Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast
Published every Friday, the Fenzi Dog Sports Podcast is brought to you by the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Each episode features an interview with a leading name in the competitive dog sports training world, discussing topics often overlooked by traditional training methods.
Episodes
E480: Caden Cristopher - "Teaching Your Dog a Recall & Building Your Relationship"
Caden Cristopher joins me for a discussion on training your dog to recall while building a relationship that enables both of you to do more together... we dive into advanced scenarios as well as chatting about the basics.
E480: Petra Ford - "Foundations For the Obedience Competition"
Petra joins me before picking up a new puppy to chat about how she approaches foundations these days... and what she considers important for a resilient, capable, competition obedience canine.
E479: Liz Joyce - "Running for the Dog Sports Handler"
Many of the sports we do with our dogs require us to play keep up — whether it's running our dogs in agility or following them on a long track. And if we want to keep playing those games with them for the long-term, that means paying attention to fitness on both ends of the leash.
E478 Michael Shikashio - "Behind the Scenes of CANIS"
CANIS is less than a month away, so we brought Michael Shikashio on to talk about what folks can expect and how the conference is coming together behind the scenes. It's not too late to join us — FDSA will be there in booth #114!
E477: Sharon Carroll - "When Treats Interfere with Training"
If you've ever had a dog that couldn't train around food or who stopped eating in certain environments... you know that training with food isn't always as simple as "Click, Treat, Cookie!" In this episode Sharon and I dive into the ways food can interfere with teaching behaviors and what we can do about it.
E476: The Realities of a Multi-Dog Household
In honor of the upcoming multi-dog conference, we have several of the presenters — Christina Young, Kim Palermo, Karen Deeds, Irith Bloom, and Dr. Amy Cook — on the podcast to talk about the realities of living in a multi-dog household.
E475: Karen Deeds - "When Cues Conflict"
What do cues and mechanics have in common? A lot, it turns out! If you've ever asked your dog for a behavior you'd have sworn they knew, only to have them stare at you like you're speaking Greek, this episode is for you. Behavior expert Karen Deeds shares how conflicting cues come to be and what we can do about them.
E474: Laurie Huston - "Agility Crosses - A Deep Dive"
Laurie Huston joins me for a conversation all about crosses — from what they are (for the non-agility folks), to how she uses her course map and her time walking the course to plan out which cross to use where... and the elements that determine if a cross looks like dancing with your dog or ends in an on-course collision.
E473: Michele Ellertson - "Building Nosework Skills Intentionally"
Nose work is about so much more than setting and finding hides — in this episode, Michele and I dive into how you can be more intentional in skill building for your nosework dog, both by developing your own observation skills and by thinking through the challenges you set them a little differently.
E472: Kelly Daniel - "Fit to Jump"
It's no surprise that jumping is hard on your dog's body... so what can you to minimize that impact and keep them moving (and competing) as long as possible? This week, Kelly and I discuss the impact of jumping on sports dogs, how different sports impact things differently, and how handlers can approach fitness with jumping in mind.
E471: Julie Symons - Handling Your Nosework Dog
Wondering what it actually means to be a good nosework handler? Join Julie and I for a conversation on how your handling impacts your nosework dog and what you can do to become as good at your role on the team as you expect your dog to be at theirs.
E470: Petra Ford - Engagement for Competition
Ever wondered how leading competitors build the incredible engagement we see in the ring, where the dog stares up at their handler and the team looks totally in sync and in step? Petra Ford joins me to talk about how she builds engagement strong enough to win Obedience Nationals with mulitple dogs.
E469: Nicole Wiebusch - Building from Stillness to Stay
Teaching our dogs the concept of "stillness" is more complex than we sometimes realize — after all, how do you teach a dog that what we want is the absence of a behavior? In this episode, Nicole and I talk about how she teaches the concept, and then how it serves as a foundation behavior for teaching rock solid stays to her competition dogs.
E468: Jennifer Kunst, PhD: The Intersection of Dog Training & Psychology
In this episode I interview clinical psychologist Dr. Jennifer Kunst about the intersection of dog training and psychology. We look at how her three-strand approach to living a good life—embracing reality, choosing change, and surrendering control—applies to dogs and dog training.
E467: Arousal Modulation with Christina Young, Kelly Daniel, Jane Ardern, and Irith Bloom
Four of the presenters from the upcoming one day conference, Arousal Modulation: Building a Clear-Headed Dog!, join me for a conversation about how arousal works, why it's not all good or all bad, and what handlers who have dogs that tend toward overarousal should stop doing... then what they should start doing instead.
