We have the following paid learning products:

Six-week-long classes: These are broken into three levels that range in price from $65-$260. These sessions run every second month (beginning on the 1st) with a different set of available classes. If you can stick around and stay engaged for six weeks, they are your best value. Classes are a combination of written lectures and video examples released over the six week period. There is no set class time and the lecture information can be viewed at your convenience during the six weeks. The instructor videos illustrate the lecture rather than being the lecture.

Self-Study Classes:  These are priced at $50 are primarily are classes that have been previously taught in our six-week-long class format but are no longer offered in that format by the instructor.   The self-study versions include all of the course materials provided by the instructor and generally contain written lectures with video examples.  Students will have access to all of the course lectures after purchase.  There is no access to the instructor and there are no class forums.

FDSA Workshops: These are broken into two price levels; $29.95 or $39.95. The higher price point allows you to submit questions and a video for instructor review. The lower price point allows you to ask questions. Workshops involve a prerecorded lecture of about an hour in length which is always released on a Sunday and can be viewed at your convenience. The instructor will include specific steps for the students to attempt with their own dogs to learn the skill under consideration. The following Sunday student submissions, both videos and questions, are due to the instructor. The instructor then creates another recording to answer your questions and review videos. These are an excellent option for students who find it too difficult to stay motivated and on track with a full six week long class, and also a great option for students who need feedback but cannot afford a gold spot in a six week long class.

Webinars: Webinars have one price point of $19.95. They are run on Thursday evenings at 3pm or 6pm Pacific time. Webinars take a topic and look at a specific and narrow slice of that topic, OR they give an overview of a topic. If you attend live, you may ask questions after the lecture. All students will receive the recording into their webinar library about two days later.

Pet Dog Training On Demand: Our on Demand Pet Dog Training Presentations are available individually at $18.95, in Starter Packs of 2 for $29.95, as Combo 6 Packs for $65 or as an entire set for $260. These presentations address important pet dog life skills in approximately one hour long videos. These videos will be stored in your Class and Workshop library under Self-Study.

Pet Professional Workshops:  These on-demand videos have only one price point at $19.95. They include a prerecorded lecture of about an hour in length and a feedback video reviewing prior student questions and homework. PPP workshops assume a professional trainer, but it is not required! Anyone can take these workshops and apply the materials to their personal situation. The topics in the PPP program tend to focus on house manners, general pet skills and behavior. There is also a heavy emphasis on how to teach others most effectively. These workshops are found on the Pet Dog Training page.

To register for any of these paid options go to the FDSA website. Log in. Look at the black bar at the top and you will find each one; 6 week courses, webinars, Pet Dog Training, FDSA workshops. Pick what you want and go from there!

We offer three enrollment levels for our courses.  They differ in the amount of interaction with the course instructors and other students.

Gold Level Access  

Access to all course lecture and video materials.
The ability to post questions and videos specific to your dog in the homework forum.
The ability to participate with other gold or silver students in the class discussion forum.
Instructor feedback on both written questions and video assignments.
Price = $260

Silver Level Access

Access to all course lecture and video materials.
The ability to participate with other gold or silver students in the class discussion forum.
The ability to post general clarification questions on course materials to the class discussion forum.
The ability to post general clarification questions regarding gold student threads to the class discussion forum.
The ability to submit a total of two, one-minute videos for instructor feedback.
Any questions about your dog/situation MUST be accompanied by the allotted allowable videos.
Price = $130

Bronze Level Access

Access to all course lecture and video materials.
The ability to read all questions and answers posted in the class homework and discussion forums.
Bronze students will not post questions or submit written or video assignments.
Bronze students will not have any feedback from the course instructor.
Price = $65

Classes are six weeks long.  During that period, you will have complete 24-hour access and may access the materials at your convenience.  After class ends, homework and discussion forums are locked and you will have read access for approximately six more weeks before they are removed. We do not transfer or archive any forum materials.   All instructor lecture materials will transfer to your acitve Class and Workshop library after class completes. (see info on library pass for time limits).

