Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - NW420: Honing Your NW Handling

Course Details

Do you wish you were a better handler? Handling is 80% dog / 20 % handler. How you handle makes a huge difference in your performance and in your pass rate.... it drives those "P's" and "Q's"!

In this class we will be all about the details... Learn how to handle through critique.

You will learn HOW you body motion affects the dog, everything from your shoulders to the angle of your body with respect to the dog's position. You will learn the art of releasing body pressure in a way that will minimize false alerts or unintended cues. We won't be "proofing off of" body motion, but rather will learn how to use our motion and position in order to become true teammates with our dogs.

You will be presented with an entire handling system and will be taught how to handle effectively, as a teammate, without negatively impacting your dog. Good handling is the foundation of teamwork. It's a skill that takes time to hone but it beautiful to see when it all comes together!

Learn how to make it look EFFORTLESS....

Sampling of topics:

The art of handling the known hide
Handling in tight spaces
Handling the fast dog
Handling the sensitive dog
Impact of gear choices
How to NOT over-handle your dog
How to get your dog out of trouble in order to avoid a false alert
Using handler influence as suggestive, not directive
Handling using a pattern without over-handling
Knowing WHEN to pattern versus not pattern
How to use a Soft Pattern rather than a prescriptive pattern
Handling off leash like you would on leash
Knowing when to change your strategy and how to adapt and continue

Teaching Approach

The instruction will be written with short videos of example searches. The student may need to adapt the example to their own situation. Lecture videos may run from 1 to 4 minutes long, with the average between 1-2 minutes. The lectures are designed to help a student understand the purpose of the topic and how its application might vary by dog. Care is taken so that learners who learn by both watching and reading will be successful.

This class will have a Teacher's Assistant (TA) available in the Facebook study group to help the Bronze and Silver students! Directions for joining will be in the classroom after you register.

Instructor: Stacy Barnett

Stacy Barnett is a top nosework competitor and trainer, with many Summit Level titles in the National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW), (Judd SMTx3, Brava SMTx5, Powder SMTx3). She is also a Wilderness SAR K9 handler with her certified dog, K9 Prize. Stacy has been a faculty member at FDSA since 2015 (Click here for full bio and to view Stacy's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

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Week 1: Observation

- Nosework Gear
- Line Handling Mechanics
- Observation: The Dog’s Communication
- Observation: Air Flow
- Observation: The Search Area

Week 2: Understanding Your Impact

- Why is Independence Important?
- Understanding the Impact of Body Pressure
- Understanding what you are Communicating (Body and Voice)
- Marker Basics

Week 3: The Essential Balance between Dog and Handler

- Maintaining Independence without Abdicating your Role as Handler
- When and How to make careful suggestion
- Hunting Type Searches: Context Driven (Vehicles)
- Hunting Type Searches: Non-Context Driven Searches (Area Searches)
- Selection Type Searches (Containers)

Week 4: Impactful Pieces

- Verbal Cues: What, Why, When, How
- Transition Between Hides
- Multiple Modes of Reinforcement

Week 5: Support through Odor Challenges

- Tight Spaces
- Odor Pools
- Converging Odor
- Elevated Hides

Week 6: Strategy for Coverage

- Known, Range, or Unknown Number
- Time Pressure Challenges
- The Perimeter Search
- No Go Backs!

Prerequisites & Supplies

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Gold Level students should be comfortable handling all elements. This class is very appropriate for the mid and upper level competitor. New handlers will also get a lot out of this course and will benefit most if the team is already working multiple hides.

Sample Lecture

Impact of Frontal Body Pressure

Have you ever felt like you've kept your dog in one area, possibly to the point of a false alert? If so, this was probably caused by frontal body pressure.

Frontal body pressure occurs when you face your dog squarely. This type of stance communicates to the dog to more thoroughly investigate the area. One of the best ways to talk a dog into a false alert or into fringing is to face the dog square on. It's even more ineffective if you couple that body language with mild crowding or verbal prompting.

It usually goes like this:

- The handler unconsciously applies frontal body pressure

- So the dog shows interest

- So the handler shows interest

- So the dog shows interest

- So the handler shows interest

- So the dog false alerts

Body Pressure Diagram

RESOLUTION: The key to allowing your dog to work independently is to turn sideways (or at an angle) and step back if necessary. You can even just position one foot back and shift your weight back.

