A Training Program
Offered by Cindy Horsfall of La Paw Spa

Important: This is a sample itinerary.

Please also be aware that this itinerary is the intention of my class however, everything is subject to change as schedules come together; course content however will remain basically intact.

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SATURDAY DAY 1

Arrive into Sequim, Washington and check yourself into your lodging for the week. Get yourself situation and comfortable and we'll be going over some ideas for good places to shop, eat out and beaches to hang out on.

Sequim is located between the majestic mountains and the salt water edges of our country. It's a perfect location to ponder the bigger picture of your life. I urge you to take advantage while you are here of our vast horizons and allow yourself to let go all that concerns or thoughts that don't serve you and open your heart and mind to the week to come.

7pm - We'll meet up at LA PAW SPA in Sequim for our first night together

La Paw Spa
261043 Highway 101
Sequim, WA 98382

We'll take a tour upon arrival of the pool, the set up, the building and the solutions that were found to create this spa setting. This is an opportunity for you to begin to plan your own pool space and start answering some of your personal questions about your set up at home. Also - this is a FLORIDA NORTH pool - and this company gives ACWT members a $500 discount on their pool so this is a chance to see (and work in it) live in action!

I promise this to be an easy evening as some of you may be tired from the journey to class. We'll talk briefly about water therapy, enjoy introductions, we'll go over the itinerary for class and I will give you your notebooks so that you can begin to read up on this fascinating line of work and ponder just how it might fit into your perfect world.

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SUNDAY DAY 2

10am - We'll meet up at LA PAW SPA in Sequim

PACK: Wear comfy working layers as we leave here today as we'll be doing land massage today. Bring your notebook.

We will go over the course materials and outline. We will cover some basics about canine therapy and meet Stuffie - our demo dog. We will go over a standard recipe for the work. We will enjoy some video clips to help clarify some of the massage holds and moves. We will begin to explore the deeper definition of CANINE WATER THERAPY.

BREAK FOR LUNCH FROM 1230pm-200pm

We have a great 4 hour class (2:00-6:00) in Basic Canine Anatomy, Form and Function, and applied MASSAGE techniques from Janet Beeby. This course is designed to provide you with the fundamentals of structure to function. We will look at the dog's anatomy and how different breeds and types are structured. There is an emphasis on anatomy related to movement. We will look at function as it relates to the structure. You will have the opportunity to increase your observational skills as well as hands on evaluations.

Janet is an advanced massage practitioner with a faithful following in the world of agility and performance dogs, known for her patient and fun teaching style, I know you will love your time with Janet. We will be joined by 6 lovely fluffy standard poodles - one for each of you - to perform a full guided land massage - practicing the magic of these strokes and their effect on our canine friends.

We'll also enjoy some time to talk about orthopedics and common protocols

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MONDAY - DAY 3

9AM - We'll meet up at a PRIVATE POOL some aquatic work

PACK: two sets of swim wear and a plastic bag to put it in after our day. A fleece cover-up if you have one for when you are wet but outside the pool. Wear comfy working layers. Easy on and off shoes.

We will be meeting up at a wonderful private pool and enjoy some aquatic exercises together in this fun big pool - practicing a new way of moving in a "low center of gravity way" that'll help you to feel more grounded and secure in the pool. We'll get a chance to work with buoyancy, water movement and moving with intention.

This is an important first step in our journey to be the best we can be in the world of canine aquatics - as when we get that 240lb bull mastiff in our arms, we'll need to have a grounded stance in order to be the stable 'island' that this dog (and his person) will need.

Marie Claire will be arriving to this pool at around 11am to introduce herself and provide an opening meditation to encourage us all to set aside this week for new experiences and let go of anything that is pulling us out of the present moments of our experience together.

There may be things that come up for you in class; obstacles or questions in your personal life that you feel you need addressed. Although sharing these things in class may be appropriate, we will need to be careful not to let these things interfere. If you feel things need to be addressed, Marie Claire has offered her services to you (for a fee) - she can meet with you on an emergency basis if needed and will also be available via the telephone. She will also be there for you - if needed - after you get home. She is a gifted facilitator for change and a wonderful life coach.

We will wrap it up at the big pool and go enjoy a quiet lunch somewhere and

BREAK FOR LUNCH FROM 1230pm-200pm

Meet up at LA PAW SPA for a great first afternoon of DOGS IN WATER!!!

