Julie Symons, Faculty (Foundations, Nosework, Obedience)
Main info
Julie Symons (she/her) has been involved in dog sports for over 30 years. Starting with her mix, Dreyfus, in flyball, she went on to train and compete in conformation, agility, obedience, herding and tracking with her first Belgian tervuren, Rival. Rival was the first CH OTCH MACH Belgian Tervuren and they competed and placed in many regional and national events, winning Ultimate Dog (High Combined in Utility and Agility) and repeat 60 weave pole champs at the All Star tournament in 2002.
One of Julie’s favorite things is a versatile team! She truly believes that participating in multiple sports is enriching to both person and dog and builds on that mutual partnership and trust. Nosework is an ideal sport to compliment your other activities. It’s intrinsically motivating for the dog and it’s also pretty cool to have a pet detection dog! Julie has also gone HIT in 4 different sports with 3 dogs (Obedience, Agility, Nosework and Herding).
Julie currently shares her life with 4 dogs.
Savvy, Belgian Tervuren, who is now retired at 16.5, earned a CH, MACH2, UD, TDX, VCD3 and the following nose/scent work titles: ELT-CH, SWN, SIM, SCE, SEE, L2C, L1V, L2I. Earning their TDX and competing in nosework intensified Julie's love for scent sports! Savvy is my 3rd dog living to 16 years old!
Drac, an 8 yeard old Belgian Malinois, continues the versatility work having earned his TDX, HSAd, MX, MXJ, and his ELT-CH nosework title. He’s my loving boy with his favorite thing being with me!
Moxie, a 5 year old active little Belgian Tervuren! She is all that I wanted! Beautiful movement and a natural at Nosework and Agility. She finished in breed CH by 1 years old with two 5 point majors, earned her HSAsd herding titles with multiple HIT and reserve HITs. She recently earned her NW ELT-CH, Tracking Dog (TD) and Excellent Agility titles.
And the newest member Harper, an 8 week old Belgian Tervuren. All of Julie's dogs keep her very busy!
Julie is a consummate learner and energetic instructor, immersing herself in everything dog training! While teaching agility in the early 2000s, she found how rewarding it was to teach and help others. The simple truth? People just really love their dogs and enjoy doing activities with them. Knowing this helps set the tone for how she runs her classes: giving students ample working time, staying positive when things get challenging, and giving more than 100 percent of her efforts toward their development.
She is also a co-creator and judge for the FDSA virtual TEAM NW program and is a retired AKC licensed Scent Work judge
In her other life, she is married and raising a teenage son. It goes to show that you can “do it all” with just a little bit of planning and smart training. Julie is also owner of Savvy Dog Sports, a local dog school that focuses on sports foundation skills and competition nosework, rally and agility training! More information can be found at: www.SavvyDogSports.com
Pronouns: Julie goes by she/her.
Julie Symons's current and upcoming courses
Developing NW Skills for Competition
You’ve learned the basics, even dabbled in some advanced skills but are you ready for competition? With so many scent detection organizations out there now (up to 11 and counting!) teams are entering competition faster than ever and moving up even faster! This class will help you be prepared and even assess IF you should be trialing yet. As we all know, a rocky foundation will not support the higher levels of any sport! The challenges and skills required at the higher levels of scent detection sports are FUN and interesting. You want to soar when you get to those levels and have the foundation to support it. Learn now what you’ll need later!
Intro to NW Search Elements
Many teams stall after initial foundations: progress slows, motivation dips, and it can feel hard to know what to train next. This course keeps you moving forward with clear structure and purposeful exercises, so you and your dog continue to build skills instead of losing steam.
Nosework Handling
In this class, handlers will learn to assess and enhance their handling skills within the context of nosework. Designed for all skill levels, this course offers a supportive environment where participants can evaluate their current handling techniques and pinpoint areas for improvement.
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FAQ
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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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