Fenzi Food For Thought

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Catch me here telling stories, conversing with curious and warm-hearted friends, breaking down barriers in the training world, and of course, sharing my love for these amazing beings we share our lives with: the dogs! I'd love to hear from you! Instagra

Denise Fenzi


    • May 17, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 42m AVG DURATION
    • 157 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Fenzi Food For Thought

    What is "Not Fine" For a Dog?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2025 50:37


    I talk about genetics and how dogs turn out as adults.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Dog Training Jargon

    Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2025 11:11


    About those words… Punishment, consequence, choice, structure, reinforce, strengthen… All of these words have different meanings depending on your background, training, and where you're coming from. Just because a word has a scientifically defined meaning doesn't mean that it is the “right” definition; it depends who you're talking to. A lay person definition is equally valid! look words up in the dictionary… That should clarify things for you. Words have multiple meanings. The goal of language is to communicate and be understood. If your goal is to be understood rather than to be right, it's critically important to know the different ways that these words are used. Not only their definitions, but their connotations. If you have that understanding, you'll have sensible conversations. If you don't, you might be right all day long, but you won't be understood.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Training Outcomes in the Dog World

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2025 40:32


    Do balanced trainers train (fix) dogs and positive reinforcement based trainers manage them? No. Not not at all. That's a problem with words and definitions, not actual outcomes. Do balanced trainers show their work and positive reinforcement trainers not? No. You don't know where to look. If you want to see really good positive reinforcement trainers doing cool things, you have to look in their circles. That's what I talk about here.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Can Dogs Be Willful?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2025 38:46


    Can dogs be willful? Can they actively choose to disobey, while understanding what you want? Yes they can. Now what?   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Balancing Priorities in the Dog World

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2025 37:11


    Time. Priorities. Dog welfare. Human welfare. Guilt.  Dog trainers on social media seem out of touch with real world people and their priorities. Are we even doing our job if we don't prioritize our human clients as much as their animals? Those are things I covered here.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Understand What Motivates Your Dog

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2025 61:44


    No fetch? Chase but no return? No tug? Tugs but doesn't let go? Understand what motivates your dog makes training and problem-solving a lot easier. Taken further, it will set how you train each individual dog, which may be radically different than how you approached similar issues with the last dog. By comparing my Border Collie Ice and my Belgian Xen, both showing similar issues but with very different resolutions, I hope to illustrate these points in this live.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Trial Analysis

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 28, 2025 33:03


    Trial analysis. What went right? What went wrong? And what am I going to do about it?   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Puppy Integration

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2025 46:55


    It's been about three weeks since I brought in the new young border collie, Ice. This is an update on the integration process.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    I Have a Puppy!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 89:18


    I've got a new puppy! In this life I talk about the process of integrating him into my home, the reality of high drive dogs and puppies, handler sensitivity and hardness, etc. We covered a lot of territory!   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Getting Through Your First Competition

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2025 41:18


    The first time you compete… What's the best way to get through it?! I'll give you some ideas here.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Raising a Puppy

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2025 61:16


    I shared my thoughts about how I planned to acquire my next dog, and what I will do with that dog to start my training during the first few months!   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Structure

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2025 57:49


    Structure is a your friend - really. you can get your way without using physical force or mental intimidation. The end result is higher quality of life for both you and your dog.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Reactive or bored?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2025 27:54


    About that reactivity… is a given dog reactive, or simply bored? Lacking structure? Doesn't know what to do in a given circumstance? There are foundation skills that all dogs should have, and they are particularly valuable if the dog should exhibit reactive tendencies here and there. The ability to get your dog's attention is a critical foundation skill. If you can't get your dog's attention in a given environment, you probably should not be there.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Habit

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2025 42:41


    I wanted to illustrate it with the flea study but alas… It appears the flea study is not real. So I just talk about it. Habit! Most important thing you can keep in mind with your new dog or puppy. Plus a few thoughts on trying to train family.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Cooperative Care vs. Low Stress Handling

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2025 18:46


    Do you know the difference between cooperative care and low stress handling? You should! It's important if you want to maintain a trusting relationship with your dog.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Safe Walks

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 20, 2025 40:29


    A safe walk with a dog is a function of the equipment on the dog, the leash that attaches the equipment to the handler, the size, strength, and temperament of the dog, and the environment. All of these things should be discussed with dog training clients to ensure the comfort and safety of all.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Who are dog sports really for?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2025 20:31


    Dog Sports are not all about the dog. They are about people too! It's OK for you to seek happiness and joy, even if it doesn't mean maximizing your dog's happiness at every turn. Make it work; it's a cost of benefit analysis.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Puppy Genetics

