Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - School Descriptions

January 2026

O3000: Fit to Heel: Fitness for Obedience Dogs

3 WEEK CLASS - This class will ensure that your dog is physically up to the challenges of the obedience ring! Join Kelly as she explores the roles of strength, movement and balance in fitness exercises sp...

Kelly Daniel(Faculty)

February 2026

OB135: TEAM Sports Foundations Level Two

This class continues on with the foundations begun in TEAM 1! This class is designed to cover all the exercises in the TEAM Level 2. The TEAM program systematically lays out the building blocks for develo...

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

OB160: Ring Confidence for Obedience, Rally, and Agility

This course is officially expanded to include agility as well as obedience and rally! Most handlers spend months or even years teaching their dogs the specific exercises and obstacle performance found ...

Laura Waudby(Faculty)

OB195: Creating Confidence in Your Obedience Dog

Most dogs are not innately confident. Especially when it comes to obedience. A sport that is not inherently self-reinforcing. A sport where dogs must learn to perform complex behaviors under a lot of pressure. In th...

Petra Ford(Faculty)

OB285: From TEAM to Trials: Building Chains for the Novice Ring

Have you been dabbling in obedience but hesitant to actually take it to the next level? Or maybe you even trialed and realized your dog doesn't know how to heel unless you have a treat in your hand or can talk...

Laura Waudby(Faculty)

OB305: Fronts & Finishes: From Foundations to Fabulous!

There are lots of fronts and finishes in obedience! Fronts and finishes are incredibly complicated. They consist of many pieces that all need to come together. Because they are so difficult, the error ratio te...

Petra Ford(Faculty)

April 2026

OB425: From TEAM to Trials: Building Skills & Chains for the Open Ring

Obedience can be fun!! Even if you are just starting your journey and think that getting past novice sounds like a pipedream, you want to start this class! Get unstuck from the boring stuff in novice and...

Laura Waudby(Faculty)

OB460: Shaping a Flashy and Confident Heel - Foundations

Do you have “heeling envy”? Do you see all those prancing dogs in perfect position looking up at their handlers and wish you could teach your dog THAT? Does your dog love the pivot platform, but how DO you get from ...

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

June 2026

OB462: Shaping a Confident and Flashy Heel-Moving Foundations

Fancy, flashy, free, prancing, head up heeling! Want it? You've come to the right class. Got forging, vocalizing, crabbing instead? You've come to the right class too! (make sure you grab that first class as well, ...

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

January 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)

February 2026

BH150: Management for Reactive Dogs

https://youtu.be/tNKvwjofJ8U Tired of "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 ...

Amy Cook, PhD(Faculty)

BH205: Dopamine Dive - Box Feeding

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that influences pleasure, motivation, attention, mood and learning. It is part of the brain’s reward system that motivates an individual to seek out pleasurable experiences repea...

Karen Deeds, CDBC (Faculty)

BH355: ACE Free Work

Discover the power of ACE Free Work and all that it can do for you and your dog! Created by Sarah Fisher at Animal Centred Education, Free Work uses individualized enrichment stations to enhance your dog’s body, mov...

Kim Palermo(Faculty)

BH375: Freedom from FOMO: Overcoming Canine Frustration

Does your dog frequently experience feelings of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) or frustration at the thought of being left out of all things fun? Whether those feelings come up when you are training another dog or...

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

April 2026

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

This is Amy's signature Play Way class! Is your dog brilliant at home but shuts down at the show? Or does he bark and lunge at people or dogs on walks? Does she seem generally stressed, whether frantic about it or ...

Amy Cook, PhD(Faculty)

BH225: Achieving Zen: Building Confidence and Calm for Anxious Animals

Is the animal you live with struggling with confidence? Do they have a tough time relaxing? If so, this class may be just what you need! It focuses on helping animals learn to relax and feel more c...

Irith Bloom(Faculty)

BH235: The Big Feelings Dog: Using Control Unleashed and Free Work to Build Resilience and Lower Arousal

Calling all BIG feelings dogs! Whether your dog demonstrates his feelings loudly and with big actions, or quietly and suppressed, this class is for you. We’re going to take a deep dive into the Control Unl...

