Faculty & Staff

Julie Symons

Julie Symons (she/her) has been involved in dog sports for over 25 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 3 dogs. Savvy who is now retired, 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!

She also shares her household with her Belgian Malinois Drac, continuing the versatility work having earned his TD, HSAd, OA, OAJ and his ELT-2 nosework title. The newest member of the family is her young terv Moxie. Finishing her breed CH and NW1 titles at 1 years old, they have racked up a few more titles, earning their Open Agility titles OA and OAJ, her NW3-Elite and her HSAd herding title. 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.

"We throughly enjoyed Nosework with Julie. She was a patient and kind instructor who really cared about how we did. The lectures were interesting and easy to understand and Julie was quick to respond with encouraging and helpful replies. Thanks Julie :) Sherri R."

"Julie is a gifted and extremely caring teacher, both for dogs and humans. "

"You are a great instructor and very patient with all of us students! Your lectures are well written and you were very prompt to answer questions and comment on videos. I appreciate everything you did for me in this class! "

"NW130 was one of the best classes Ive taken yet. It was so perfect for our skill level and Julie gave us SO much help. I hope she teaches many more classes at FDSA. She's not only an awesome trainer but she's also an awesome individual."

"Julie is a phenomenal instructor, meeting each student where she is and helping us to move forward. Initially I signed up for this class at Bronze, as I didn't feel we were quite ready. I upgraded to Gold. Am I glad I did! I learned so much from Julie's clear, concise instructions and examples. And even though we didn't get through all of the lessons, we have a clear path for moving ahead. Thanks, Julie! Jolynn W."

"Julie provided prompt, detailed analysis and well reasoned and tailored recommendations for each student. She definitely wanted to see her students succeed in whatever phase of nosework they were doing - so she provided very helpful suggestions for preparing for various upcoming trials."

"Julie was so awesome and supportive.... She was one of the main reasons why Judd and I passed NW2!! She always had an encouraging word and comstructive help."

"Julie is the best instructor I have had at FDSA. She is an amazing woman, and is truly passionate about nose work. Every time I take a nose work class my dog and myself come out ahead. The instructors are awesome, they make you want to work your dog to the best they can. 5 stars from me. Nancy Steinbrecher "