Originally Posted by Sagesmom

A in February of '07 I started classes at petsmart. One of the deciding factors for me was the local training club required choke chains on the first night of class and while they work for some dogs I didn't like the implications. When I called them and asked about a class with Sage (and all her baggage) I was told hell no!! (even if I muzzled her for everyones protection). So I started looking around and found the petsmart classes.

Sage is a fear aggressive girl. Her theory is get them before they get her. So I brought her in to talk to the trainer (there was only one at the time) and she saw the amount of control I had with Sage and agreed to let me bring Sage to class. I did (and still do) muzzle her but that is mostly so that if someone slips by me and tries to pet her all she can do is jump on them.

Sage is kind of a celebrity in our local petsmart, all the new cashiers are told about her and now we have a second trainer (Crystal) whom I love to pieces. We have now taken the beginers class 3 times. Sage knows the commands that are taught in the class but we are still not seeing the calm dog that I would like so we go back (we take full advantage of the for life guarantee). Once I can get Sage to the point that she is calm around other dogs then I will try to take her to a training club class but not before.

While the training methods at petsmart are very lure based, here, the trainers are very willing to let you do it your way (as long as you aren't beating the dog or something like that) and even the new trainer at our store has learned somethings from Sage and I that she takes to her other classes and uses with other dogs. We learn a lot from each other.

On a side note..... Sage took a treat from Crystal a couple of weeks ago. No muzzle, leash on the flat collar..... did I do the happy dance, you bet Crystal is the first person in a long time that Sage didn't try to chase away.