E466: Irith Bloom - "Dealing with Your Dog's Demand Barking"
In this conversation, Irith and I talk about what causes demand barking, what we can do about it, and why the advice to "just wait it out" is often completely ineffective.
E465: Amy Cook, PhD & Josefin Linderstrom - "The Power of Touch in Dog Training"
Dr. Amy Cook and Josefin Linderström, founders of the Social Approach, join me for a deep dive on the topic of touch and our relationships with our dogs. In this episode they share some of the research that's been done on the benefits of touch, their take on how much of our dogs' preferences are nurture vs. nature, and how they'd add touch to training (including as a reinforcer!).
E464: Julie Flanery - Are We Ever Really Finished Training A Behavior?
If you're like most dog trainers and handlers out there, you've started training lots of different behaviors that never quite reached a finished and fluent state. In this episode, Julie and I discuss why that happens, the phases behaviors need to go through, and what it takes to get them there. And, of course, she answers the question of whether it's even possible to "finish" training a behavior.
E463: Bronagh Daly - "Big Feelings in Dog Agility"
Does your dog have big feelings about dog agility? Whether they love the sport so much they can't contain themselves or have big feelings about new environments, other dogs, or strangers, in this episode Bronagh and I talk about how big feelings impact your dog's agility performance and what you can do about it.
E462: Melissa Breau - "Teaching a Reliable Recall"
Want your dog to come running when you call them? In this episode Crystal Wing steps in as guest host to talk to Melissa Breau about her upcoming class on building a reliable real-life recall, including why reps matter, how reinforcement history builds a better recall, and what to do if you have a recall cue that your dog has learned to ignore.
E461: Sarah Rida - "Teaching A Contact Heel"
Curious why and how to teach a contact heeling behavior? Contact heeling is a transport behavior distinctly different from formal obedience heelwork or loose leash walking – and in some instances, it offers significant advantages over either of those other options. In this episode Sarah Rida joins me to talk about why she teaches contact heeling, when it can be helpful, and how to actually begin t
E460: Kelly Daniel and Ashley Escobar - "The Mental Benefits of Canine Fitness for Sports Dogs"
Kelly and Ashley join me in this episode to discuss why canine fitness is sometimes overlooked by dog sports teams, how it can help dogs with impulse control, arousal modulation, and emotional fitness, and the difference between quality movement and a dog who is just active in their environment in a less intentional way. LINKS & RESOURCES: Ashley's upcoming class, CC210: Patience in the Details: I
E459: Petra Ford, Kamal Fernandez, Ashley Escobar, and Sharon Carroll - "Breaking Down Competition Obedience"
What does it really take to stand out in obedience and rally? In this episode we look at the invisible skills you and your dog both need to perform and achieve your goals, from careful splitting of behaviors and building behavior chains to managing your own mental game. LINKS & RESOURCES: Skills & Beyond: Obedience & Rally from the Backyard to Competition (May 16, 2026): https://www.fenzidogsp
E458: Aleks Woodroffe - "Supporting Senior Sniffers"
Ever wondered how scentwork dogs' abilities change as they age? Many dogs who got started in scent sports right as the sport took off are now hitting their senior years. In this episode, Aleks Woodroffe joins Melissa Breau to talk about how age impacts the nosework dog, what aging gracefully looks like for the scent work team, and how to keep senior sniffers in the game. LINKS & RESOURCES: Aleks's
E457: Christina Young - "Teaching Your Dog to Move Away from Conflict"
Living with multiple dogs means managing multiple personalities, and like any home with multiple personalities, there will be times when there are disagreements. In this episode, Christina Young and Melissa Breau talk about how to prevent conflict between dogs in your home, the early signs of tension people tend to miss, the difference between management and structure, and how to teach your dogs t
E456: Denise Fenzi - "From Training Philosophy to Training the Dog in Front of You"
For our first ever dually published podcast episode (both as an audio podcast and on youtube as a video podcast!) we brought back our first ever guest — Denise! — and revisited the things we talked about 10 years ago in our first ever podcast episode. Together they talk about how Denise's training philosophy has evolved, what it means to "Train the Dog in Front of You," how training has impacted D
E455: Jennifer Henion - "Teaching Impulse Override & Take Turns"
Jennifer joins me to talk about the idea of impulse override and how it can help teach dogs to wait for their turn — an important skill in the field trials and hunt tests where she competes!
E454: Shade Whitesel - "What's that Smell?"
