Sensory Room:
Promoting mental and physical well being through Sensory Enrichment sessions
Meeting a dog's physical and mental needs is important. But what are their needs and how do you meet those? In Canine Sensory Enrichment Sessions you'll learn all about that!
In the Sensory Room we have the chance to observe your dog closely and find some of the answers. And while we humans observe your dog is getting a 'mental and physical work-out'.
Schedule in person Sensory Room, Nova Scotia:
- Saturday May 10th Nine Mile River -SOLD OUT
- Friday evening May 23rd Avonport - 6.15 and 7.00 pm available
- Saturday May 24th, Avonport - SOLD OUT
Fee for sessions in Nova Scotia (tax incl): $75*, included in the price:
- Sensory Room session which includes an observation chat during the session. No written notes will be provided.
- Treats (diets/allergies are taken into account)
- Video link to your session (video without sound)
- Pdf to set up your own Sensory Room at home
*Exceptions: due to distance/extra gas costs sessions in New Glasgow and Amherst are $80 each.
How to book your spot:
- Send an email with location and date you want to book for to tessa@puzzledog.ca
About the Sensory Room:
The Sensory Room is a simple and low impact activity. Sensory Room sessions give dogs freedom to engage with their environment freely and make their own choices. The dog can gather information from their environment at their own pace.
The Sensory Room concept is developed combining the knowledge of Hersenwerk for dogs, Dynamic Dog and ACE FreeWork. This results in a unique concept.
Walking through the Sensory Room all senses are stimulated: taste, touch, smell, hearing, sight, proprioception (feedback loop in the nervous system that provides information about body position, balance, movement and action) and vestibular (sensory system that gives the brain information about the head position and movement; important for keeping balance).
The Sensory Room is a calm and low impact body exercise for the dog; it can help to improve the posture and the dog works every muscle in their body in a slow and controlled way.
Observing the dog going through the Sensory Room we can learn a lot about their posture, preferences and dislikes. Sometimes we observe movements that are a reason for us to recommend a visit to the vet. We can only give you our observations, we're not able to give any diagnoses.
What happens in the Sensory Room
During the session, it will be just your dog, you and me in the room. Each and every dog and their owner will have their own experience in the Sensory Room. We don't have expectations or goals. The dogs will have the time to explore, reset, rebalance and release and the humans take the time to observe calmly.
Entering the Sensory room, I'll ask you to remove your dog's collar and/or harness, so they're totally 'naked'. If there is a reason you don't want to do that, that's okay too, we'll go with the flow.
Your dog will probably be excited when entering the room or maybe a little overwhelmed or cautious. That is all perfectly fine, we give them the time to start exploring and will make adjustments if that makes them feel better.
When your dog starts exploring, we'll just sit and observe. We do that calmly and I will point out my observations during the session.
At a certain moment your dog will show that they're done. We can talk a little more to share our observations and then it's time to end the session.
Any dog can participate
The session is beneficial for ANY dog: young, old, reactive, shy, disabled, healthy, fearful. If you have any concerns if it is suitable for your dog, let me know and we can discuss that. I can't predict what will happen and what we will observe, it can be smaller or bigger things.
Disclaimer: if your dog is extremely fearful, people reactive of aggressive: please contact me first to discuss options.
I have had the pleasure of attending Puzzle Dog’s Sensory Room with 4 different dogs, two of my own and two fosters.
All of these dogs varied in age, mobility, confidence, and experience. Each time Tessa made sure that the room was set up appropriately for each dog, welcomed us in, and provided a safe and enriching experience each time. Her insight into their approach, movement, and preferences was amazing and so helpful.
Because of how willing she is to share her knowledge, I have felt confident to set up similar puzzle and enrichment rooms for my own dogs regularly and learn more each time I do it. What an amazing way to spend time with your dogs.
If you haven’t done it, yet, don’t hesitate to sign up for one of her events. I know I’ll be taking my dogs back again!
Thank you for all that you do Tessa!
The Sensory Room session for Nala in Granville Ferry was an experience I will never forget.
Tessa had met Nala previously on a more social basis so I fully expected her to greet Tessa with gusto. Not at all - once we had entered the room Nala went to work checking all the puzzles and other apparatus for treats.
Extreme sniffing and exploration for at least 30 minutes while Tessa narrated what she was observing in Nala's movements and breathing.
Guess who slept for almost 5 hours after we came back home!!
I also received a video of the session and details of how to set up a similar room at home.
Absolutely recommend attending one of these Sensory Rooms with your dog and having Tessa interpret what she sees.
Thank you once again Tessa.
We love the Tessa and the sensory room! The sensory room is a place where my dog gets to explore new scents, objects, smells and treats. There are no other dogs, just her a room setup dedicated to her needs, explorations and wants.
She went from barely exploring or eating the treats to hoping over things, eating treats she normally doesn’t like and is no longer afraid to stick her face in objects or move them around. Each session she opens up and explores more than the session before! It’s been fascinating to watch her transformation!
The sensory room has really helped my dogs development and we will continue to keep going to these sessions as it has become an integral part of my girls life.
I am so thankful for Tessa doing these sessions. Tessa is extremely knowledgeable and sees and understands things about your dog that you never knew even existed ❤️
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long is a session?
A Sensory Room session is max 35 minutes. Most of the time dogs are done after 25/30 minutes. We listen to their communication and end the session when they tell us they're done.
My dog has allergies/ sensitivities, can you accommodate that?
Some time before the session I'll ask you about your dog's food sensitivities. Most of the time I can accommodate these. In very rare cases I will ask you to take some of your dog's food/treats
My dog is reactive, can he visit the Sensory Room?
Dog and human reactive dogs often enjoy the Sensory Room very much, because there are no other dogs around, they get a dog free entrance and exit and they can ignore the strange person (me) in the room because they get space.
I have two dogs, can they visit together?
A session is designed for one dog at a time. That gives the dog the chance to have their own private experience and the humans can observe one dog and learn.
My dog is anxious, would the Sensory Room be beneficial for him?
Most anxious dogs that visit the Sensory Room need some time to warm up being in a new space with a lot of Sensory input. After that the majority of dogs have a wonderful time. Sometimes a dog gets too overwhelmed and we have to cut it short. You will then still get a lot of info and tips to take home.
What is included in the fee?
The fee (tax in) covers:
- Sensory Room session
- Observation / information chat during the session - written notes are NOT included.
- Treats (many!)
- Video link to your session (no audio)
- Pdf to set up your own Sensory Room at home
Can more than one person attend with the dog?
Yes, that is possible. For the dog's experience it's best to have as little people around as possible, that's why attendance is limited to two people per dog. I always ask you to notify me if you'll attend with more than one person.
Are there age restrictions for the dogs who attend?
Dogs of 5 months old and up benefit the most from the Sensory Room. Every age group benefits from the Sensory Room experience in their own way! If you have a younger pup or a litter: contact me for a customized sensory session
My dog has already done a Sensory Room. Is there any benefit to doing it again?
Absolutely! Dogs that visit for a second (or third) time experience the Sensory Room in a different way. We see their confidence grow and approach change. For humans it can be beneficial too, because there are always new observations to make!
