Interested in obedience or rally? This isn't a class full of heeling around in circles!
Learn about using foot targets, backing up, and fancy pivoting. Geek out about precise position changes such as the perfect foldback down, or learn what "good enough" style actually holds up when you are at a distance and the props are gone.
I will gently hold your hand on starting scent articles, and go outs and show you that they aren't as intimidating as they look!
And more!! No prerequisites are needed!
Introducing all these core areas from the start makes sure that obedience remains fun for both the dog and the handler!
Note that there are a LOT of skills at the first level and this class goes over ALL of them. You will not be able to do all the things in the 6 weeks of class! It's a good thing you have access to this class for a minimum of a full year!
This is an introductory course and makes no assumptions about your dog's prior knowledge. Whether you are new to competitive obedience training or you have discovered a need to revisit skills with advanced dogs, this course will help you prepare to title by video in TEAM. Additionally, you will gain an excellent set of foundation skills for any dog sport or competition venue, such as AKC or FCI obedience, rally, freestyle, and more.
Lectures are released at the start of each week with all lectures released within the first 4 weeks. The lectures are broken down by each skill, often in multiple parts. I have written objectives and then written instructions for each step followed by multiple video examples for each step. The videos are usually between 30sec to 2min long and are taken from training sessions of a variety of dogs. I rarely use voiceover or subtitles in the video. At the end of each lecture is a homework summary with the steps quickly summarized in order.
Several videos will depict training being done with the handler sitting on the ground. These steps can be modified to be sitting in a chair, and may also be modified to have the dog at a higher level such as up on a tall platform or on a bed.
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.
Laura Waudby (she/they) trains and competes in obedience, rally, and agility. She was halfway to her OTCH with her UDX corgi, Lance, before his uexpected early retirement. She also has championship titles in USDAA and UKI. By day...(Click here for full bio and to view Laura's upcoming courses)
Because of the wide range of skills, students are not expected to master all 9 areas of focus in roughly 15 skills. About 3-4 skills will be introduced per week and gold students will have the option of working on any of the skills discussed from the current week or previous weeks. All lectures will be introduced in the first 4 weeks of class in order to give students enough time to focus on the topics of their choosing.
No team will be able to get through every single topic!! It is common for students to repeat this class or to work on it for several months!
Roughly the order of skills taught will be:
Week 1: Engagement, Paw targets (front foot, rear foot, and all 4 feet), Auto leave it, doggy zen games, Fly around a cone, Pivoting for heelwork
Week 2: Style of Position Changes(Sit, Down, Stand), Adding a cue to position changes, Nose targets (chin rest and duration to a lid), Fronts, Release cues and zen games (stays)
This is a FOUNDATION level class designed to introduce the beginning steps for each of the areas up to the point that the TEAM level 1 test includes. No experience is necessary to start!
Puppies as young as 8wks are welcome to join, however unless the trainer is already very experienced, it is typically recommended that puppies be 4+ months of age. Younger puppies may not physically be ready to work on "all the things" as they are still really learning how to earn food and work with their trainer.
The equipment needed is dependent on which skills each team wants to focus on. Upon registration, a supply list lecture will give more in depth information on how to make, purchase, or scrounge up from around the house for your supplies! Ideally, teams will have access to:
- Platform for fronts and finishes (approximate size just barely longer than the dog is wide and long enough for the dog to stand on)
- Perch for pivoting (round bowl, phone book, brick...)
- Large cone or another object for the dog to circle around
- Foot target for position changes (PVC box, front foot target, rear foot target...)
- Altoid tins, flat metal electrical plates, canning lids, or any other type of a flat surface for dogs to learn a nose target indication for scent work.
- Jump (formal obedience/agility jump OR creative jumps such as a broomstick, log....)
The goal of this exercise is to teach the dog to back away without any forward motion from the handler into the dog's space. This skill is extremely useful to add into other exercises where the dog needs to perform at a distance. If the dog begins to associate backing up after completing a command (e.g., down signal followed by backing up), it will reduce the dog's natural tendency to creep forward. In TEAM, this skill will show up in more advanced levels to demonstrate the dog's ability to think rather than simply anticipate what comes next.