Ever wondered how you approach teaching a dog to focus around distracting scents - things like bitch in season scent or trash on the side of the road? In this episode Shade and I discuss the way she handles scent distractions as a real life skill.
E453: Kim Palermo - "Resilience and Arousal"
Kim joins me this week to talk about the relationship between resilience and arousal. We talk about how control unleashed and freework can both help improve resilience and arousal management for dogs with big feelings.
E452: Kelly Daniel - "Adapting Fitness for Puppies and Seniors"
Fitness training can benefit dogs of all ages — but it should be adapted to meet the specific needs of the dog in front of us based on their health and their age. In this episode Kelly and I talk about how to adapt fitness training for puppies and seniors.
E451: Sue Yanoff, DVM - Getting an Accurate Sports Medicine Diagnosis
Dr. Sue Yanoff specializes in canine sports medicine. In this episode we discuss the importance of getting an accurate diagnosis for canine sports injuries and how to advocate for your dog if the right diagnosis isn't immediately clear.
E450: Building the Bond - And the Factors that Impact it.
Erin Lynes, Kim Palermo, Crystal Wing, and Denise Fenzi, all presenters from the upcoming one day conference on Building the Bond join me to talk about what goes into building a bond with a dog.
E449: Julie Flanery - "Teaching an Emergency Stop"
Teaching your dog a recall just makes sense — but what about those situations when running to you might be more dangerous than staying put? In this episode, Julie makes the case for why an emergency stop is just as important... and the added benefits it can offer for sports dogs.
E448: Erin Lynes - "Teaching Your Dog Thoughtful Movement"
In this episode Erin and I dive deep into the benefits of thoughtful movement through puzzle games and movement puzzles. Whether you have a dog who moves without thinking (adolescent labrador?) or a dog who needs to build confidence in movement, Erin argues this type of training offers significant benefits for sports and life.
E447: Ashley Escobar - "Another Look at Conformation"
What's really going on when a dog competes in the breed ring? Ashley breaks down what judges look for, what we can do to help present our dogs in the best light, how training helps, and what the handler's job is, when competing in conformation.
E446: Amy Cook, PhD and Josefin Linderström - "The Social Approach"
Amy and Josefin have been working together on a new program designed to help us rethink every interaction we have with our dogs... and they're calling it "The Social Approach."
E445: Shade Whitesel - Reducing Reinforcement for Sport Performance
If your sport doesn't allow you to bring primary reinforcers onto the competition field with you, then at some point you need to work through removing those reinforcers from your training. This week Shade and I talk about the process of reducing reinforcement while minimizing frustration on the part of both dog and handler.
E444: Sharon Carroll - "Talking About Differently Motivated Dogs"
Have a differently motivated dog? This episode is for you! Sharon and I do a deep dive into what it means to train and compete with these dogs.
E443: Kim Palermo - What is ACE Free Work, Anyway?
Kim shares what free work is and how she's incorporated it into all aspects of her training — resulting in wide ranging benefits, from better arousal levels to better conformation. She says it's essentially meditation for dogs... join us to hear how you and your dog might benefit!
E442: Petra Ford - Talking Arousal & Using Jackpots
Ever wondered how arousal impacts performance? Debated whether jackpots are worth using? In this episode I ask Petra Ford about both topics — and we do a deep dive on how to keep your dog at an optimal arousal level then chat about the trade offs that come with choosing to use jackpots in training.
E441: Fitness and Injury Prevention for Active Dogs
With the Active Dogs: Fitness and Injury Prevention one day conference happening on Jan 10th, we took the time to sit down with 2 of the presenters to talk about what it means to keep our sports dogs in good health so they can play our games as long as possible.
E440: Denise Fenzi - "Pre-engagement to Acclimation and Engagement 2.0"
Join me for a fascinating conversation with Denise on the ins and outs of engagement — from pre-engagement strategies to help young dogs to prepping for competition. We talk about the importance of acclimation, how the process differs for low drive vs. high drive dogs, and more!
E439: Sara Brueske - "Arousal Regulation"
Does your dog struggle to regulate their own arousal? Join me and Sara for a conversation on how to help them manage things, and then (ultimately) teach them to manage it themselves!
E438: Erin Lynes - "Building Canine Confidence"
Join me as I interview Erin Lynes about building confidence in our canine partners — we talk about clear communication, natural levels of confidence (and how much you should expect to be able to move the needle), the "Mr. Rogers" technique, and more!
E437: Ashley Escobar - "Impulse Control, Body Awareness, and Precision... Through Conditioning"
In this episode Ashley walks us through why she's turned to conditioning to help her young dogs develop impulse control, body awareness, and precision — and how she's adapted it to help any dog that would benefit from strengthening those three skills.
