Sunday, October 11, 2009

La Paw Spa training at The Rex Center

We had the privilege of hosting a Cindy Horsfall of La Paw Spa at The Rex Center last week and conducting two classes -- a Level 1 beginner course and an Advanced workshop.

Level 1 "Heart of Canine Water Therapy" class


We had 4 people, plus Cindy and a bunch of dogs -- 26 as a matter of fact. They went to Mendocino for two days to learn about water, connect with each other and Cindy - and learn and experience watsu (water massage) for themselves. Then two days later, came to The Rex Center to spend 3 days in the water with dogs!

From Cindy's website ... "I call my training program the 'heart' of canine water therapy as it is just that - the heart - the connection - the foundation from which you can build your practice. It is the consideration of the emotions behind that client seeking out your program, the fears behind the obvious. I will strive to inspire you to embrace the bigger picture - to support your clients fully - both the dog in your arms and their person at pool side. This work is a lot more than it seems ... deeper that it appears ... and so we go to the heart in our training.... "

Each day got progressively harder. I didn't have a lot of 'easy' clients who were available during the day - so day 2 had a lot of new dogs! (A bit harder than expected, oops!)

Here's a picture of the class with a bunch of beautiful shelties ages 15, 6 and 1.5 years old. They did great...

Afterwards, their mom said:
You should have seen Cody, the oldest, BRISKLY TROT, GALLOP, and RUN after puppy Scout in the house after we got home. The fastest gate for him has been a slow trot and mostly just walking. The therapy looks like it was quite beneficial for him tonight, so much so, that I forgot to give him his rimadyl. He’s sleeping now, so I’ll wait until his breakfast to medicate.


Scout and Gina are wild – Gina is chewing on her bully stick and Scout JUST NOW crashed and burned!


Congrats to the four new Level 1 water therapy grads!

Advanced workshop




In the mornings on Thursday and Friday, we had a bunch of additional dogs to work with for a more 'advanced' session with Cindy. Three of us swam with a bunch of new dogs - and we tried to screen for level of difficulty, but ended up with only about half the dogs being really 'difficult'. I learned some new stretches and vocabulary on how to teach others...

Here's a testimonial!

This morning Lula, my dog, volunteered as a "dog professor" in a class for canine water therapists at the Rex Center, a facility in Pacifica that offers aquatic services as well as training classes, workshops, etc.

Lula gives the place four paws up, and I do as well. The facility has a warm, inviting, and professional ambience, and the heated indoor pool is set off in a nice quiet area. The swim therapists were a pleasure to meet and work with. As Lula has never been in a pool before and never actually swum, it was a new and a bit frightening experience for her. They handled her calmly and deftly (as well as affectionately, which always does a guardian's heart good), and by the end of the session she was much more comfortable, looking around and checking out the pool and the room and licking the face of the therapist holding her.

When my last dog, Ruby, was disabled in her final year, we drove all the way down to San Jose to go for aqua therapy because there were no viable options closer. It's great to see places appearing closer to SF that offer this valuable service.

Lula says, "Check it out." www.therexcenter.com

Vicki

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