Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - OB415: Utility Foundation Fun!

Course Details

Utility has always been my favorite class!! Lots of people call the class “futility” but I think it’s tons of fun. I start teaching the foundation skills when my dogs are young…. puppies actually! But don’t worry, dogs of all ages can learn Utility! We will take our time, break down the components of all the exercises and teach them as fun tricks. Dogs love it and you will too! I also introduce dogs to the idea of running away from us, running towards and backing into pressure and being comfortable waiting while we move away from them. Maybe your dog knows utility but their work is lackluster. Or your dog is struggling with certain pieces of the exercises. This course will help you too. Set a solid foundation and your dog will be an awesome Utility dog!! This class is appropriate for dogs of all ages and all levels. If your dog has a Hold and Retrieve that’s helpful but not necessary.

We will NOT be working on heeling in this course.

Teaching Approach

This class will have written and video lectures each week. Each lecture will be broken down into small pieces. There will be video examples demonstrating all exercises. Because everyone has their own learning style, I encourage students to move at their own pace. Students will need to move around with their dogs as is required for typical obedience exercises. I will work with you to modify the exercises to your abilities. A few of the games will require quick physical movement from the trainer for short periods and distances.

Instructor: Petra Ford

I have been training and competing for several decades in a variety of sports including Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Nosework, Agility and Rally. My first love has always been competition obedience. I have been fortunate to win the AKC National Obedience Championship four times with three different dogs. (Click here for full bio and to view Petra's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

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Week 1

Know where you are going
Communication system
Engagement, engagement, engagement!!
Breaking it Down
Handler Cues
Solid Stand for Signals & Moving Stand
Create value for Platform/Mat
Back up to a Platform/Mat
Run to Platform/Mat
Mark a Target
Teach a sustained nose touch (optional)
Focal point for pivots
Engage with focal point
Setups

Week 2

Motor pattern for Down and Sit
Motor pattern for turn and sit
Articles find the food
Pivots creating drive
Stand on Mat
Teach Bounce in the Stand
Hold Glove/Article
Increase target distance
Reinforce “mark”

Week 3

Backchain turn and sit
Backup Down & backup sit
Articles – add containers
Games off the stand
Spin Sit to mat
Pivots position
Multiple targets

Week 4

Increase distance for turn and sit
Pressure on/Pressure off in the Stand
Down & Sit signal up close
Signal Stand vs. Moving Stand
Hand as a focal point
Multiple targets add distance
Switch boxes – generalize different locations
Add games to turn and sit

Week 5

Backchaining Directed jumping using posts
Mecklenburg jump drill
Switch boxes add articles
Target communication system
Heel/here or backchaining target
Moving stand finish
Moving stand and signals engagement games
Engagement after pivot
Signals add distance

Week 6

Directed jumping adding distance
Scent box and article
Pressure games using the mat
Problem Solving

Prerequisites & Supplies

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Equipment needed: Target, preferably white (can use a lid to a yogurt/cottage cheese container); a platform or mat/rug; 16 metal containers (metal light switches, Altoids container with a hole punched in… for larger dogs you want something the dog cannot pick up).

Sample Lecture

Attitude is Everything!!

YOUR attitude will effect your dog’s performance. If you deep down you don’t like utility, find it frustrating, feel pressure for the exercises to be a certain way, think that the exercises are hard for your dog etc… it’s going to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. You also need a lot of patience. WHEN I show my dog in utility is based on when they are ready. Whenever that is. If I try to push it towards a certain timeframe, I will get frustrated and inadvertently put pressure on my dog. So learn to love utility. Learn to love the journey. Accept that yes, it’s challenging. And yes, it can take a long time for the dog to learn it. But when it all comes together, it’s totally worth it!!! I still remember buying my very first set of articles and how excited I was!! I remember my first utility dog and my first UD title. That’s something I tap into. I don’t want to lose that perspective. How cool is it that my dogs can learn to do something so complex!! I want MY dogs to love it as much as I do. That goal, that vision, drives my training.

Know Where You Are Going

You must have a crystal-clear end picture, otherwise you don’t know where you are headed. As a result, your criteria will be grey. From the minute you set your dog up, until the judge says “exercise finished”. You shouldn’t have to think about it. If you do, then you are not clear. Pick a performance from someone you like. Or someone you train with. You can talk to your instructor. You should be able to visualize all of it. Years ago, I wrote it all down. That really helped me a lot. Whatever method you use, make sure this is in place BEFORE you start or continue training your dog.

