Fenzi Engagement Class - Gold
- Thread starter StompinT
- Start date
Have fun with it! I think it would have been a great class for us (and I wish I'd saved the money on the play class and waited for this one), but our weather is going to turn soon, and I know I don't want to be outside training stuff like that in the winter. We are just doing an online agility class for now.
I'm excited to hear how you like it. Be sure and give us updates!
I'm excited to hear how you like it. Be sure and give us updates!
Oh awesome! Let us know what you think about it!
I haven't decided on what/if I'm taking any courses there this semester. I have a TON of class material from previous semesters I can work on and a ton of stuff from my own people classes to work on. lol.
BB: did you not like the play class? That's one that's on my future list, so I'm curious what you thought about it?
I haven't decided on what/if I'm taking any courses there this semester. I have a TON of class material from previous semesters I can work on and a ton of stuff from my own people classes to work on. lol.
BB: did you not like the play class? That's one that's on my future list, so I'm curious what you thought about it?
I thought it was a great class, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, just not quite what I thought it was, and I wouldn't have paid for a gold spot if I'd understood better. It was a super overview of play, and I thought her feedback was great. For a few of my biggest issues I wanted help with, the comments were that those were covered in other classes. I understand that, but was a little bummed. I wound up just kind of fading out at the end, because I didn't feel like I was getting what I personally wanted out of the class. It could have been completely my fault - I didn't look into the specifics of the class a ton. If the timing were better for me, I might have tried for a gold spot in Engagement, so it certainly didn't turn me off her classes entirely.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the pace of the class, but I think that's a nearly impossible thing to get right, since everyone has different amounts of time to train/video and you have to try and keep everyone happy. I find it is a regular issue in any online class I've taken. Everyone just works at the pace that is right for them, and I've never found an instructor who treats people negatively because of their inability to keep up.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the pace of the class, but I think that's a nearly impossible thing to get right, since everyone has different amounts of time to train/video and you have to try and keep everyone happy. I find it is a regular issue in any online class I've taken. Everyone just works at the pace that is right for them, and I've never found an instructor who treats people negatively because of their inability to keep up.
I took engagement at bronze and loved it! It really shifted my thinking a lot in some ways. Made me more patient and made me beg for his attention much less. Some of the mechanical techniques I had already started using recently after watching a Michael Ellis DVD, but if Engagement had come around 6 months earlier those would have been a huge shift for me as well.
I'm definitely taking Intro to Nosework at bronze this term. I want to start Hazel on my own because the way intro classes here are run is very frustrating. And I want to do Cookie Jar games. I was planning bronze, but may do silver as the instructor said there should be a lot of value for silvers compared to other classes.
I kind of want to do Confo 2, since Confo 1 was really good, but I know I won't have time to actually work through the stuff so maybe I should wait. And I'd kind of like to do the Gundog class but again, too much material so I should take it later.
I'm definitely taking Intro to Nosework at bronze this term. I want to start Hazel on my own because the way intro classes here are run is very frustrating. And I want to do Cookie Jar games. I was planning bronze, but may do silver as the instructor said there should be a lot of value for silvers compared to other classes.
I kind of want to do Confo 2, since Confo 1 was really good, but I know I won't have time to actually work through the stuff so maybe I should wait. And I'd kind of like to do the Gundog class but again, too much material so I should take it later.
I'm really hoping I love the Engagement class - happy to hear so many of you found it worthwhile. I am slightly concerned it will be too much material, as we'll be gone for 10 days during the class, without our dogs.
I'd really, really love to take Sue's Rally-O class. And she's offering the next level next term, which I'd also like to take. I'm wondering if it will be too much to take two classes at once ...... and also wondering if I should take the Rally-O at Gold, or if silver or even bronze would still be worthwhile. My one experience with a Bronze level class wasn't great (that horrible prey drive class), and I'm concerned if I'm not held accountable by a Gold level, I won't put in the work.
Decision, decisions.
I'd really, really love to take Sue's Rally-O class. And she's offering the next level next term, which I'd also like to take. I'm wondering if it will be too much to take two classes at once ...... and also wondering if I should take the Rally-O at Gold, or if silver or even bronze would still be worthwhile. My one experience with a Bronze level class wasn't great (that horrible prey drive class), and I'm concerned if I'm not held accountable by a Gold level, I won't put in the work.
