Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - School Descriptions

October 2026
December 2026

October 2026

OB118: TEAM Sports Foundations Level Two

Feeling stuck, intimidated, or overwhelmed working on obedience skills with your dog? If you feel like you’re not sure what to train, or if what worked for your last dog isn’t working for this dog, this class ...

Laura Waudby(Faculty)

OB140: From Pivots to Practical Heeling

Build Beautiful Heeling Without the Stress Feeling stuck on the pivot bowl? Unsure how to turn those stationary skills into smooth, confident heeling? You’re not alone—and this class was designed for you. If the i...

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

OB155: The Power of Foundations: Creating a Resilient Performance

In this six-week class, we’ll explore the core foundation skills for competition and learn how to strengthen them in practical, engaging ways. Foundations are not “just for beginners.” They are the bedrock of every ...

Petra Ford(Faculty)

OB225: Competition Heeling Part Two - Skills & Engagement

Heeling requires significant concentration and sustained focus to maintain position, focal point and engagement. Heeling is easily the most difficult obedience exercise. When trained properly, it is a bea...

Petra Ford(Faculty)

OB370: Reliable Retrieves

This class will cover all of the pieces needed to train a reliable obedience retrieve. We will begin by teaching each piece of the behavior chain including the hold and front position. Then we will work to put the p...

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

December 2026

OB130: TEAM Sports Foundations Level One

Have big obedience dreams, or want to dip your toe in and give obedience a try? This class will give you an excellent set of foundation skills for AKC, CKC, FCI obedience, or freestyle and it will help you prepare t...

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

OB365: Open Obedience Fun - Putting the Pieces Together

Open IS fun!! In this class, I deconstruct all the exercises into manageable pieces. Each piece is taught and maintained like a trick. This makes the exercises accessible for us and the dogs. Your dogs wil...

Petra Ford(Faculty)

OB630: Shaping a Fast and Furious Retrieve

Want a strong, motivated retrieve of the dumbell and a good foundation for utility exercises? Join me as I teach you how to create a firm hold, the end skill in the complex retrieve chain. Our basic goal i...

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

September 2026

B3008: Using Play and Games to Teach the Skill of Arousal Modulation

3 WEEK CLASS - Do you have a dog with "big feelings"? Arousal isn’t good or bad—it’s just energy. The challenge is that easily stimulated dogs often don't know how to regulate their arousal, which shows up as l...

Christina Young(Guest Presentations )

October 2026

BH150: Management for Reactive Dogs

Are you fed up with "just managing" your lungy barky dog in the moment? You can AMP up your management with an Active Management Plan! Don't improvise, don't "make it up as you go along." Give yourself t...

Amy Cook, PhD(Faculty)

BH425: Harmony in the Household

Is there discord in your home? Would you prefer to have peaceful music with the individuals living together instead of a cacophony of grumbling, growling, and fighting? Whether you are struggling with a dog that is...

Karen Deeds, CDBC (Faculty)

November 2026

B3000: Arousal Mobility - Pattern Games for Managing Arousal

3 WEEK CLASS - Does your dog struggle to settle, stay focused, or shift gears in exciting environments? This class is designed to help dogs learn arousal regulation utilizing the power of pattern games. This course ...

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

December 2026

BH110: Dealing with the Bogeyman: Helping Reactive and Fearful Dogs - The Play Way!

This is Amy's signature Play Way class! If your dog feels fine at home but struggles once the world gets involved, you are not alone. Barking or lunging on walks, freezing or scanning in new places, or just seeming...

Amy Cook, PhD(Faculty)

BH160: Sound Advice: Conquering Noise Sensitivity

Is your dog worried about the noises around her? This class is for you! Whether the issue is in your house with your dog barking at the sounds outside, or you have a dog that can't go out because buildings...

