FF275 Coming Together: Reliable Recalls for Real Life

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.

Course Details

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.

Teaching Approach:

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.

Syllabus

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!

  • Rewards vs. Distractions: Evaluating what matters to your dog
  • Foundations for a Great Recall
  • Choosing a Final Behavior
  • Games: Collar grabs, buffet feeding, no fail recalls, the get it game, the chase game

Week 2: Building Drive to Come

  • The $100 Bet
  • Games: Restrained Recalls, Hide & Seek, Choose to Check In, Focus Games

Week 3: The Importance of Choice

  • The Importance of Choice
  • Games: Bowl game, dead/inaccessible toy, recall off a person (if available), recall of a closed container

Week 4: Adding Distractions

  • Moving things - oh my!
  • Flirt pole recalls
  • Foundations - Recall off another dog (if available)
  • Chase game outside (added distraction)

Week 5: Taking It Into the Real World

  • Choosing Your Next Location
  • Acclimation & Focus Games Out and About: How do they compare to your baseline?
  • Chase Game + Get It Game Out & About

Week 6: Proofing & Continuing to Build the Skill

  • Work up to calling off treats
  • New locations and new places (sniff spots, public areas, etc)
  • Continuing to Build Your Skills

Prerequisites & Supplies

40ft Long line or large fenced space for last few weeks of class Flirt Pole (homemade is fine! Can do most exercises with a toy on a leash, if a flirt pole is not available) Lots of treats! Inaccessible container (example: plastic box with holes drilled/cut into it) Your dog

Instructors

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)...

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Registration

Choose the plan that fits your goals and start learning at your own pace.

Gold

$260

Enrollment limit: 12

  • Access to all lectures and homework forums discussion
  • Read all posted questions and answers
  • Watch all posted videos
  • Post general questions to discussion forum
  • Submit written assignments
  • Post dog specific questions
  • Post videos (unlimited)
  • Receive instructor feedback

Registration dates:

May 22, 2026 - June 15, 2026

Silver

$130

Enrollment limit: 25

  • Access to all lectures and homework forums discussion
  • Read all posted questions and answers
  • Watch all posted videos
  • Post general questions to discussion forum
  • Post dog specific questions (video only)
  • Post videos (up to 2)
  • Receive instructor feedback

Registration dates:

May 22, 2026 - June 15, 2026

Bronze

$65

Enrollment limit: Unlimited

  • Access to all lectures and homework forums discussion
  • Read all posted questions and answers
  • Watch all posted videos

Registration dates:

May 22, 2026 - June 15, 2026

Scholarship available! Apply here

Why choose us?

We offer a variety of online training solutions designed to help you and your furry friend achieve success

World Class Trainers

Learn from professionals with years of experience in canine behavior

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Proven methods

Science-backed positive reinforcement techniques that actually work

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Personalized approach

Programs tailored to your dog’s unique needs and personality

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Engaging lessons

Keep training exciting with interactive exercises and games

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FAQ

Explore the questions we get asked most often and find out everything you need for a smooth experience with us.

Our testimonials

Don't just take our word for it — see what our clients say about their experience working with us.

This course gave me an arsenal of tools to use in the upcoming months. I don't know how the instructor stayed on top of all of our homework but she did and then some. You will get the most out of this if you are not afraid to post your failures and risk looking foolish.

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I'm addicted to the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy! I have never been dissatisfied with any course that I've taken at FDSA. My list of classes that I’ve taken there just gets longer and longer. Fantastic course material and fantastic Instructors! And the courses available just keep growing. After studying at FDSA, I will never take an on-line course somewhere else ..... unless, and only if, it has a full course description and a syllabus (like FDSA). Love FDSA's course syllabus! But, it's very unlikely that I will be interested in another on-line academy! I'm really pleased with the online auditing experience and will do so again. Thank you!

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If you live in an area where finding an appropriate positive based class is a struggle then I strongly urge one to sign up with the Fenzi Dog Sport Academy. The on line instructors I have had thus far have been outstanding. Their dedication to their students shines thru and the learning one achieves surpasses many classes that I have taken in other schools. I recommend and prefer the gold level however I have also taken a bronze level course and was satisfied with what I learnt.

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