Does your dog try to take food from the countertops when you are out of the room? Does she spot that crumb on the floor a mile away and dive for it? Does he lose his mind if you put a toy or a treat on the floor and ask him to sit? Does your dog grab the toilet paper or your socks and have a party playing catch me if you can? Does your dog bark in a crate? This class covers a lot of impulse control material! We go over lots of impulse control games with food and toys- in the house, on leash and incorporating it into training. We practice impulse control games with things in motion (cars, critters, people, dogs, etc) and beginner down stays. We will teach the dog to ignore you while you are eating and not steal your dinner from the coffee table while you run to the kitchen. Your dog will learn not to put their feet on the counters and not to take food from the counter while you are out of sight.
We will teach the dogs to ignore food and toys on the ground until released to get it. This is useful for daily walks and for many different sports, such as flatwork for agility, drop on recall practice, signals and distraction work! If your dog needs more self-control, this is the class for you!
Registration
There are no scheduled sessions for this class at this time. We update our schedule frequently, so please
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Registration will begin at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.
For answers to commonly asked questions see our FAQ page.
Silver level for this class is offered as "Working Silver". Working silver students can ask general clarification questions, share how their dog is progressing with the exercises and share two short videos, one minute each, for critique and review.
If you are interested in a bronze level subscription, you can sign up at any time during the registration period.
Syllabus
Week 1-
Food above head impulse control game
Cookies in fist
Cookies in palm
Slowest dog trainer game with a toy
Toy in a drawer, in a bag, on the counter
Impulse control with things in motion (cars, dogs, people, critters, etc.)
Week 2-
Cookies on the floor and cookies in a bowl
Slowest dog trainer game
Dropped cookies
Toy in the palm
Introducing leave-it
Beginner down stays
Don't jump on my counters!
Ignore forbidden items
Be quiet in a crate- part 1
Week 3-
Cookies on a coffee table/ counter/ trash can
Adding distance to cookie games
Can you do a cued behavior while there is a toy in a bowl on the floor?
Leave it with duration
Don't jump on my counters- adding duration
Take turns with multiple dogs
Calm and quiet in a crate- adding distance and duration
Be quiet in a crate- adding excitement
Week 4-
Food in bowl around the clock game
Leave it with distance
Leave it with motion
Don't jump on my counters- adding distance
Can you do a cued behavior while there is food in a bowl on the floor?
Impulse control with things in motion (cars, dogs, people, critters, etc.)- intermediate steps
Be quiet in a crate- adding distance
Week 5-
Adding out of sight to cookies on the counter game
Leave it while in motion
Don't jump on my counters- adding out of sight
Can you do 2 cued behaviors while there is a toy in a bowl on the floor?
Be quiet in a crate- adding out of sight
Week 6-
Can you do 2 cued behaviors while there is food in a bowl on the floor?
Automatic leave it
Impulse control with things in motion (cars, dogs, people, critters, etc.)- advanced steps
Be quiet in a crate- combining all the factors
Prerequisites & Supplies
Equipment: A raised dog bed will be useful.
Prerequisites: We will go over everything starting from very beginner puppy skills to the advanced skills.
Sample Lecture
Week 3, Lecture 1:
This week we are going to start taking our self-control games with food to new surfaces. Place the food on the coffee table. If the dog dives for the food, cover up the food and wait until the dog moves away from the food before you uncover the food. When the dog makes a desired choice such as sitting or backing away from the food with the food uncovered, reward the dog (it's really important that the food is uncovered when you reward the dog).
For an added challenge, you can drop a treat into the pile of treats on the coffee table.
Practice standing or sitting at different locations in relation to the coffee table. We want the dogs to generalize ignoring the food on the coffee table to any angle and any approach to the coffee table. Our goal is to transfer this skill to ignoring food on the countertops and being able to listen to a variety of cues and multiple skills with food in a bowl on the ground.
In the following video, I reward any choices that involve her ignoring the food: sitting, moving to a new location, remaining in a sit. Don't be afraid to be generous for this first attempt.
Testimonials
A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...
This class was so helpful for me, and it seems for many of the other students. We, and our dogs, appreciate it. All in all, the Fenzi Academy has proven to be an excellent resource for learning!
A++++ course! Detailed and thorough steps for each exercise. Well organized and planned. Excellent presentation. FANTASTIC, KNOWLEDGEABLE INSTRUCTOR! Provided a wealth of exercises related to many different training scenarios. Will definitely take more classes with this instructor!! THANKS!
I enjoyed this class at the bronze level. The lectures were very clear and easy to understand and very step-by-step. I think anyone who wanted their dog to have more impulse control would benefit. Thank you!
I had never taken a class with Mariah before and would definitely do so again. She was really informative and supportive of her students.
Your knowledge of dog behavior, and your concern for dogs and their humans are evident in the attention you give to your students to help them help their dogs. Thanks!
This class gave me the tools to deal with significant problems we were having, and the knowledge to deal successfully with future challenges...before they become problems.