Amy Cook, PhD(Faculty)

BH205: Dopamine Dive - Box Feeding

The Dopamine Dive A Practical Tool for Building Confidence, Calm, and Lasting Behavior Change Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that shapes pleasure, motivation, attention, mood, and learning. As a key part of the br...

Karen Deeds, CDBC (Faculty)

BH240: Working with Reactive and Hyper-aroused Dogs

In this class we focus on dogs who react in an active way to aspects of the environment (e.g. joggers, other dogs, cars, unfamiliar people, bicycles, children, skateboards, prey animals, etc.) or to the enviro...

Sharon Carroll(Faculty)

BH255: I CU in the Real World: Advancing Your Control Unleashed Skills

Ready to take your CU skills on the road? Welcome to I CU in the Real World: Advancing Your Control Unleashed Skills! This class will build on all previous CU classes. Gold students will have the opportuni...

Kim Palermo(Faculty)

BH335: Dealing With Feelings: Applied Counterconditioning and Desensitization

Whether your dog is having problems in the ring or struggling in daily life, the key to addressing problematic behaviour can be understanding and improving the dog’s emotional state. That's where counterconditioning...

Irith Bloom(Faculty)

February 2027

BH170: Harnessing the Powers of Choice and Habit

Harnessing the Power of Choice and Habit A dog’s behavior matters. That’s true whether you are competing with your dog or just want a wonderful family companion. Understanding where your dog’s behavior ...

Irith Bloom(Faculty)

BH345: On Guard – Working Through Resource Guarding Issues

Although resource guarding of food objects is a normal behavior in dogs, it can escalate to an abnormal state, which is of great concern to members of the household, both human and other pets. It can also man...

October 2026

RA330: Movin' On Up: Skills and Signs for Master Rally

Did you know you can go from novice to the master class in just 9 runs? It happens so fast! Are you a little intimidated by the master signs, with all those spins, sends, and signals? Don’t be! The rall...

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

December 2026

RA310: From Good to GREAT! Increasing Your Rally Scores

Increase Your Rally Scores with Confidence You love rally and enjoy training with your dog—but when it comes to your scores, something’s just not clicking. Maybe you’re losing points and you’re not sure why. Maybe ...

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

RA500: Foundation Skills for Rally-FrEe and Musical Freestyle

Rally-FrEe is a unique sport developed in 2012 that blends the structure of Rally with the creativity of Musical Freestyle. Originally designed to improve accuracy and precision in freestyle routines, it has since g...

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

September 2026

A3004: Crossing with Confidence

3 WEEK CLASS - Crossing with Confidence Take your handling skills to the next level in this focused three-week agility class dedicated to three essential crosses: Front Cross Rear Cross Blind Cross. Ea...

Laurie Huston(Faculty)

A3005: Beyond The Board: Teeter Training (No Teeter Required!)

3 WEEK CLASS - Are you looking to train a reliable and independent teeter performance, but don't have regular access to a teeter? No problem! This class is all about teaching a full teeter performance—proofing and a...

Bronagh Daly(Faculty)

October 2026

AG190: The Glue for Future Agility Stars

Building the Glue Skills This course is different from most foundation classes. Rather than focusing on obstacles or traditional flatwork, this class teaches the critical foundation skills (the “glue”) that will he...

Nancy Gagliardi Little(Faculty)

AG300: Fast & Focused: Control Unleashed for Agility

When it comes to agility, the most successful agility dogs are the ones who can retain the best thinking brains. Whether it’s in the ring or outside of the ring, the agility environment can be a lot. That can...

Bronagh Daly(Faculty)

AG380: Agility Drills - Get a Responsive Dog!

Does your dog have a tendency to ignore your commands on course? Or "blow you off"? Do you feel you need clarity in the information you are giving to your dog? Is your dog a tunnel sucker? How do you fix it? In t...

Loretta Mueller(Faculty)

December 2026

AG140: Building and Maintaining A Start Line

Many dogs begin their agility careers with a solid start line - only to see that behavior slowly unravel over time. Why does a reliable start line hold up for some dogs but not others? Why do some teams struggle, ev...

