Taking you and your dog to new heights!
Train with Stacy Online!Stacy teaches several classes each session through Fenzi Dog Sports Academy (FDSA). Classes at FDSA start the 1st of every other month, with registration available approximately a week in advance.
The next session starts October 1st, 2023. Registration will open September 22nd.
Classes this Session
See descriptions below for more information.
N120S: NW120 – Introduction to NW Search Elements
NW230: Polishing Skills for NW2 and NW3
NW445: Rising to the Nosework Challenge: 6 weeks of Setups
Registration Opens Sept 22nd
Class Runs OCT. 1 – NOV. 11
N120S: NW120 – Introduction to NW Search Elements
Did you know that the MOST important time in a dog’s early career in Nosework happens AFTER they learn target odor (as in NW101) and BEFORE they start their general searching? Making mistakes now are costly. In this transition time, the dog (and handler) learns searching habits, passive indication, precision, consistency, and the ability to work in new and novel locations. THIS class forms the initial foundation to get you off onto the right track. Without these skills, a team may suffer from missed hides and false alerts and their ability to move up the levels successfully may be hampered.
In this class we help you to avoid costly training mistakes.
We will use contextual cues to help your dog learn to transfer their skills to new environments. We will also help YOU to help your dog be successful. You will continue working in Interiors, search novel Exteriors, build Vehicle skills, introduce the Buried element, give you Container skills with good habits (no smashing), introduce multiple hides, and more!
I also recognize that many of you might feel “behind” from NW101 so the syllabus and support has been structured to help you to “catch up”. Dogs all learn on their own curve and this class supports that with the help of either the Instructor (Gold spots) or the Teaching Assistant (Silver and Bronze spots). Our goal is to get all the dogs to the same level of competency at the end of the course.
In addition to leveling the learning curves of different dogs, this approach is meant to capitalize on the dog’s motivation for hunting. This approach maximizes good feelings that come from triggering the Seeking System with “Hunting” and delaying “Selection” type elements such as Containers and Buried.
This class is suitable for all students coming out of NW101 provided that at least a little progress was made (hunting for a hidden switch box) as well as being suitable for students from prior NW101 classes who may not have started NW120 or who need a refresher in introducing the elements.
Students coming from NW101 who need a little bit of catch-up can expect new lectures to help them with basic fundamentals which have been developed by assessing the general needs as observed in the Student Study Group and Gold Forums from NW101. Those who are farther along on the learning curve will be able to hit the ground running with a generalization approach that has been developed to make searching new places seamless.
Coming out of this class, students will have the foundations necessary to begin to prepare for Odor Recognition Tests (ORT’s) and low level competitive classes.
Long-term success in this sport hinges on a solid foundation and good searching and hide setting habits. This course will get you going in the RIGHT DIRECTION. Teams using Nosework for therapeutic reasons or without competitive goals will appreciate the structures approach that is based on emotional support for the dog and FUN!
NOTE: This class will offer a Teaching Assistant (TA) who will be available to Silver and Bronze students in the Study Group. FDSA TA’s will answer questions and review videos in the Student Study Group.
Registration Opens SEPT 22nd
Class Runs OCT. 1 – NOV. 11
NW230: Polishing Skills for NW2 and NW3
Want to take your Nosework skills to the next level?
Moving up to NW2 and NW3 means new and more challenging skills. Hides at these levels start to get more complicated so it’s essential to level up your training. If you want to hone those inaccessible hides, converging odor, and the challenging blank area, this class is for you!
This class will take your NW2 and NW3 skills to the next level. This class will also prepare your for AKC Excellent and Master level trialing. We will challenge you with topics such as:
- advanced containers, proofing for distractions
- converging odor from multiple hides
- accessible vs. inaccessible hides
- how to assess if a hide is inaccessible and when to call alert
- how to deal with inaccessible vehicle hides
- setting up advanced scent puzzles and improving detailing skills
- dealing with hide elevation
- building search stamina
- generalization, generalization, generalization
- blank areas: Interiors, Exteriors, Vehicles and Containers!
NOTE: This class will offer a Teaching Assistant (TA) who will be available to Silver and Bronze students in the Study Group. FDSA TA’s will answer questions and review videos in the Student Study Group.
Registration Opens SEPT 22nd
Class Runs OCT. 1 – NOV. 11
NW445: Rising to the Nosework Challenge: 6 weeks of Setups
Are you looking for ideas to give your training a boost? Do you want a class that will let you conquer your goals in small bites? This class is for the busy noseworker who wants to make progress without a lot of time commitment.
This class will include 4 to 5 different setups per week. The setups will include problem solving, skill building, proofing, and drills in a way that you can either pick and choose or do them all! Some teams may decide to practice some of the setups multiple times and some times may decide to just do what they have time for.
Each setup will include ideas to make the search more or less challenging in order to accommodate a wide variety of skill levels.
This class will include a variety of setups. The setups won’t have particular themes and can be worked in any order. The student can “pick and choose” what to work on throughout the class. The class will include 30 different setups and supplemental lecture material.
Setups will include:
- Playing with air flow
- Container drills
- Sourcing drills
- Vehicle searches
- Large area searches
- Blowing odor
- Blank Areas
- and much more….
NOTE: This class will offer a Teaching Assistant (TA) who will be available to Silver and Bronze students in the Study Group. FDSA TA’s will answer questions and review videos in the Student Study Group.
Self Study Classes
Learn at your own pace with Self Study Classes! You get all the lectures and example videos from the original course all for only $50
Learn WHY your dog might be smashing boxes and learn HOW to fix it.
This class will lead you through diagnosis of your box smashing problem and then will give you the necessary steps to address the CORE ISSUE.
This class is designed with written assignments and thought provoking questions that students will use to discuss how to PLAN AND RUN a successful in person Nosework class.
PLEASE NOTE: This class will NOT teach how to teach Nosework… we have other classes for that! In fact, this class will be methodology agnostic… please feel free to participate regardless of your methods for introducing odor.
This self-study option is a series of three recorded webinars that work together. There are no written lectures. Webinars include:
- The Single Hide
- Multiple Hides
- Blank Areas