Training with a Back Foot Target
The most common way to teach an independent backup is by using a target placed behind the dog. A target gives the dog something to aim for and encourages them to reach with their back feet to find it.
If you haven't taught your dog to immediately offer whatever position you chose on their target then first spend some time teaching the position. You want this position to be a strong automatic behavior for the dog. See the lecture on targets for more info!
Here's a quick clip from the target lecture of Mayhem learning her rear foot target.
Step 1: Stretch the Dog
At this first stage, we're not doing any backing up! Our focus is on stretching the dog from the target so that both back feet remain on the target as their front feet get further and further away.
Give your dog a cookie while they are in the 2on/2off (2o2o) position. Then give another cookie just an inch further. And then another cookie placed another inch further away. Keep giving your dog treats progressively farther from the target until their back feet come off it. Pause, then help your dog in making a U-turn back into the 2o2o position.
At this stage, you're looking for the dog to try really hard to keep their rear feet on the platform even with a tempting cookie!
Here, Arlo is working on this skill. He gets on the target relatively easily, and I'm trying to feed him slightly farther away. He knows to get back on the target when he comes off, but he isn't backing up yet, and that's okay! You can see I can't stretch him very far yet, as he comes off pretty easily. However, he is showing a small weight shift forward. At 48 seconds, there is a nice small stretch, and again at 57 seconds!
Here Splash is working on this early step of keeping his back feet on the target while I feed further away. You can see that he's already showing some stretching, but does come off very easy still and sometimes wants to back up to get his front feet on the target. He's also still going to do a u-turn to get back onto the target! I'm happy he's showing those signs of knowing getting back onto the target gets the cookies to come again!
And here Loot is showing the end result of this first step. He's stretching pretty well for the treat in my hand and I'm still trying to reset behind him to make sure he's not thinking about coming off forward. He does 1 teeny tiny 1 step back up here in the middle!
Step 2: Tiniest Backup
At this stage, you're seeing the dog really stretch to keep their rear feet on the target. When the dog comes off, they turn around to get back onto the target themselves. Now you're so close to getting just one tiny step of a backup!
Try to do your stretching so that only one paw is off the target, if possible. When the dog is out of their 2o2o position pause and wait. Let the dog think! If the dog backs up the one paw needed to return to position, then reward! If the dog moves forward and circles back to their target you can reward this initially, but soon limit rewards to actual backing up. (Praise the dog for getting on the target, but do a stretching rep to give the next cookie instead of just feeding them for getting on the target.) Do not introduce your backup cue at this stage as the dog is focusing more on their target than on the actual actions they are taking to get there.
Here Quill is right at the stage where he's offering the tiniest one step backup!
And here is Freya Cat! Sometimes I get her off too far, but if I can get only 1 foot off she will usually step back to find her target.
If your dog still struggles and is just not offering any bit of backing up, you can encourage the dog to at least back up their front feet after some stretching. Feed out a few times, then lure the dog back with their front feet BEFORE the dog's back feet come off. Think of it like an accordion!
Here I'm demonstrating this accordion feeding style with Splash.
Step 3: Distance of Backing
At this stage, the goal is to increase the distance your dog can back up to their target until you reach about three feet. I typically want to switch to a LOWER target. A target that is too tall often causes the dog to reach too high with their hind feet, resulting in some awkward backing! My ideal backup target is just an inch off the ground. Be sure to warm up with some "stretching" reps so the dog understands it's a target!
For many dogs, this is a difficult step. Increase distance very slowly and always mix in easier repetitions so that it is not always getting more and more difficult for the dog to perform. A verbal cue and/or hand signal can be used once the dog is consistently backing up, not turning around, and some distance is worked through.
