Solving dog training problems... positively.

Location Specific Marker Cues-chopping up the clicker into different reinforcement procedures

Want more clarity in your communication with your dog? Are you feeling like your reinforcement is good, but not GREAT? And what's with those Location Specific Marker Cues that everyone is talking about-are they really necessary? Let’s take those marker […]

Stand-by: Reset from collecting reinforcement

Stand-by? Stand and Wait? Base Position? What is it? You know when you see those dogs that offer everything, dancing feet, and never slow down enough to actually “listen”? You know the dogs that sniff there way back to you […]

Che’s Blog

I’m sad Che. Every time I come inside the house, I’m expecting to see your smiling face from the dog bed. Though it’s actually been more like “sound asleep” face lately. Sometimes I even had to check if you were […]

Tracking: Problem Solving-Part 1-identifying the challenges

I've been experimenting with teaching my young dog, Talic, how to track Schutzhund (footstep to footstep) style without using food in every footstep. Traditionally, I was taught to teach tracking with food in every footstep and then you gradually take […]

Collar Gives! (formally known as Collar Grabs…)

I’m going to steal the term “COLLAR GIVES” from my colleague Sarah Stremming because I think it better describes the skill of teaching the dog to push their neck into your hand on cue. That’s what I’m searching for as […]

Updated list of Podcasts/camps!

Amy Cook, Sarah Stremming and I got together to talk to Melissa Breau about training! https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/blog/e107-r-2-0-with-amy-cook-phd-sarah-stremming-and-shade-whitesel   We're also teaching mini camp, hosted by Megan Foster of Synergydogsports. com Dates are: November 15-16, 2019: Camp with Amy Cook and Sarah […]

Are you Ready to work?

Ready to work? I like to ask these questions of my dog: Will you eat food? Can you hear your food reinforcement marker cues? Can you execute simple behavior skills? Can you do simple sequencing?

Reiki: lessons from the Quiet Place

  Last May 2018, my GSD Reiki went from walking semi normally, to barely moving, both hind feet knuckling over, low in the rear, you name it. I was away at the time, and Dave, my partner, called me frantically, […]

Fixing a piece of One’s retrieve

In preparation for my upcoming IPO 3 trial with Ones (no date set but you know eventually I’ll get around to it….perhaps more about that in a future blog entry), I was going through his obedience video of his IPO […]

The Power of Eye Contact in Dog Training

The very first thing I teach is focus on me (eye contact) AWAY from something the dog wants. That “want” can be a treat, to greet another person or dog, a toy, access to outside, etc… I teach this the […]