Sharing your life with a dog who is careful and timid, can quickly leave you feeling: 

💔 Heartbroken when you see your dog struggling with life and there's no quick way to help.

😟 Like you must be doing something wrong, causing this insecurity in your dog while other dogs seem so easygoing.

😳 That you should've done more socializing when he was a puppy.

😔 Tired and defeated, thinking that your dog was born this way and there's nothing more you can do.

😩 Maybe even resentful of the limitations and the life you and your dog are forced to live? You love your dog dearly, but that's not what you signed up for!

☝️ Sounds familiar? I've been there and just so you know - you are not alone!

If you are like most of our members, then confidence exercises are nothing new to you!

You already try to associate new situations with fun outcomes for your dog.

You regularly offer novelty to your dog to make it less of a big deal in daily life.

And you try your best to prepare your dog for any challenge, whether it's in daily life or sport.

That's perfect! You are already doing so much to help your dog feel more confident and happy!

We also need to keep in mind that while our dogs may LOOK athletic and physically capable in any situation TO US, their brains and nervous systems may not agree. THEY themselves may not think that they are athletic and capable!

In fact, past traumatic experiences, anxiety about the situation, flight/fight response all have a tendency to reduce the sense of proprioception - individual's understanding of where their different body parts are and how they move.

Proprioception is essential for having the feeling of control over your own body and movements! Reduce proprioception and a natural athlete becomes a clumsy mess.

What's even worse is that past traumatic experiences can also reduce individual's trust in their own bodies!

That also applies to daily situations that seem to have nothing to do with any physical performance. If your dog is feeling anxious, then even climbing 3 steps of stairs may become a challenge because she is not sure how to control her body and has lost all the trust in herself to be able to do it.

If your dog is careful, cautious, timid and gets scared of different situations then it's your dog's nervous system telling him it's dangerous and he can't do it.

And it's our job to help our dogs' nervous systems to see that actually... they CAN do it. They have the SKILLS. They ARE SAFE. They are SUPER CAPABLE!

It's true that some dogs will always be more careful and cautious than others. But confidence isn't a "yes" or "no" thing. It's a scale. And we can always shift the scale for any dog towards more confidence.

THE COLD HARD TRUTH IS:

NOT teaching your dog that she CAN SOLVE challenging situations and STAY IN CONTROL of her body in new situations (no matter what her nervous system has told her previously!) means that your dog will never reach his full potential of the awesome dog you know he is.

This will limit the activities you can do together, the sports you can play and even lifestyle choices for you!

You dog will experience fear for his own safety in new situations and expecting bad things to happen. Imagine being constantly stressed about new things!

It can get as bad as your dog - and even YOU - getting stress related health problems! And going on frequent vet visits will only make things more stressful for both of you.

Trust me, I've been there and that's not the future I want for you or your dog.

The best, most efficient way to boost your dog's confidence is to overrun his nervous system's default negative setting and replace it with "success stories".

By letting your dog discover what he's actually capable of.

The best way to do it, is by creating small challenges for your dog to solve on her own, that she's fully in control of the experience and her own body. That's the only way she can learn to trust her own skills in new situations.

Challenges that are small enough not to trigger the nervous system's warning signals, yet big enough to show your dog's brain that he CAN DO cool things! He SOLVED it, he's SAFE, he's in control of his body and it wasn't scary at all!

And you'll need to do it frequently over a long period of time, otherwise the nervous system's default "this is scary and dangerous" will quickly take over.

You'll need to offer new challenges, increase the level of difficulty and let your dog see that she's in control of her own body, her movements, she's safe and she can do cool stuff again and again.

But... how to do it?

"Hang on... How are these exercises going to help my dog who is anxious/reactive/scared of noises/dealing with behavior challenges?" 

Your dog's mind and body are connected, so that when you do exercises for your dog's body... There will be effects on his mind and behavior, too! How cool is that!

Doing coordination, proprioception/body awareness exercises (like Movement Puzzles!) helps to:

Doing Movement Puzzles, coordination and proprioception exercises alone won't solve behavior challenges. But NOT doing them is like trying to win a car race with your brakes on.

What your dog does with her body affects her nervous system, brain health and behavior BIG TIME.

Not having a plan how to make your dog's physical activities support your dog's behavior training will mean that the training process will be longer, progress slower and your dog will be missing out on some seriously amazing benefits.

And if you are here, then I'm sure you want to do things differently! Right?!

Hi! I am Mari Valgma

I am a Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer (CPCFT), passionate about helping dog training enthusiasts boost their dogs confidence by teaching their dogs how to use their bodies and control their movements in new and challenging situations.

Movement Puzzles first started as a fitness training tool to help working and sport dogs with dynamic balance and coordination skills. But it quickly came out that Movement Puzzles are so much more!

Our students started reporting improvements in their dogs' confidence, reactivity training, focus during sessions, independent performance, obstacle commitment...

Soon I realized that my TRUE PASSION is in helping cautious and timid dogs feel more confident and empowered in their lives and activities. That's where Movement Puzzles can really help both dogs and their human partners live the best possible lives!

I share my life with 3 dogs who you met earlier: Pipi, Mirru and Mr Bo. Super cautious Mirru has now become a real Movement Puzzle star, is no longer scared of novelty, can truly enjoy her outdoor adventures and is a joy to live with. A true puzzle success story!

