Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - N120J: NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements

Course Details

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 your dog right where you are!

Whether you’ve just completed NW101 or you’re returning for a refresher, we’ll strengthen your skills in all five search elements: Interiors, Exteriors, Containers, Vehicles, and Buried (AKC). You’ll learn how to navigate each element’s unique challenges, sharpen your dog’s hunt drive, refine behavior at source, and apply effective handling techniques that work in real trials.

Our proven methods help all types of dogs succeed - from insecure or easily distracted dogs to intense, high-drive competitors. Many students see results faster than they imagined, with dogs earning ORTs and Nosework titles after one or two courses. Even if other methods haven’t worked for you, this approach can reignite your progress.

We assume your dog is already searching for target odor and can complete simple interior and container searches - but even if you didn’t finish every exercise in NW101, you’ll fit right in. Together, we’ll strengthen your skills using the 4 Cs: Criteria, Consistency, Clarity, and Clean Mechanics.

By the end of this class, you’ll:

Keep the progress you worked so hard for in NW101
Expand your dog’s search experience with more complex hides and environments
Learn strategies to tackle airflow and unintentional distractors while working outside
Build the confidence and skills to move toward trial success

Don’t stall your progress - this is when the pieces start to click and your dog’s searching truly takes off.

Teaching Approach

This class offers extensive written lectures, no verbal lectures, and videos of varying lengths. It is rare that relevant speaking takes place within a video; they are designed to be watched and follow the ideas presented in the lecture. Some videos are as short as 30s and up to 3 minutes, with the average between 1-2 minutes long. The lectures are designed to help a student understand the purpose of the exercise and how it might vary by dog. Care is taken to keep lectures short, however on occasion some run a bit long. Each lecture has a homework section at the end. Lectures for each week are rolled out the night before each week so you can plan your training week. Pre-lectures are available before the class starts to review foundation skills and to submit a self assessment and baseline video. A 1 minute unlimited homework video option is available, along with the standard 6minutes option per week. This class will work best for students who learn by reading text lectures, watching videos and who like having structured lesson plans.

This class will have a Teacher's Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining will be in the classroom after you register.

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)

Syllabus

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**Syllabus Updates In Progress**

Week 1:

Supplemental: Organizing your Scent Supplies
Supplemental: Review of Foundation Games
Baseline Video
Introducing Other Qtip Vessels
Exterior Considrations
Tin Toss
Intro to Exteriors
Novel Interior and Container search areas (ongoing)

Week 2:

Handling Terminology and Approach
Hide Placement: Accessible vs. Inaccessible
Interior Hides Low and Slightly Elevated
Corners and Thresholds
Intro to Vehicles

Week 3:

Introduction to Scent Theory and Air Scenting drills
Expanding Exterior Search Area
Introducing New Target Odors
Introducing Novel Distractors in Trial-type Containers
Working through Environmental Pressures

Week 4:

Unintentional Distractions (critters, urine, people, drool)
Novel Exteriors
Building Duration at Source
Expanding Vehicle Search skills
Odor Volume

Week 5:

Expanding to Multiple Vehicle Search
Introduction to Multiple Hides
Introduction to Ssan Buired hides
Introduction to Blank Areas
Pooling Odor

Week 6:

Start Line Strategies
Building Search stamina
Exmpading Multiple Hides to all Elements
Introduction to Water Buried Hides
Mental Preparedness
Assessing trial readiness/What to expect when trialing

Prerequisites & Supplies

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Prerequisites:

NW101 (Introduction to Nosework) or equivalent. This class would also be appropriate for dogs needing to revisit search element foundation skills.

Equipment needed:

Kit:
- Birch oil (or whatever odor your dog will be searching for)
- scented q-tips
- Metal tins with holes (see picture below of more types of "qtip containers" we'll be using).
- 2nd and 3rd odors for Week 3 lecture on introducing new odors (Anise and Clove for NACSW).
  - http://www.paws4fun.net/ (Target Odor Kit -or- Complete Odor Kit)
  - http://k9nwsource.com/ (Student Starter kit or Starter Kit Plus with "snap" tight container)
  - http://www.thek9nose.com/ (starter travel kit or Deluxe Scent kit)
  - http://www.allgooddogs.biz/ (Student Kit with single odor or Travel Kit Starter),