Decision, decisions.
I completely agree with this. In fact, I found that when I stopped begging/pressuring him to engage in new environments, I sometimes can't STOP him from engaging. We were on a walk the other day in an area we walk pretty regularly he kept almost tripping me in attempt to heel (and when that didn't work, shove his head between my legs, rebound off of me, bark, play dead, etc. Aren't dogs who do shaping fun?). That has NEVER happened before. He'll also come up to me on off leash hikes and occasionally ask to work. It's kind of mind blowing compared to how it was before.
Also, those of you taking nosework, what kind of stuff do you plan on buying for class? I'm somewhat interested in it but I think I want to take it in person. I'm just not sure what I'd need.
I took rally at bronze and it worked well for me. Bronze was nice because he ACED some stuff and we sped through it and then we could take a little longer on things that we struggled with. Overall it was honestly a pretty easy class.
Also, those of you taking nosework, what kind of stuff do you plan on buying for class? I'm somewhat interested in it but I think I want to take it in person. I'm just not sure what I'd need.
I took rally at bronze and it worked well for me. Bronze was nice because he ACED some stuff and we sped through it and then we could take a little longer on things that we struggled with. Overall it was honestly a pretty easy class.
Yes! I've had some similar experiences! I haven't even done Engagement 100%. I started working with a private trainer on his off leash problems not using the "wait around until your dog engages" method. But it seems to have combined with engagement well somehow. I think he understands better how to push me for work and reinforcement.
I'm not sure what the instructor will recommend but I really like this:
http://k9nwsource.com/shop/student-starter-kit/
That, plus maybe a few more little odor tins or containers (or you can get one of the deluxe kits) is probably all you will need. You may also need some cardboard boxes. I got by with just that kit and a few additional containers for a couple years. I have the other odors now and a few containers set aside for those, but you don't need those right away.
Most approved NACSW trainers use a very different method than the FDSA classes. Most people I've talked to take 6-12 weeks of just searching for food and then food + odor. I felt like we wasted so much time doing that. Watson could have been on odor very quickly but we spent 12 weeks of class searching for treats hidden in boxes. Yawn! Besides the fact that they later need to ignore food distractions, so why train them to search for food at all? I'm very excited to start Hazel on odor right away and jump into classes at an intermediate level.
Also, I know people who zero NW experience who took the FDSA classes and now have titles on their dogs. I don't think you'll find it hard at all!
I'm not sure what the instructor will recommend but I really like this:
http://k9nwsource.com/shop/student-starter-kit/
That, plus maybe a few more little odor tins or containers (or you can get one of the deluxe kits) is probably all you will need. You may also need some cardboard boxes. I got by with just that kit and a few additional containers for a couple years. I have the other odors now and a few containers set aside for those, but you don't need those right away.
Most approved NACSW trainers use a very different method than the FDSA classes. Most people I've talked to take 6-12 weeks of just searching for food and then food + odor. I felt like we wasted so much time doing that. Watson could have been on odor very quickly but we spent 12 weeks of class searching for treats hidden in boxes. Yawn! Besides the fact that they later need to ignore food distractions, so why train them to search for food at all? I'm very excited to start Hazel on odor right away and jump into classes at an intermediate level.
Also, I know people who zero NW experience who took the FDSA classes and now have titles on their dogs. I don't think you'll find it hard at all!
Reading your posts, I think I may take the engagement class at bronze if I can. Engagement in distractions is one of my weak points in training (why I took the prey class) so maybe this will be more of what I was looking for.
So the intro to nose work class was my very first FDSA class and I really enjoyed it. It made a lot of sense to me that you would just start with the odor. Basically she teaches you to get your dog interested in the odor first and then you slowly start increasing the difficulty of getting to the odor. When I had taken it, the instructor asked us to buy the starter kit and some disposable Tupperware containers.
So the intro to nose work class was my very first FDSA class and I really enjoyed it. It made a lot of sense to me that you would just start with the odor. Basically she teaches you to get your dog interested in the odor first and then you slowly start increasing the difficulty of getting to the odor. When I had taken it, the instructor asked us to buy the starter kit and some disposable Tupperware containers.