Nancy Gagliardi Little(Faculty)

September 2026

N3004: Designing Learning in Nosework: Think. Observe. Adapt

3 WEEK CLASS - We spend a lot of time thinking about where to put the hide. But what if we spent just as much time thinking about what we want our dogs to learn? Every search is a learning opportunity. S...

Michele Ellertson(Guest Presentations )

October 2026

N101S: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

Nosework is easily the hottest new sport around, and it’s easy to see why! It’s fun for humans, dogs love to participate, and it’s good for building confidence and focus in dogs that have issues like shyness, ...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

N120J: NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements

Many teams stall after initial foundations: progress slows, motivation dips, and it can feel hard to know what to train next. This course keeps you moving forward with clear structure and purposeful exercises, so yo...

Julie Symons(Faculty)

NW215: Air Flow Superpowers for the Developing Dog

Did you know that where and how you place your hides are some of the biggest predictors for well your dog will search? Did you also know that you need to be able to predict air flow to set an effective hide? &...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

NW380: Developing your Trial IQ - Reading the Nosework Dog

This class is ALL ABOUT figuring out how to be prepared for a trial and learning the #1 most important skill in nosework... READING YOUR DOG! This class will give you the nuances that you need to...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

NW720: Find It! - Lost Item Recovery

Want to expand your scent work skills and play new, engaging scent games with your dog? Lost Item Recovery is not only a fun sport but also a practical skill - and teaching it is one of my specialties! In the North...

Julie Symons(Faculty)

TR101: Foundation Tracking 1

This class covers everything the handler needs to know to get organized and get started in tracking. We will discuss topics such as equipment preferences, other equipment needed, how to develop a start routine...

Lucy Newton(Faculty)

December 2026

N101J: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

Strong Foundations. Clear Communication. Odor-Driven Learning. Nosework is one of the fastest-growing dog sports for good reason — it’s fun, builds confidence, and is suitable for dogs of all ages and temperaments....

Julie Symons(Faculty)

N120S: NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements

Did you know that the MOST important time in a dog's early career in Nosework happens AFTER they learn target odor (as in NW101) and BEFORE they start their general searching? Making mistakes now are costly. I...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

NW170: Building Blocks of Nosework - Before Odor

You, your dog, an inquiring mind and the start of a whole new world of opportunity. In this course you will learn the foundations of nosework even before you ever introduce odor. This course has been designe...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

NW480: Searching Strategies: A Roadmap to Success

This class is all about a ROADMAP TO SUCCESS…. What does that mean? It means that we will delve into how to build an outstanding search dog and then how to trial effectively. This class has been developed so t...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

TR102: Foundation Tracking 2

This course will continue to develop both drive and accuracy on foundation tracks. Our priority for this class will be to further develop the skills that the dog acquired in TR101. We will work towards increas...

Lucy Newton(Faculty)

February 2027

N101S: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

September 2026

C3005: Strength Through Motion

3 WEEK CLASS - Strength Through Motion ... Strength Through Motion is a three-week conditioning class designed to develop your dog's strength, coordination, balance, and body awareness through purpo...

Ashley Escobar(Faculty)

C3006: Open Wide: Stress-Free Mouth Handling & Dental Care

3 WEEK CLASS - It's time to get a handle on mouth handling and dental care with your dog! We all know that we should be taking care of our dogs’ teeth, but our canine companions don’t always make that an easy t...

Deborah Jones(Faculty)

October 2026

CC205: Targeting Fitness

Want to start fitness using targeting? Maybe fine tune your dog’s fitness skills to reduce your dogs luring during exercises. This class is for you! This class will teach a variety of targeting skills including fro...

Kelly Daniel(Faculty)

EL830: Prevent & Perform: Couch to 5K for the Handler

This Course Goes Beyond Logging Miles This program is about more than just hitting your mileage—it’s about understanding your body and building a solid foundation to run safely, confidently, and consistently. You’l...

