There’s nothing better than seeing your dog joyfully running full speed toward you just because you called their name... Except maybe when they do it at a busy dog park — or when they turn away from a deer mid-hike to choose you instead.
There’s nothing better than seeing your dog joyfully running full speed toward you just because you called their name... Except maybe when they do it at a busy dog park — or when they turn away from a deer mid-hike to choose you instead.
Of course, the reverse is also true. Few things feel worse than calling your dog and watching them continue at full speed in the opposite direction.
Whether you’re just getting started teaching a recall or want to rebuild and strengthen one that isn’t as reliable as you’d like, this class is for you.
Over six weeks, we’ll teach a real-life recall from the ground up, focusing on helping dogs want to come to us and choose to stay engaged once they arrive. This is not a formal obedience recall. The emphasis is on relationship, reliability, and practical skills that translate directly to everyday life. We’ll build a strong reinforcement history for coming together, create clarity around what happens after your dog reaches you, and gradually introduce real-world distractions.
This class will give you a clear, step-by-step approach to teaching a recall you can trust.
Note: This class is not designed to rehab dogs who chase cars or extreme cases of chasing prey — for that, I recommend Tracy McLennan’s class. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to Melissa directly.
This class will take a step by step approach. Each step will have written instructions with a corresponding video of each step. Videos tend to be short, with the occasional video that is a bit longer demonstrating one piece at a time.
Lectures are released weekly, at the beginning of each — then students work at their own pace. Feedback will mostly be written, however for gold students I will occasionally do a screen recording if I think the student might benefit from feedback on timing.
This is the first time this class has run, so lecture order and syllabus is likely to evolve as the class runs based on student skills and needs.
Week 1: Beginning of a Good Recall - Make it Fun!
Week 2: Building Drive to Come
Week 3: The Importance of Choice
Week 4: Adding Distractions
Week 5: Taking It Into the Real World
Week 6: Proofing & Continuing to Build the Skill
Melissa (she/her) is FDSA's resident marketing geek. She teaches several marketing classes here at FDSA, including: Marketing for Pet Professionals and Building a Wordpress Website. In addition to her marketing classes, Melissa teaches FDSA's Treibball Classes and workshops. (Click here for full bio and to view Melissa's upcoming courses)...
Enrollment limit: 12
Registration dates:
May 22, 2026 - June 15, 2026
Enrollment limit: 25
Registration dates:
May 22, 2026 - June 15, 2026
Enrollment limit: Unlimited
Registration dates:
May 22, 2026 - June 15, 2026
Scholarship available! Apply here
We offer a variety of online training solutions designed to help you and your furry friend achieve success

Explore the questions we get asked most often and find out everything you need for a smooth experience with us.
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.
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 for 6 week courses outside of this period.
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.
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