Each student is automatically given a library pass for one year from the point of enrollment in a course (including workshops and self-study classes). When a course is completed the instructor lecture materials will be moved to the "library" and can be viewed as long as your library pass is active. You can keep your library pass current by enrolling in at least one class or workshop a year.  If a student does not make a purchase within one year then their library goes into "hibernation".  Access to your library can be restored by purchasing a new course/workshop/self-study item or students may choose to purchase a library pass for $25. Please note that the forum portion of classes is not included in your library pass; that material is removed six weeks after class ends. 

Please note that under very rare circumstances that are beyond the control of FSDA, it can happen that a class is removed from the library, or video links may end up broken. If this happens FDSA will not provide a refund or credit. When you sign up for a class, you are paying for the "live" version of the class, which includes the lecture materials, the forums, and the instructor feedback. The library is a courtesy which we provide, but for which we do not take responsibility. We encourage students to take courses when they have the time to work through the material.

Our Thursday night Webinars also have a library system with the same properties as the classes/workshops but it is a separate library. A class/workshop will activate the class/workshop library but will not extend access for any webinar purchases. Similarly a webinar purchase will not renew access to you course/workshop library.

Registration opens on the 22nd of the month preceding the course start date (ie March 22 for courses beginning April 1st)  and close on the 15th day of the month the session has started (ie April 15 for courses starting April 1st).  You cannot register outside of this period.  Please see the Enrollment and Refunds tab here in the FAQs for more information on registration.

Scholarships are offered to students who do not feel they can afford the full tuition, but who have a sincere interest in expanding their skills as a dog sport trainer.  Scholarships are offered in the form of a 50% tuition credit at the Bronze level.  To apply, select the Scholarships link from the top menu (under new students) or click this link.  We ask that if you are on a scholarship, you limit yourself to one class.  There are a maximum of three scholarships per student permitted in a calendar year.

Students will receive a detailed information email upon registration that contains useful information on accessing your course and other useful links.  To access your registered course you will need to log in using the Student Login Box on the top right corner of the home page.  You will then see new menu items as purple buttons including My Courses, My Forums, and My Library. Lecture materials for the courses you are enrolled in can be accessed by clicking on Current Courses and Workshops.  Forum access is under the Homework and Discussion Forums link. These items can also be accessed by clicking on the drop down menu next to your name (purple box) in the top right corner.  Please note the Quick Links options in the top header black bar which allows you to easily access between lectures, homework forum and discussion forum after you have entered your class.   Click here for access to video tutorials about our classes and forums.

Yes.  We suggest all students go to the classroom forums and find the discussion forum thread called “Class Announcements”.  Open that thread and click the “subscribe” button in the upper left hand corner.  This will allow you to be notified by email every time a new lecture is released.  You may also opt to subscribe to threads in the gold homework forum.

Your username is emailed to you when you first sign up for a class - be sure to check your spam filter as sometimes emails from Fenzi Academy get flagged as spam. If you still cannot find your username, click the "Forgot Username" link in the login box, then enter the email address that you used to sign up for the class. Your username will be emailed to you.

Click the "Forgot Password" link in the Login Box, then enter the email address that you used to subscribe for a class. You will receive an email from Fenzi Academy with a reset code. If you do not receive an email with a reset code, check your spam filter as sometimes emails from Fenzi Academy get flagged as spam. You will use your username  (not email) and the reset code to regain access to your account. You can then choose a new password.  If you continue to have problems please email your desired password to help@fenziacademy.com and we can reset your information for you.

All of our classes are online.    The instructor will begin posting written lectures with video examples on the first day of the session.   The schedule of lectures will depend on the individual instructor and how they feel they can best present the information.   Some will release once a week and others will release more often.   You can view the lectures at any time of day or night.   Your participation would depend on what level of course purchase you make (gold, silver, bronze).