My ideas and confidence boosting training have also been featured in Fenzi Dog Sports Academy (where I'm also a proud alumni!), Agility Nation and numerous international dog training summits.

Monthly Gameplan

Because confidence boosting is a race for the tortoise! Doing these exercises every single day for a month will give you the benefits only for that month. The winners are the ones who do them frequently and fit these exercises into their weekly training routines. It's a game for the long run, so better buckle up and make it fun... And we are here to make that happen for you!

Stay on track!

Hélène Lawler

Fenzi Dog Sports Academy instructor, Founder of Shaping Chaos and Dog Sport Scholars

USBCHA herding Open handler & coach

"My dogs and I are absolutely loving Movement Puzzles, which have become my new go-to for building foundations."

This unique skills-building program is so powerful that I believe it has the potential to completely change how we train our dogs for work and sport. Not only that, it SHOULD change how we train for work and sport.

Mari’s systematic program teaches both dog and handler the skills we need for performance excellence without danger of over-arousal (hallelujah!), all the while building confidence and developing excellence in communication.

Her step-by-step lessons are clear, easy to follow, and well organized. Her insights are paradigm shifting. Which, as a lover of rabbit holes, is my favourite part of working with Mari. But my dog is very grateful too! Particularly since the exercises allow her to tell me exactly where I need to improve, and how.

Our goal is to offer a premium program with high quality instructions and unparalleled long term support to our members through our unique program structure.

We strive to provide a safe, kind and judgement free community for everyone who is struggling with their dogs' behavior challenges and uses Movement Puzzles to support their training journey.

If that sounds like something you'd enjoy being part of then I can't wait to see you and your dog inside the Movement Puzzles Academy and community!

I'd love to join, but what's the investment?

You and I both know that this program isn't the only training option you have. There are other online courses out there. An average online course costs 200-400 USD for 6-12 weeks of feedback. That's 67-267 USD/month!

Individual consultations may be a good option, but they do tend to get expensive very quickly. Many highly qualified trainers charge 300+ USD per consultation. My time is extremely valuable and 1 hour of 1-on-1 coaching with me starts from 500 USD IF I have the time to offer them.

If I were to teach you everything that is included in the Movement Puzzles program and do it 1-on-1, it would be more than 30 sessions. At least! That's a 15k investment!

The value of this program with everything it includes is over 3000 USD and we offer lifetime access to it for just 970 USD.

However, this may not be accessible for you. So you may be thinking that you can probably figure this out on your own.

Having seen so many people trying to figure this out on their own and failing - making their dogs even more cautious, and completely missing the key ingredients that make these exercises work...

I want this training and our support to be as affordable as possible for you. So that you and your dog can get the support you deserve and start these exercises right!

Which is why we are offering this same 970 USD program as a membership for just 49 USD/month. With instructor support!

Emma Lee

Lighten Up Dog Training

"When I first encountered Mari's Movement Puzzles for dog training, it was a game-changer."

As a behaviour consultant, I often dealt with dogs struggling with impulsive behaviours and poor decision-making, especially in dynamic situations like agility. Many programmes focused on calmness, which wasn't the primary concern for my clients. It was the dogs' ability to make decisions on the go and control their behaviour in various settings that needed attention.

Mari's Movement Puzzles addressed this issue brilliantly. I joined the course in March 2022 and quickly recommended it to my clients. The results were astonishing. Dogs, especially the highly sensitive and impulsive ones, started having their 'lightbulb moments.' Within weeks, we observed improvements in a wide range of behaviours, from abnormal repetitive behaviour through to high levels frustration and even more simple things like leash pulling.

What sets this programme apart is its thoughtfulness. Mari has anticipated every possible challenge and provides strategies for guardians to overcome them. The monthly challenges are exceptional and cater to a variety of dog backgrounds, including sensitive working-line dogs. This means I very rarely need to make individual adaptations or suggestions for my clients' dogs – and when I’ve needed to, it’s simply been to say to re-visit Mari’s guidance.

It’s also been useful for fitness and recovery as well as confidence building. For many of the dogs I work with, they seem much more comfortable navigating the world. Having predictable patterns has also helped those dogs who need a bridge into other environments to help them settle. So often, stillness is an impossible challenge. A few short puzzles in new spaces seems to remind the dogs I work with that they make the decisions about what their body does, not the world around them.

Having worked with dogs for over a decade and seeking continual development, I can confidently say that Movement Puzzles was a true lightbulb moment in my career. I very much look forward to seeing The Moving Canine as it develops. 

Doing Movement Puzzles correctly, so that they would actually empower your dog, assumes that you are willing to learn from your dog's responses to the setup and adjust the setup when things don't go according to plan.

When "mistakes" happen, then the setup needs to be adjusted. It's not the dog's task to figure out the "correct" behavior through trial and error.

If that's NOT something you strive for in your own training, then Movement Puzzles are not a good fit for you.

Here's what other members have noticed about their dogs since starting with Movement Puzzles:

Bobbie Lyons

CCFT, KPA CFT, Program Director CSCC, KPA Faculty

"From my first exposure to movement puzzles I was super intrigued with the concept and now I use it often for so many different things.  "

I love it for puppies and old dogs. It is a great way to teach clicker mechanics to new students. It is a great way to teach proprioception to dogs and for dogs to learn and think at a distance from their handler.
I continually find more and more uses for movement puzzles. Thank you Mari for sharing this concept.  It will always be part of what I teach.