Here Freya shows backing up when both feet are off the target!! She sometimes sits and that in the past would have guaranteed she wouldn't backup, but she's able to do that here! Sometimes she stops when her rear feet hit the edge but she doesn't step up. I still mark and gently push her back with the reward she earned. (note I added the verbal backup cue here because she's been consistent for me, but this was the first session I did that! Don't add the backup cue until you are confident the dog is going to offer it!)
Here Cougar is starting to get pretty consistent with a distance of three feet. Note that the movement is still very awkward for her and not at all fluid! I should have switched to a lower target before building to this distance. This higher target isn't great for the style I want.
Speck is working with a low target and a small distance. He's kinda hoppy with his backup motion still.
If Speck doesn't start to do more stepping instead of hopping in the next few sessions, he would be a good candidate to combine some of this rear foot target work with the channel method listed below.
Crookedness???
If the dog is backing up crooked but still reaches their target, then this isn't something I worry about in the early stages!! The target itself will help correct the dog if you're only paying when the dog makes their rear feet on it! You should see your dog start to sidestep to the target if they initially miss it.
Here's a visual example of how the farther away you get form the target, the narrower the dog's options are for the angle they take. If you're 2ft away from a large target, the dog has a big range (and that's ok!). And as you get to 6ft then their angle for being correct naturally gets smaller.
But what if the dog is missing a bit and chooses to self correct to get back on? That's ok too! As long as the dog moves sideways instead of turning around, I reward. I want the dog to know that the target matters! However, don't progress on distance if this is happening a lot!
Here is Wren who shows a strong preference for backing off crooked to my left. Since she's still in the early stages, I'm letting her self correct her angle and I'm occasionally helping with her reward even if she only gets one foot on (I'll stop doing this as she progresses.) I'm also purposefully setting her up so that more of the target is to my right and the space she has is narrower to be accurate. This is drawing more attention to her crookedness and force her to think about the target more!
If your dog is not figuring out how to move slightly sideways to self-correct, you're close to the target, and you're just not having success, let's look at a few other ways you can help your dog:
Taller target. Is your dog really noticing the target and caring about it? Taller isn't great once you want distance, but it's helpful to draw attention to the target in the beginning! Most crookedness errors I see are because the dog doesn't have enough value for getting to that 2on2off position! They are too focused on the cookies in our hand.
Using a barrier on one or both sides. Place your rear foot target near a wall or couch on one side to apply light pressure and prevent crookedness in that direction!
Look at how you're rewarding the dog. Is the dog automatically eating and turning crooked before they even start backing?! Try feeding back between your legs a bit so your legs become a small guide to start the dog off right. Or sit on the floor and stick out your legs in a V (or use gates!) to get that initial angle started!
As Wren's backup progressed, that little lean to my left/her right went away! But a more persistent starting angle to my right/her left started to come. You can see in this video that it's a small lean that is hugely exaggerated by her start angle. She was self correcting, but we were struggling with her start angle. I first tried using my legs to try and set her angle but this greatly confused her so I went to using some light barrier pressure to try and prevent her from starting off crooked.
For bigger crookedness, you may want to use a channel.
Here is an example of combining a channel with a rear foot target. Freya Kitty is pretty content to just sit in the channel but she can offer tiny backups in here when both feet are off her flat target.
Step 4: Wait for the Cue
Proud of your dog's backup? Now we can work on them actually paying attention to what your cue is! For TEAM, the anticipation of backing up is the biggest reason for a "Not Yet." Your dog needs to wait calmly in front of you until you give that backup cue.
Your dog can wait in a sit if that's easier! Or you can use a chin rest to have them calmly wait. But be careful that if you are using a chin rest that your removal of your hand is not the cue to start backing up! You want to either cue the backup directly from the chin rest, or take your hand away, pause, (reward in practice!) and then cue the backup.
Since many dogs will struggle with being able to process cues with their beloved rear foot target behind them, I find it easiest to start with another foot target to have them wait on. Grab a front foot target and put it far enough away that your dog can't be on both the rear and the front foot at the same time.
