Monica is an amazing dog trainer! She is patient, knowledgeable, and truly understands dogs and their individual personalities. She took the time to work with us, explain everything clearly, and gave us tools that actually made a difference. You can tell how much she genuinely cares about the dogs she works with, and she always treats them with kindness and respect. We are so grateful for Monica and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a wonderful, compassionate, and knowledgeable dog trainer! read more

Great instructors. Hands on help and quiet positive reinforcement. Like the attention to cleanliness of facility

I have tried several dog trainers in the area and I appreciate the way they train. The positive experience for my puppies gives them the best base training for a dog that is friendly and well mannered. I plan to continue and sign up for their Lassie package too. read more

Ever since I got my standard poodle as a puppy, I have been attending classes with him. My vet recommended Fur and Feather Works and he was so right. Positive reinforcement works well. As a mom to 3 human kids and an elementary school educator, I know this is the best way to teach anything new. The classes are small. The instructors are amazing. They ask about issues you've had with "homework" and address them immediately. Training my spoo has been so enjoyable. And he's such a good dog as a result! read more

Fur and Feather Works - My standard poodle "teen" (almost 2 year old!) learning how to walk about without pulling! - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

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The three of us (1 dog, 2 humans) attended Overgreeters Anonymous with Joanna and were quite thrilled with the results. The dog got a lot of treats for all the right reasons and we humans were given step by step techniques to help us with the unexpected dog contact. Joanna is fun, clear, and practical in her teaching methods. Do this class! You and your pooch will be glad you did! read more

Brandi is the absolute best. We wouldn't take our dogs anywhere else. She genuinely cares about every animal she grooms. She's just one of those people who understands and deeply cares about animals. read more

The classes are very small and each human and dog get loads of attention. My class leader, Heather, was filled with knowledge, patience, humor, apathy and love. You can tell she truly loves her job and loves dogs. I learned so much and my dog and I have a stronger bond. read more

Fur and Feather Works - Caesar - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

Absolutely love this place!!! Jasmine is an amazing dog trainer and made us feel so welcome. We highly recommend them for any and all training needs. read more

Fur and Feather Works - Our dogs first day of basic manners class - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

Absolutely the best dog training there is! Joan Bohmann is amazing! She is patient, knowledgeable, and connects with dogs instantly. I love how she highlights that most of the training focuses on the owner's behavior. Dogs don't speak English, and when we repeat ourselves, it sounds like white noise instead of an attention getter. read more

Great teachers for my pup. Everyone was so nice and the instruction was very helpful.

We enrolled our teenage puppy in the basic obedience class. We had so much fun. Our puppy is doing great as we continue the training outside of the classes and even implementing the techniques on our older 4 dogs. They use positive reinforcement and help have helped us work through our puppy's distracto brain:) Highly recommend! read more

Fur and Feather Works - Lennon - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

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Wonderful teachers. Well organized classes that really help train humans and pets! I've taken all 4 of my dogs here to learn puppy socialization, good manners, quick recall and walking well. They have a great time learning and I enjoy finding ways to communicate with them in more effective ways. read more

As we wrap up the training process at Fur and Feather Works for our black lab mix, we just want to say how happy we are that "Benji Package" (manners class, walkabout training, and rapid-recall training) ended up working for our dog whom we rescued from a shelter at about 6 months of age. Their style of loving, affirming training was different than the discipline style training we had previously recieved from others (which works well for some dogs), but their loving, patient, affirming treat-based style turned out to be even more effective for our dog because he was already a shy and insecure, but humble and trainable, guy. The best part of the experience was the positive socialization our fearful, introverted, and sometimes passive/aggressive dog received throughout the training process. He has gone from a dog that would bark and lunge at any person or dog he did not know, mostly due to his fears and insecurities, to a dog that is now the calmest dog at the park where we walk him. We highly recommend Fur and Feather Works and want to say "thanks!" for helping our precious boy (Dash) to become more confident and comfortable around other dogs and people! read more

Fur and Feather Works - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

Our trainer Monica was amazing. My dog Sunny and I worked with her to help Sunny's reactive behavior. I learned so much about what causes Sunny's behaviors and how to help her anxiety when around other dogs. Sunny and I still work on all of the things we learned with Monica and are thankful for the time we spent with her. read more

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Small group classes with very skilled instructors. Lots of one-on-one help. The instructors are prepared and experienced. They are so helpful with each dog's problems and strenghts. read more

