The Dog Conversations We Avoid
Fenzi Food For Thought
Rehoming dogs. Behavioral euthanasia. And the parts of these conversations we usually avoid. If you want the honest story of the dog I rehomed… you’re in the right place. Follow my training! More online training!
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Trainers Behaving Badly
Fenzi Food For Thought
Trainers behaving badly. Force-free trainers behaving badly. Balanced trainers behaving badly. And what we do when people show up poorly…especially in public spaces. This isn’t about sides. It’s about responsibility, restraint, and how much damage a single person can do…or not do…depending on how we choose to respond. Follow my training! More online training!
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The Least Aversive Option
Fenzi Food For Thought
If you use an aversive in training, is the goal to use the least aversive option, or the least aversive option that gets the job done and fits within your entire system of training? I talk about that here. Follow my training! More online training!
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The Art of Choice in Dog Training
Fenzi Food For Thought
Sometimes I’ll take choice away if I think it’s the right thing for the dogs. Sometimes I’ll give choice. And sometimes I’ll just stop working on a problem altogether… It depends. That’s what this live is about - choices I make for Tye, depending on the circumstance. Follow my training! More online training!
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Are Dogs Really More Anxious Today? …And Other Things We Can’t Actually Know
Fenzi Food For Thought
If we make a blanket statement like, “dogs are more anxious today than they used to be”, or “more dogs are being euthanized then were in the past”… How do you know that? And if it is true, how are you isolating the variables that might be contributing, in order to conclude that the one you’ve identified is the relevant one? Because often we make statements which rely on a foundation that is not knowable, or at least least unknown at this time. Follow my training! More online training!
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Punishment in Training: Does Safety Justify It?
Fenzi Food For Thought
Does adding punishers to training make sense when safety is a consideration? Follow my training! More online training!
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The "Click" and Training the Dog in Front of You
Fenzi Food For Thought
Why do I both click and then use a location specific marker with Tye? I explain it here, with Xen making a cameo appearance to demonstrate! And then a few thoughts about training the dog in front of you, and why I train different dogs differently. Follow my training! More online training!
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Reading Stress in Dogs
Fenzi Food For Thought
Signs of stress all have normal variants that are not distress at all; remember that every time you’re analyzing a dog for signs of stress! and… I talked a bit about my new dog Tye. He’s making an incredible amount of progress; much faster than I could’ve predicted. That’s genetics and resilience at work. Follow my training! More online training!
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The Depth of Behavior Challenges
Fenzi Food For Thought
I’ve been noticing more honesty in the dog training world on IG lately… trainers from all camps admitting that some behavior issues aren’t “fixed” but managed for life. I love seeing balance trainers share setbacks a year later, and force free trainers talking about acceptance and structure (management) rather than change. We also talked about the depth of behavior challenges… not just is your dog sound sensitive, but HOW sound sensitive? Experience matters in how we show up online—and in how much empathy we bring to tough cases. Follow my training! More online training!
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About That Stress Inoculation...
Fenzi Food For Thought
Your dog lives such an stress-free life that you have to add more for their own good?! I talk a little bit about my dog’s lives here today. Plenty of stress, whether I want it there or not. Follow my training! More online training!
info_outlineBeing a positive reinforcement extremist has nothing to do with how you train dogs.
It’s about how you treat people.
This live dives into how R+ has evolved beyond training methods—shaping how we engage, communicate, and show up in the dog training community.
Follow my training!
More online training!