Liz Joyce(Faculty)

December 2026

CC140: Aged to Perfection: Keeping Your Senior Fit in Mind and Body

Senior dogs are the best, aren't they? Mature, skilled, and in tune with us! But, this is also the life stage when a bit of worry starts to creep into our thoughts. Are they strong enough? Am I doing enough to...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

February 2027

CC300: Getting Geeky About Fitness

This class is an intensive dive into the geeky side of Canine Fitness and Conditioning training. We’ll look at relevant biology and biomechanics, anatomy and physiology terms, relevant training theory and applicatio...

Kelly Daniel(Faculty)

October 2026

October 2026

DS150: The Power of Pulling - Introduction to Dog Powered Sports

Got a dog with “big dog energy” (whether or not they’re a big dog)? Looking for an outlet? Or, maybe your dog needs more exercise but cannot be off-leash. Dog-powered sports allow your dog to expel more energ...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

October 2026
February 2027

October 2026

EL125: Skills for Canine Good Citizen or Therapy Dog Evaluations

This course brings together the best of therapy dog preparation and Canine Good Citizen training, creating a strong foundation for both ends of the leash. Whether your long-term goal is to become a registered therap...

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

FF230: Tricks with a Purpose

There are so many reasons why training tricks are beneficial to your dog, yourself and your relationship, tricks aren’t just for entertainment or rainy days anymore! Teaching tricks not only help our dogs learn how ...

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

February 2027

FF210: Brain Benders - Cognition & Thinking Games

Are you overwhelmed trying to come up with or at a loss for new ideas to stimulate your furry friend’s little mind? Is the weather too hot or miserable outside but your dog has too much energy to stay inside? Well, ...

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

September 2026

F3012: Lefts & Rights- Verbal Directionals for Dog Sports

3 WEEK CLASS - Verbal directional cues can be a total game-changer in sports like agility, hoopers, or field work. They are an absolute necessity in dog-powered sports like canicross, bikejoring, or sledding, w...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

F3013: The Cue Wars: May the best Signal Win!

3 WEEK CLASS - Does your dog seem to “ignore” cues you know you taught? Do they respond beautifully at home but fall apart in new places? Or do they latch onto one part of a training setup and miss everything e...

Karen Deeds, CDBC (Faculty)

F3014: Writing training plans: develop confidence and concept skills for ALL behaviors!

3 WEEK CLASS - Are you great at following instructions, but struggle to make your own training plans? This class is for you! You'll learn how to write training plans for the dog in front of you: ...

Caden Cristopher(Faculty)

F3015: Let it Be! Teaching Leave it and Drop it

3 WEEK CLASS - “Leave it” and “drop it.” They seem like such simple skills. And yet they can be anything but. Getting dogs (and other animals) to leave things alone or give them up can feel impossible at times....

Irith Bloom(Faculty)

F3016: Come! It’s Not About the Cue!… Or Is It?

3 WEEK CLASS - A fast, reliable recall is built on clarity of criteria, reinforcement, and how the dog feels about coming back. In this fun, game-based class, we’ll put special emphasis on visual cues and ...

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

October 2026

FE130: Toys - Developing Cooperation and Play

Do you have a dog that chases the ball, yet won’t bring it back? Plays keep away with toys? Tugs but won’t let go? Bites you instead of the tug? Obsesses over toys, yet won’t listen to a single thing you say? Is you...

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

FE145: First Things First - Puppy Foundations for a Bright Future

First Things First is the new puppy owner's guide to building strong skills and social behaviors -right from the start! With a progression based on my board-and-train puppy program, this sequ...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

FE240: Calling All Dogs

It is my passion to help humans and dogs develop stronger relationships based on games, shared adventures and maximizing our dogs' freedom while keeping them safe. A strong relationship and, built o...