Impact of Body Pressure on the Start Line

So often I see people lean over their dog on the start line. Sometimes this is to kiss them on the head or to whisper something to them. This shifts the focus from the search onto the handler.

Here is a video that I made of Joey showing the difference in his release to search based on upper body pressure:

Certainly this is more challenging with a small dog... but it can still be done! If you have a small dog, just try STANDING TALLER.... Here is a video of Why's start line. Notice that although I release him from the harness (that helps when you want to have directional control of the releaase), I keep my upper body tall and I look ahead. When I release him, my first motion is to stand up... my SECOND motion is to follow him in. This minimizes upper body pressure and allows Why to focus on the search.

Releasing Pressure in order to let the dog source a challenging hide

Releasing pressure is your best friend when you are working challenging hides, ESPECIALLY elevated inaccessible hides. With elevated hides, odor spreads VERY VERY FAR. By increasing your distance from your dog and by releasing body pressure where you can, you can support the dog's effectiveness and independence in problem solving. When we step in, add pressure, or stand with our two feet parallel and straight at our dog, we take away their choice in problem solving... which can often lead to a "No".

You can see in this video of Powder solving a very difficult elevated hide (that is converging under the tables with all of the other hides in the room) how I open space... watch for weight shifts back, steps back, increasing distance and stepping away from the wall.

Testimonials & Reviews

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A sampling of what prior students have said about this course...

Thank you, Stacy, for an excellent class. It is well-organized and well-presented. You are a fine instructor, a sensitive handler and an insightful, kind coach. Not only are you sensitive to each dog’s needs but also very tuned in to the handlers. An enthusiastic thumbs up for you and your class. Already registered for next term with you.

As I wrote to Stacy on my thread: I feel I’m heading forward again rather than treading water in Nose work. Thank you for that. This was a wonderful class. A good combination of internal reflections and specific ways to make changes. I’m so glad you made the switch to full time instructor. It’s allowed you to focus and come up with a different way of approaching/looking at this sport, tap into a mix of science & creativity. Plus you are always so kind. So, thank you. You’re an excellent mentor for both me the instructor and me the person who loves Nose work with my dog.

I was really impressed with the quality of the courses. I had doubts that an online course would be effective, but Stacy engaged everyone and was very astute in diagnosing the problem areas from a video. It is a good supplement to my regular training classes...

Loved the format of this class. You have a natural ability to inspire your students and this was a large active gold class! Your attention to detail is amazing and I greatly appreciated your comments on my videos as a silver.

Stacy, thank you for this course. It definitely take my Nosework handling to a whole new level. Not only I know how to improve my own handling, I also have the skills to improve others handling. Thank you for such an amazing course. Totally recommending to others.

Thank you for creating this class. So great to work on what I could be doing to be a better team member for my dog.

Big, thank you to the whole organization you provide an amazing service. Stacey I love your courses, you are so genuine which makes you so easy to learn from. I love how you keep me on track, I love how you make me believe in my dog. I have to get you to Alberta! I loved this course it was needed, I as a handler needed to be a better partner, I teach as well this gave me so many chances to see so many scenarios of pulling the dog off odour. The magic of stepping back. It was like magic, Haha my students were so impressed with me, lol

Registration

Next session starts: June 1, 2025
Registration starts: May 22, 2025
Registration ends: June 15, 2025

Registration opens at 12:00pm Pacific Time.

NW420 Subscriptions

	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Tuition	$ 260.00	$ 130.00	$ 65.00
Enrollment Limits	12	25	Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials	✔	✔	✔
Access to discussion and homework forums	✔	✔	✔
Read all posted questions and answers	✔	✔	✔
Watch all posted videos	✔	✔	✔
Post general questions to Discussion forum	✔	✔	✖
Submit written assignments	✔	✖	✖
Post dog specific questions	✔	With video only	✖
Post videos	✔	Up to 2	✖
Receive instructor feedback on	Questions All videos	Questions All videos	✖

Find more details, refund policies and answers to common questions in the Help center.