We encourage new students to watch the first two videos on this page What Will You Find in Your Class.

See our suggested courses of study here.

Every instructor has been hand-picked by Denise Fenzi for their success in dog sports, quality as a trainer of both dogs and people, and in some cases, their academic qualifications (especially when teaching a dog behavior course).  In many cases, the instructors are already well known in the dog world.  For more information on our instructors, check out their biographies.

We have several classes available for self-study.  These include instructor lecture materials and video examples.  They do not include class forums.   Click here for a detailed listing of available classes.

Start by clicking on the Course Schedule link at the top of this page.  If registration is open, select the course you wish to take from the list and click on that link.  From that page, click on the registration link and choose the enrollment level you are interested in. This webpage describes the steps in more detail.

To make a prerequisite purchase, please visit our Prerequisite page during open enrollment.

Click the "Forgot Password" link in the Login Box, then enter the email address that you used to subscribe for a class. You will receive an email from Fenzi Academy with a reset code. If you do not receive an email with a reset code, check your spam filter as sometimes emails from Fenzi Academy get flagged as spam. You will use your username  (not email) and the reset code to regain access to your account. You can then choose a new password.  If you continue to have problems please email your desired password to help@fenziacademy.com and we can reset your information for you.

Your course / workshop / self-study class registration payment history is available here.  You can also find the link under My Profile on the side menu. Unfortunately, at this time we do not have a payment history available for webinar purchases.

Yes.   You are welcome to purchase a gift certificate from here.  Please read the terms and conditions carefully.

1. You request your cancellation at least four days before the class begins, AND
2. The level you are canceling has not already sold out. 

Students will receive a detailed information email upon registration that contains information on accessing your course and other useful links.  To access your registered course you will need to log in using the Student Login Box on the top right corner of the home page.  You will then see new menu items as purple buttons including My Courses, My Forums, and My Library. Lecture materials for the courses you are enrolled in can be accessed by clicking on Current Courses and Workshops. Forum access is under the Homework and Discussion Forums link. These items can also be accessed by clicking on the drop down menu next to your name (purple box) in the top right corner.  Please note the Quick Links options in the top header black bar which allows you to easily access lectures, homework forum and discussion forum after you have entered your class.   Click here for access to video tutorials about our classes and forums.

If you are a Silver status participant, you simply start a topic in the discussion forum if you have a question about the course materials or instructor feedback on one of the gold homework threads. Silvers are encouraged to participate in any/all of the Discussion Forum threads and questions.  Note that questions are restricted to "general" questions.

What does that mean?

Consider this example: Let's say you are struggling with a lecture because when you attempt the exercise, your dog gets bored after only two or three repetitions. For example, you put out a target, your dog touches it, and then 20 seconds later your dog walks away from the game.

You want to ask the instructor what to do, but you can't because that is a "my dog" question so would require a video for accurate instructor feedback. But actually - you can still ask about this situation. The phrasing is: "How might you handle this exercise if the dog gets bored relatively quickly and walks away after only two or three repetitions?"

The difference is that you have interpreted the issue and framed it. You think the dog got bored so the instructors will now answer that question. The problem with "My dog gets bored" framing is that you've included your interpretation, and a decent percentage of the time, your instructor may have a different interpretation if they actually saw it with video.

Now let's say you apply the instructor's suggestions for a "bored dog" scenario -and your dog doesn't get better. Then you might consider that you interpreted it incorrectly but that doesn't' mean it didn't work - it means you need to study the situation a bit more. So maybe your next question would be, "If you discover that the environment is too difficult for your dog to succeed for more than two or three repetitions, and you don't have space to move to an easier environment, are there options that might be a reasonable middle ground in those situations? Then the instructor will answer that generic question - maybe they will have some other ideas to consider.   

Can you see how with the right phrasing you can ask anything you want and the instructor can answer without actually seeing the dog? And how this approach provides a lot more value to the class, who now has a chance to address the root training issues rather than trying to visualize your dog? And how in this fashion you will become a much better dog trainer, as you learn to sort through the variables? 

