Fenzi Courses

If you're doing it at bronze level (so you're not missing making videos and homework), you're going to have access to the material for the whole year and can kind of work through it at your own pace.

I'm taking Shaping this semester! Really enjoyed Performance Fundamentals last semester; it got Finn and me off to a great start with great foundations, so I'm going to continue those foundations.

Shaping is something I WANT to be good at, but I'm not, so I'm really excited for this class.

I'm reading the first lecture in prey drive. I'm really happy I took this, I think I'm going to learn a lot.

Also, Lauren and Siri... I read your intro post! We're totally rooting for you!

Ditto to both!

Give me some details on the prey drive class! It's not too late for me to sign up at Bronze.

Also, I just submitted my first video for Training Excellence. Not a big deal, except that there is a b*tch in heat in my house, and Watson really does not care. I think that counts as a win right there.

In the first lectures she talks about the cycle of predation (from catching the scent to catching the animal). Then she talks about what it means to have a dog giving attention, actual attention, not just blankly staring at you.

Then she gives 3 foundation exercises to help with this: "Starting, changing and stopping things are the basis of control. Control fails when one of these parts is either stuck or missing." She also explains why those things are important and gives examples of dog personalities that lack those things. I can sadly say I was able to quickly identify my dog in the examples, which is why I think this class will be REALLY good for us.

I don't really want to share much more than that, because I don't want to get in trouble for it. But since I know you were interested in taking it, I thought maybe that synopsis might help you decide.

Thank you! That's super helpful. I definitely don't want you to give away too much, but that's great info. I think I'm going to sign up at bronze. I can already see Watson's personality there.

We found a person to stalk who's dog sounds just like Cajun. So that should be good

bahaha, that's the first thing I did. Now I'm just hoping we have identical questions, lol.

YEP I also have checked out the people taking gold and found one that sounds like Jari and one that sounds like Kimma to stalk

I was just going through and watching all of videos people posted for the first game and I just have to say... Siri's little half tail nub waggin' through the whole thing cracked me UP. She's beyond cute.

She's certainly something!

The new lecture today makes me really, really glad I took this class.

Signed up for prey drive! Hopefully I can actually get time to work on the games. Gold dog Laika reminds me a lot of Watson, so I'm glad we have her to watch.

Does anyone else get annoyed by the people who sign up for gold spots but don't seem to need it? I saw one or two dogs where the owners have no issues with recall or chasing critters, but thought they'd take the class anyway. Huh? Why not take something more useful then? Or not take it at gold? It's not helpful to have gold dogs who don't really have prey issues in the first place

I totally agree. And I think there was at least one person who took it just for the recall component, even though it's far from a general recall course. It's kind of obnoxious.

I really didn't get some of the baseline videos either. They were indoors with low distraction and the dog disconnected once or twice. Ok? I just figured people would post baseline videos where the dog was freaking out or screaming or otherwise going nuts about prey. A lot of the baseline videos didn't seem to have that at all.

Yeah, I think some of these people would be better off in a general focus course, or just proofing in different environments. Hugo's baseline video would be him scream barking at the end of the leash as a squirrel or rabbit exists in within his eyesight or flinging himself at my neighbors sliding glass door to get to their cat. I can actually call him off a running rabbit if I have wet food on me but I'm hoping this class is really going to teach him to not take off/lose his mind in the first place.

Yeah, a baseline video of Watson would have lunging and screaming. Or frantic quartering at the end of a long line once he's picked up a scent. Or going from attentive and engaged to laser focus on a deer trail like I don't exist. He's so much better in winter with less critters but it wouldn't have been hard to get something.

I'm really liking Preydrive so far because it's so far NOT been a recall class. It's really getting into what is happening in the dog's head. It's more about channeling your dog's drives and working with them, not against them.

That's exactly why I like it. Hugo has great recall and we've spent months and months working on it. I'm ready to get him to be able to think before he takes off after the thing I need to recall him from.

I cannot for the life of me decide what to take this semester. I'm going to take fronts and finishes, but I want something to do right now, while I'm not walking. Humph.