Here I'm working on Loot waiting for the cue to back. You can see that sometimes when he's on the front foot target he forgets about the rear foot target and what backup means! I need to do some quick reps of get a cookie on the front foot target, then backup quickly to the rear. Unfortunately, he's having a hard time this session, but hopefully it gives you an idea of a setup!
If your dog knows a chin rest, you can use that too! Keep in mind that the removal of your chin rest hand will quickly become the cue to backup if you always cue a backup after. Try to do a small chin rest, mark/reward, then present your chin rest hand again. Give the backup cue with hands starting at your side, but make sure your dog isn’t able to predict when your hands at your side will lead to a backup vs leading to another chin rest or just a cookie for waiting!
Here Mayhem then Loot demonstrate how I work to use a chin rest to help them wait. I am working on getting my hands to my side, then presenting the chin rest cue or cuing the backup. Mayhem is a bit twitchy in wanting to backup as my hand goes away and you will also see how her chin rest quality starts to deteriorate as she thinks through this exercise! Loot takes a little time to settle but then does well, although his backup is more hesitant!
Overview
1. Start with the dog in their 2o2o position.
2. Try to feed the dog several cookies while they keep their rear feet on the target. Gradually move your cookie hand further for each reward. Try to get at least three rewards in before they come off!
3. If the dog moves off the target, reset them back onto the target.
4. Over several sessions see the dog start to stretch to keep their feet on the target!! At this point, you might see occasional one step backups!
5. Once your dog is consistently backing up to the target, make sure you start to reward them for the 2o2o position, but then also release them to a cookie in your hand at a small distance so you can set their start point.
6. Wait for the cue!! For the dog to truly understand what backup means, they have to get out of offering mode and pay attention to what your cue actually is! Have your dog wait in either a sit position or on another target until you give the backup cue.
A sampling of what prior students have said about this course ...
The sport of obedience never interested me before. But when looking for my next class, I read the summary of Laura's class. It sounded interesting, it was a foundation class so I was confident I could do it so I gave it a shot. Now I'm in love with the sport of obedience. I love Laura. She was fun, her instructions were clear, plenty of videos to watch for examples. She gave us options and made her expectations clear. She always found something to reinforce but at the same time coached us to be better. I will definitely be taking Laura's level 2 in December and hope for another Gold spot
I am so glad I took the TEAM class this term. The course material was extensive and well organized. I feel we have made good progress towards our level 1 certification. Laura provided very awesome videos and comments which were detailed and easy to follow. You'll definitely want this course in your library!
Two exercises for this class -- pivot and backup -- were ones I have struggled to teach my dogs for literally years. With this class, I had improvement on both in MINUTES
Taking my first class at Fenzi Academy was an incredible experience start to finish! My instructor was incredibly knowledgeable and was helpful to my individual needs. When I ran into road blocks with my dog's progress and nothing was working, she came up with solutions for my guy that were positive! This is one place that you can find just about any sport you could possibly want to learn with your dog and I'm excited to continue this adventure with my whole canine family! Lori R.
Thanks Laura and well done! You did a brilliant job considering the huge amount of information you had to impart and the range of different skills you were teaching. The clear breaking down of each skill into smaller steps in the lecture notes (and each step with its own demonstration video) was perfect. I'll be referring back to your lecture notes for a long long time to come!
Laura has helped me in so many ways throughout this class. She is quick to respond to class homework. Her comments are always positive and she always gives detailed instructions. Laura has a real gift for catching the "little things " that need improvement, and motivate me to do the extra work necessary to improve my skills. Her gentle guidance has helped me become a better trainer.
She could see my shy boy for his sensitivity yet being eager. She re-directed us in ways that helped and supported him without over-energizing or shutting him down. And with just 2 silver videos, not 6 weeks of staring at us!!
Laura gives the most amazing detailed feedback. She has an excellent eye and can tell right away what will help a team succeed.
Registration
Next session starts: April 1, 2025Registration starts: March 22, 2025Registration ends: April 15, 2025
Instructor: Laura Waudby
