A Conversation with Denise Fenzi Part 1: A Humane Approach to Building Behavior Chains

K9 Detection Collaborative

What to listen for:

“If I cannot, in five repetitions, isolate a variable down and get it where I want it, I do need to stop. That doesn't mean the next time we'll be successful. What that tells me is, don't do the same thing again and again and again. And there's been a lot of variation. Isolate that variable. It looks good now. Put it back in a chain, it doesn't look good. What have I done wrong?”

In part one of this two-part discussion, Robin Greubel and Crystal Wing sit down with special guest Denise Fenzi, a trainer and educator who specializes in building cooperation, joy, and extreme precision in competition dog sports teams.

“Patterns lead to confidence. Unpredictable leads to listening.”

Famous for breaking down complex concepts into bite-sized lessons, Denise does a deep dive into a training philosophy that stresses adaptability and prioritizing the dog’s wellbeing. She discusses how to build your dog’s vocabulary via strategic repetition, as well as her approach to encouraging or disrupting behavioral patterns during training.

“The more ways you generalize the behavior, the better the dog gets at those behaviors.”

Denise shares why tools like choke chains and e-collars might be a thing of the past, and why tailored, humane options like aversives better enhance understanding and cooperation between you and your dog–which in turn fosters a bond built on trust and respect rather than pain and fear.

“A behavior chain is simply a bunch of behaviors strung together, so you have to get comfortable with degrees of messiness.”

Finally, Denise unravels the complexities of behavior chains and the balance between instinctual behaviors and structured learning. She walks us through the art of rewarding gradual progress and adapting training techniques to maintain a dog's confidence.

Key Topics:

• Denise’s Training Methodology (06:29)
• Applying Micro Behaviors To Full Training Scenarios (20:22)
• Generalizing Behaviors (25:36)
• Drive Versus Arousal (35:27)

Resources:

• Fenzi Dog Sports Academy

We want to hear from you:

• Check out the K9 Detection Collaborative FB page and comment on the episode post!
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• Crystal Wing K9 Coach can be found here at CB K9 and here at Evolution Working Dog Club. Also, check out her Functional Obedience Class here.
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