Online Classes

Taught through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, classrooms are open 24/7 and run for 6 weeks. Working and auditing spots available.

NW130: Introduction to NW Search Elements

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You have the basics. Your dog is on target odor and can search straightforward hides across all the elements. Now it’s time to work on some of those advanced skills!
 
Starting advanced skills early is critical. Spending too long at one stage can affect future success. We can avoid having to change expectations later when areas can be blank or hides are inaccessible. Dogs also enjoy problem solving and can thrive off of new challenges. 
 

This is the third skills level course in our nose/scent work program and will build on the skills acquired in both NW101 and NW120.  This class is open to any dog who is currently searching for target odors (essential oils). Focus of class will be to develop the skills and teamwork necessary for Advanced level trialing – and that involves trusting your dog to lead you to source. We will cover training skills such as:

  • inaccessibles
  • multiple hides
  • blank search areas
  • non-box containers
  • thresholds and corners
  • crack and ground hides
  • building search stamina
  • advanced vehicle searches
  • how to effectively search an area,
  • problem solving individual team skills
  • how to set up and work through distractions
  • how to evaluate search area challenges/approach
  • environmental considerations around airflow and weather conditions
  • OPENS September 22nd @ noon PT
  • Course runs October 1st – November 11th
  • Pricing starts at $65 to audit (Bronze)
  • Working spots available (Gold) – work 1:1 with Julie!
  • Last day to signup is October 15th.
  • Instructor: Julie Symons

NW720: Find it! Lost Item Recovery

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Want to learn about a new scent organization and play more scent games with your dog? Teaching scent detection is one of my specialties and an area I’m truly passionate about.

Lost Item Recovery is one of the trial classes offered by the North American Sport Dog Association (NASDA) organization. In the first level of Lost Item Recovery, your dog is searching for YOUR scent – simulating locating a lost personal item. The next levels require your dog to locate a stranger’s lost item – simulating how you would find a lost person using an article with their scent.

This first half of this course will cover the initial steps of training handler scent detection and expand the training to many of your other personal items like wallets and keys. The second half of the course will focus on the match to sample aspect of locating someone else’s personal item. We can teach our dogs to sample (sniff) THIS article and track or find THAT scent!

Working on these skills will help with AKC Handler Scent Discrimination, the initial training for the obedience scent article exercise and then there is a HUGE benefit for tracking dogs since dogs have to follow a track with lost personal items laid by a stranger. It’s not just crushed vegetation but also following a human scent trail as well.  Teaching our dogs how to perform a Match to Sample type search is one of the most truly amazing dog abilities!!

Come check out this popular game of lost item recovery, for sport and real life! I have been having more fun than should be allowed playing with these new parameters!

  • OPENS September 22nd @ noon PT
  • Course runs October 1st – November 11th
  • Pricing starts at $65 to audit (Bronze)
  • Working spots available (Gold) – work 1:1 with Julie!
  • Last day to signup is October 15th.
  • Instructor: Julie Symons