Start dates 2025:

• February 4th - fully booked

• September 9th - registration starts early March

​

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 expert. 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:

 

• 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. 

• 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.

• 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:

• Course fee: CA$559,- (all included).

• This is a guided course with 6 modules, 13 assignments and online live bi-weekly Q&A’s.

• 50% of the assignments are practical assignments where you work with dogs (and their owners).

• 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!

• A certificate will be send after completion.

• After completion you'll keep access to the course content.

• 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.

• 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:

• 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. 

• For the assignments you will need to take videos, edit them (slightly: mostly trimming) and upload them on an online platform like YouTube. You will also be using the 'screen recording feature' of your computer. 

• If you don't talk English you will need to get a bit more techy to get your assignments done. 

​

You can find the course in the Puzzle Dog Academy for Canine Professionals.