Caden Cristopher(Faculty)

FE335: Spaces In Between

This is a class about preparing our dogs for the competition or seminar environment. Over and over I see dogs that are unprepared or rehearsing behavior we don't want at seminars, classes and trials. Over time this ...

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

November 2026

F3000: Say What!? The Hows and Whys of Teaching Clean Verbal Cues

3 WEEK CLASS - Have you found it challenging to help your dog grasp verbal cues? Does it seem like your dog sometimes doesn’t recognize the verbal cues you’ve taught? Or perhaps verbal cues feel less relevant to you...

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

F3017: Not Yours! Building a Rock-Solid Food Refusal

Could your dog stay in a down while someone drops food right in front of them, or even between their feet? Food refusal is one of those sport exercises that looks almost like a magic trick when it’s done well. In M...

Sarah Rida(Guest Instructors)

December 2026

FF140: Connect and Engage with Games: Build Focus for Sport Dogs

Ready to build a dog who loves working with you — no matter what’s happening around them? Does your dog lose focus during training or in the competition ring? Maybe they start sniffing, checking out other dogs, cha...

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

FF200: Let's Play!

Teaching Approach: New class!

Crystal Wing(Faculty)

FF225: Energized Engagement

Engagement is the most challenging skill to achieve in dog training. It’s also easily the most important. An engaged dog is actively involved in the learning process and pushing you for more. When a dog is offering ...

Petra Ford(Faculty)

RA560: Shape Up - Improving and Maintaining Your and Your Dog's Shaping Skills

Shaping is the art of teaching by reinforcing small, incremental steps toward a final, goal behavior—letting the dog take the lead in the learning process. It builds problem‑solving, confidence, creativity, an...

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

October 2026
February 2027

October 2026

EL125: Skills for Canine Good Citizen or Therapy Dog Evaluations

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

FF230: Tricks with a Purpose

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

February 2027

FF210: Brain Benders - Cognition & Thinking Games

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

September 2026

F3012: Lefts & Rights- Verbal Directionals for Dog Sports

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

F3013: The Cue Wars: May the best Signal Win!

Karen Deeds, CDBC (Faculty)

F3014: Writing training plans: develop confidence and concept skills for ALL behaviors!

3 WEEK CLASS - Are you great at following instructions, but struggle to make your own training plans? This class is for you! You'll learn how to write training plans for the dog in front of you: ...

Caden Cristopher(Faculty)

F3015: Let it Be! Teaching Leave it and Drop it

Irith Bloom(Faculty)

F3016: Come! It’s Not About the Cue!… Or Is It?

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

October 2026

FE130: Toys - Developing Cooperation and Play

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

FE145: First Things First - Puppy Foundations for a Bright Future

First Things First is the new puppy owner's guide to building strong skills and social behaviors -right from the start! With a progression based on my board-and-train puppy program, this sequ...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

FE240: Calling All Dogs

Caden Cristopher(Faculty)

FE335: Spaces In Between

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

November 2026

F3000: Say What!? The Hows and Whys of Teaching Clean Verbal Cues

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

F3017: Not Yours! Building a Rock-Solid Food Refusal

Sarah Rida(Guest Instructors)

December 2026

FF140: Connect and Engage with Games: Build Focus for Sport Dogs

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

FF200: Let's Play!

Teaching Approach: New class!

Crystal Wing(Faculty)

FF225: Energized Engagement

Petra Ford(Faculty)

RA560: Shape Up - Improving and Maintaining Your and Your Dog's Shaping Skills

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

School Descriptions

List of articles in category School Descriptions
Published Date	Title
01 February 2013	School of Obedience Courses
02 February 2013	Dog Behavior
08 February 2013	Rally and Freestyle
09 July 2014	School of Agility
24 December 2014	Scent Sports
29 December 2014	Body, Health & Fitness
29 December 2014	Other Dog Sports
29 December 2014	Electives
29 December 2014	Foundations and Electives Master List
29 December 2014	Foundations