Online Classes

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

NW720: Find It! Lost Item Recovery

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Want to expand your scent work skills and play new, engaging scent games with your dog? Lost Item Recovery is not only a fun sport but also a practical skill – and teaching it is one of my specialties!

In the North American Sport Dog Association (NASDA), Lost Item Recovery challenges dogs to locate a lost object by following human scent. At the first level, your dog learns to find your personal item. At higher levels, the challenge grows: your dog must match a stranger’s scent to their lost article – similar to how scent is used in search and rescue.

In this course, we’ll break the process into clear, achievable steps. The first half focuses on teaching your dog to recognize and search for your scent across a variety of personal items like keys, wallets, and other everyday objects. In the second half, we’ll introduce match-to-sample training, where your dog learns to sniff this article and find that scent – a truly incredible skill to watch develop!

These exercises are more than just fun. They:

  • Strengthen your dog’s problem-solving skills and scenting confidence
  • Provide a foundation for AKC Handler Scent Discrimination and obedience scent article work
  • Offer huge benefits for tracking dogs, who must follow both ground disturbance and human scent trails
  • Build teamwork while giving your dog a “job” they’ll love

Lost Item Recovery is both practical for real life and an exciting sport game. Join us to explore this unique aspect of scent work – you might be amazed at what your dog can do!

This course was a blast! My dog grew SO much over the course of the six weeks from struggling to associate handler odor with pay to nailing multiple stranger articles in distracting areas. He even found my glasses when I had a real lost item crisis! Julie was patient, kind, and encouraging every step of the way. With each submission, she noticed what my dog did well and when he was ready for the next step. I loved this course and definitely recommend it to anyone that is doing dog sports with scent articles!   

As a tracking and nosework trainer, I love that this was presented by Julie Symons since she excels in those sports. She’s also an exceptionally good listener and she addressed everyone’s concerns about how this could augment and not detract from the other sports. I was impressed that she was excited to include new things continually, did a live call on FB, and such a depth of knowledge in all the gold and silver threads, too. Also bravo to a great TA, Tess Starr, in the FB group 

This is one of the best classes I have taken in a while. Julie broke the skills down, making them accessible and fun for the dog. Julie is a fabulous instructor and can problem solve issues from multiple angles ensuring success by her teams. Seeker and I are Lost Item addicts 🙂 

  • 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

An amazing use of a dog’s nose! I had no idea this sport existed. It is more appealing to me than finding “odors”. We are beginners at bronze but now my dogs can find my items around the house, yard and even in the park!!    

NW120: Introduction to NW Search Elements

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You’ve put in the time to build your foundation – now don’t let that momentum fade! This next step will take you from solid basics to confident, competition-ready searching. And the best part? We’ll meet you and your dog right where you are!

Whether you’ve just completed NW101 or you’re returning for a refresher, we’ll strengthen your skills in all five search elements: Interiors, Exteriors, Containers, Vehicles, and Buried (AKC). You’ll learn how to navigate each element’s unique challenges, sharpen your dog’s hunt drive, refine behavior at source, and apply effective handling techniques that work in real trials.

Our proven methods help all types of dogs succeed – from insecure or easily distracted dogs to intense, high-drive competitors. Many students see results faster than they imagined, with dogs earning ORTs and Nosework titles after one or two courses. Even if other methods haven’t worked for you, this approach can reignite your progress.

Don’t stall your progress – this is when the pieces start to click and your dog’s searching truly takes off.

This is the second nosework course I have taken with Fenzi. Both courses were excellent. Material was useful, practical, detailed and thorough. I have taken other Nosework courses before. None have come anywhere near to matching the quality of the Fenzi courses and the credentials, obvious expertise and supportiveness of the course leaders.

I love that videos of dogs of all skill levels are included. It helps emensely to see video of a dog at the same level as the one you are working, so you know what can go wrong, and what a dog just starting out looks like. The lecture material is well organized and laid out. The number of lectures and exercises was just right, not overwhelming but also enough to keep you interested and on your toes with something new.  

  • OPENS Sept 22, 2026!
  • Course runs Oct 1st – Nov 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

I am not able to take local classes because of my work schedule, so tried the online Nosework class for the first time. It is a super value; I got more from this 6 week auditing than I did from the prior 6 months of in person classes. I feel that my dog and I are really well prepared for our first trial next month. 

F3020: No Pee Zone: Eliminating Elimination in Competition

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3 WEEK CLASS – Some dogs are all business and focus on their task. Other dogs want to DO their business! Urine marking is a normal and instinctual behavior, but changing it can be very challenging once habits have been formed. Even dogs who are highly focused on their task can mark, and it can be even more challenging when we are doing sniffing sports!

It’s our job to figure out what the trigger may be and apply the correct training. There are many reasons why a dog may pee or urine mark while working. They may be territorial, environmentally focused, anxious, or frustrated. They may also lack motivation for the task or be unclear about when they can and cannot pee.

This class will break down common suggestions and explore proactive ways to change the behavior or how to prevent it in the first place. We’ll also look at how our handling can help or hinder, and test whether your dog truly understands when they are in a No-Pee Zone!

By the end of this class, you’ll have a better understanding of why your dog may be eliminating while working and, more importantly, what you can do about it. We’ll focus on practical strategies you can use in training and competition to create clearer expectations, build better habits, and help your dog stay focused on the task at hand. 

Whether you’re dealing with an established marking habit or hoping to prevent one from developing, this class will give you tools to create a reliable No-Pee Zone!

This class applies to any dog sport training situation and does not cover house-training.

  • OPENS October 22, 2026!
  • Course runs Nov 1st – Nov 21st
  • Pricing starts at $49 to audit (Bronze)
  • Working spots available (Gold) – work 1:1 with Julie!
  • Last day to signup is Nov 7th
  • Instructor: Julie Symons