April 1, 2020
April 1, 2020
April 1, 2020
May 12, 2020
March 22, 2020
April 15, 2020
Agility
AG220: Building and Maintaining Stopped Contacts
Many dogs start out their agility career with good stopped contacts. But over time, the behavior or the criteria changes and morphs into something undesirable. What causes that to happen? This class focu...
Nancy Gagliardi Little(Faculty)
AG225: LOVE’EM From the Start: Foundation Weaves
Teach your dog to love the weaves right from the beginning. This course will not only create the drive and love for the weave poles but to nail those entries and hang on to their poles even at speed...
Barbara Currier(Faculty)
AG230: The Tipping Point: Contacts and Teeters
This course will take you through the steps from start to finish to create the teeter performance you have always wanted through a series of fun games. We will also work through the Aframe and Dog W...
Barbara Currier(Faculty)
AG330: Agility Drills for Better Timing
This class will focus on that ever illusive TIMING that everyone talks about. What does your instructor mean when they say "You are LATE...AGAIN"? When exactly does YOUR dog need the info to turn, to go straight...
Loretta Lake Mueller(Faculty)
Behavior
BH110: Dealing with the Bogeyman - Helping Fearful Reactive and Stressed Dogs
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...
Amy Cook(Faculty)
BH305: The Whole Picture - Behavioral Wellness for Performance Dogs
Based on Sarah's concept, The Four Steps to Behavioral Wellness, this course digs deeper into what our dogs really need. The Four Steps are: exercise, enrichment, nutrition, and communication. Learn how to exerci...
Sarah Stremming(Faculty)
BH370: Feelings Change – Desensitization and Counter-conditioning
This course is eligible for 21 CEUs with the CCPDT: (CPDT-KA will earn 21 CEUs • CPDT-KSA will earn 6 knowledge CEUs and 15 skills CEUs • CBCC-KA will earn 6 CEUs •&...
Nancy Tucker(Faculty)
Body, Health & Fitness
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 ...
Sue Yanoff, DVM(Guest Instructors)
CC280: Preventing and Addressing the Iliopsoas
Iliopsoas injuries are unfortunately becoming a fact in many performance dogs' lives, as well as the lives of active dogs. This course will review the reasons why so many dogs are suffering from ili...
Debbie (Gross) Torraca(Faculty)
CC320: Canine Fitness Trainer 2
This is the second in a 4 part series of classes focused on canine fitness and conditioning. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive program that will allow you to understand and safely implement a...
Debbie (Gross) Torraca(Faculty)
CC340: Canine Fitness Trainer 4
This is the last in the 4 part series. This course will discuss specific types of dogs including seniors, overweight dogs, puppies, and overly active dogs. We will start using cases to put the four se...
Debbie (Gross) Torraca(Faculty)
CC420: Helping Dogs Thrive: Fitness in Five
Short on time for fitness training? No worries, you only need five minutes! In this class, you will learn specific fitness exercises for your dog(s). We will cover exercises to increase muscle strength a...
Lori Stevens(Faculty)
Electives
FE193: Don't Worry Be Happy
Play your way to success This course will focus on the people side of play with consideration of some science and some "art" elements. Your dog as play partner will certainly come up and be relevant but the cou...
Andrea Harrison(Faculty)
FE590: Out and About
This class is all about enjoying the time you spend out and about with your dog: urban walks, nature hikes, and going places. Whether you and your dog walk on leash, off leash, or on a long line, there are skills...
Chrissi Schranz(Faculty)
FE620: Photographer's Choice
This is the photography version of "Agility Problem Solving" or any of the "Handler's Choice" classes offe here at FDSA. You choose the topic and we'll work on improving your photography in that area for th...
Amy Johnson(Faculty)
FE640: Compose the Dog - Photographic Composition
Compose the Dog is the class where the pieces start to come together. We take everything you know about exposure and post-processing and add a layer of "how to arrange all the things" and come out on the ...
Amy Johnson(Faculty)
FE770: Business End of the Dog: Marketing for Pet Professionals
Do you run your own pet-related business? If you’re a dog trainer, groomer, or another pet professional with your own business and you struggle with marketing your business, this class is for you. Whether...
Melissa Breau(Faculty)
Foundations
FE155: Crucial Concepts of Competition - Shaping/Luring/Capturing and More!
Got a new puppy? A new sport prospect for the sport of your choice? Got future plans but no idea how to start? Which behavior DO you start with? Got a pet dog and discove how fun teaching is? Interested i...
Shade Whitesel(Faculty)
FE165: Magic Mats: Where to be, When to go, and What to do
Welcome to the cool world of placement props! Do you wish your dogs could be polite when you eat dinner? Do you want your dogs to enjoy taking turns in training? Are you interested in TEAM Foundations sk...
Julie Daniels(Faculty)
FE315: Are You Ready? Trial Preparation for Competition
Are you thinking about competing? You have been taking some dog sport classes and are thinking it might be fun to try a competition and see what it is all about. Great! What do you do next? How do you even ...