Love the inclusivity and understanding we get here. The training is a positive reinforcement method that works well for all our dogs. We're so happy we found this place and look forward to more sessions! read more

I had a multiple-week individual dog training experience with the trainer Monica Oesterling. My dog has severe anxiety and fear of other dogs (not aggressive but very anxious. With positive techniques and use of Monica's stimulus dogs, there was a major improvement in my dog. Anxiety is a difficult problem, but we reached our goals for the training period, and I feel that I have learned many techniques that will help us continue to improve over time. Monica is a great trainer and very kind and caring to the owners as well! read more

We were very close to giving up on Mitzy, our half French Bulldog half Chihuahua when someone recommended Monica O. Our dog did not get socialized properly as a result of being born and raised during the pandemic. She is fearful, anxious around people and dogs. We had been through group and individual training and Mitzy attended a doggy boot camp with no improvement. We spent 6 sessions with Monica. By using only positive reinforcement techniques and eliminating all aversive tools and techniques recommended by previous trainers, we began to see improvement after two sessions! Monica has provided us with videos to watch, handouts to read and practiced techniques with us in individual sessions. We still have a ways to go but now have the appropriate tools and skills to get there. read more

Fur and Feather Works - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

Friendly knowledgeable staff. They were so helpful as we worked to train our new puppy. We wouldn't have such an amazing dog without this place! read more

The Fur and Featherworks training is starting to stick. Fiona and I have been practicing human and dog street and business encounters. A visit to Home Depot over the weekend resulted in having to owe Home Depot no money and we won't be hearing from their lawyers. The photo is at the coffee shop near my office. Fiona knows where the dog treats are kept and about 90% of the time she can sit calmly and do nothing but wag as customers come in and go out. We go early when there are few cars out front. Noon would probably be a different story, but we'll get there. Your training abilities are remarkable. read more

Fur and Feather Works - Fiona's attention stays on me while we enjoy some calm minutes at the coffee shop. - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

My 3-year-old Golden is an overgreeter. That means a dog that urgently wants to play with every dog he sees. I just finished an individual training class for 15 weeks. Our trainer, Monica, was knowledgeable, supportive and I learned more dog training techniques in that class that I have raising three other dogs over the years. She is a good communicator, keeping me posted with additional training ideas and resources via text and is always prompt and gives you a full measure of her time and attention, each time. She used her own dogs to help my dog get used to greeting the right way. It would be difficult to find a more knowledgeable, friendly trainer. read more

Took our dog here for the puppy kindergarten course and it was awesome. Jasmine, our instructor was super friendly and engaging. I'm pretty sure our dog would move in with Jasmine if given half the chance. We learned many things that helped us with at home training and the homework given was always relevant and entertaining. We are definitely going to take future classes. read more

I took my 8-9 month old golden/lab mix to Fur and Feather Works to participate in the 'In-Person Basic Manners' class taught by Joan. The class covered basic training and commands to help new dog owners have a better experience with their dogs. Joan did a good job at delivering the training and interacting with the class. They did a great job at arranging their facility and shrinking class sizes to accommodate social distancing. Fur and Feather Works appears to offer several other classes that might help dog owners address specific situations (dog walking, etc.). I highly recommend the 'In-Person Basic Manners' class for first-time dog owners as they teach skills that will make working with any dog much easier. Note: the facility is hard to find in the strip-mall. Look for the 'Prince of Peace' church next door. read more

Not only five stars, but five paws!! Joanna is excellent for getting you and your puppy on the best human/dog behaviors. I highly recommend that you seek out the Manners and Kindergarten classes for a new puppy. She and her staff provide excellent instruction, insightful individual feedback and recommendations for improvement. Be ready to read and practice weekly, because it does make a different. The courses come with an excellent resource materials (both text and links for additional materials) for follow up and reinforcement. The on-sight training is face paced, allowing for pairing of similar pups to improve/build on social skills. Staff is great in assessment of the dogs individual needs. "Leave it" is now part of my basic vocabulary! Thank you Fur and Feather Works! read more

Fur and Feather Works - Winston started out a bit apprehensive, but was playing with the herd by the end of the two course sequence. - Pet Training Near Me - Reno, Nevada

Just finished ten private training sessions with Monica. She's a great trainer, very patient and knowledgeable, and takes small steps so your dog is never outside its comfort zone. Our dog was reactive to other dogs when walking on leash and at the end of the training. our dog would look at a dog and look at us and just wait for a treat. Highly recommend Fur and Feathers! read more

