Anyone gone through training at pe stores?

RubyRose · 02-07-2010, 10:08 AM

Hi!

I have just started researching training classes for my 8 month old pup, Ruby.

I was wondering if anyone has gone through obedience training at the pet superstores like petco and petsmart? and what your experience was, good or bad? good value or waste of money?

Dobs4ever · 02-07-2010, 12:28 PM

I personally have not gone through it because I train myself. I do recommend it to my families for early socialization. I do not think that they will get great training but the socialization I feel is worth it. By the time the dog is 6 months I recommend conatacting an AKC club in your area to see if they have classes. They are usually taught by folks who know wha they are doing because they train and title dogs.

At 8 months I would not even consider pet smart or petco. It would be better if you could find a trainer in your area or contact your AKC club they should be able to direct you to a good trainer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubyRose

Hi!

I have just started researching training classes for my 8 month old pup, Ruby.

I was wondering if anyone has gone through obedience training at the pet superstores like petco and petsmart? and what your experience was, good or bad? good value or waste of money?

rafensoda · 02-07-2010, 01:08 PM

I'm sure there are decent Petco/Petsmart trainers out there, but in my area they pretty much suck. A friend of mine (we train together and sometimes do classes together) got called by the petco trainer to come out and give him some advice on working with a dog in his class. The dog had been showing aggression towards every person and dog in the class (growling, lunging, etc.), and the petco trainer had been telling the owners to try petting him and giving him treats to calm him.

My friend just about blew a gasket!

My suggestion would be to look elsewhere and actually attend a class or two before signing up to see if it's something you like. There are all kinds of trainers out there, so choose carefully.

If the petco or petsmart classes are the only ones availabe, I'd go ahead and take it just for the socialization, but keep in mind where the training info is coming from.

hyperdog · 02-07-2010, 04:14 PM

I took Cara to her first class at our Petsmart due to scheduling conflicts with my normal trainer. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but I was mostly taking her for socialization so I wasn't worried about it.

We had two trainers and both were very good. The head trainer was an ex police dog trainer for about 30 years so I was a little concerned that he might be a bit rough, but he was wonderful. We had a 1y old bloodhound that was TERRIFIED of everyone and everything and both trainers were very good with her owners, i.e. making sure that they weren't coddling her and encouraging the behavior and they even went to her house to watch her work because she did everything very well there. We also had a dog aggressive mix in class that they worked very well with. Also, working with the dogs in the middle of the store is great for distraction proofing.

I'm sure that there are bad trainers at other stores (just as there are bad private trainers), but my experience was very positive. You should see if you can watch a class and get a feel for how good the trainer is before you sign up. Whatever way you go, good luck with your Dober-teen; they are a handfull.

DobesNBostons · 02-07-2010, 04:49 PM

Even though I work at one of those as a trainer i say waste of money. The people that they train usually have no clue, there were people in my class who had never even owned a dog before. the other trainer at my store cant even bring her dogs to class because they cant even sit and have horrible manners, THEN there is the people like me who know what they are doing as far as training a dog and able to offer problem solving tips for housebreaking, chewing, ect, BUT we are so restricted in what we can and cant do that I really feel it is a waste of timemost of the time. I do my best to toe the line and help people out as much as possible but I am very restricted. I would say pass and find a private person who offers small group classes that is able to tailor training to fit what your dog needs.

2RescuedDobies · 02-07-2010, 04:49 PM

Im not a fan of petco or petsmart trainers while there are very good ones out there, the trainer I had was afraid of my dober girl. And they really didn't have many tools to use. There was the one method. Find someone you are comfortable with.

DobesNBostons · 02-07-2010, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rafensoda

The dog had been showing aggression towards every person and dog in the class (growling, lunging, etc.), and the petco trainer had been telling the owners to try petting him and giving him treats to calm him.

My friend just about blew a gasket!

This is a prime example of what I was referring to.

gracieface · 02-07-2010, 04:56 PM

check for your local kennel club, many offer classes, with experienced trainers and for reasonable prices.

Dobs4ever · 02-07-2010, 04:58 PM

Unfortunatley most of those trainer have a crash course in sit, down, stay and that is about it. They are not equipped or prepared to deal with a dominant breed dog. The vast majority of dogs they look to train are the foo foo and neither the dogs or their owners are serious about training. JMHO

Quote:

Originally Posted by DobesNBostons

This is a prime example of what I was referring to.

Isys · 02-07-2010, 05:16 PM

I took Isys to Petsmart for her puppy class ... and it was a waste of time: spent $185.00 for socialization that could have been achieved by having Isys walking through the store. I would suggest a proper trainer who knows about dominant dogs.