E436: Petra Ford - A Look at Open Obedience
The sport of obedience adds new challenges at each level of competition — in this episode, National Obedience Champion Petra Ford joins me for a conversation on what it takes to train for and compete at the open level.
E435: Laurie Huston - Foundations for Agility
Whether working with your first agility dog or your fifth, the right foundation can play a huge role in your team's success. Join us for a conversation on how to build the skills you'll need as a team... even if you have minimal access to equipment.
E434: Julie Symons - Evaluating What Your Nosework Dog Really Knows
It's easy to fall into the habit of only practicing skills you know that you and your dog are good at — in this episode, Julie and I talk about how to avoid that issue, and how to continually evaluate where your nosework dog is strongest, identify holes, and ensure you continue to progress in your training together.
E433: Ashley Escobar, Erin Lynes, and Irith Bloom on Puppyhood & Adolescence
The life stages our young sports dogs go through can come with dramatic changes and significant transitions - so what's normal? How do we decide what to prioritize? What are the current best practices when it comes to socialization? Join us for a conversation on all things puppy and adolescent!
E432: Crystal Wing - "Mindset and Mechanics: Thinking About Training"
Crystal Wing joins me for a conversation on how to build your training around a great relationship with your dog by balancing mindset and mechanics.
E431: Kathy Sdao - "What Happens When They Won't Go"
Ever have a situation where your dog refuses to move forward? In this episode Kathy Sdao and I talk about what balking is, why we think dogs do it, and what we can do about it.
E430: Liz Joyce - "Starting A Handler Fitness Habit"
Join handler fitness trainer, Liz Joyce, and me for a podcast all about how you can start — or restart — your fitness journey, gently.
E430: Liz Joyce - "Starting A Handler Fitness Habit"
Join handler fitness trainer, Liz Joyce, and me for a podcast all about how you can start — or restart — your fitness journey, gently.
E429: Heather Lawson - "CGC & Therapy Dog Work"
Heather and I discuss what skills you need to earn your CGC, the sticking points that can cause trouble for some teams, and how to decide if your dog is a good fit for therapy work from there.
E428: Kim Palermo - Advancing CU into the Real World
Control Unleashed games and patterns can be a powerful tool whether you're working to rehab reactivity or build bomb proof sports behaviors. But how we do go from just learning the games to actually using them in the real world? Kim and I discuss exactly that in this week's podcast!
E427: Ashley Escobar - Fitness, Agility, and Jump Training
Agility puts a lot of strain and stress on our dogs' bodies... but fitness training can go a long way to ensuring they still enjoy a long sports career. Join me and Ashley for a conversation on how workling on canine fitness can improve your dog's agility skills, especially when it comes to technical jump training!
E426: Karen Deeds and Dr. Sophie Liu - A Real Look at Negative Reinforcement
Talking about Negative Reinforcement can cause some big feelings in the positive training community - but in this episode Karen and Sophie take a look at when it's inevitable in our dogs' lives and what we should be thinking about for our own dogs.
E425: Erin Lynes and Tracey McLennan - Meeting Your Dogs Needs
Dogs with a lot of interest in the environment, who come to the outside world with big feelings or who need an outlet but aren't safe off leash are our topic in this episode! Erin shares how dog powered sports can help and Tracey shares insights from working with prey-driven dogs.
E424: Michael Shikashio - Arousal and Aggression (Plus a Peek at CANIS 2026!)
Michael Shikashio joins me for a conversation around the impact arousal has on aggression, and how we should think about the two when working on behavior cases... plus, he shares a bit of behind-the-scenes info on the planning for the 2026 CANIS conference!
E423: Julie Flanery - "Building A Musical Freestyle Routine"
Curious what musical freestyle is and whether it might be for you? Join Julie and I for a conversation that includes tips and tricks for laying out your routine, choosing which tricks to train, and more!
E422: Petra Ford - Competing in Obedience at the Top
In this episode, we talk to Petra Ford, the 2025 National Obedience Champion, about her recent win and what it takes to compete at the top levels of obedience here in the US, how she approaches training, and more!
E421: Jane Ardern - Anticipation vs. Relaxation: Training Release Cues
Jane Ardern joins me for a conversation about how our release cues can influence our dog's state of mind and ability to learn. She shares what the field-bred spaniels she's owned have taught her about frustration, frantic behavior, anticipation, and relaxation... with several helpful takeaways bound to apply to any dog sports team.
