The Fur and Feather Blog

Container Palooza Sniff N’ Go

May 11, 2023 No Comments

Join us at Fur and Feather Works for a super fun sniff n’ go with containers in all sorts of weird and wonderful forms, including buried hides!

We will be offering several different search areas, unexpected set ups, prizes for perfect runs, and a cute photo booth! In other words, you don’t want to miss this!

We can’t wait for you to see our five, themed search areas!

  • Cities of the World (boxes)
  • Laundry Day (hanging containers)
  • Dominoes (boxes)
  • Tropical Vacation (unusual containers)
  • The Beach (buried hides)

The Details:

  • Where: Fur and Feather Works (9475 Double R Blvd. Ste 12)
  • When: Friday June 9, 4:30pm – 7:00pm
  • Cost: $10/search area or $40 for all five!
Entries for this event are now closed. Stay tuned to our Facebook Page for the next one!

Reward-Based Dog Training Doesn’t Work For My Dog.

May 4, 2023 No Comments
Have you ever thought reward-based dog training just doesn’t work for YOUR dog?
 
A lot of people do! The thing to realize is: motivation can be complicated, and “rewards” are not always what you intended them to be. And, you need a bit of knowledge and skill to wield them properly, to maximum effect.
 
If you call your dog away from playing with a friend, “reward” him with a treat, then leash him up and put him in the car… was he rewarded by the treat? Or punished by the end of playtime?
 
It would depend on the individual dog, but it’s likely that it’s a little of both. And you might notice which was more meaningful to him next time you try to call him away from playing with a friend … and he ignores you!

This doesn’t mean reward-based dog training doesn’t work. It just means you accidentally punished the behavior you meant to reward.
 
This happen SO often! Humans aren’t born naturally understanding motivation, rewards, and dog body language and behavior. It has to be learned. And we, the professional dog geeks of Fur and Feather Works, really want to help you avoid this common pitfall and experience the kind of joyful relationship effective reward-based training will create with your dog. There’s no such thing as magic in animal training (no matter what you see on YouTube) – it’s all just science. It’s just a skill to be learned.
 
And you know what? We also love making it FUN to learn!
 
We have dog training classes ranging from Puppy Kindergarten to Therapy Dog training, fun classes like Super Tricks and Nose Work, private training for more individualized coaching, and lots of things in between. Contact us to find out where you and your dog can get started!

Elite/Detective Level Nose Work Workshop with Julie Riekes

March 29, 2023 No Comments

Julie Riekes and her dog, AmberFur and Feather Works is proud to host Julie Riekes for two, half-day Nose Work/Scent Work workshops! These will be in-person, on-location opportunities for teams working at the Elite/Detective level to hone their skills under the tutelage of a long time instructor, and an exciting opportunity for auditors to learn more about the advanced levels of the sport. The workshop will take place at the same excellent Montessori school we’ve used in the past for trials, which offers fascinating and dynamic search areas, and tons of flexibility to work on different skills.

About Julie:

Julie Riekes started K9 Nose Work in January 2013 with her Australian Cattle Dog mix Amber.  She and Amber received the Harry Award in January 2014 and caught the nose work “bug”, eventually traveling the country to compete and attend nose work seminars and camps. She trains regularly with Amy Herot, Founder of NACSW, Kim Buchanan and Barbara Schwerdt, Founding instructors of NACSW, in Los Angeles where she currently teaches K9 Nose Work classes.  Julie is also a NACSW trial host through JavaK9s and has hosted many trials in the Southern California area.  In addition, she serves as a mentor to new trial hosts, a volunteer coordinator for fellow hosts, is an NACSW trial coordinator, and is a NACSW Certifying Official.  She has taught at Dogs Of Course Nose Work camp, in person as well as at virtual camp.  She also works in the NACSW education division and served on the CNWI Manual Task Force.  Julie and Amber are one of the few teams in the country to have their ELT-CH title and six Summit titles. They consistently received top overall placements and search placements in NACSW Elite trials and achieved first place overall at six out of the nine Summit trials they have competed in.  In addition, they came in first place overall at the 2022 AKC Western Regional Championships in the Masters division, and have earned their AKC Detective title, the highest AKC scentwork title available through the organization. 

Here are the deets:

When: both workshops will be on Monday, May 29th, 2023

  • AM workshop: 8:30am to 11:30am. Space is limited to 6 working spots and 10 auditing spots

  • PM workshop: 1:00pm to 4:00pm. Space is limited to 6 working spots and 10 auditing spots

Tuition:

  • Working spot (choose AM or PM): $200 [FULL]
  • Auditing spot (choose AM or PM): $100
    • Audit both AM and PM: $200

Where: High Desert Montessori School, 101 Fantastic Dr., Reno, NV 89512
*Please note that this school is private property, and it is not appropriate to visit the school grounds in advance of the workshop or at any other time without permission*

Preregistration is required! Working spots are full. 

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