Fun-Tak, Quake Hold, or glue dashes (to stick hides to surfaces, available online or in some department stores),
White cardboard boxes (ORT standard), 10-15 cardboard boxes (various sizes). ~ 9x6x3 is a good size.
- https://www.amazon.com/BOX-USA-BM962-White-Pack/dp/B01D9T2G3M/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=BOX+USA+BM962+9%22L+x+6+1%2F2%22W+x+2+3%2F4%22H%2C+White+%28Pack+of+50%29&qid=1573768416&sr=8-1-fkmr0
Sterlite shoe boxes (can get at dollar stores) with holes in the top.
A vehicle to search.
Tasty treats that don't fall apart.
OPTIONAL: Sand for buried hide searches (AKC) - a 50 pound bag will fill up 4 containers roughly 12x8x6.5 (6.5 qt). You can reuse your game boxes if they are about 6" tall, otherwise you might want to purchase a few more - think shoe box size.
Rule book for the trial you will be training for.
- NACSW http://www.nacsw.net/trial-information/trial-rule-book
- AKC: http://images.akc.org/pdf/rulebooks/RSW001.pdf

We will start using other items to hold the qtips in for hide placement other than a tin. Here is a picture of some of the items we will be using. One of my favorite items to use are the flat heat shrink wrap tubes that you can get at your local hardware store.

holders small

Space required: None specified. Some people have asked about working outside in winter. We will cover exteriors and vehicles. However people in previous courses have found creative ways to introduce those elements in less than ideal conditions. This class, like NW101, is ultimately about obedience to odor - just work on getting that strong for the elements that you have access to and you aren't likely to have any trouble with the others!

Sample Lecture

Tin Toss Game

The Tin Toss Game is a fun, high-energy way to introduce outdoor searches on more distracting surfaces. It builds your dog’s focus on odor while channeling a bit of prey drive - and it’s easy to set up!

Why It Works

Reinforces odor over environment, even when grass, dirt, or gravel compete for your dog's attention.
Adds movement and excitement by letting the dog chase a moving target.
Transfers to working odor outside.

Steps:

Toss and Send:

Stand into the wind for best scent flow.
Hold your dog’s collar or harness.
Toss the tin and release your dog while the tin is still flying in the air.
Follow your dog and reward generously at source.

Toss, Land and Send

Again, hold the collar or harness.
Toss the tin, let it land, then release your dog.
Follow your dog and reward generously at source.

Tip: A larger tin makes the game a little easier, but your regular training tin works fine.

If working outside isn’t an option, set up the game inside with bunched-up sheets and blankets.

This creates texture and movement that mimic outdoor ground cover.
It’s a great way to introduce the game while tapping into your dog’s natural prey drive.
Once your dog understands the concept and is confidently chasing odor indoors, you can transition the game outside when conditions allow.

EXTRA CREDIT: Blind Hide Variation

For an added challenge, you will toss the hide when your dog is not looking.

Toss the tin where you can see it but your dog cannot, or
Toss it over your shoulder while both of you face away.

Here are class alumni Lisa and Rowdy tyring this variation. There steps are:

Warm up with a forward facing toss.
A few blind throws - blind to handler too!
End on an easy forward facing toss.

Testimonials & Reviews

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A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...

Before this course, my dogs were excited to search for odour and could easily do a simple box search. However, their alert behaviour was too destructive and I was unsure how to progress their skills beyond simple boxes. Both issues were addressed in this course and I am so happy with the results. My dogs can now successfully do interior and exterior searches and their alert behaviour is a beautiful nose-to-source indication without mouthiness or pawing. I would definitely recommend this course for anyone interested in working on nose work skills.

This is the second nosework course I have taken with Fenzi. Both courses were excellent. Material was useful, practical, detailed and thorough. I have taken other Nosework courses before. None have come anywhere near to matching the quality of the Fenzi courses and the credentials, obvious expertise and supportiveness of the course leaders. Thankyou. Lesley M

I love that videos of dogs of all skill levels are included. It helps emensely to see video of a dog at the same level as the one you are working, so you know what can go wrong, and what a dog just starting out looks like. The lecture material is well organized and laid out. The number of lectures and exercises was just right, not overwhelming but also enough to keep you interested and on your toes with something new.

Lecture notes are clear and very helpful. Video's are always very pertinent and show good examples of lecture topic.

I am not able to take local classes because of my work schedule, so tried the online Nosework class for the first time. It is a super value; I got more from this 6 week auditing than I did from the prior 6 months of in person classes. I feel that my dog and I are really well prepared for our first trial next month.

Once again, I'm amazed at how much progress can be made in only 6 weeks. This class was a great introduction to each of the the NW1 search elements.

The lectures were very detailed and helpful, and released at a good rate...not too fast to be overwhelming, but enough that a ton of information was crammed into the 6 weeks. The videos provided with the lectures were good examples of the exercise.

I was so pleased with this course. I was able to understand exactly what I needed to do, and my two Beardies picked it up quickly, thank you! Sherry M

Registration

Next session starts: October 1, 2025
Registration starts: September 22, 2025
Registration ends: October 15, 2025

Registration opens at 12:00noon Pacific Time.

N120J 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	✖

Find more details, refund policies and answers to common questions in the Help center.

N120J: NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements

N120J: NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements

Course Details

Teaching Approach

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