Ann Smorado(Guest Instructors)
FE415: Zen Logic - Making Sense of Self Control
What is Zen Logic? The title Zen Logic has two meanings. First, Zen Logic is a training approach based on the concept that giving up what you want can lead to an even better outcome than directly goin...
Deborah Jones(Faculty)Judy Keller(Faculty)
FE420: Bye, Bye Cookie: Hello Delayed Reinforcement!
Does your dog seem to forget what sit means until you reach into your pocket? Do you struggle to get your dog's focus without a cookie in your hand? T...
Laura Waudby(Faculty)
Obedience
OB120: TEAM Sports Foundation - Level 3
Team 3!! This is where the real fun begins as you start to chain together the little pieces you learned in levels 1-2. Now the dog gets to really move and you can start to see real glimpses of the f...
Laura Waudby(Faculty)
OB130: TEAM Sports Foundations Level One
This class is all about foundations! Start a new dog on the right foot or discover missing pieces in your training. This class is designed to cover all the exercises in TEAM Level 1. The TEAM program lays...
Heather Lawson(Faculty)
OB290: Give Props to Props: Getting Clean Competition Behaviors
Are you struggling with crooked fronts or finishes? Is your dog creeping on the position changes? Is your dog still not backing up on cue? Learn how props can help prevent or fix all these probl...
Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)
OB320: Obedience Starter Games
This class is a "prequel" to the popular OB330 Obedience Games class. This is not a skills class but designed to present many short, fun, and fast paced games for beginner competition obedience training...
Julie Symons(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 th...
Sara Brueske(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 yo...
Shade Whitesel(Faculty)
OB660: Precise Positions: Building Confidence and Control
This class is a follow-up to Devil in the Details (you might call it Devil in the Details, part DEUX!). In this class, we will take the precise movements we built in the previous class, and using the tools...
Hannah Branigan(Faculty)
OB730: Handler Choice April
The people spoke! And FDSA Answe! After popular demand, and listening to the response from many…. the resulting outcome… Handlers Choice Class with Kamal Fernandez! During this 6weeks course, the handler can d...
Kamal Fernandez(Faculty)
Other Dog Sports
DS320: Disc Dog - Strategies for Strategy Games
Strategy games are the new upcoming trend in the Disc Dog world. Skyhoundz Disc Dogathon and UpDog Challenge have created new innovative challenges to test the skills of disc dog teams. This course ...
Sara Brueske(Faculty)
DS400: Herding Flatwork Foundations
This course is designed to give you the tools and understanding you need to prepare yourself and your dog for herding. Flatwork is the set of skills dogs need prior to going to stock (or, if your dog is ...
Helene Lawler(Faculty)
FF260: All Things Parkour
This class will cover International Dog Parkour levels training, novice, intermediate, expert and championship. It is designed for those new to parkour as well as those wanting to train the higher l...
Melissa Chandler(Faculty)
Rally & Freestyle
RA280: Get Ready to Rally: Get in the Ring!
Imagine this… It’s your first time in the Novice Rally ring with your dog. You walk into the ring and you feel confident — you just know that both you and your dog are fully prepa for this moment. You set up ne...
Nicole Wiebusch (Faculty)
RA545: Joy of Heeling Part Two - More Rock it like a Freestyler!
You’ve found the Joy! Now how are you going to keep it and use it in the ring! In Joy of Heeling Part Deux we will add some new games, start to add duration in heelwork and start to change the ratio o...
Julie Flanery(Faculty)
Scent Sports
N101M: 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 s...
Melissa Chandler(Faculty)
N120S: NW120 - Introduction to NW Search Elements
NOTE: NW120S has been restructu in order to allow students from NW101 to catch up as needed with the help of either the Instructor (for Gold Spots) or the Teaching Assistant (for Silver & Bronze Spots). Dogs ...
Stacy Barnett(Faculty)
NW180: Developing Scent-sational Skills for Competition
You’ve learned the basics, even dabbled in some advanced skills but are you ready for competition? With so many scent detection organizations out there now (up to 11 and counting!) teams are entering competition ...
Julie Symons(Faculty)
NW260: Rockin Vehicles and Awesome Exteriors
This course will take your Vehicle and Exterior Skills to the Next Level. Teams working from NW1 through NW3 will find this course extremely valuable. Vehicles are one of the least practiced ...
Stacy Barnett(Faculty)
NW420: Honing Your NW Handling
Do you wish you were a better handler? Handling is 80% dog / 20 % handler. How you handle makes a huge difference in your performance and in your pass rate.... it drives those "P's" and "Q's"! ...
Stacy Barnett(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 rout...
Lucy Newton(Faculty)
TR203: Tracking - Skill Building
This class will be a continuation of TR102. We will be focusing primarily on building upon the skills introduced in TR101 and 102 - increasing spacing of targets/articles, more fully developing turns and working ...
Lucy Newton(Faculty)
Need a prerequisite course? Please go to our Prerequisites Classes page.
Don't want to wait for a course? Check out our Self Study Class options.