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If you've found yourself thinking, "I'm gonna do that differently with the next puppy," or "Next time I'll do this perfectly," you're not alone. Join me, Kim, and Erin for a discussion on what they prioritize with future sports dogs, why there's always something they'd do differently "next time," and how they're tackling things right now.   &n

 Why Reward Placement Matters: When a dog receives reinforcement, they're likely to repeat not only the behavior they were doing, but also the position they were in and where they were looking when the reward arrived. In heeling, this means that if you feed your dog out in front or with their head turned, you're unintentionally reinforcin

Do you find your dog tends to fall flat as you continue to raise criteria in training? Or maybe you have a dog that is SO enthusiastic that precision feels like an impossible dream? Join us for a conversation on balancing motivation and precision in your sports training.   Transcript Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listeni

Looking to improve your relationship with your dog and improve your teamwork? In this episode, Crystal breaks down the factors that go into fostering that relationship in a healthy way.   Transcript Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an

Precision heeling and contact heeling may seem similar in some ways - but they're also very different. Join me for a conversation with Denise Fenzi on when she uses which one and how (and why) she approaches training both!    Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast brought t

Tracey McLennan joins me for a conversation on how her software background has informed her approach to dog training and led to her framework for smarter, faster, training progress.   Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an

With the upcoming Focus & Engage one-day online conference only a few days away, join us for a preview of what you can expect, and an in depth conversation on acclimation, arousal, focus, and engagement.    Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, brought to you by the F

What is Applied Behavior Science? Learning Theory? Why bother, if folks have been training dogs for more than 10,000 years? Irith and I get into all that and more in this episode on the science of behavior change!  Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Funzi Dog Sports Podcast brought to you by the Fen

Thinking about weave pole training? Whether you're troubleshooting a problem or beginning to teach weaves to a new dog, in this episode we dive into Nancy's thoughts on how to approach things... and where so many teams seem to go wrong.  Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast br

If you plan to compete, you need a plan for reducing reinforcement - but so often this is where trainers go wrong! Join us for a conversation about how Sharon recommends you reduce reinforcement to maintain attitude and correctness.    Transcript Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Funzi Dog Sports podcast bro

Jane Ardern joins me for a conversation about how our release cues can influence our dog's state of mind and ability to learn. She shares what the field-bred spaniels she's owned have taught her about frustration, frantic behavior, anticipation, and relaxation... with several helpful takeaways bound to apply to any dog sports team.   Tran

In this episode, we talk to Petra Ford, the 2025 National Obedience Champion, about her recent win and what it takes to compete at the top levels of obedience here in the US, how she approaches training, and more!​  Transcript ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, brought to you by the Fenz

​Curious what musical freestyle is and whether it might be for you? Join Julie and I for a conversation that includes tips and tricks for laying out your routine, choosing which tricks to train, and more!  Transcript ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sport

Michael Shikashio joins me for a conversation around the impact arousal has on aggression, and how we should think about the two when working on behavior cases... plus, he shares a bit of behind-the-scenes info on the planning for the 2026 CANIS conference!   Transcription Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the F

Talking about Negative Reinforcement can cause some big feelings in the positive training community - but in this episode Karen and Sophie take a look at when it's inevitable in our dogs' lives and what we should be thinking about for our own dogs.  Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau, and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Spor

Agility puts a lot of strain and stress on our dogs' bodies... but fitness training can go a long way to ensuring they still enjoy a long sports career. Join me and Ashley for a conversation on how workling on canine fitness can improve your dog's agility skills, especially when it comes to technical jump training!  Transcription Melissa Breau

Control Unleashed games and patterns can be a powerful tool whether you're working to rehab reactivity or build bomb proof sports behaviors. But how we do go from just learning the games to actually using them in the real world? Kim and I discuss exactly that in this week's podcast!   Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau an

Heather and I discuss what skills you need to earn your CGC, the sticking points that can cause trouble for some teams, and how to decide if your dog is a good fit for therapy work from there.  Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Join handler fitness trainer, Liz Joyce, and me for a podcast all about how you can start — or restart — your fitness journey, gently.    Transcript ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau, and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an online school dedicated to providing high quali

Ever have a situation where your dog refuses to move forward? In this episode Kathy Sdao and I talk about what balking is, why we think dogs do it, and what we can do about it.   Transcription ​Melissa Breau: This is Melissa Breau and you're listening to the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast, brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy, an onli