Fenzi Food For Thought

Training for competition doesn't mean your training should look like competition. Training for competition means that you are aware of the criteria required to successfully compete, and you have broken the exercises down into small pieces that you then teach individually in training. When you have those pieces, you start to combine them and slowly…you end up with a routine that will hold up under the pressure and complexity of the competition ring. Hopefully! Since sometimes you'll miss things, and that's okay too. Live and learn. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Absolutely! I can't even believe that's a question. Does positive reinforcement work? Absolutely! That also should not be a question. From there, this live goes a little deeper into the similarities and differences of choosing reinforcers or punishers in training. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

What is high drive? Arousal? How are they to live with anyway? Listen to this chat between Crystal Wing and Denise Fenzi. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

When deciding how to train a young dog, I consider the dog's natural tendencies around arousal, the sports I am targeting, and the expectations of those sports. If you set a thinking foundation on a dog who's already calm and your goal is a higher arousal sport, you are going to struggle. If you set a high arousal foundation on a high arousal dog destined for a thinking sport, you are also going to struggle. Take a moment to think about where you are trying to take your dog, and what you need to be most successful. You will always be balancing precision, arousal, speed, etc., but since dogs tend to revert to their foundation emotions under stress, you'll want to think about these choices sooner rather than later. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

How do you build toy play in a dog with limited drive? You can use arousal. But there are caveats! This live explores the difference between building toy interest using drive versus arousal. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

"But does your training work on a ___?" Fill in your breed of choice. This short live looks at exactly that. What determines whether training will work with a given dog in a given situation? *Note: The Auto Leave It webinar through Fenzi Dog Spots Academy mentioned in this live has now passed, but look for other offerings coming up on the schedule at the time of this release. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Conversation is an exchange of ideas between people who behave respectfully. Listening is the name of the game! Educating is something else. Educating assumes that one knows more than the other, and is not likely to be appreciated by another with a different world view. We need more focus on conversations and less on educating. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

It makes me sad when people say medication is a last resort. It creates needless suffering in your dependents. If you would cheerfully give your dog pain medication for a broken leg, please recognize that mental pain is also suffering. This is true for people and dogs, and leads to tragic results in people who remain unmedicated and who can't find their way. Dogs just suffer - they can't advocate for themselves. We can do better by our pets! If your dog's quality of life is impacted by fear, anxiety, or extreme emotions of any negative type, consider medication along with training. Not as a last resort but as a kind addition to the dog's well being. There's nothing to be ashamed of when you help your dog live well. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

So much of the distress in the dog industry is misunderstanding. We're talking about different things - and suffering so much as a result. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

If your dog finds it aversive when you withhold reinforcement in training as a natural part of the learning process, re-evaluate your training. The game of training itself, the puzzle, should keep the dog well vested, regardless of whether or not each moment in time is successful. It should not feel aversive to the dog whether a reward comes or otherwise. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy