghamshire in the UK, where she lives with her husband Adam and their dog Paddy. She has always had a passion for working with animals, particularly dogs and horses.  Stef changed her career path later in life to follow her passion and has now been a practising animal and human therapist for over 10 years, following an intense 3 years of training in both animal chiropractic and animal and human soft tissue therapies.

With a continued thirst for new knowledge, Stef went on to become an equine MMCP in 2018 and has found the techniques a great addition and benefit to her therapy sessions. At about this time Stef also launched some of her own accredited animal therapy practitioner courses, to enable more people with a passion to realise their dreams of working with animals.

It was a great surprise to find out that Jim Masterson was going to launch The Masterson Method for dogs and Stef was delighted to be accepted for the Masterson Method Canine Instructor training program. Stef hopes that her own experiences with clients – both 4 and 2 legged – and students will bring a positive benefit to those wishing to complete the Canine Masterson Courses.

Valissa Willwerth, MMCP Equine, DMA

Animal bodywork, dog training, and teaching people are three major pillars in Valissa’s life. She  has been a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner Equine (MMCP Equine) for horses since 2018, spent 20  years as a professional dog trainer, and has over 30 years of teaching experience. Valissa is  thrilled to combine her expertise in each of these areas as a Masterson Method Canine Instructor. As your instructor, Valissa will faithfully guide you and your dog as partners on this one-of-a-kind journey.

As an MMCP Equine with extensive training in equine osteopathy and cranial sacral therapy, Valissa loves helping horses with a myriad of problems manifesting as mobility restriction.  (www.winninghandequine.com) She is also a Masterson Method Equine Certification Fieldwork Coach, sharing her passion and insight with equine fieldwork students on their certification journey.

Valissa is expanding her active equine bodywork practice to include dogs as well, offering The  Masterson Method, canine osteopathy, and cranial sacral therapy. Currently enrolled in the  canine program at the London College of Animal Osteopathy, she is building on her existing  three years of rigorous training in equine osteopathy.

As a professional dog trainer for 20 years, Valissa provided in-home, reward-based dog training as the owner of The Clever Canine, LLC. She is known for her warm and articulate demeanor, her infectious joy when helping people, and her ability to create solutions unique to the needs of each dog and owner.

Valissa is a highly skilled clicker trainer, which proved a valuable asset when she worked in  television and advertising with her own dogs and competed for 13 years in agility. She has  additional training experience in canine tracking, detection, and loads of tricks.

Valissa’s teaching experience extends over 30 years. As a professional concert violinist, she has  taught through various institutions including Temple University, the University of Michigan All State Program at Interlochen, and her own private studio. She holds a Doctorate in Violin  Performance from Rutgers University.

At the end of the day, the animals hold Valissa’s fascination, and her passion continues to unveil new and inspiring roads, including The Masterson Method for dogs. Join Valissa as she carries you through this groundbreaking practice tailored to you and your dog, where you will learn how to release tension and restriction, and reveal deeper connections with your dog through The Masterson Method.