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2025 58:19


    I'm in camp “genetics” over environment. Take a listen to this one if you want to understand how I got here. Plus, a little bit on selecting a puppy from a breeder.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    A Quick Look in the Mirror

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2025 35:34


    A quick look in the mirror… Are you doing the same things that you accuse others of? Behaving emotionally rather than rationally? Ignoring facts that don't fit the narrative that you want to drive forward? Probably. It's the human condition, and we all do it. The trick is to become aware of that, and maybe do better into the future.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Force Free Beyond Training

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2024 56:36


    This live is my plea to apply a force free philosophy to entire life and not just to your dog training.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Critical Thinking

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 7, 2024 77:04


    Apparently, folks are very capable of critical thinking skills! When they're motivated. How can we be motivated to show critical thinking all the time? Even when we're not not sure we like the conclusions. Especially when we're not sure we like the conclusions! Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    How and why science matters and where does it fit in the big picture?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2024 60:43


    How and why science matters to those of us deeply vested in the Dog community. Plus other stuff.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Facing Bias in the Dog World

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2024 57:01


    So many thoughts. How can we learn to be more critical learners, observers, and communicators? How can we face our own bias and become stronger as a result? Who can we talk to when we have questions? Covered a lot of territory in this one. Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Learn About People

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2024 32:18


    Maybe allow people who are different into your world, and then you can learn about them. Learn about people, and you can have an impact. Don't allow people into your world and don't learn about them? Then you can't do much beyond ignoring (best case scenario) or antagonizing (worst case) others who feel differently than you. Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Do aversives cause aggression?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2024 73:27


    Do aversives cause aggression? If so, why are famous trainers using them and showing well-balanced dogs? What does the research say? I'm not a scientist, so mostly I can tell you what I see around me, and my thoughts on the matter. If you're interested, check it out. Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Different Opinions for Different Animals

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2024 20:12


    Should dogs roam the neighborhood? How about near busy roads? How about a quiet rural area? How about chickens - can they roam? Why or why not? If someone else has a different opinion about this than you for each type of animal, how might you change their perspective via education and perspective taking? Or do you opt for embarrassment and shaming? How's that working?   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Can We Stop Talking About "Them"?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2024 23:55


    I hope those of us in the Dog industry stop talking about “them”. “They” can speak for themselves. If you have a question, ask “them.” When you make assumptions about why people do what they do, or say nasty things about their character because they don't share your opinions? That reflects on you and it makes it very difficult to have honest conversations when you're present because you ruin goodwill, listening and striving for understanding.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Relationship-Based Training

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2024 42:13


    What relationship-based training means to me. I give the example of an informal recall with my dog. Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Live with OC Canine Coaching

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2024 81:30


    Super informal chat with Bryndon Golya, CDBC of OC Canine Coaching about management, training, medication, giving “enough” to our dogs and…plenty in between!   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    I Answer Your Questions About Moving Our Community Forward

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 8, 2024 71:53


    This live covers follower questions sparked by a panel hosted by Jo-Rosie Haffenden.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    The Rooster Problem

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2024 53:50


    The solution to the Dog Trainer people is to be like the chicken people. In this live I talk about roosters. If the dog people were like the chicken people, we could make radical advances in our field. Take a listen. Tell me what you think.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Train Your Dog!

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2024 38:55


    Train your dog! Even if you don't reach 100%, who cares? You're still ahead of where you were if you hadn't trained at all.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Why Do I Play In Bite Sports

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 67:05


    In this live I talk about why I do bite sports.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    The Meaning of "Train the Dog in Front of You"

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2024 26:57


    Train the dog in front of you. What does that mean? Seeing as I wrote a book with this title, I have opinions about it! Two dogs can have the same issue, and the solutions can be radically different. At the end of the day, you have to know your dog… I give examples in this live to help you understand the concept.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    The Minutiae of Dog Training

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2024 45:47


    If you like the minutiae of dog training, you might like this live. Here I talk about the challenge I have with my dog in the Mondio ring search exercise… He prefers to bite than to bark! I talk about a “good training” solution which involves breaking it down into small pieces…small splits are good dog training. I talk about the fact that it didn't work. I talk about brainstorming to come up with an answer. And what all of this makes me think about? One challenge of training dog sports with positive reinforcement is lack of tradition around solutions to problems. Of course this is not a problem in Dog sports that are traditionally positive reinforcement based, but it absolutely is in sports with little to no tradition of +r problem-solving, because these sport have rather few +r folks playing the game.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Aversives for Clarity?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2024 22:42


