Denise Fenzi's Blog

If you struggle with getting a release off of toys or bite objects, or if you just want a sophisticated look at a dog‘s motivation around toys via fight, possession, prey (chase) behavior, and getting cooperation (release or toy return), watch this video.

Obviously, this video is about Xen. The ranking order that matters to Xen may well be different for your dog. But having a good idea of what factors matter to your dog; which of your choices lead to a clean release vs. possessive behavior…are going to be most of the battle if you are trying to balance the dog’s interests. For the biting sports, I want calm possession, chase (Prey), and fight. I want Xen to be able to listen, whether holding an object or otherwise. And I want a clean release.

The more accurately I identify which choices are in conflict versus which choices reinforce each other, the less conflict there will be in our training overall.

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I know, I said I’d do a better job keeping up my blog.  What can I say?  I suck.

Anyway, Xen is coming up on his one-year birthday!  He’s making really nice progress in his training.  The following video shows training for “object guard”.

His job is to prevent me from taking the object. My job is to…steal it! I can try and intimidate him with noises, carry obstacles, pivot, go backward, etc.  He has to wait until..well.  It depends on what you choose to train. I am teaching him to bite when I’m within a meter.  And then he needs to release on his own when I stop moving in or if I begin to back away, and then…we do it again.

He has a pretty good clue about this exercise with a toy – now I’m adding a bite suit.  I also cue him to bite if he doesn’t do it on his own, especially with the suit, since I don’t want him worrying about getting him right.  He’ll get there eventually.

 
 

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I haven’t written on my blog in many months.  What happened?!

All is well! I stopped running day-to-day operations at FDSA, and that freed up time to do what I am seriously passionate about – education.  Free education, for the most part, because I spend a very high percentage of my day on Social Media; Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.  I try to post educational content of various sorts; behavior, dog sports competition skills, getting along with people, etc…pretty much daily. And since doing this is extremely gratifying for me, it takes up quite a lot of time. Which is fine – I’m happy!

Hence, my blog has suffered neglect.  It’s easy for me to grab a quick clip out of a training session, explain what I am doing or why I do it a specific way, and then throw it up on IG or FB.  I can also do random Live events on the various platforms to communicate whatever random thoughts are floating around in my head at the time.

With my blog, I try harder to write intelligently, proofread (okay, still not my strength), and organize my thoughts into a more comprehensive package.  That takes just enough effort that I’ve been neglecting it.  I promise I’m going to try and improve!

So about dogs and dog training.  Let’s catch up a bit.

I sent Dice back to his breeder several months ago.  As much as I tried to make it work, his temperament was not appropriate for my situation. I live in a family with several other people and I have an active household.  While I was willing to work with his dog-reactive behavior in public (which was improving!), I finally came to recognize that the overall package – not just his behavior in public, was neither a safe nor enjoyable fit for my family.  While management is always an option, management failure is the norm, not the exception, and I could not accept that risk.   Because his breeder felt that he could be rehomed to a situation where his temperament would not be a problem, I agreed.  He is currently in training for IGP and is doing well in the sport.

At around the same time, a friend had a litter and had extra puppies that had not been placed yet.  I offered to foster a puppy and give it a dog sports foundation.  That puppy, Xen, is now eight months old.  I decided to keep him and he’s now my dog.  And while he’s a rather typical strong-willed male from working lines, we’re finding our way and hope to have a strong and competitive future when the time is right. In a future blog, I’ll talk about him a bit more – how I characterize his temperament, and what that means for his future as a dog sports prospect.

Lyra is now almost 11 years of age and as charming and good-natured as ever.  Brito is 9 years old and is a typical terrier – hasn’t slowed down one iota.

Due to COVID I haven’t traveled in a couple of years, and honestly, I don’t miss it.  When I do resume travel, I suspect it will be an extremely limited affair.  I do miss seeing my friends around the country though.

FDSA is in the process of getting a shiny new website, which keeps me busy on that end.  Look for it around the end of the year. We’re also about to introduce our first “single day” conferences, so you can learn a whole lot about one thing – in a day!  The first one is coming up in May, and the subject will be nosework.  Learn more here:  FDSA Nosework Conference – Online!

Anyway…that’s about it for now!  I hope to be back to writing here at least semi-regularly.   Here’s a photo of Baby Xen, fresh from his bath:

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There are at least three ways I use my hands around my dog’s head for positioning – Chin rest (dog places their head in my hand), Pocket hand (dog places the side of their head/muzzle against my hand) and Nose bridge (dog pushes their muzzle up into my hand).

