Movement Puzzles are pattern movement exercises where the dog moves between 2 bowls - the 2 bowl game - and does different exercises independently while moving from bowl to bowl.
The exercises are carefully structured in a way that they help to improve dog's confidence in new situations, body awareness, coordination, understanding of where their bodies are in space and how they move.
Every single exercise teaches something to the dog, be it moving on elevated surfaces, focusing on precise paw placement higher from the ground, move through tight spaces, run through noisy stuff, turning around in tight areas and so much more!
What makes these "obstacle courses" unique is the training philosophy used for teaching them. Inspired by the best practices in human coordination and movement training. Proven to work just as efficiently with dogs by more than 1100 Movement Puzzle enthusiasts in our Academy.
The learner must feel safe at all times, we only use positive reinforcement and force free training.
Instead of handler cues and luring, we use patterns, clever prop setups and splitting the exercises into gradual, easily achievable steps for the dog.
So the dog does the exercises only on her own initiative, independently from the handler, helping these skills transfer over to real life surprisingly fast! Your dog will be feeling empowered "Yes! I want to do this! This is fun!".
Every single repetition gets reinforced, even if the dog does something unexpected (usually called a "mistake").
In this training we DON'T USE withholding the reinforcement, waiting for the dog to offer a "correct" behavior before reinforcing or no reward markers (like saying "no" or "uh-uh") when "mistakes" happen. It's not Vito's game.
Instead, it's a two way communication. We set up the exercise and our dogs let us know if it works for them and what needs to be changed. When "mistakes" happen, then it's information to us how the exercise setup needs to be adjusted!
Movement Puzzles are about you learning from your dog, getting to know him better, finding out what situations he finds challenging and how to support him so that he would feel more confident and empowered and can learn faster.
We create setups where the dog can ACTUALLY be successful!
"My youngest NW dog is a year and 3 months and has a very long body with loooong legs, and since we have been doing movement puzzles regularly I have noticed a big difference in her searches.
She is very confident in any environment and can really focus even while navigating her tricky body over obstacles, because we have already trained that ๐ฅณ
She did this search yesterday where she was in odour from the start and followed it seamlessly over and under obstacles with confidence and focus.
This way of training is so brilliant and such a great way to help our dogs be prepared for what they may encounter!
I am so glad I found this way of training and this wonderful community full of inspiration!๐"
- Linette Olsen -
In this module you will master:
In this module you will discover and master exercises focusing on different confidence challenges, like:
Oh, and by the way, these exercises sneakily improve body awareness and coordination too๐ค!
In this module you will discover coordination exercises and how to use the SAME EQUIPMENT for creating DIFFERENT body awareness and coordination challenges (that sneakily also boost confidence ๐):
๐๐ผโโ๏ธ Guardians of sensitive, cautious or timid dogs who look new ways for building confidence and encouraging independent exploration
๐โโ๏ธ Sport and working dog handlers who want to make sure their dogs are well prepared for moving with precision and awareness in challenging situations.
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Handlers and trainers who use R+ training and are looking to add new tools and enrichment activities to their training skillbox
๐โโ๏ธ Puppy trainers and guardians looking for confidence exercises for new surfaces, moving over/ through funny stuff
๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ Dog guardians who are working through their dogs' behavior challenges and are looking for meaningful physical activities for their dogs.
Note: In case of problem behaviors, Movement Puzzles can only support your existing training program. Working on Movement Puzzles alone doesn't solve problem behaviors!
โ This course is NOT FOR someone looking for
- general conditioning workouts
- foundation +R training: this course relies on +R training concepts but won't be teaching the foundations of +R training
- quick fixes and hope that problems get solved just by signing up for a class and not actually doing the work
Fenzi Dog Sports Academy instructor, Founder of Shaping Chaos and Dog Sport Scholars
USBCHA herding Open handler & coach
I often get asked for 1-on-1 sessions to help out with a couple of training challenges. Because of a chronic health condition, my time is super valuable to me, and I almost never have the option to offer individual consultations!
A single session with me would be 500 USD, 2 months of 1-on-1 support from me would be at least a 2000 USD investment.
Movement Puzzles Academy includes EVERYTHING I'd teach you in a 1-on-1 setting. You will basically have lifetime access to ME in your back pocket!
PLUS, inside the Academy you will get 4 months of instructor support from our knowledgeable and dedicated coaches, including me. Average working spot price in an online course is around 175-200 USD/month. So 4 months of support could be 700-800 USD in an online course.