Kim Palermo(Faculty)

BH260: Sexy/Critters/Yummy Trash- Oh My! Overcoming Environmental Odor Challenges

Do you dread going outside to train, knowing that your dog is going to be head down, sniffing at the first chance that they get? It’s such constant management, keeping that head up, making sure your dog does not sn...

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

June 2026

BH150: Management for Reactive Dogs

https://youtu.be/tNKvwjofJ8U Tired of "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 ...

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)

BH245: Getting Geeky about Behavior Change

Are you ready to become a behavior geek? Do your ears perk up when someone says "science"? Do you find yourself wondering why one training approach works better than another? Do you secretly want to be a person...

Irith Bloom(Faculty)

February 2026

RA260: Get Ready to Rally - Foundation Skills

Discover the Joy of Rally: Build Skills, Confidence, and Connection! Are you ready to take your dog training to the next level while deepening your bond with your furry companion? Welcome to "Get Ready to Rally: Fo...

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

RA550: Transitions and Flow - Creating Effective Sequences for Musical Freestyle Routines

Have you ever watched a freestyle performance that mesmerized you? Not because the dog was performing a lot of difficult or fancy tricks or because the handler had a great costume and danced well, but ...

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

April 2026

RA320: Rally: Beyond the Basics

Ready to take your rally skills to the next level? Maybe your dog looks like a rockstar in your living room, but when you think about tackling a full rally course—or even stepping foot in a trial—it feels a little ...

Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)

RA511: Positions, Laterals and Backing

In Rally-FrEe and musical freestyle there are four primary positions: Left heel, right heel, standing center and behind facing the handler. While maintaining position, the dog is required to move in any dire...

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

June 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)

RA340: Signs of Trouble: Fixing Rally Mistakes One Sign at a Time

Instructor: Nicole Wiebusch

February 2026

AG190: The Glue for Future Agility Stars

This course is different than most agility foundation classes. Rather than introducing obstacle and flatwork skills needed to run an agility course, this class lays out the critical skills (the glue) your dog needs ...

Nancy Gagliardi Little(Faculty)

April 2026

AG145: The Art of the Arc: Jumping Grids and Cavaletti Pole Games

Unlock your dog’s rhythm, reach, and jumping finesse in this fun and skill-building 6-week online class! Designed for all levels, this course dives into the power of cavaletti pole and gridwork to enhance your dog’s...

Ashley Escobar(Faculty)

January 2026

N3000: Advanced Skills for Emerging Nosework Teams

3 WEEK CLASS - Your team is growing, your dog is confident on odor, and it’s time to take that next big step! In this course, we’ll introduce advanced nosework skills designed specifically for emerging tea...

Julie Symons(Faculty)

February 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

You’ve put in the time to build your foundation - now don’t let that momentum fade! This next step will take you from solid basics to confident, competition-ready searching. And the best part? We'll meet you and you...

Julie Symons(Faculty)

NW160: Alerts - Developing and Problem Solving

This course is a handlers choice to work on improving your dog's detection alert. Does your dog need to have a specific alert behavior in order to compete in your nosework venue? Is your dog not committed to...

Lucy Newton(Faculty)

NW175: Fun with FUNdamentals: Progress Games for Success

Every team is on a trajectory, and that trajectory either takes them down a path of success or down a path fraught with challenges. The difference along this path is rarely related to the problems that the t...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

NW320: Motivating Drills for Maintaining Skills

Like many sports, Nosework benefits from having go-to drills that are easy to set up and rewarding to run. Well-designed drills help us maintain existing skills, reveal gaps in training, and highlight when i...

Julie Symons(Faculty)

NW455: Converging Odor Deep Dive

This class is ALL about Converging Odor... What IS Converging Odor? Converging Odor occurs when there is at least a partial overlap of scent cones from 2 or more hides. For a dog to work this skill effe...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

April 2026

N101J: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

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. Nosework is especially helpful for dogs who struggle with...

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)

NW225: Rise Above: Resilience in Scentwork Environments

Rising above environmental challenges can be the hardest part for our dogs. Scentwork dogs face more than the average sport—working inside, outside, on different surfaces, and in infinite setups and surroundings. It...