    Does positive reinforcement training mean withholding half of the information the dog needs to to be successful? Would the dog find more clarity if you included aversives? Would that actually be a relief to the dog? I give my thoughts on that here.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Life Is Complex

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2024 33:46


    Life is complex. Dogs are one piece of the puzzle of complexity. Be open to the challenge of varied perspectives. Be respectful! And try to make things better. Dog trainers can do that. You're more than a dog trainer. You can change lives, and I'm not just making that up.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Words Are Power!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2024 21:05


    Your words are your power. Do not take someone else's words to placate them. Choose your words carefully. Explain what you need to explain. And reserve the right to say… It depends. I need more information. Getting a group of people together is easy when you simplify complex topics. Who doesn't appreciate simplicity? Well. Me. As long as life remains complex, I will explain in as many words as I need to say what I want to say. Don't give your power away. Choose your words thoughtfully, and insist that others respect what you said as opposed to what they think they heard. or maybe what they wanted to hear. what words did you say? Pain, uncomfortable? Aversive? Management? A training tool? Be specific, and insist that others respect your words, or end the conversation.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Counterconditioning, Desensitization, and Habituation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2024 37:37


    Continuing on with basic principles around force free training. Here I introduce counter conditioning, desensitization and habituation. Xen was along for the ride, so he illustrates some of the principles - what do you do when it gets too intense?   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    What Drives Behavior?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 7, 2024 12:03


    Does reinforcement history or emotion/instinct drive behavior? Both. Emotion drives “behavior” - the general category of things we do. And reinforcement history drives the specific behavior which the learner chooses, from amongst all of the available options. The challenge here is that the word “behavior” means both the general category and a specific choice of a specific behavior. Both are happening. I spend a few extra minutes talking about this during this live. Plus - note how adorable my dog is. I mean…I can barely stand his cuteness!

    Get to the Root of the Problem!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2024 16:59


    Today, I explored where most force free behaviorists would start looking at a problem behavior… At the root! What matters less than the behavior in front of you is where it's coming from. What instincts or emotion are fueling it? If you can identify that, and do some thing about it, your behavior problem might simply disappear. Obviously that's your best case scenario but… It's still where you want to start. Because more often then you might think that is the solution.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Training or Management?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2024 22:29


    Today I talk about the difference between training and management, and I give several examples to help you on your way.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Pain, Discomfort, or Something Else?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2024 17:19


    So appreciate those of you who gave your thoughts about the difference between discomfort and pain in my Instagram stories! In this live, I also explained why I like the word adversive. I like that it centers the experience of the learner and that it recognizes how individual that experience might be.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Showing Up On Social Media

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2024 22:27


    How do you show up on social media? How do you balance your authentic self with the demands of the communities where you participate? Do you have an internal compass to guide you? And…how did FDSA start anyway?  If you struggle to find peace of social media, this live might help.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    So Very Random

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 15, 2024 39:19


    I decided to show you what a training session looks like today. Just the flow of it in real time. I hadn't planned to save it, but then I came in the house and we just talked. We talked about all kinds of things. So if you want a random grab bag of conversation, this is your live.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    What's The Fastest Training Method?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2024 60:27


    No simple answer to this one. Depends on the goal, type of training. specificity of what you want, and what you mean by trained.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Training a Concept Over Precision

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2024 27:04


    How do you teach a highly generalized concept like retrieve - where you might want the dog to retrieve a wide variety of items? In this live, I touch on the difference between how I train behaviors for precision as opposed to more generalized concepts that I might want for life or dog sport.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog

    Listening to Misunderstand

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2024 10:43


    Disagree all you want, but don't listen to misunderstand. That's when I disengage.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Response to Zak George

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2024 54:02


    I desperately wish that training dogs was easy. I wish there was a one-size-fits-all solution. I wish all of training could be cookies and toys and general happiness. But life is complicated and it's not like that. And if I come to a different place someday? If I'm able to find answers to my concerns? I will change my mind, and I will say so publicly.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    A Dog-Centric Existence?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2024 39:18


    Do you prioritize dogs above people? How about other animals? I wonder if that has ever happened at any other time in the history of our species…. Anyway, in this live I ramble along a bit on this topic.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

    Do Biting Sports Make Dogs Aggressive?

    Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2024 37:10


    Do biting sports make dogs more likely to misunderstand in real life, and bite at the wrong time? Maybe. As with many things, it's not a simple answer.   Follow my training! Instagram The High Drive Dog More online training! Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

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