by Denise Fenzi | Sep 30, 2018 | Uncategorized
In my last blog I talked about developing habits in your dog at a very early age so that eventually, specific bad behaviors don’t even occur to your dog. Let’s look at an example. I spent the past week with a friend and her 10-month-old Spaniel at a mutual friend’s...
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 24, 2018 | Uncategorized
Each day I wake up, go into the kitchen to feed the dogs, head to my computer where I clear my email and do a few routine tasks, take a shower, etc. The first hour or two of my day I think very little because my behaviors are largely driven by habit. Habits make life...
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 20, 2018 | Uncategorized
In general, the verb “correct” means to make something right after an error is identified. Most of us perceive it as a learning opportunity but with some emotional baggage attached. For example, if your teacher corrects you repeatedly in a short period...
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 14, 2018 | Uncategorized
Before you teach, you need to create a plan that will allow for a successful teaching situation. When your learner is engaged and happy and wants to be with you, training is easy. It only takes a few minutes to communicate new ideas effectively if the learner is...
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 7, 2018 | Uncategorized
Some super interesting questions emerged after I wrote my last blog on “What is Leadership.” Let’s start with this one: Does the leader take control or does the follower give control? I see this as a chicken or egg situation, so let’s take a...
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 2, 2018 | Uncategorized
How does one define leadership? I have tried, with limited success, to come up with a workable definition. It’s sort of like talking about love… What is love? How does one define it? What does it look like? Tricky. Here’s my best stab at defining...
by Denise Fenzi | Aug 28, 2018 | Uncategorized
Because people have specifically asked for unedited training sessions that include errors, here you go! I am working on verbal cue discrimination with absolutely no physical prompts. This is reasonably challenging but he enjoys it, and it’s a fun thing to work...
by Denise Fenzi | Aug 26, 2018 | Uncategorized
Do you struggle to increase criteria in training? Stuck in a comfortable rut? Julie Flanery has written a guest blog for us this week on exactly this topic; read on! Just on the Edge of Suck by: Julie Flanery I’m going to a new gym. It’s not like any gym I’ve been to...
by Denise Fenzi | Aug 21, 2018 | Uncategorized
I am often asked how we should socialize our dogs so that they will grow up as well adjusted as possible. I think the answer is both simple and intuitive: The same way you socialize your small children. I know that many of you don’t have children but work with me...
by Denise Fenzi | Aug 14, 2018 | Training Videos - not my dogs, Uncategorized
If you let a dog sniff, will you be teaching your dog to sniff? Are you encouraging your dog to ignore you once you start formal work? I’m a big believer in the value of choice, in particular in dogs that have nervousness or stress issues. I think when dogs...
by Denise Fenzi | Aug 4, 2018 | Uncategorized
We did another thing at FDSA! If you are a goal-oriented sort of person, and if you take classes at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, you may want to check out our new certificate program which combines the formal education provided by FDSA with an applied skills component...
by Denise Fenzi | Jul 27, 2018 | facebook live, Uncategorized
The following Facebook live is about 45 minutes long and covers the topic of Trial Readiness. How do you know if you’re ready to compete??!! You can watch or just listen while you do other things. In addition, I’ll do a free webinar on Monday July 30th...
by Denise Fenzi | Jun 14, 2018 | Uncategorized
I’m running a contest for a free FDSA class for this term (enrollment closes tomorrow!) or for August – you can choose! I’ll draw a winner tomorrow evening. I want your email address so that I can send you information about FDSA, but only if you...
by Denise Fenzi | Jun 7, 2018 | Generic training advice, Uncategorized
Julie Flanery, my friend and fellow instructor at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, wrote a short article on this topic, and I’m sharing it here with you. Thank you, Julie, for your generosity! If you’d like to work with Julie directly, she is teaching a class...
by Denise Fenzi | Apr 16, 2018 | Generic training advice, Uncategorized
If I am shaping a retrieve and my dog moves her mouth one inch from the dumbbell to half an inch, then I am closer to my goal. I will mark and reward. But consider this. Rather than watching the dog’s mouth in relation to the dumbbell, someone else might be...
by Denise Fenzi | Jan 23, 2018 | Uncategorized
My guess is that most people who follow this blog know that I own an online school. It’s called Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, and we are currently registering for the February Term. We average about 40 classes each term, and cover pretty much everything from...
by Denise Fenzi | Dec 24, 2017 | Musings, Uncategorized
I wrote another book! And right now it’s on sale for a really good price ($15.50) so you may want to look at it. I do that on occasion. Write books. Well. Actually, I do that a lot. I’m up to….eight! But this one is a bit different because...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
On and off I’ve talked about play on this blog. Maybe more on than off. I happen to find the topic completely fascinating – You and your dog; interacting in a manner that is interactive, rewarding and joyful. Maybe using toys or food but often with...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 13, 2011 | Uncategorized
Sleep is improving by the hour! I still have to get up every few hours to let her potty, but the screaming is minimal now. Today she visited my son’s school. We went early in the morning, so there were very few kids around. After 10 minutes I took her home....
