Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - DS180: Introduction to Shed Antler Hunting

Course Details

Searching for and retrieving antlers- either as a pursuit in the wild or for competition- is one of the fastest growing activities that appeals to a large variety of dogs. In this class, I'll provide you with a roadmap of how to get from zero experience to a fully functional shed antler hunting dog, ready for entry level trials and tests!

This class is best suited for dogs who already have some interest in retrieving (any item! The class helps transfer basic retrieve interest into a love of retrieving antlers specifically!)- and who can be outside in open spaces off leash or on a long line without wandering off. Over the six weeks of class, we'll work to build all the sport specific skills from there- splitting out all of the individual types of challenges that your dog will need to know in a trial or hunting situation and building on them progressively. From understanding how to set up training scenarios to avoid human scent contamination to carrying large awkward antlers, visual and scent searches, working with multiple hides, and using wind direction to assist in your searching pattern- you'll get a full training plan that you can use to build skills in logical layers.

By the end of the class, a dog who has worked through all the progressive skill set ups will be ready for entry level competition- I will provide two different types of virtual testing 'mock trials' for the students to test out, which can later be submitted to the appropriate organizations if desired!

Teaching Approach

At the start of each week, all lectures will be released so that students are able to plan for the amount of homework for that week. Each lecture will contain detailed written directions, diagrams, and demonstration videos. Students are encouraged to plan for short, but regular training sessions throughout the week.

Feedback for gold and silver students is detailed and encouraging- typically, the feedback is provided in written form but occasionally screenshots with markups or video demos are provided in order to help clarify next steps. You will receive feedback on what is going RIGHT as well as what needs changing.

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: Erin Lynes

Erin (she/her) is a lifelong dog enthusiast from Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada. Erin is certified as a Karen Pryor Academy Training Partner, a Certified Profesional Canine Fitness Trainer, a Licenced Family Dog Mediator, and as a Cani-Fit Leader, ...(Click here for full bio and to view Erin's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

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Pre-Class Lectures:

Supplies and Spaces
Identifying a SHED antler

Week 1

What is Shed Antler Hunting
Team Roles
Foundation Skills for the Course
Retrieve Pattern
Generalizing the Retrieve
NOW Antlers

Week 2

Reading Your Dog
Reading YOUR Dog
Startline Rituals
Search Pattern
Generalizing Antler Retrieves

Week 3

Building Independence
Trial vs Hunting
Scent and Contamination
Visual Searches
Outside Searches
Trials Overview: NASDA

Week 4

Searches by Scent
Antler Finding Hot Spots
Wind
Adding Handler Movement
Introducing Multiples
Searching for Multiples
Trials Overview: NASHDA

Week 5

Wild Hunting- Tips and Tricks
More Drills!
Mastering Multiples
True Blinds
Trials Overview: UKC Elite Shed Dog Series

Week 6

Advanced Challenges
Additional Search Patterns
Trials Overview: NDS
Mock Virtual Shed Antler Test Run Through

Prerequisites & Supplies

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Prerequisites:

Basic retrieve (I'll help you get your dog started on antlers, but your dog should already be eager to retrieve some other item so that we can transfer the kill- doesn't have to be a formal retrieve or even a retrieve to hand- picking up any item and bringing it near the handler will do!)
A solid stay/station behavior is helpful- alternatively, you can use a crate or a helper for some training exercises so that your dog is able to watch your set up without interfering.

Supplies:

Antlers for training. At least two, ideally of the species you are most likely to be searching for (or if planning to trial, you'll want deer antlers)
- Pet store antler chews can be used for early lessons, and are a good idea if your dog is smaller, young, or tends to take some time to adapt to new retrieve items
- Full-size antlers- don't have to be fancy or fresh. Ask in local hunting groups for 'ugly' or 'old' sheds or unwanted antlers from harvested animals, and check marketplace, or ebay. There may be authorized shed antler buyers in your area which are good contacts. Note that purchasing antlers may have legal restrictions in some areas, check your local regulations- this is less likely to be the case with antlers that have been shed vs harvested but you still need to check and may need to have antlers given to you for free if purchase is prohibited.
- Some exercises can use rubber training antlers in lieu of real antlers. If you are struggling to get real antlers, get at least 2-3 rubber antlers AND at least one of the largest pet store antler chews you can find. Available at various hunting stores and pet stores like this one in Canada and this one in the US.
Rack Wax or Bone Clone (scented wax used in trials- not necessary if you plan to hunt for wild shed antlers only) - Available from some hunting supply stores and amazon
Baking Soda (if training for practical hunting)
latex gloves (if training for practical hunting)
5 gallon bucket (if training for practical hunting)
A few antler-sized tree branches
Access to an outdoor training space