Movement Puzzles Academy is HALF OF THAT! Yes, your read it correctly. You will get lifetime access to the Movement Puzzles materials + 4 months of support from our instructors and me for just 347 USD!
For questions or help with enrolling send an email: support@themovingcanine.com
Join our Monthly Challenges, that will help you get started with Movement Puzzles and teach all the foundation exercises, step by step.
Monthly Challenges focus on one exercise at a time, helping you fit short training sessions into busy daily schedule, progress in your training quickly with our detailed step by step instructions and FEEDBACK from myself and our highly knowledgeable and dedicated coaches.
Get access to our Student Example Video Library, where you'll see lots of creative setup ideas with with things you already have at home! Like textile shopping bags, cardboard boxes, empty plastic bottles, broomsticks, chairs and even clever sofa placement for your exercise!
Adjust these fun exercises for puppies, seniors and dogs with physical limitations with these dedicated guidelines!
Including the list of safe exercises and guidelines for reducing the physical challenge of the exercises.
Master the foundation exercises and apply for Movement Puzzle Level 1 Certificate after 4 months of being in the Academy! Perfect for showcasing your and your dog's skills or using it professionally to show your qualifications! Available ONLY to our students!
4 month access to a recorded webinar and 4 Monthly Challenges designed especially for our youngest members while being perfect for older ones too!
These fun games will make sure your puppy will find noisy things fun, things touching his body really cool and even use the power of scentwork to make sure your puppy grows up thinking that the world is a really fun place to be in!
Lighten Up Dog Training
CCFT, KPA CFT, Program Director CSCC, KPA Faculty
Recommended area of 4x 6 meters/13x 20 feet, however you can also make it with half of that size. Most of the how to videos and examples inside the program are made in a space 2x 3 meters (6x9ft). Make sure the surface is non-slippery!
You get instructor support in our members community (videos are not limited) as frequently as you need. All you have to do is video your own sessions, post a video in our community and ask for feedback. You will have access to our support and instructor feedback for 4 months from joining the program.
These exercises rely heavily on eye-body coordination and doing them with a blind dog requires a lot of exercise adjustments. We do have students doing these exercises with blind dogs, but our instructors do not have first hand experience working with blind dogs and unfortunately our support will be limited. We recommend joining this program with a blind dog ONLY if you are comfortable troubleshooting and adjusting exercises to your own dog.
You will keep lifetime access to Movement Puzzles program materials and peer supported Facebook community, and 4 month access to our foundation Monthly Challenges, members community, feedback and Level 1 Certificate application.
We offer 30 day money back guarantee, so you can get your money back if you contact us within 30 days of joining the program.
There's no fixed start date for this program. You will get full access to all the contents as soon as you join, so you can start working on the exercises and start getting results straight away!
Most of the confidence boosting exercises are perfect for puppies as young as 3 months. The body awareness and coordination exercises are better suited from 8 months and up. I'd personally recommend taking this course with a puppy, observe what your puppy is able to do easily and focus on these exercises. Inside the program we have guidelines for adjusting the exercises for puppies.
Starting from June 2024 Movement Puzzles membership is only available to our existing students and is now called Movement Puzzles Academy PLUS. It is not available to the public.
There is some overlap between these two programs, but there will be definitely new exercises for you in the Movement Puzzles program.
Before joining, contact us to see if Movement Puzzles is a good fit for you: support@themovingcanine.com
Posting videos is not mandatory ๐ You can post your videos for instructor feedback during the challenges, but there is no requirement to post your videos for the program to work and give you results. In fact, most students say the program instruction videos and guides are so clear and so easily understandable that they can easily train on their own, without posting training videos.
The program runs on a platform called Circle
Please contact us via email: support@themovingcanine.com
We do not claim to solve any dog's problem behaviors with our training. If your dog is showing problem behaviors, you should consult with a canine behaviorist.
We make no guarantees or claims as to the success of any user or our programs. Each individual is unique and their abilities are unique to them. The aim is that we provide support and training to allow you to better understand your dog, how to improve confidence, body awareness and coordination.
All training provided will be general information and guidance and will not be bespoke advice. We are not responsible for any action or inaction which you take as a result of the information within our services.
We are not responsible for any loss of opportunity or any investments which you make. No content in our services should be construed as veterinary advice, whether mental or physical. If you believe that your dog requires veterinary attention you should seek assistance from a veterinary professional immediately.