Canine Sensory Room - course
Let your clients and their dogs experience the many benefits of an enriching Sensory Room experience!
A course for Canine Professionals
The Puzzle Dog Sensory Room has been developed since 2019 and after having guided well over 500 Sensory Room sessions and getting many questions from you to teach about the Sensory Room I felt it was time to put together a course for Canine Professionals.
Start dates 2025:
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February 4th - fully booked
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Want to be on the waitlist for the next start date? Let me know!
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About the course
In this course you will get to know everything about the Puzzle Dog Sensory Room. With help of the assignments you develop your own set up and way of working. You have your own set of skills, background and goals and it would be awesome if you could develop a Sensory Room that exactly fits in your way of working.
For example: Tessa is not a dog trainer or behaviourist, but she is a Dynamic Dog Practitioner and Hersenwerk mentor/tutor. Puzzle Dog doesn't have a facility. This results in the fact that Tessa organizes day events for the Sensory Rooms in rented facilities. She often only sees every client one single time (there are exceptions of course). In her observations Tessa focusses a lot on movement and posture and some aspects like confidence building, frustration, resilience, sound sensitivity. Tessa often refers her clients to trainers, behaviourists, vets and/or other canine (medical) professionals.
Your Sensory Room, what you will observe and whether or not you will do referrals will be different, because of different education, skills, goals and focus. The way you will offer the Sensory Rooms might be different too. That is all okay!
The purpose really is that you create something that fits your business and the way you work.
Examples on how you could use Sensory Room sessions
We are all different and unique, that is our super power! While we will start with discussing the Sensory Room 'the Puzzle Dog way', the goal of this course is that you develop your own 'Sensory Room way'. Depending on your canine profession you have your own reason to do Sensory Room sessions and you will also have your own focus when sharing observations and information. Module 5 and 6 will be all about designing your own Sensory Room session.
Some thoughts on how Sensory Room sessions could be used:
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If you are a behaviourist, massage therapist or a physiotherapist a Sensory Room session could be a perfect first session to get to know the dog and the owner better (during or after your intake process). You can watch the dog move and 'be'have and you get to chat with the owner.
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If you are a dog trainer a Sensory Room could be a tool for your training classes. Maybe something you could do to help get the dog get accustomed to your facility or (in a mini version) help them cope in a class setting.
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If you are a dog walker or pet sitter a Sensory Room would be a wonderful thing to do as a first session (to get to know the dog) or as an activity on rainy/snowy/stormy days or for dogs that don't do well leaving their home or property.
Terms and conditions:
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Course fee: CA$499,- (all included).
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This is a guided course with 6 modules, 13 assignments and online live bi-weekly Q&A’s.
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50% of the assignments are practical assignments where you work with dogs (and their owners).
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Wit 1 Module every 2 weeks you should be able to finish the course in 3 months, you will however get 6 months after the start date to finish the course. You are responsible for your own time management!
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A certificate will be send after completion.
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After completion you'll keep access to the course content.
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If not completed within 6 months, you'll lose access to the course content. You can resume the course for an extra fee of $150 per extra month (max. 2 months extension). An extension is only possible if you have finished Module 1, 2 and 3 at the end date of the course.
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Some of the assignments are with 'your own dog'. In case you don't have a dog you can of course do it with another dog. Choose a dog that you know well for the assignments that state that you need to do them with your own dog.
Technical ’stuff’
To learn about the sensory Room you will need to experience it multiple times and share your experience (through assignments). This means:
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You will set up Sensory Room sessions during the course. To do this you will need a space (around 5x5 meters or 15x15 feet). This space needs to be away from distractions as much as possible. It could be your own training hall, a rented space, a garage or a basement.
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For the assignments you will need to take videos, edit them (slightly: mostly trimming) and upload them on an online platform like YouTube.
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You can find the course in the Puzzle Dog Academy for Canine Professionals.
Barbara, Portugal
100% do it!!
It's hard work but I can clearly see that we are being set up to succeed and do our own future sensory rooms with confidence.
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Tessa is very thorough about each and every little thing we need to know. The info provided is amazing, the feedback is beautifully done and the amount of support given is fantastic. I know Tessa is there if I need, and that is something I truly appreciate.
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Very well done!
Monika, Slovakia
For me,it was the best decision what I made to sign up to this course.
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I know Tessa from another course, where she was for me the best mentor. So I knew what to expect.
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In this course i found so many interesting information, kind people and for me, very, very good mentor (who holds me, when I didn't believe in myself) who offers me advice with my own Sensory Room for reactive dogs.
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After this course,I will looking for another course with Tessa.
Jody, USA
I am totally enjoying the class and I have to say, I have taken quite a bit of dog training courses over the years and this is by far the best one yet!
I like the way the modules are set up. Tessa does not "push" you through the course. The modules are released over certain time periods so you don't feel rushed to finish the course.
Tessa gives very explicit information and it is set up like a "step by step" guide with everything you need to be able to add Sensory Rooms into your business. I am learning so many new things that also help me when working with my clients.