Be sure to actually utilize your video time.  Don't wait until the very end of class.  Many times you are better served by getting those first steps right from the start!

Plus, don't forget those facebook study groups. We encourage students to use the groups similar to how golds submit homework.   Video your work, watch it and share it.  Fresh eyes from other students and teaching assistants (if available for your class) can often see what you cannot.

You may upgrade to either Silver or Gold level status, assuming that status is still available and registration has not closed.  Bronze level is intentionally kept at a very low price to allow as many people as possible to watch and learn.  Think of it like watching a TV show with a live audience rather than being in the audience.  The trade-off for the low price is that there is no way to ask a question, so please respect that and do not contact instructors privately. Due to the workload, instructors cannot answer questions that are asked outside of the forum.  

Be aware that FDSA has an extremely active presence on Facebook, and many classes have strong interactive communities in forums where class materials are discussed among each other.  If you are interested in joining the FDSA facebook community and if you are an FDSA alumni, search for Fenzi Dog Sports Academy Alumni and submit a request to join.  Be aware that we will check your eligibility against our database, so please do not ask to join if you are not a current or former student.

When class ends, all students will be encouraged to submit a survey. This is your opportunity to suggest improvements to the course materials.  In most cases, however, you will find that a Gold or Silver level participant will have already asked your question if a portion of lecture material was not sufficiently clear.

Sometimes when you sign up for several classes at once, it takes a while for the course list to refresh in your account. To speed it up, you can log out and log back in, which should cause it to refresh. If you still can't access all your courses, please email us at help@fenziacademy.com.

To find the student study group for your class on Facebook:
Go to Facebook. You must have a Facebook account.
Go to the search bar in Facebook.
Search for your class using FDSA Class# Class Name. For example FDSA FE140 Engagement

That will take you to the study group for this class. Click the "Join" button.

But wait, there's more! You will not be added to the group until you prove that you are actually in this class. To do that, you need to send a screenshot of your library that shows both your name and this class in the screenshot. That needs to be sent via Facebook messenger to one of the group admins. To find a group admin, when you get to the FB group click on members. It should show you which one is an admin. Persons using a phone app may need to click the info button then members for that information. Send a message to the admin via FB messenger attaching your screenshot.

Remember that group admins are volunteers and it may take a day or two for them to review your request. Don't know how to send a screenshot? How to take a screen shot link: www.take-a-screenshot.org/ . Alternatively take a picture of your screen with another device (phone or camera) and then message that to the admin.

So you've gotten yourself added to the study group for this class. Now what?

Introduce yourself! Tell the group a little about who you are. Now what? Keep the group posted of your progress! Talk about what you're doing and what is or is not working for you. Express your frustrations! Express your joy at your progress! And if you need help? Put up a post!

MORE TECH QUESTIONS?
We also have another FDSA student group that just might help you with your various technical problems! That is: FDSA Tech Support. www.facebook.com/groups/fdsatech/ Join that group and ask your questions on various things from the FB groups to help with submitting videos at gold.

FDSA ALUMNI GROUP
Oh dear, there's even more. Not a member of the "official" FDSA Alumni list on FB? Almost all FDSA groups on FB will check your status as an FDSA student against the alumni group on FB, so you absolutely want to join that group. There, your student email address is confirmed when you answer the two questions- which you must answer- and you will be added to that group. That alumni group can be found by searching FB for: Fenzi Dog Sports Academy Alumni Group or use this direct link www.facebook.com/groups/fdsa.alumni/

Note: If you get confused or stuck, you must ask your questions about student-run programs on the Facebook alumni group. Please do not send them directly to FDSA for help. We cannot offer additional support; these are student-run groups, and while extremely valuable, we simply don't have the resources to assist with that. Thank you!