Joanna is amazing and so supportive. I was so impressed with her knowledge and insight into cat conflicts i'm experiencing within my home. her assessment of the cats involved, their personalities and behaviors, was spot on. i am hopeful that with her guidance, my home can once again be conflict free. she is wonderful. read more

We have been delighted with the progress our dog has made under their guidance. Highly recommend Joanna has accommodated our dog and our crazy schedule. First class operation. Highest rating Amy and Gary Snelson read more

We had a fun time and gained useful training for our rescue pup while attending the Good Manners class. Joan Bohmann is patient, kind and knowledgeable. Well prepared for each class. Gave us lots of info and encouragement. She easily worked with the various canine temperaments during each class. Dog and Humans had a good experience. Thanks Joan read more

Joanna seemed very knowledgeable in her training techniques. She used a ton of positive reinforcement by way of treats. I was just there observing to see if I wanted to take my puppy for training. Personally, I'm a fan of using treats to aide a pet in learning something new, not a constant barrage of usage. Which is the way Joanna trains. For some people this works great. Class size was very small. Maximum enrollment is 5 puppies. 6 weeks of classes runs $200. What's nice is that you can jump in anytime, go for 6 weeks and be done. There isn't a defined start and stop class, which makes it nice. Last night there were 4 puppies. Joanna did a good job of monitoring playtime and giving the owners tips on how to watch their puppies play and listen for body language while puppies barked and played. She also separated the rambunctious males: German Shepherd and English lab from the quiet females: a bichon and a border collie. The location is a little bit hard to find. Trinity Lane isn't clearly marked and it's a weird pseudo strip mall type of place. It's not the trainer's fault the streets are sucky :) Her actual building is nice. The training room is all tile and provides a good space for the puppies to learn. One downside to tile is that it all echoes. It was a little distracting last night watching all the puppies try to learn over the roar of the owners. Overall not my cup of tea for a puppy trainer, but for some it'd be right up their alley. If anyone is interested in a treat based Positive reinforcement only training program, then this would be good for them. read more

I enrolled my 3 month old Saint Bernard puppy in the Puppy Kindergarten class on November 20, 2022. My concerns about the class and the trainer, Danielle N. began on December 4 in which after the socialization play session, my dog was panting heavily. I am a retired physician and orthopedic surgeon. The heavy panting did not appear to concern Danielle N., or she chose to ignore it, although it concerned me as a health issue and sign of overheating. On December 11, there were only 2 dogs in the class--my puppy and another smaller mixed breed puppy. Danielle N. had them running vigorously on the hard slick linoleum surface of their training facility. My dog is usually a very gentle, placid dog as are Saint Bernards. At this session, my dog was extremely riled up and very excited during these vigorous play sessions. I don't know if Danielle N. is familiar with the precautions of giant breed puppies which include NOT allowing them to run vigorously on hard slick surfaces as they can be damaging to their developing bones and joints. Also since I was concerned about my dog's heavy panting after his play session from the prior class, I brought ice cubes for his hydration, and also a large towel for him to lie on. The trainer, Danielle N. was critical and reprimanded me that I needed to bring higher value treats, telling me NOT to bring ice cubes, telling me to use a different bowl for water, and NOT to bring a towel. She said she was concerned about client slippage for the ice cubes. I wiped up the water myself off of their facility floor with my towel. I called Fur and Featherworks on December 12 to speak to Danielle N about my concerns. and I was told to email Danielle N, which I did. At the last session that my husband and I attended with our puppy on December 18, 2022, we were segregated to a separate area away from the rest of the class, and with high partitions that my husband and I could not even see what Danielle N. was demonstrating to the other class members. This was extremely frustrating. I brought high value treats, a different water bowl, water and not ice cubes, and no towel as recommended to me by Danielle N. Even still, my dog was not allowed to join in any of the socialization sessions, and we were segregated from the other owners and dogs during the class exercises. This segregation did NOT go unnoticed by another dog owner as she approached me after the class asking me why our dog was not allowed to join the other class members. I called on December 19 to speak to the owner, Joanna M. about my concerns. She has not returned my phone calls. Finally, and it is with great sadness that I even have to mention this. My husband and I are Asian. I received an email on December 20 from the owner Joanna M. stating that it is not her intention to make anyone feel singled out or uncomfortable and unhappy and to let me know that she refunded my tuition. However, whether intended or not, I believe that conscious or unconscious bias does exist. My perception is that my husband and I were treated differently that their other clients. From the way that Danielle N. spoke to us, treated us and segregated us from the rest of the class, did not allow us to participate with the other members in the class exercises and socialization, and with the owner Joanna M. refusing to return my phone calls to discuss my concerns, the entire experience with Fur and Featherworks has been very upsetting to me. While the refund of the tuition is helpful, I do hope that ALL of the clients of Fur and Featherworks will be treated respectfully and equally in the future. I had hoped that I could speak with owner Joanna M. to express my feelings about the situation, but she has not returned my phone calls. Unfortunately I do NOT recommend Fur and Featherworks. read more