I use a chin rest to stabilize my dog in a position – usually a stand.  I can also use it for medical procedures and elements of the hold portion of the retrieve.

I use pocket hand to teach heeling. I also use it for positioning straight fronts, in particular when using both hands at the same time.

But today I’m going to show you a nose bridge via the following video. I have narrated what I am doing here, so turn on your sound.

Nose bridge is hard to beat for a close front.  I’m also experimenting with it for a steady/calm retrieve, especially when using awkward/floppy objects that make a chin rest difficult.  The jury is still out on how well it works for this application; I’ll come back and talk about it in the future when I have a stronger opinion.

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I love playing with dogs – all dogs! How much do you know about playing with dogs? Take this short learning quiz if that interests you.

Here’s a video to give you inspiration if you’d like to add play to your dog-focused activities.  Here I’m using an “arm tunnel” to help Dice come in sideways and low for…a cuddle!

The more we practice play the stronger our repertoire of options becomes.  For the most part, he tries to be gentle with his teeth, even if we’re roughhousing a bit.  Which doesn’t mean I don’t get stepped on or hurt on occasion but hey – if you play physically with another, whether human or canine, the potential for the occasional accident is there.  For me, it’s a reasonable risk and trade-off.

Give it a try!  This is particularly effective with dogs who want to approach head-on or who get magnetized to your face.

And if you’d rather learn precision heeling than play, join my workshop this week at FDSA.  The lecture video was released yesterday so you can start practicing right away.  $29.95.  Learn more here!

 

 

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I am adding platforms to Dice’s position changes.  The long platform in front ensures that he move his body straight back and forth.  The back platform is perpendicular and has a different texture – that platform gives him a rear foot target, which encourages him to kick all the way back on his stand cue.

I include the errors for learning purposes.

This is a typical type of video that I share at my new online subscription service The High Drive Dog.  I post about five times a week, covering everything from working through reactive behavior to precision heeling to foundations of play.  With regular informal webinars, an active community, and all of Dice’s puppy training videos being uploaded a few a week, there’s something for pretty much everyone. The program costs $9.95 a month; the goal is affordable education for anyone who wants it.

I hope some of you decide to join me!

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Today I worked a little heeling (not shown), and putting some pieces of the moving stand together, along with adding a bit of endurance to our contact heeling.

Steps for moving stand.  This will set up for for the AKC stand out of motion where a hand signal is allowed but for AKC my left hand would need to move to my waist.  For IGP (Schutzhund) I would keep that arm position but eliminate the hand signal. Since I have no particular plans to compete in either AKC or IGP, I’m mostly doing this to entertain myself as I prepare for my sport, Mondioring.

The more you teach and train, the better!  It keeps your dog thinking and engaged.

Teach stand
Teach stay
Teach stand/stay with toy behind
Teach the right hand across body signal = back up/pivot
Teach the stand verbal cue at end of back up/pivot
add slow pace forward heeling to the hand signal with verbal cue with reward placement behind.
That’s as far as we’ve gotten.

Next, we’ll add speed.

Have a high drive dog?  Want to learn more about training dogs who tend towards over arousal and frustration?  Join my High Drive Dog program:  www.thehighdrivedog.com

Good training is good training, so this program would benefit anyone who is serious about dogs but here we’ll be particularly focused on those dogs who bring plenty of “go” to the table – it’s the “stop” that needs some work!

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Today is all about the video!

I did a Facebook live yesterday on teaching with both classical and operant conditioning – both are valuable!
Trainers tend to think in terms of operant conditioning – an “if/then” statement where the dog recognizes how their choice leads to a result; either a reinforcer or maybe a punisher.  But classical conditioning is also extremely powerful, low stress and…effective! Not only for conditioning emotions but for actually teaching behaviors as well.

Here’s a video with subtitles that illustrates the difference between the two:

If you’re intrigued and want to learn more then check out this Facebook Live as well:

Side note:  If you’re in my Personal Play workshop at FDSA, videos and comments are due June 13th at noon. You can still register if you’d like to learn more about this topic; the cost is $29.95 for an auditing spot and you are welcome to ask questions! Learn more at the link:

https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com...

 

 

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Come visit my new business:  www.thehighdrivedog.com!

The High Drive Dog subscription service is all about your driven dogs – the ones you love for their intensity and enthusiasm!  And, sometimes you wish they would just…

Calm down.  Slow down.  Gve the toy back. Stop treating the entire world like their personal playground, at your expense.