Julie Symons(Faculty)

NW230: Polishing Skills for NW2 and NW3

Want to take your Nosework skills to the next level? Moving up to NW2 and NW3 means new and more challenging skills. Hides at these levels start to get more complicated so it's essential to level up your training. ...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

NW425: Mastering Scent Puzzles

Nose work is a series of puzzles our dogs must navigate and work to locate source. The more puzzles and setups that our dogs can be exposed to and learn to work efficiently, the more prepared they will be for ...

Melissa Chandler(Faculty)

NW475: Challenges to Enhance Problem Solving: Another 6 Weeks of Setups

Nosework isn't REALLY all about the nose... it's about the dog using all of their senses and problem solving the location of the hidden source material. When we train, it's so important to support the developm...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

June 2026

N101S: NW101 - Introduction to Nosework

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

N120J: NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements

Julie Symons(Faculty)

NW270: Foundations, Foundations, Foundations for Nosework

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Go back to Foundations?" Do you really know what that means? In this class we will learn WHAT the proper foundations are for Nosework and will work on enhancing t...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

NW530: The Upper Levels: Building Skills for Elite and Summit

There is nothing quite so exhilarating as searching at the Elite and Summit levels. These are levels that push you as a handler to be nimble and focused. In Summit you have to not only maintain...

Stacy Barnett(Faculty)

January 2026

C3000: Handler Fitness Primer

A lot of dog people want to be fitter… but somehow never quite get there. Not because they don’t care. But because fitness is hard to start, easy to second-guess, and often feels disconnected from real life with do...

Liz Joyce(Faculty)

February 2026

CC220: Massage for Canine Athletes

Learn how to care for your canine athlete while training, resting, or on the day of a big event. This class will focus on teaching you the skill of using your hands to work soft tissue to increase circulation, reduc...

Aleks Woodroffe(Guest Instructors)

CC230: Construct a Winning Conditioning Plan for Your Sport Dog

Build a Winning Conditioning Plan! Whether you compete in dog sports or step into the conformation ring, your dog’s fitness plays a critical role in their success. Yes—all dogs benefit from a targeted conditioning ...

Ashley Escobar(Faculty)

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)

April 2026

CC160: Canine Sports Medicine for the Performance Dog Handler

There are many musculoskeletal injuries that can occur to performance dogs. Some are subtle and come on gradually. We are not really sure if there is something wrong. Some are acute and come on sud...

Sue Yanoff, DVM(Guest Instructors)

CC190: Caring for Your Star Athlete

This class is going to take an in depth look at an integrated approach to your canine athletes physical and emotional wellbeing. This will include: home life, emotions and behavior, competition and training, physica...

Kelly Daniel(Faculty)

CC235: Fresh Paws and Golden Years: Fitness for Puppies and Seniors

This class is all about the special dogs. The ones that don’t suit general fitness classes, because they have specific needs. This class is for YOU! This class will be aimed at Puppies, Senior dogs, and dogs ...

Kelly Daniel(Faculty)

June 2026

CC150: FUNctional Foundation Fitness

This class will focus on a solid foundation of the essential fitness skills. This means your dog will be able to perform the most important skills in excellent form. It’s the perfect class for those new to fitness, ...

Kelly Daniel(Faculty)

February 2026

DS250: Best in Class: Conformation Show Skills and Conditioning

Have you ever watched a breed ring dog show and thought, “that looks easy! It's just land handed circles and stand position?” There is a lot more to showing a dog in the breed ring than just showing up in fancy clot...

Ashley Escobar(Faculty)

April 2026

DS110: Dryland Dock Diving Training- Foundation, Fitness and Fixes!

Are you interested in dock diving and want to give your dog a great foundation before you even hit the pool? Or perhaps you’ve been to the pool with your dog and things didn’t go as well as you expected. OR ma...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

DS180: Introduction to Shed Antler Hunting

Searching for and retrieving antlers- either as a pursuit in the wild or for competition- is one of the fastest growing activities that appeals to a large variety of dogs. In this class, I'll provide you with a road...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

DS260: Best in Show: Stand Out in The Breed Ring

Regardless of the breed, when a dog nails their free stack in the ring… it is the total WOW factor! In this class, we will take free stacking, handler mechanics, fitness, gaiting and more to the next level. We will ...