E420: Sharon Carroll - "A Real Look at Reducing Reinforcement"
If you plan to compete, you need a plan for reducing reinforcement - but so often this is where trainers go wrong! Join us for a conversation about how Sharon recommends you reduce reinforcement to maintain attitude and correctness.
E419: Nancy Little - "Weave Pole Performance"
Thinking about weave pole training? Whether you're troubleshooting a problem or beginning to teach weaves to a new dog, in this episode we dive into Nancy's thoughts on how to approach things... and where so many teams seem to go wrong.
E418: Irith Bloom - "Getting Geeky On Behavior Change"
What is Applied Behavior Science? Learning Theory? Why bother, if folks have been training dogs for more than 10,000 years? Irith and I get into all that and more in this episode on the science of behavior change!
E417: Focus and Engage with Denise Fenzi, Petra Ford, and Karen Deeds
With the upcoming Focus & Engage one-day online conference only a few days away, join us for a preview of what you can expect, and an in depth conversation on acclimation, arousal, focus, and engagement.
E416: Tracey McLennan - "A Framework for More Efficient Training"
Tracey McLennan joins me for a conversation on how her software background has informed her approach to dog training and led to her framework for smarter, faster, training progress.
E415: Denise Fenzi - Contact Heeling v. Precision Heeling: What's the Difference?
Precision heeling and contact heeling may seem similar in some ways - but they're also very different. Join me for a conversation with Denise Fenzi on when she uses which one and how (and why) she approaches training both!
E414: Crystal Wing - The Role of Relationship in Dog Training
Looking to improve your relationship with your dog and improve your teamwork? In this episode, Crystal breaks down the factors that go into fostering that relationship in a healthy way.
E413: Sara Brueske - What's UpDog: A Conversation on Frisbee Games
Have a dog who likes frisbees? Join us for a conversation about UpDog — including What's UpDog and how you can compete!
E412: Petra Ford - "Balancing Motivation & Precision"
Do you find your dog tends to fall flat as you continue to raise criteria in training? Or maybe you have a dog that is SO enthusiastic that precision feels like an impossible dream? Join us for a conversation on balancing motivation and precision in your sports training.
E411: Kim Palermo & Erin Lynes - "Building a Sports Foundation"
If you've found yourself thinking, "I'm gonna do that differently with the next puppy," or "Next time I'll do this perfectly," you're not alone. Join me, Kim, and Erin for a discussion on what they prioritize with future sports dogs, why there's always something they'd do differently "next time," and how they're tackling things right now.
E410: Ashley Escobar - The Art & Science of Jump Training
Jumps make up a significant percent of every agility course - yet so often they receive only a small percentage of our training time. If you've ever wondered what jump grids are, how to teach your dog collection, or whether cavalettis might improve your dogs performance... give this episode a listen!
E409: Sarah Rodriguez - Making Training More Accessible
We always say train the dog in front of you -- but in this podcast, Sarah shares the importance of considering the handler as well. Adjusting training so it's effective and easy for both members of the team may require some additional creativity... but it's more than worth it. Join us for a conversation on making training more accessible in this episode.
E408: Karen Deeds - Another Look at Box Feeding
The more tools in your toolbox the more dogs you can help — in this episode Karen shares her experience using box feeding (aka the "dopamine box") to build confidence, desensitize to sounds, develop duration as a concept, for scent work, tracking, and to develop working under pressure.
E407: Denise Fenzi, Crystal Wing, & Jane Ardern on Motivation
With the upcoming one day conference on matters of motivation, Denise, Crystal, and Jane joined me to share their takes on what motivation really is and why it matters.
E406: Deb Jones, PhD - "An Honest Conversation about Hard Decisions"
There are certain topics in the dog training world that feel almost taboo - among them is the topic of behavioral euthanasia. In this episode Deb and I have a frank but thoughtful conversation on evaluating the severity of a behavior issue and what factors go into that sort of decision.
E405: Jessica Wheatcraft - "A Closer Look at Circle Work"
Give this episode a listen to learn a bit more about Jessica, her background, what Circle Work is and what led her to develop it!
E404: Amy Cook, PhD - The Evolution of The Play Way
Join me and Dr. Amy Cook for a conversation on where her ideas for The Play Way came from, the science that inspired it, and how it's evolved (and continues to evolve). We also discuss the one letter that Amy thinks every trainer should add to their conversations about reactivity and thresholds.
E403: Denise Fenzi & Crystal Wing - Let's Talk Play
Join us for a serious conversation on all things play! Denise and Crystal share how play impacts our relationships and our training with our dogs.
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