The incidences of tendinopathies have been increasing worldwide in recent years, causing huge economic burdens and mental stress in patients and reducing the quality of human life to varying degrees. Animal models are important tools in tendinopathy research and play a crucial role in the study of pathophysiological changes and novel treatment modalities. This article reviews the status of animal models developed in recent years and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of several common modeling protocols, including the choice of modeling animal and modeling site and the alterations to injured tendons, with the aim of providing a reference to help future researchers select suitable and efficient animal models.