Ashley Escobar(Faculty)

DS340: Disc Dog - Foundations & Handler's Choice

Disc dog is an amazing sport that has a variety of elements suitable for any toy-driven dog. This hybrid “handler’s choice” course will allow each team to work on the aspects of disc dog that suit them best but will...

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

February 2026
June 2026

February 2026

FF240: Tricks for Titles

Did you know that you can now title your dog in Tricks?! Tricks aren’t just for fun anymore and this isn’t just another tricks class! Tricks have so many purposes including teaching your dog to enjoy training, sharp...

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

January 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)

F3001: From GO To WHOA!: How to Switch from Chaos to Settle

3 WEEK CLASS - Got a dog who struggles to settle or flip the switch to off? In this focused 3-week class, you’ll learn simple, easy behaviours that will help your dog find their CHILL so they can settle quickly and ...

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

February 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)

FE280: Cutting Out the Cookies (or Toys!) - Reducing Reinforcement for R+ Trainers

Ever feel envy when you watch a obedience/rally/Schutzhund/etc… trial performance and the dog executes perfect skills for the WHOLE routine? No treats in the handler’s pocket, no toy in their hand, but the dog is ce...

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

FE595: Bombproof Behaviors

You've trained the behaviors down to the tiniest of detail and are now ready to show them off to the world. This class will help you prepare for the distractions that await you in any environment you can ima...

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

FF125: The Adolescent Dog: Making a Terrific Teenager!

Adolescence... argh! The era of big bodies and big feelings but tiny brains and tiny attention spans. That time frame between around 6 to 24 months when your sweet little training superstar seems to dissolve a...

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

FF155: Go Ahead, Motivate Me! Engagement for the Differently Motivated Dog

The types of dogs that will be best suited to joining us in this class are those that are naturally quite independent, appear to have very little interest in “work”, appear to have a very short attention-span when i...

Sharon Carroll(Faculty)

FF185: Ready and Resilient: From Puppy to Awesome Adult

Ready and Resilient: From Puppy to Awesome Adult Puppyhood: A magical time where we can ensure that the puppy we have will grow up to be perfect in every way - or at least, that's what a lot of people tell ...

Irith Bloom(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, ...

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

April 2026

FE370: ALL THE SPORTS: Foundation for the Cross-training Canine

This course outlines the foundation training program developed by the instructor, Sara Brueske. This program was developed with experience training many different breeds and ages of dog to successful careers i...

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

June 2026

FE130: Toys - Developing Cooperation and Play

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

FF165: A Star Puppy: Using Control Unleashed and Free Work to Raise a Confident Puppy

Maximize your puppy’s confidence and resilience with Control Unleashed and ACE (Animal Centred Care) Free Work. I’ve raised many puppies of my own, but it is my most recent puppy who I raised with a CU and Free...

Kim Palermo(Faculty)

February 2026
June 2026

February 2026

FF240: Tricks for Titles

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

January 2026

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

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

F3001: From GO To WHOA!: How to Switch from Chaos to Settle

Heather Lawson(Faculty)

February 2026

FE130: Toys - Developing Cooperation and Play

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

FE280: Cutting Out the Cookies (or Toys!) - Reducing Reinforcement for R+ Trainers

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

FE595: Bombproof Behaviors

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

FF125: The Adolescent Dog: Making a Terrific Teenager!

Erin Lynes(Faculty)

FF155: Go Ahead, Motivate Me! Engagement for the Differently Motivated Dog

Sharon Carroll(Faculty)

FF185: Ready and Resilient: From Puppy to Awesome Adult

Irith Bloom(Faculty)

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

Julie Flanery(Faculty)

April 2026

FE370: ALL THE SPORTS: Foundation for the Cross-training Canine

Sara Brueske(Faculty)

June 2026

FE130: Toys - Developing Cooperation and Play

Shade Whitesel(Faculty)

FF165: A Star Puppy: Using Control Unleashed and Free Work to Raise a Confident Puppy

Kim Palermo(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