Communication System

Utility exercises are complex. It’s critical that our communication is super clean. If not, the dog will get confused. Consistent markers!! Define each marker you use. What EXACTLY does it mean. Always use it the same way. Otherwise, you are breaking the contract and confusing the dog. Marking the EXACT second the behavior happens is super important. Often people are in a rush to get the food in the dog’s mouth. That’s not as important. Marking is important. After that you have time to get the reward to the dog.

Engagement, engagement, engagement!!

ALWAYS make sure your dog is fully engaged. If your dog isn’t focused, they will have trouble learning. It’s more likely they will make mistakes. To many mistakes and your dog will be frustrated and lose motivation. When you watch me work my dogs you will ALWAYS!!!! see that I spend time making sure my dog is “dialed in” before I do anything. Laterally, every single time I set the dog up I make sure we are on the same page. If the dog isn’t, then I resolve that FIRST. I will never move on if my dog isn’t focused. I also make sure my dog is in an optimal drive state. If my dog is too aroused, they won’t be able to focus. You will see me work on this A LOT with Zesty. He is innately super aroused. He LOVES to work. And that’s great. But if he is too aroused and I continue on, he will make a mistake. And he doesn’t like making mistakes. So if I continue on when he is too high, and he makes a mistake then it’s really my fault. Think about yourself. If you are super excited about something, that’s not a great time for you to learn something new. If you are completely distracted when I’m teaching you something, you will have a hard time processing and retaining the information. Our dogs are exactly the same way. They are not machines. They are living, breathing, thinking beings.

Testimonials & Reviews

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A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...

I love Petra Ford's FDSA classes. I've worked 2 dogs now in gold spots in several of her classes and working spots in her workshops. Petra keeps things positive and is encouraging and supportive with spot-on trouble shooting advice when dogs or handlers struggle. Her methods are strongly foundation-skills-based and she teaches students how to communicate effectively with their dogs. Petra's techniques are especially helpful to dogs who stressed out. My rescue dog made a quantum leap in confidence working through her pressure training (Pressure at a Distance, Backing into Pressure). I gobble up everything Petra teaches!

I absolutely recommend this class. My dog is getting ready to trial AKC at the Novice level and we are working on those skills. But it is great to build the foundation skills for Utility at the same time. Doing this keeps us both motivated and enthusiastic. Petra's deep knowledge and experience helping dogs learn the motor skills needed to succeed in all the obedience exercises is invaluable. Her keen eye and personalized feedback helped us succeed, making our training sessions a lot of fun. I am feeling so much more positive at the prospect of eventually achieving a UD with my dog. Even if that never happens, my dog and I have had the more important pleasure of forming a stronger bond as a team.

I felt very fortunate to be a part of this course. Petra’s feedback was helpful and encouraging and, she was great at responding promptly. it was so rewarding to get her level of instruction for 6 whole weeks. I’m sure I will be taking her courses again if I’m quick enough on the Enroll button!

Petra was really good about breaking the training down into small pieces and fun "games". My dog and I are having fun doing all the skills and we made a lot of progress in 6 weeks. We improved on skills that we had started training before this class and we got a great start on other skills that were new to us.

Overall, I thought the course was excellent, well put together and very inspiring to teach to my dog. Since we just earned our CDX and have been playing around with Utility, I am now training her everyday in utility and having lots of fun with Holly. I like the way Petra breaks down each exercise into what seems like tricks to the dog. I'm so happy that I can refer to these videos of her and the gold and silver students whenever I need to. I'm not able to do that in my weekly training class. Thank you so much!

Utility, to me, is overwhelming and looks so difficult but Petra breaks down each exercise into pieces or "tricks"so that you have a clear picture of each step of the exercise, how to train it and maintain criteria. Her critiques of the work of the gold students is invaluable and I was able to apply so many of her suggestions to my own training. An outstanding class.

This is just what we needed. I really enjoy the way Petra teaches, it really speaks to me so we can follow along. I am able to train my puppy but also use the “tricks” to help my older dogs enjoy obedience more. I strongly recommend this course to everyone.

Wonderful class to tackle daring Utility exercises! Petra kept it light and fun and included lots of steps for learners new to Utility as well as for more seasoned students. I had no trouble following the example even though I only participated as a Bronze student.

I would recommend this class to anyone interested in higher Obedience levels and second the plea for a part 2 that was voiced during class.

Registration

There are no scheduled sessions for this class at this time. We update our schedule frequently, so please subscribe to our mailing list for notifications.

Available November 18 - Dec 15 as a prerequisite class with lectures only.

OB415 Subscriptions

	Bronze
Tuition	$ 65.00
Enrollment Limits	Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials	✔	✔

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