Join a group of individuals who love their high drive dogs and who want to bring out the best in them.  Here we’ll talk about all the things!  Gaining cooperation.  Balancing drives and control.  Raising a dog who tends towards overarousal – and then seems to get stuck there.

At this time there are three classrooms open.

All of my FB and IG lives where I discuss everything from recognizing your dog’s emotional state to determining the best training for your individual dog.My edited and subtitled videos detailing my daily behavior work with Dice in public.  See how I address his high levels of arousal in relation to dogs, cars, people, wildlife, etc. Ask questions in a safe space with others who share your struggles.And now…my current (daily) work with Dice – whatever is the focus on the day!  These topics may be obedience-focused (How am I addressing his forging in heeling?), impulse control work (brain games!), really good training (building up a behavior chain via foundation behaviors strung together), and a whole lot more!  Your target sport is not relevant – good training is good training.

Eventually, ALL of his puppy videos will also be uploaded so you’ll have a chance to see exactly how I taught every. little. thing.  They will be unedited. So – how does one handle the errors?  The frustrating days when the puppy is running wild? Out of control?

Oh – community!  I forgot to mention that but it’s big because – you’re not alone.  Even if you’re frustrated and embarrassed by your dog – you’re not alone.  Here you can join a community of people who understand what it’s like to raise a dog who might be prone to over-aroused or creative behavior, or simply take this opportunity to chat with other folks who thrive on the same kind of dog that you do – high energy,high arousal, driven, and a whole lot of dog.

At this time we have two focused communities.  One is specific to dogs with Big Feelings! And the other is for discussions about raising and training a high drive dog.

The program opened about a week ago, so this is the perfect time to join. Several videos are open for discussion and the community is getting to know each other – one dog at a time!

www.thehighdrivedog.com

Tuition is $9.95, renewed monthly. Scholarships are available.

 

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I do the majority of my precision heeling training at a very slow pace.  The reason is precision – I want to see exactly what my dog is doing and speed masks errors.  Competition is another matter; move fast and keep the judge busy controlling you rather than counting up those exact errors I just mentioned :).

What you’ll see here is refining precision heeling. My movements are slow and controlled and in that fashion, I am able to see what he does or does not know.

The video is subtitled and should answer your questions about what I am doing.  The focus is hand at my waist, rear-end control, reward placement to prevent forging and the start of an increase in pace and speed changes.

A quick head’s up:  In the next week or so, I will opening my new business, The High Drive Dog.  This will be a subscription service priced at $9.95 a month, and will offer a few things to you:

Approximately 40 days straight of edited and subtitled videos, explaining my process for working on Dice’s overarousal and reactive behavior.  While still a work in progress, those 40 days will give you a very good idea of the path that I took for him – both what went well and…not so much.All of my Instagram and Facebook lives over the past few months, detailing out my thoughts on a wide range of topics, from general concepts like “Choosing between patterns or unpredictable work” to the basics of learning theory.  The overall theme is working with the individual dog in front of you.  Those videos will include the question and answer period as brought to me by the audienceBoth edited and unedited training videos of my dog Dice – starting in the past month or so.  Those will be added a few times a week.  All of the puppy videos of Dice’s training will be uploaded (unedited) from the time he came home, but those will not be there initially. Those videos are being run through a video editing program that provides the ability to search WITHIN a video; a nifty way to see my progression with a given skill over time.We’ll have two forums, one for “Dogs with Big Feelings” and a second for “High Drive Dogs” in general.  This will be a place to chat with the community about what is or is not working for you with your own dog, and to receive support in your process.Random Q and A opportunities with me.Whatever else looks interesting over time.  This subscription service will be a “work in progress” for people who are serious about learning more about their high drive dog and who want to explore excellent training with commitment.

If this interests you, make sure you are subscribed to this blog because I will announce the opening of this program here.  More information, including a subscription link, will be released very soon to this mailing list!  And of course, feel free to let others know about this upcoming program if you think it will be of interest to them.

Another sidenote:  Follow me on Instagram if you wish to see many of these videos in real-time or participate live.  My IG accounts are @Denise_Fenzi for all things generic about training dogs and @TheHighDriveDog for those matters which are more specific to High Drive Dogs.  On The High Drive Dog account, I also show live and unedited training videos with Dice.  For example, today will be a shaping session in my house around the topic of retrieve.)

Regardless, you will find these training bits on the new High Drive Dog program, so feel free to skip the Social Media world altogether if you wish.

 

 

 

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