Sample Lecture

Quartering Search Pattern Drill

With visible antlers, spread them out 30 yards or more apart, into the wind, alternating from side to side. Set the dog up aiming at the nearest one and send them when they are locked on. Party and reward when they retrieve it, then turn to aim at the next one. Your goal with this pattern is that the dog begins to predict that the next antler is going to be forward and to the side and begins to develop a quartering pattern on their own. You can run this drill regularly, and aim to minimize your back-and-forth handler path until you are walking the center line into the wind while your dog maintains the left-right quartering action.

Note: If your antler supply is limited, you can use 'antler-shaped sticks' in place of a couple of antlers in this drill. Always change the location of the sticks for each run through though- we want to make sure our dogs is always motivated to maintain the pattern and not accidentally trained to bypass areas because he knows they have a fake! Those branches are not meant to be retrieved by the way.... their use is a to visually draw the dog over which will help maintain the zig-zag pattern, so if you are using these, they need to be visible rather than concealed from view.

Here Mezzy is doing her first quartering drill. Unfortunately, there was NO wind right at that moment so it made things a little trickier- however, the short grass allowed her to see the antlers pretty easily. (In fact, she sa the 2nd one before the first one and just goes straight there- not a big deal, we just zigged back over to the first one after she finished the retrieve).

Because there was no wind, I decided to set the quartering drill up again exactly in reverse of the first run. If there is wind, you would be better off to go back to the original starting point and run it in the same direction again. Here, you can already see she is ranging a bit more each time we change direction and then looking to the next side for the next antler. I will want to run this here a few more times and then to progress this start fading out my side to side motion and let her do that part more independently.

Testimonials & Reviews

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

I just wanted to say thank-you for all your instruction during this course. I think it has been my favourite FDSA course that we've taken to date. I'm hoping this fall to make time to get out to the more remote areas for searches and adventures!

Erin, thank you so much for your wonderful instruction and coaching! We had an amazing time in this class!

I loved this course and the time just flew by. It was easy to follow and had just the right amount of homework to work on. Any questions I had were answered both promptly and thoroughly. My dog and I both had a lot of fun doing this course and I would love to do further courses of this nature. Well put together!

This class was brilliantly paced, breaking down all parts so well for the students. I valued Erin's feedback so much and have been able to make great progress in the area I wanted to thanks to this class. I so hope it runs again because it really helped me tons.

I cannot recommend the course highly enough. Each stage was beautifully broken down. There was tons of information for people wanting to compete in the sport. I joined to work on giving my little dog something to do in areas where she can smell deer rather than going off on her own to find the deer. Erin gave such brilliant advice for students!

Thank you for teaching such a fun class that gave my dog and I so much joy. We needed this with all of the challenges she's had in life. We'll be practicing and getting better with this!

We're having so much fun with this - thank you Erin for all of the time and effort you put into this class. It's been super fun! I hope to "see" Erin in another class at some point!

Thank you so much for this class! I had a great time and learned a lot. You were a great instructor and it was fun to see everyone else's progress, adorable dogs and interesting outdoor settings.

Registration

Next session starts: April 1, 2025
Registration starts: March 22, 2025
Registration ends: April 15, 2025

Registration opens at 9:30am Pacific Time.

DS180 Subscriptions

	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Tuition	$ 260.00	$ 130.00	$ 65.00
Enrollment Limits	10	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.

DS180: Introduction to Shed Antler Hunting

DS180: Introduction to Shed Antler Hunting

Course Details

Teaching Approach

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