by Denise Fenzi | Nov 26, 2013 | Brito
Brito is learning to “find” fronts – first on his own and then with a dumbbell. He’s wearing a leash to prevent him from running off to pee on the bushes. He is very fond of peeing on things lately. Note that I no longer click for retrieving...
by Denise Fenzi | Nov 20, 2013 | Brito
I had intended to record every few sessions of Brito’s retrieve so that someone might be able to follow along and possibly progress with their own dog. Unfortunately, Brito did what many dogs do…he just figured it out and skipped some of the intermediate...
by Denise Fenzi | Nov 12, 2013 | Brito
I have introduced Brito to a few more retrieve concepts. I’m now (gently!) pushing him away before starting the retrieve – this encourages Brito to move in a forward direction after he puts his mouth on the bar. If you don’t do this step, many dogs...
by Denise Fenzi | Nov 5, 2013 | Brito
I’m working on Brito’s retrieve. Until now, criteria has included interacting with the dumbbell without stepping on it (I extinguished that), any nose or mouth touching, front teeth, front teeth and nibbling, and slightly more than front teeth. Most of the...
by Denise Fenzi | Nov 1, 2013 | Brito
Here is an eleven minute training session of Brito from this morning. You can see a variety of things. Shaping with a dumbbell. I normally hold it because he tends to put his feet on objects sitting on the floor. That is not a habit that I want to encourage. (...
by Denise Fenzi | Aug 6, 2013 | Lyra
Lyra turned two years old yesterday, so it seemed fitting to post a video of our training. I took this video for a class I’ll be teaching in October, but it can serve two purposes. Here’s a five minute clip, start to finish, of our morning training....
by Denise Fenzi | Jan 22, 2013 | Lyra
Here’s a simple video showing how I’m working on Lyra’s retrieve over high jump. She knows how to fetch. She knows how to jump. She knows how to stay. She has a reasonable clue about fetching over a jump in the outbound direction, but definitely...
by Denise Fenzi | Nov 26, 2012 | Lyra
Lyra has a pretty good retrieve – she’s fast and enthusiastic. A few weeks ago I began adding the behavior of “sit in front and wait” If you think about it for a second, the “hold in front” is not an integral part of the retrieve...
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 4, 2012 | Most Viewed Posts, Training Videos - not my dogs
I am often asked how to teach a retrieve. I train a “structured” retrieve. That is neither a forced retrieve nor a play based retrieve. In a structured retrieve, the retrieve is taught in a systematic manner. This is the same process that is used for most...
by Denise Fenzi | Aug 6, 2012 | Lyra
It’s Lyra’s birthday! In honor of Lyra, this is not a training blog; it is simply a training session to show where were at in terms of skills, play and drive when she trains at home. There are five videos here; they start as I take her out of the yard to...
by Denise Fenzi | Jun 2, 2012 | Lyra
Lyra was taught to retrieve a dumbbell as a very small puppy. At that time, the emphasis was on taking it correctly; in the center and with a quiet grip. I did not teach a “hold” or a front, and indeed, she still has neither of these things. Her job is...
by Denise Fenzi | May 23, 2012 | Lyra
Not all learning requires cookies or toys; there is value in teaching your dog just for fun. When dogs learn without classic rewards, they tend to operate in a calmer manner, because learning for learning’s sake does not generate drive. It does, however, force...
by Denise Fenzi | Feb 13, 2012 | Lyra
I do not consider distraction training to be a unique stage of training; it is part of the overall process. Distraction training starts from the day I bring a puppy home, whether I wish to work on distractions or not. Regardless, there are periods in training where I...
by Denise Fenzi | Nov 1, 2011 | Lyra
When Lyra showed some proficiency at a series of small behaviors, I wanted to string a few together. I am starting by teaching her to pick the dumbbell up from the floor, climb on the platform, and return the dumbbell to me. Lyra has a pretty good understanding of...
by Denise Fenzi | Oct 30, 2011 | Lyra, Musings
I’m a competition obedience trainer. Someday I might play in agility as well. As far as I can tell, there are certainly no more than a couple hundred tiny behaviors that I need my dog to master, and many fewer that I’ll actually name or consider an “end” behavior. ...
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....
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 29, 2011 | Training Videos - not my dogs
This is Ziva, a 12 week old Australian Cattle Dog. Here are a few clips from her first lesson. She is learning how to stand on a platform, how to retrieve a dumbbell and how to play with a toy (plus give it back!). These are all foundation skills that will serve...
by Denise Fenzi | Sep 14, 2011 | Training Videos - not my dogs
I’m jealous; here’s my student’s new puppy getting started. I still have to wait a few weeks before mine arrives. Here’s the kind of stuff I’ll do early on in the puppy’s career: This puppy’s lesson is split between tug,...
