Fenzi Food For Thought

This one's from the Facebook Live vaults where I discuss classical and operant conditioning as it pertains to teaching behaviors. Enjoy! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

This one's from the vaults! I talk about crating with Xen when he was young and prone to getting into mischief! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

It's true; dogs are not children! And if you choose not to use models of thinking that compare children to dogs, you will have walked away from the most valuable tool available, in terms of understanding and training or living with dogs. The truth is… Children and dogs have a whole lot in common in terms of how they behave in a wide variety of circumstances, especially around learning. Don't give up that free resource lightly. Embrace it, and your training skills will skyrocket overnight. You will have the tools to motivate and understand, and you will find the solutions when challenges occur. Really. Simply by putting yourself into the position of your learner, (even as an adult!) and considering what would be happening inside of you, if you were the learner. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Nope. You cannot. So be nice to your angry, fearful, sad, or frustrated dog. You won't make them more angry, fearful, etc. And I'll do the same for you! If you are sitting next to me and you're feeling afraid? I'll hold your hand and talk nicely to you, and I'll try to make you feel better. And no, you won't get more fearful. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Decision making about when to apply pain to others, how and when we use force or restraint, and our thoughts about balancing autonomy and control are heavily influenced by culture - and are very much shades of grey. We work to balance the needs of all the parties - physical, emotional and financial - to come to our best possible decisions. Yet, there is never a right decision. Only possibilities. Make your choices with compassion, kindness and knowledge and you'll get where you need to be. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

If learning cues is not what people need to live in harmony with their dog; if the goal is habits… What exactly does that mean? How do we get there? What role does a dog trainer play? Where does communication fit - and is the dog talking back? What is failure about, what makes failure more or less likely, and…do we even care if the dog is on board with our plans? Wow. Covered a lot of territory today! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

About that trained dog….does it even exist? Training is a process, not an end (trained) state of being. Only behavior that makes it's way to "habit" can truly be called "trained". Which is fine. How about we "raise" our dogs and try to live in harmony, while working hard to get everyone's needs met. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Words matter. Don't water down powerful words simply because you don't agree with another's choice or situation. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

From the Facebook vaults: remarckably, and sometimes despite us, our dogs get trained! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

From the Facebook vaults! My thoughts on eye contact with your dog. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

What does it mean to treat a dog like a dog? Start by recognizing that in modern society, dogs are captives. If they are going to have any sort of interesting life at all, you are obligated to provide it. Beyond that, dogs are individuals. What one dog likes or needs is going to be different than what another dog likes or needs. Same as people! And this affection thing… Being affectionate with your dog does not cause behavior problems, same as with small children; if they enjoy the attention, then you're good to go. If they don't, then don't do it so much. You're being annoying. Do you know what I think our society needs around dogs? Many fewer rules. Don't worry so much about what people say your dog must or should do. Watch your dog. Are you happy? Is your dog happy? Is society happy? Then you're good to go! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Do we need to add stress to our formal training or behavior work in order to progress? Nope. This live explores why it's not logical to add stress when the root problems are emotional and not rational. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

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

The focus of this live was acquiring a dog! Maybe from a rescue, maybe from a breeder. Then we spent some time talking about purebred dogs. Honesty is everything. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Do mother dogs use food to "train" behavior in other dogs? Are dogs wolves? What can we learn from dogs and wolves in our interactions with our own dogs? Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Relationship or training? This live talked about exactly that! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

In this live, I talked about using props within training. Why we use them, advantages and disadvantages, and how to get rid of them! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

We train behaviors and condition emotions. In this live, I explained that in more detail. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

In this live, I talked about reinforcement. It's a lot more complicated than just toys or food! If you understand your dog's hierarchy of reinforcement, you can make strategic decisions that significantly increase your training success. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Whether or not you think there is a place for suppression in dog training, we need to be logical in our explanations and thinking. Not moving does not mean an animal is in a "calm state of mind" if you have punished the movement out of the dog. It simply means the dog is not moving. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Structure is good. Choice is good. It's a matter of the right one at the right time. Plus a bunch of behavior conversation. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Adolescent a$$hole?! The truth is, some dogs aren't so great during adolescence. Your compliant puppy is not so compliant anymore! This will give you some ideas for navigating this period of time. In short, you will be reducing your dog's choices and increasing structure. Identify issues before hand, and cut them off before they have a chance to develop. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

