FDSA Calendar

3 WEEK CLASS - Some dogs are all business and focus on their task. Other dogs want to DO their business! Urine marking is a normal and instinctual behavior, but changing it can be very challenging once habits have been formed. Even dogs who are highly focused on their task can mark, and it can be even more challenging when we are doing sniffing sports!

It’s our job to figure out what the trigger may be and apply the correct training. There are many reasons why a dog may pee or urine mark while working. They may be territorial, environmentally focused, anxious, or frustrated. They may also lack motivation for the task or be unclear about when they can and cannot pee.

This class will break down common suggestions and explore proactive ways to change the behavior or how to prevent it in the first place. We’ll also look at how our handling can help or hinder, and test whether your dog truly understands when they are in a No-Pee Zone!

By the end of this class, you’ll have a better understanding of why your dog may be eliminating while working and, more importantly, what you can do about it. We’ll focus on practical strategies you can use in training and competition to create clearer expectations, build better habits, and help your dog stay focused on the task at hand. 

Whether you’re dealing with an established marking habit or hoping to prevent one from developing, this class will give you tools to create a reliable No-Pee Zone!

This class applies to any dog sport training situation and does not cover house-training. Note: This class does not cover house-training.

Teaching Approach:

Lectures and Video Examples

Lectures are released the night before each week and include a written overview and topic instructions. Video examples are included as needed and presented in a clear step-by-step format. Lectures are designed to be watched and follow the ideas presented in the lecture. Lecture videos may run from 1 to 4 minutes long. The lectures are designed to help a student understand the purpose of the exercise and how it might vary by team. 

Homework & Practice

Gold students will have 6 minutes of video homework time each week, with an option for 1 min unlimited video submission. Sliver students will have 1:30 minutes of video homework time each week. 

Feedback & Support

Feedback on video homework submissions will use a combination of written feedback and voice-over feedback. Written feedback will also be used to help explain concepts or answer questions.Gold students receive both general and personalized feedback, often with timestamps for written feedback. You may submit work from current or previous weeks to continue receiving guidance throughout the course. Silver students recieve both general feedback and personalized video review for their weekly video submission. Each team is supported at the level they are working, with no expectation to progress beyond their dog’s readiness. Forums will normally be cleared late morning and evening (Eastern time) each day.

Instructor: Julie Symons

Julie Symons (she/her) has been involved in dog sports for over 30 years. Starting with her mix, Dreyfus, in flyball, she went on to train and compete in conformation, agility, obedience, herding and tracking with her first Belgian tervuren, Rival. Rival was the first CH OTCH MACH Belgian...(Click here for full bio and to view Julie's upcoming courses)