Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - DS525: Six New Indoor Teaching Games for Retriever Sports

Course Details

Want to play some retriever games with me?! I have 5 brand new indoor games for building awesome retriever sport skills. And we have a 6th game I've taught before on Honoring.

In this new class, we play one indoor game per week that builds or practices concrete skills we need for the retriever field.

These games are great for all levels of trainers - beginner, intermediate or advanced.

All great trainers start big complex skill sets inside, as learning games! I like to take this to the next level for my competition retrievers. Indoor games are a perfect way to build skills AND keep them polished!

What's In Store?

This year, we have new games that help you practice the big and small mechanical skills that make outdoor success possible. They cover the most common challenges people have AND they are easy to transfer outdoors and scale up to test size proportions. Check out the syllabus for more details!

Game 1 : Heel to the Line! Plus Temptations.

Game 2 : Marks With Blinds

Game 3 : Whistle While You Work

Game 4 : Casting Mechanics

Game 5 : Handler Mechanics for Lining

Game 6 : Honoring thy Neighbor

Teaching Approach & Sample Lecture:

Each week you will get a new game to train and get feedback to help you polish that skill. Bronze students will get to view the Gold and Silver student submissions and my feedback for those.

Each game will have one or more video lessons and a written description.

When you submit your own video homework as a Gold or Silver participant, I will review it with your specific details and past experiences in mind - meeting you where you are in your journey and helping you bridge to the next level. My goal is to have fun and make sure our dogs are having fun, too! I want my training to be game-like and create great accuracy with a lot of joy!

SAMPLE LECTURE:

Game 1 : Heel to the Line! Plus Temptations. [new]

Practice heeling to the line TOGETHER with the pull of temptation out in front of you both. Build great awareness of each other, while focusing forward toward the field - without repeated cueing.

Learn to use your body's motion or stopping as a cue for the dog to stay with you, no matter what's attracting her attention in front of you.

This Game will have a bite sized video lesson for each layer of success. You can replicate this outdoors with a holding blind and even take the game to a group training event, to practice in exciting environments.

Each video lesson is about 3 minutes long - you may be able to check them off quickly.

Before we start the lessons, let's zoom out and look at the big picture

The challenge:

Most of us know the biggest challenge in getting to the performance line is the excitement level of the dog due to the environment and electricity in the air. The dog likely knows that getting to the line means doing exciting marked retrieves.

Often it starts at the car. And just gets worse going between waiting areas.

The purpose of this game is to build a pattern for you and for the dog. A sequence with criteria that creates clear expectations so the dog knows what to do and when to do it in order to win the reward.

And what is the reward? It's the thing for which they are offering controlled heel walking behavior.

In field sports, that thing is to reach the performance line - to see the field and watch the retrieves get thrown.

In our house games, it will also be a performance line facing something they really want - like a dinner bowl or favorite toy.

HOW ?

The secret sauce in our game layers is the power of permission!

[see more when you enroll in the course]

This Week One Game will have 3 Parts - each part will have a few bite sized video lessons, so you see each layer!

Let's get started with 5 bite sized video lessons - each one focuses on ONE skill layer

[Layers 1-3 are not shown in this sample lecture - here are layers 4 and 5 to give you a sample of what they are like]

Layer 4 : Heeling Backward From A Prize

Video Lesson:

Layer 5 : Heel step by step Forward To A Prize

Video Lesson:

Instructor: Jennifer Henion

Jennifer Henion (she/her), KPA CTP has been playing and studying the US retriever sports for 13 years with 6 different dogs. All of whom have achieved Hunt Test titles....(Click here for full guest instructor bio)

Syllabus

View Full Syllabus

Week One:

Game 1 : Heel to the Line! Plus Temptations. [new]

Practice heeling to the line TOGETHER with the pull of temptation out in front of you both. Build great awareness of each other, while focusing forward toward the field - without repeated cueing.

Learn to use your body's motion or stopping as a cue for the dog to stay with you, no matter what's attracting her attention in front of you.

Week Two:

Game 2 : Marks With Blinds [new]

This game lets you practice building your dog's memory for doubles and triples as well as running a cold blind after running a marked retrieve - all inside your house with treats or toys.

There are lots of things you can practice with this game! Blinds behind the mark, blinds run past the old fall, and even under the arc of a mark!

Week Three:

Game 3 : Whistle While You Work [new]

Practice getting great whistle sits, while your dog is in prey drive mode. Don't worry, it's all indoors and actual prey is not required. We make it fun to choose to sit - even when something they really want is in motion! A great way to help your dog practice thinking during a distracting moment.

Week Four:

Game 4 : Casting Mechanics [new]

Getting the dog to look at you and wait for the cast and actually think about the accurate response. This is a challenge when outside - but indoors, we can teach this at close range, with rewarding outcomes!

This helps with Spin Direction accuracy - Left vs Right Backs and Angle Accuracy - Same side, Over vs Back

Week Five:

Game 5 : Handler Mechanics for Lining [new]

Super valuable game to build your line communication skills for blinds and memory marks. All with food bowls and treats. You learn from your dog and your dog learns from you. Both of you gain clear cuing and accuracy for lining.

Week Six:

Game 6 : Honoring thy Neighbor

This is a set of Indoor games that build foundation layers for Honoring another working team. And they really do work!! Great to practice with a friend and their dog. Or with your own 2nd dog or extra house human.

Prerequisites and Equipment

For Prerequisites:
We will use the skill of being in sitting heel position for 4 of these game. It will help a lot if your dog already knows how to be in sitting heel and can focus forward toward a food bowl, treat or bumper.

Knowing the core food games that teach our dogs impulse control, is also helpful to have before starting the course. They are easy and don't take long to learn, but we do rely on the results of impulse override in all 6 of these games.

For the game on Honoring, it's helpful to have platform and or crate games training in place.
Having a basic whistle sit response trained as well as some basic are casting training is also helpful.

Equipment:
No special equipment is required. We will use three food dishes that are identical. Treats. And you may want to use a platform or crate.
A folding ex-pen will also come in handy to use as an indoor holding blind, if you have one. But not required.

Registration

Next session starts: December 1, 2025
Registration starts: November 22, 2025
Registration ends: December 15, 2025

Registration opens at 9:30am Pacific Time.

DS525 Subscriptions

	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Tuition	$ 260.00	$ 130.00	$ 65.00
Enrollment Limits	12	25	Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials	✔	✔	✔
Access to discussion and homework forums	✔	✔	✔
Read all posted questions and answers	✔	✔	✔
Watch all posted videos	✔	✔	✔
Post general questions to Discussion forum	✔	✔	✖
Submit written assignments	✔	✖	✖
Post dog specific questions	✔	With video only	✖
Post videos	✔	Up to 2	✖
Receive instructor feedback on	Questions All videos	Questions All videos	✖

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