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
N120J 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.
NW335 Nosework Handling
Have you ever walked out of a search wondering whether your handling got in the way of a better performance?
Why choose us?
We offer a variety of online training solutions designed to help you and your furry friend achieve success
Our testimonials
Don't just take our word for it — see what our clients say about their experience working with us.
This is the first online class I have taken. Although I took it at the bronze level, I was amazed at how much I got out of it and couldn't wait to try the exercises and share them with my training partners. As an inexperienced handler with little competition experience, I was nervous. There was no need to worry. Denise accepts her students, canine and human, right where they are. She is very clear that you don’t have to keep up, make comparisons or master it all in the 6 week session. Her feedback is prompt, frequent and right to the point. As she discusses areas that need work, she is encouraging and reinforcing. I always felt like wagging my tail and working harder after every interchange. Getting to know and watch the other students is fun and instructive. I am looking forward to taking classes regularly through the Fenzi Academy. And I highly recommend that you go for the gold!
Read all testimonialsLove the Fenzi Academy! It's great that finally there is a place where force free trainers can get good, detailed instruction, support and be part of a community. The material covered is up to date and fully relevant - no 'hocus pocus' just good, solid science and understanding of dog behviour. Also love the online FB groups; everyone is so supportive!
Read all testimonialsA great course - so worthwhile for teams at all different levels. Even at bronze I found it to be fantastic. It felt like it was personal instruction for me - for both of my dogs, each very different. Taking courses from the Fenzi Academy gives you a chance to "work" with many different highly skilled/positive instructors and even today it isn't easy to find that many trainers who are primarily positive at competition levels. I feel like I come away with a new skills or insights from each class I take (4 so far).
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