PetsMart puppy training?

[rocko pop]

we did the begginer class a few months back and he did good he was a l hard to control because he loves playing with other dogs but we did well in our class. hes was the younges and i think h might hve done the best in it. we are going to be starting intermediate classes next week with a new trainer and i hope it goes s well our last instructe remembers rocko everytime he sees him and is ammazed at how big and strong he is getting. i have had good results so far at the petsmart here by my house hope it works out for you. have fun and enjoy the time there

 

[Rbucher]

We had our first training ....

and it was good. Our trainer has been training for several years and we felt she was very qualified. She knew a lot about the breed and so we have 2 thumbs up so far. HOWEVER, there are a bunch of purse dogs in there that we scared of Shuti who is 20 pounds. All the owners picked up their dogs because ours wanted to play. I would say ask what kind of dogs are in the class if you are considering it because it wasn't any fun or socializing with those dogs if they were all in their mommy's purses. Our baby's need to play.

 

[rocko pop]

here here!!
i agree puppies need to play we got lucky rocko was the smallest there ( youngest too ) and there was a few pit mixes that he got to play with.

 

[PARIS05]

I went to three classes at Petsmart in delaware and was not impressed. I found it hard to train with some many other distractions in the room. Maybe after they learn the basic commands but for the inital classes I would'nt recommend it.

I kinda agree with you...where are you in Delaware?? I'm in Dover.

 

[RoxiesEcho]

I've not had any experience with PetSmart training but a co-worker's daughter just got a job there. She has no experience with dogs what so ever but after 20 hours of training she will be able to teach classes. While I'm sure that PetSmart does employee trainers who are very knowledgeable, this information would personally make me re-think taking any classes there. Also their new ban on "bully" breeds means I will no longer shop there either.

 

[ghsheffield]

Like everyone has said, it depends on the trainer. We took Diesel to the 8 week puppy training class, which is basically a socialization class. Luckily, we had a good trainer who helped get us on the right track as far as training goes. We have since enrolled him a beginner obedience class through Pet Depot, which is more upscale pet store. The instructor is a professional trainer with all the credentials. She explained clearly that this not a socialization class. Both my wife agreed after the first class that we would have been lost with out the puppy class at Petsmart. Of course, with any training class you will only get out of it what you put into it - you have to train your dog outside of class time!

 

[WAT]

I had good luck with both Minx and Blaze at the Petsmart class. We really liked our trainer and she was enthusiastic about the puppies. They both learned what they needed to know and we reinforced it at home. This was quite a few years back though, about 7 years ago. The classes then were held in a back room. I believe now they are held in the middle of the store? And with most puppies having selective ADD, I can't see that helping much.

 

[RoxiesEcho]

Here's the link to the doggie-day care information. Their pet hotels have the same rules. I don't know what they consider "any dog with bully characteristics". But they are assuming that all bully's are dangerous - at least that's how I read it. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

http://petshotel.petsmart.com/doggie-day-camp/requirements.shtml

 

[apalance]

I'm a PetSmart Trainer...

It definitely depends on the trainer. We are all given the same knowledge when we go through training and are evaluated before we can teach our own classes. We also have to student teach before teaching our own.

The difference is teaching styles and personality...and of course knowledge learned outside of PetSmart training. We have limitations and requirements but as teachers we all use different methods of dealing with the "Pet Parents" and the students. For example, I work with the Lone Star Boxer Rescue and have experience not only with boxers but with rescue dogs. It has exposed me to many things I would not have seen or experienced if I wasn't involved with the group.

Interview the trainer and ask how many people are in the class. Go watch one of their classes and see how he/she handles the dogs. Do you like the teaching style? Do the people look confused or bored? It the class under control? Ask one of the people in class to see what their opinion is.

Also...ask the trainer what other types of dogs are in the class. They should be able to tell you if it is (for example) 3 labs and a chihuahua and 2 dachshunds. You may not want to join a class like that b/c of the breeds. But you might want to join a class which has a wide variety of dogs like a poodle, a great dane, a heeler and a pit bull. This will give a lot of exposure and socialization.

Because of my experience I decided to offer a "boxer only" puppy/beginner class. All (pretty much) boxers have the same difficulties when learning certain things such as leash walking. I wanted to be able to pace the class for their learning abilities. I had such a high turn-out I had to split the class in two. Even then I ended up having 5 in one class and 10 (yes 10!) in another. I would have split the larger class but it is very controlled and balanced - half puppies about 5mo and half young adults about 1-2yrs old. It's been so much fun and I know the people are enjoying it too. I love seeing 10 boxers all sitting nicely and watching me intensely like they are trying to absorb everything I say or do. It's been great for the public as well to see how good these dogs can be - they aren't crazy when they are trained properly.

Good Luck with finding a trainer. If anything it's good socialization and PetSmart guarantees their training so if you're not happy you get your money back.

 

[rocko pop]

for the instructor in houston

WOW!!! what store in houston are u at i would like to know maybe if u are close to me i can go and check it out. currently we are enrolled at the almeda store and we have a good instructor she is nice and very helpful with our rocko. lucky for us only one other person and dog are in the class so we get alot of attention and she doesnt mind working with us a little before the class even starts. we are in intermediate classes right now and it is going well. after this rocko will be taking the advanced class. as u can tell i want to have a well trained dog. after all the classes i want to be able to give the good citizen test a shot. have you tried or worked with dogs that have gotten it what all does it consit of is it just everything tht is learned in all the classes combined.