Puzzles

 

Movement puzzles are a type of dog training focused on enhancing a dog's body awareness, coordination, and confidence through a series of movement-based challenges. These puzzles involve navigating obstacles, balancing on various surfaces, and developing independent movement patterns, often using a two-bowl setup as a foundation.

 

Key aspects of Movement Puzzles:

Focus on Movement:

The core idea is to guide dogs through exercises that challenge their physical abilities and coordination, rather than focusing on specific behaviors.  Puzzles can help dogs improve their focus and commitment to tasks, even with distractions.

Independent Movement:

Dogs learn to navigate obstacles and complete exercises without constant handler guidance, fostering independence.  Dogs develop the ability to work independently and solve problems on their own.

Body Awareness:

Movement puzzles help dogs become more aware of their body position and how to control their movements in different situations.

Confidence Building:

By successfully navigating challenging situations, dogs gain confidence in their abilities and become more comfortable in new or potentially stressful environments’

Adaptability:

Movement puzzles can be adapted to various skill levels and can be created using everyday items like cones, boxes, and platforms.

Mental Stimulation:

The puzzles provide mental stimulation, helping to prevent boredom and potentially delaying cognitive decline in older dogs, focusing on a puzzle can help reduce anxiety and provide a healthy outlet for mental energy.

Positive Reinforcement:

Puzzles emphasize that the focus is on positive reinforcement and allowing the dog to choose their level of engagement, rather than forcing them to complete an exercise.

 

Basic Manners or equivalent obedience classes (that do not use prong, choke, or shock collars) is a prerequisite.  The Level 1 class is $100 for a total of 4 weeks, starting Saturday, September 6 at 10:00 a.m.    After completion of the Level 1 classes, additional challenging levels will continue. After Level 5, there will be practice courses scheduled to prepare fun competitions.

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Class size is limited to 6 dogs per class so contact PAWZ today to register.

 

Anyone who misses a class will have the responsibility to communicate with the instructor and schedule a make-up session. Classes will not be held during times when Pawz Enrichment Center is closed and will either be rescheduled for a different day during the week according to student, instructor, and/or building availability or delayed until the next scheduled class.

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Movement Puzzles    https://themovingcanine.com/

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