Joanna has set up a great training environment for dogs and their people. With a focus on positive behavior rewards, Joanna provides a structured, well-paced training for pets at a variety of training levels. My Boxer puppy, Sofia, loved the environment and responded extremely well to the training. I loved the PDF handouts of the training syllabus, the handbook and the homework. Joanna is a talented trainer who makes the classes fun and interesting. I would not hesitate to recommend her classes for anyone who wants to create a loving, cooperative bond with their dog. read more

I thought long and hard about writing this review. I will start by saying that I personally really like Joanana. What I got from our training experience, however, is far from what I hoped for. It all started with an assessment of our new dog who doesn't vibe well with my small children. This initial interaction was $150. I got the feeling from her, after this assessment, that our dog was definitely workable and that the fearful behavior she showed with our children would likely be something we could work on. The recommendation was for five or so training sessions. Well, at $140 a session, I had to pinch some pennies and pick which behavior to start with. We scheduled our first session, which seemed to go ok. She gave us homework with the dog. Well, after that week, the dog seemed to get a bit more fearful of my children. Now, I will not say this is the fault of the training. I called Joanna and gave her my input and she said to stop with the homework and wait for our next training session. At our next $140 training session, we didn't do any training with the dog at all. We spent an hour talking about rehoming options, medicating the dog and she suggested doggy daycare. We did zero training with the dog. Now, I will say that she seems to know quite a bit. However, I walked away from the whole situation feeling a bit deflated and that I spent a whopping $430 to get absolutely nothing in return. I feel like, while spending that sort of money per hour, something should be improving after three interactions with a dog trainer. I'm at a loss with this dog and feel like I spent quite a bit of money to get absolutely nothing in return. read more

Joanna is very knowledgeable and knows exactly what she's doing when it comes to training and behavior modification. I have a 4 year old german shepherd who is very skittish and has been having aggression issues along with separation anxiety. I have never had such a sensitive dog in my entire life. I knew it was time to do something about it. I heard of Fur & Feather Works through my work (Klaich Animal Hospital). I decided to give them a call and see if they'd be able to help me out. If I remember correctly, it did take a few weeks in advance to get an appointment (totally understandable). They were willing to come out to my house to see Koda's environment and how he is at home, which was AWESOME! Joanna provided me with a lot of great tips that I wasn't even aware of when it came to dogs. She knew right off the bat Koda had some issues but she helped me out more than I thought was possible. She wrote up the different tips we had discussed just so I could have them handy if needed. She also recommended to try putting Koda on fluoxetine (prozac) to help with his anxiety and aggression. Today, Koda is a completely different dog! Every time I take him to work with me, my co-workers and veterinarians compliment him on how well he's doing. I always recommend her at work whenever someone is having behavior issues with their dog. I've heard from clients she is also wonderful with puppy & adult dog training as well! read more

I have owned German Shepherds for over 30 years and tried various trainers in that time. Many of them had seemingly good philosophies re: their training, ONLY Joanna's actually works and is positive. I learned how to train my dogs and am very happy that I am taking more classes with her. I have done sessions of private lessons, classes at her training center, and now online. I was ready to give up, so glad that I didn't. My dogs have improved and I am so happy. I can even teach them a trick successfully. She is very, very knowledgeable and easy to work with. I HIGHLY recommend her. She has taught me so much about my buddies. On her initial visit to my house, I owned 4 GSDs, they would not wait at the front door to go outside. Within 20 minutes, she had positively trained them (and me) how this could be accomplished. From that point on, I had not had an issue at the front door. That was the start of a very successful relationship with Fur and Feather Works. read more

