4-H Canine Science Virtual Workshops – Herding

Contact: Lenah Nguyen

Extension Agent, 4-H YouthDevelopment

24 Pelham St.

Warrenton, VA 20186

Phone: (540) 341-7950 ext. 4
Fax: (540) 349-1792

lgeer@vt.edu

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we had to cancel our Canine Science Workshop scheduled for this past weekend.  The silver lining is that now we have an opportunity to offer this program in a virtual format to anyone that would like to participate, and I hope that many of you that are stuck at home with your dog will take advantage of this opportunity.  This will be a six-week series of weekly webinars where you can learn about canine science and understand your own dog better.  Workshop participants will get an introduction to some exciting dog sports from Virginia Tech researchers and learn about animal behavior along the way. Participants will become real canine scientists using published research methods to test participants’hypotheses about dog behavior and improve their ability to ask the dogs fo ranswers.  These workshops will also provide you with some helpful information so you can earn AKC Virtual Trick Dog Titles (more info on that is attached) and additional recognition through Virginia 4-H. 

When

Wednesdays from 2PM – 3 PM starting April 8^th and ending May 13.  Webinars will be recorded and placed on a google drive for those that would like to view them at a different time. 

Intended Audience
This workshop is intended for youth age 12 – 19.

How to Register

Register in advance for this workshop series at:­­­­­

https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/uJEsfu-pqTwijiofvF46nxj3V__R0Lo8mg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information aboutj oining the meeting.

InstructorBios

Dr. Erica Feuerbacher grew up training dogs in 4-H.  She received a PhD in Behavior Analysis from the University of Florida and is now an Assistant Professor in Companion Animal Behavior and Welfare at Virginia Tech. She is the director of the Applied Animal Behavior & Welfare Lab, focusing her research on domestic dog behavior, welfare, and learning/training.  She is also a CPDT-KA professional dog trainer and a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist.   

JoAnna Platzer is a PhD candidate in Virginia Tech’s Animal Behavior and Welfare Lab. She is a CPDT-KA certified dog trainer and has worked training a variety of species, including horses and captive exotic animals. Shevery much enjoys helping people and their dogs enjoy each other’s company through training and working together. Her American Pit Bull Terrier, Stellaluna, has titles in Barn Hunt, Rally, Trick Training, and Lure Coursing and is currently training to be a conservation detection dog.

Hannah Decker is a Master’s student at Virginia Tech.  Herr esearch project is to create a team of dogs that can be sent out to help the community of Blacksburg with local conservation issues like invasive species or plant diseases. Her first job was working at a doggy daycare and boarding facility called Camp Bow Wow. In 2019, Hannah graduated from Carroll College with a degree in Anthrozoology, which is the study of human and animal interactions. In her junior year of college, she fostered a shelter dog for the entire school year and taught him how to behave, do a lot of cool tricks, complete service tasks, and do scent work. In her senior year at Carroll, she trained a dog to find archaeological bones for an archaeology professor.  Currently, she is raising a service dog.