When courses are completed the lecture material access is moved to your library.  They can be viewed by clicking on the My Course and Workshop Library option on the drop down menu under your name after you have logged in as a student. Class Homework and Discussion Forums will not transfer to your library.  For more information about library access please click here.

Click here for a picture tutorial on how to use the forums.

Here's a picture tutorial on how to add images to your posts.

The error message is likely caused by a strange character or emoticon in your forum post. It can especially happen when you copy / paste your message into the forum as sometimes the source formatting on the copy doesn't talk nicely to our forum for the pasting part. Please remove any emoticons and see if that makes a difference.

Another possible problem may be how you are typing in your running time. Sometimes if you use a lot of brackets or symbols the system gets confused. Try typing in something like Week 2 - total time is 3:50 instead of a formula with brackets or symbols and see if that fixes it.

You might also consider consider clearing your browser cache or restarting your computer. If you still have issues then send an email to help@fenziacademy.com.

1. Are you in the range of the camera?  Laying down ground poles and testing this before you start can save you the heartache of taking an entire video, only to realize that you were walking in and out of range the whole time.
2. Is there unnecessary footage?  Editing the video down to the part you want the instructor to see will give you the best feedback on your video.  It's not necessary to add words, special fades, or anything else, but clipping the beginning and end will make your video more compact.  Most of the time a 1 - 2 minute video is more than sufficient to target the relevant behaviors for review.
3. Is the lighting sufficient and the video lens clean? Your videos do not need to be movie quality, but the easier it is to see, the better the feedback you will receive.
4. As a rule, several videos over the course of the week is far preferable to one long video.  Watching a student's progress every other day for a few minutes will yield the best results.  

YouTube Signup: How to Make an Account

How to Upload Videos to YouTube

If you are having problems viewing videos linked in the course lectures or posted by other students, you may need to upgrade the Flash player on your computer. Take a look at this site for instructions.

• Go to your YouTube channel. 
• Click on the video.
• Under the video itself, right under the progress bar, there's a row of black buttons.
• Click the left-most button that looks like a pencil and says "Info and Settings" if you mouse over it. 
• This will take you to a screen where you can set the title, description, and other settings for the video.
• On the right side, there's a drop list called "Privacy settings." Click on that and choose "Unlisted."

• Webinars will each be about an hour long 
• Webinars will each cost US$19.95 
• At the end of the LIVE webinar, we will offer time for Q&A
• Live webinars are offered on Thursdays at 3pm PT and 6pm PT
• New webinars will likely show up on the calendar on the FDSA site first, followed by on the Webinars page once they are available to purchase.
• When you register, you'll receive 2 emails - a receipt, and details on how to access the live webinar. If youare a current student, you can access the link to the live webinar in your student account under My Webinars. If you don't receive those please send an email to allthethings@fenziacademy.com so we can make sure everything is correct.

All webinars are based on "San Francisco" time. You can click here to see what time it is now in San Francisco, or click here to figure out the exact time by date. 

Recorded webinars are hosted in your student account for viewing under "My Webinars".  If you are a new student an account will be created for you as part of your purchase and details will be emailed to you.  Recorded webinars will be in your webinars library for a year from the purchase date; your library will renew each time you purchase a new webinar. 

Note: The webinar library is separate from the class library; buying a class does not renew your webinar library, and buying a webinar will not renew your class library.  

Video to demonstrate how to access your webinar recordings in your library:

No, our instructors are worldwide.  All of our programs are online. Our administration is based in the USA.  

We do not offer telephone support.  

Yes!  Fenzi Academy has an extremely active Facebook presence.  There are several lists designed for FDSA current students and alumni. The main list is called "Fenzi Dog Sports Academy Alumni".  From there, you can learn about many other lists that will support students with a variety of goals and interests.  There are also a variety of student-run discussion forums to assist each other with their classwork.  Feel free to join the lists after you have signed up for a class!

Dog Sports Camp refers to our annual in-person conference!  Please refer to our Camp page for more information https://fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/self-study/camp.