Took my lab to Joanna at 4 mths for kindergarten and followed with basic manners. Joanna has a great understanding of dog behavior and helped me correct my dogs bad habbits and correct others that were developing. At 8 months I now have a dog I am comfortable taking on outings in the city and rural setings. Thanks to Joanna of Fur and Feathers. read more

Joanna helped us ease some serious tension with our two cats. For four and a half years they had lived together peacefully and then one day something just snapped in one or both of them. We went from two cats who were roommates that sometimes played and cuddled...to mortal enemies that could not even be allowed to make eye contact. After a few months of keeping them separated at all times and trying all sorts of reintroduction techniques we found online, we contacted Joanna. She gave us some insight into cat behavior and tips for re-training their little brains. She warned us that cats won't always end up buddies in the end so we just hoped for peaceful co-existence. We spent a few weeks working with Joanna and implementing the tools she gave us to recognize signs of stress in cats. And then, one day it was like that switch just flipped back to "normal". Our cats not only co-exist again, but they'll even share lap space and it makes so so happy. We are extremely grateful for her help. Our cats are our family and we were at our breaking point when she came in and helped us turn things around. read more

The best thing I ever did, with my Standard Poodle puppy Diva, was to meet Joanna from Fur and Feather Works. Diva had the opportunity to go to almost every class Fur and Feather Works had. Today she is a wonderful companion anyone would want. Everything thing we've learned from Joanna worked so well in the real world. Learning positive reinforcement gave me the ability to help Diva understand the world and how to react to surprises without yelling the awful "bad dog, bad dog" phrase. The best lessons were on recall, "settle", and "leave it". Today at 10 years old Diva is a joy to be with wherever we go. Thanks Joanna. read more

Joanna is a fabulous trainer. I took my two dogs to her for some behavior modification training and I loved her approach to working with my babies. She is all about positive reinforcement which is awesome. My dogs were literally trying to jump out of the car just to get inside to for our training appointments! My dogs and I both learned so much through our training with Joanna and I truly believe that my dogs are better because of that training. I would absolutely recommend anyone to come here and get their dogs trained! Joanna and her staff absolutely know what they are doing! read more

I emailed several dog behaviorists after my dog's destructive tendencies peaked following the birth of my baby. I loved my dog but with the added stress in the home I was feeling like I was going to have to give her up. What I appreciated first about F&F is that they responded by email as I requested, and the email was lengthy and personal. Bridget validated and sympathized with my frustration, gave a couple of quick diagnoses of the problem (that my dog may be bored or anxious), gave me a quote, and asked me to call to schedule and appointment if I'm interested-- no pressure. I liked her response best so I scheduled an appointment with Joanne, who came to my home, met both my dogs, and asked me in-depth questions about the situation to figure out the best solution. I really appreciated that Joanne really agreed with and complimented some of my past training of the dogs, loved on both of my dogs, and came up with solutions that were practical and affordable for me. She recommended hiring a dog walker for the days I did not have time to take them out, to buy some dog toy feeders and bully sticks to get the dogs something active to occupy their brains, and to temporarily restrict their access to areas they could destroy things, with them gradually earning back access to other rooms based on good behavior. I majored in Psychology at UNR so I could tell that her recommendations were based on solid operant and classical conditioning, which has good results with animals. The focus is on redirecting and rewarding alternate behaviors instead of punishing, which is also more effective as well as more humane. Joanne used an example of a case study to emphasize how dogs perceive cause and effect, which really helped me make sense of the way my dogs were viewing the situation. As far as results... It's only been a few weeks, and Joanne pointed out that habits years in the making can take at least months to undo. Unfortunately my dogs aren't really into the dog feeder puzzles, but the destructive behavior has decreased a lot. The only con to this service is that they charge a $25 travelling fee for certain zip codes. I live in central Sparks and their office is in South Reno and I doubt it costs $25 to travel the extra 10 minutes. However, the cost of the consultation was quite reasonable, and I really appreciated the low sales pressure. They did not urge me to schedule additional consultations, push me into attending dog training classes (other than the destructive behavior, my dogs are very obedient), or even pressure me to buy the dog feeder puzzles she had on hand, encouraging me to look at other options on Amazon. I'd definitely recommend this service to anyone with dogs with special issues outside of normal dog training. read more

You were so helpful to our family that we will recommend you to anyone that needs assistance! We have a 2 month old baby now and our toddler is 2 years old...Bodie adjusted SO much better this time and we feel like the tips and training you provided helped us greatly! read more