We will enjoy a selection of dogs who will be teaching us how to use a pool this size, the steps and the benches - we'll talk about massage techniques and holds. We have an easy line up this morning so that you can all get used to applying the techniques we learned yesterday in water.

We'll also spend some time talking about the various mobility aides.

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TUESDAY - DAY 4

9am - Meet up at LA PAW SPA for a great morning of DOGS IN WATER!!!

PACK: pack TWO or THREE sets of swim wear and a plastic bag to put it in after our day. A fleece cover-up if you have one for when you are wet but outside the pool. WARM Street clothes and Jacket that you came in. You won't need your notebooks today. This will be a long day.

We will begin to work with harder dogs and explore how different injuries look in water and some of the ways we handle our sessions.

LUNCH BREAK 1pm-3pm

I urge you to go eat a good lunch and then try get down to one of our salt water beaches to give you a moment to rest and recharge.

3pm - We'll meet back up at the PRIVATE POOL where we were MON AM.

3:00 pm - 6:30 pm - we will return to the big pool that we were at on Sunday evening and enjoy a class in the Principles of WATSU - with Tom Cobian as your instructor.

WATSU has been pivotal to my understanding of the power of water and I am excited to share this with you. This will be an exploration of water movement and how this work feels to your own body. We will cover foot work, proper body mechanics and buoyancy. Focus will be on increasing our stability in water and lowering our center of gravity. We will practice floating each other and explore the various ways to move in water while carrying weight in our arms. This will be a profound part of our time together and you will begin to embrace the full picture of water therapy.

BREAK FOR DINNER 630pm - 730pm

Meeting back up after dinner - in groups of 2. You will each get a chance to re-enter the pool and receive a WATSU session, split between both Tom and I - noting first hand the differences in water and how movement in water is translated and felt in your own body. After you have received a WATSU, you will understand more fully the power of water when you have your clients in your arms.

When we are through - you can get yourself back to wherever you are sleeping and float off for a sound and peaceful sleep.

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WEDNESDAY - Day 5

A lazy morning after such a late night prior.

PACK: Wear your swim wear and bring one set of clothes to change into when we're through - bring a plastic bag to put your wet clothes in after our day. A fleece cover-up if you have one for when you are wet but outside the pool.

9am - Meet up at LA PAW SPA

930am - 1230pm - We will once again be joined by our amazing and intuitive friend - Marie-Claire. She will spend a few hours with us and we'll begin to explore an introduction to animal communication and intuition. a step toward becoming more sensitive to feeling and hearing the whole picture.

LUNCH BREAK 1230pm-2pm

2:00 pm - 7:30 pm - We will get back in the pool and continue working with dogs, we have a wonderful line up of pups scheduled here, becoming more comfortable with the variety of dogs that will become your clients when you get home. The dogs we'll be seeing will become more difficult and we'll be seeing some NEW dogs to the water - and finally, we'll be able to end with you performing your own session in water with your own dog and client.. this is the real thing!

After an exciting day of dogs in water, we'll end with a wine and cheese event held for some very tender BICHON owners and their dogs. there will be one person and dog for each of you to find and describe what water therapy is.. find out about their dog and then proceed into the water and provide that owner and dog a full and safe session.

Dinner will be served at La Paw Spa when we are through with this fun day

Celebrating our time together, we'll enjoy a final meal together and each get a chance to share our plans from this point; the gifts and strengths we've each discovered in ourselves and what we each envision our businesses to look like.

We will have covered a lot in this short time together. My desire is to expose you to a full spectrum of things that you will need to become a successful therapist in this world of Canine Water Therapy. My goal will be to show you the depth of the work so that you can then go home and draw upon your own special gifts and tie this all together into your own private practice. I want to cover the precautions and dangers inherent in this work as well so that you know where and how to proceed with caution.

I do offer a LEVEL TWO class for those who want to dive deeper into the work. With the basics of how to get a dog into the water safely, how to handle, hold and do a basic session already covered in LEVEL ONE, we'll be able to now concentrate on how to handle a new and more difficult dog, well explore a few new tools to use in water, will cover listening skills and client notes and we will have more private session work which will hopefully begin to unleash some of your own unique gifts to the exciting field of service.

As a graduate of Level One
You will be able to enjoy this logo in your advertising. You'll find it to use here

Please also remember that I am committed to you and your adventures in this line of service. please don't hesitate to email me with questions as you venture down your own unique path.