Professional trainer?

Question

Should I enroll my puppy in PetSmart training? I heard that it is not worth the $. Has anyone used PetSmart trainer before and how was your experience? My puppy is 9 weeks old.

Answer 1

I hired an independent trainer when I got my puppy, and it was a great investment since I'd never had a dog before. His advice was invaluable, particularly his observation that his main job was to train me, not the dog. Training the dog was my job.

Answer 2

You might find a good trainer at PetSmart, but odds are you won't. Any really good trainers will have their own business where they can make ten times more than what a chain store would pay them. The best thing to do is go on a recommendation from someone who either has the same breed of dog as you do or who had the same problem that you are trying to fix.

Some excellent trainers donate their time and teach group classes at their local high school adult ed classes or at the AKC obedience clubs all over the country. This is the best (and cheapest) way - take your own dog to training classes at your local AKC recognized obedience club. http://www.akc.org/clubs/search/index.cfm?action=obed&display=on

If you need a professional trainer to help you with severe problems, let me warn you. Many of the people charging big bucks as "trainers" are not very good and may have little more experience than you do - especially with aggression problems. Ask your local vet for a recommendation. Make sure you check out references from their satisfied customers. Check with the BBB for complaints. Look for a trainer who is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals web site at www.dogpro.org, which allows you to search for trainers in your state. Their requirements for trainers to join are very stringent. And DON'T send your dog away to be trained. It's a waste of money - you can't build a relationship with a dog that doesn't live with you.

Even if you get a trainer, read some great books. They will give you a much better understanding of your dog's behavior and how he learns. These are the books that I recommend to my students; you can get them on Amazon.com

What All Good Dogs Should Know – Volhard http://www.volhard.com/
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan
Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.
http://www.dogpsychologycenter.com/

Answer 3

For the basis puppy training class PetSmart is great.
They offer a calss at a reasonable cost and it is a great place to socialize your new pet.
They only teach the basic stuff and if you want to get into more detailed training I would recommend a different trainer but to start it is great and I highly recommed it to people just starting out.
One of my friends trains for them and she is a great trainer. She has a deaf dog and it is one of the best behaved dogs I have ever met. She has show dogs also and starts her pups in her classes.

Answer 4

At this age, your puppy is much too young to be going into any kind of training class. You're much better off teaching your puppy yourself for now, working on building a relationship with him and leave formalized classes, which are very stressful for young puppies, until he's older.

Answer 5

i work at a kennel and have for yrs now and many of rhe customers that do get prof. training ...like the one petsmart offers ...the main thing is to be there during the training ....all the ones where you leave them somewhere to be trained did not like the results...the dog was trained to the trainer not you....GOOD LUCK...good question :)

Answer 6

I'd recommend a good professional trainer - maybe even a clicker trainer (positive, non-violent).

A good book is also very useful - check out some reviews here http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/dog-training-books.html

The sooner you start the better!

Answer 7

Your money would be better spent getting a book about training your specific breed and following the recommendations; you are the best person to train your dog since you are the one that it is bonded with.

Answer 8

The charge for their training is pretty inexpensive. They have a nice program for pups your age, if you don't like their program seek the help of an individual trainer.