This time I focus on the perspective of reactive dog handlers. If you are a professional trainer you might find this one interesting. Note: the Live mentioned from the day before didn't end up saved on IG, apologies for the confusion! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Here, CC stands for classical conditioning. I gave a variety of examples, both behavior and training-oriented, where classical conditioning gets behaviors much faster than operant conditioning, and with a more reflexive/fast response as your end result. I'm loving classical conditioning to train and maintain behaviors! I also answered random questions on various topics. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

As a seasoned trainer and competitor, Laurie Williams has seen and experienced a lot, and tonight she shared her story as she transitioned from traditional to positive reinforcement based training. I enjoyed this interview and I hope you do as well! Follow Laurie's training! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

I had the opportunity to do an in person training lesson; something thing I have not done in years. In this IG live, I talked about the dogs, and how I made the choices I made to address their behavior and training needs. I focus on a discussion of evaluating a dog's need for movement or stillness, structure or choice. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

What is the cause of the misfortune? Genetics? Environment? Something else altogether? Frankly, it doesn't matter. The blame game leads to suppression of behavior via punishment and that leads to a loss of honesty. This IG live was all about the cyclical relationship between the blame game and the problems that result. We can be be better!

Structure is not a bad word. Choice is not a bad word. You need both! Which one depends on the circumstances. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

This is the number one thing I want dog trainers to understand. You cannot control a dog's "state of mind" by managing it through training their behavior. Emotions don't work that way. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

We know quite a lot about keeping our dogs safe, but we don't often consider how that creates trade-offs….Quality and quantity of life have a tendency to be at odds, when push comes to shove. We each make decisions based on our risk assessment. The world could be a much kinder place if we allowed others the same freedom without judgment. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

If you find consistent struggle to get along with your challenging dog in society, listen to this Instagram live I did. You might find it helpful in your efforts to get your needs met. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

This was such a fun time! Dr. Amy Cook joined me to talk about fear, anger, food, conditioning, what happens if you get your timing wrong, and a whole lot more! And if you worry about your timing or choices? You definitely want to listen to this one.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Michael about all things aggression! We covered quite a bit of territory, from whether or not to use a muzzle to matters of medication to dogs in shelter. Follow Michael's training! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Our society is based on punishment, and we have internalized that. We accept fear and sadness as acceptable emotions, and we want to comfort those who feel them. But we do not accept anger and frustration, and their emergence makes us want to punish those emotions when we see them. I talk about why you might struggle to apply the principles of classical conditioning to behaviors that society does not find acceptable. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

In this live I was joined by Michael and Jamie Badial to talk about how to become a dog trainer, starting your business, and getting your first clients! This was a fun chat with lots of practical advice that you can apply right away to get your business up and running. Take a listen! Follow the Badials! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Errors are nothing to be ashamed of! Let's talk about it. Be public about your errors! It will reassure your colleagues that they are not inferior beings because they have errors, and it will attract the general pet population who struggles to identify with trainers who show only perfection. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

What an excellent conversation! If you are struggling with separation anxiety with your dog, or if you know someone else who is, you will definitely want to listen to this interview. Follow Malena's training! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

This is the secret to getting your puppy or dog to opt into training with full attention, and to stay connected for long stretches of time. It works. Really. Take a listen. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

As with most things, it's not black-and-white. Some dogs benefit from more splitting, patterns, higher rate of reinforcement, and easier training sessions with less puzzling than other dogs. Those dogs might benefit from more lumping, more behavior chains, and more unpredictable/challenging training sessions with plenty of puzzling. In all cases, you need to watch your learner to determine how your interventions are being received. As a general rule, force free trainers err on the side of patterns and high rates of reinforcement for too long, making behavior chain goals hard to reach, and balanced trainers err on the side of the unpredictable and challenging training with too much frustration and lack of clarity in the work. You could pick your poison, or better still, watch your learner carefully and pick that just right path! Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

We had a great talk! We talked about relationship, playing with dogs, what Dante has learned working with other species, preparing for dog sports competition, and more! I hope you enjoy this. Follow Dante on Tik Tok @dantedogworks Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

Do you have a relationship with your dog or a dependency? Does your dog want to spend time with you, or are they trying to avoid the alternatives? We explored questions like that in this Instagram live. Follow my training! The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy