what do you think about the training at Pet Smart?

Question

We have a dachshund 7mo old and we are going to take him to Pet Smart for the Puppy Education class. Just looking for any info you may have. What do you think about the class or Pet Smart.If you don't like them tell me who you do like for training. We live in Spring Tx . Thank you for your time .

Answer 1

Personally I think any training is better than none. I have not heard or read anything bad about the training there. Good luck!

Answer 2

Well, I can help out. I have experience with their training too. I think it does depend on the individual trainer at each store. I would ask if you could sit in on a class to see how it goes and so you can get a feel of the trainer. I have seen some really good trainers and some not very good trainers.
I have to disagree with the person who said it's not a good place for socialization. A lot of the class deals with socialization. The dog socializes with the other people and dogs in the class. Then, also, you do parts of class where you walk around the store and socialize with customers,workers, and dogs that are coming into the store. It's a wonderful way to help with jumping issues because you always have new people to practice on. (Dogs usually get the most excited with new people).
The one I've been at, both trainers are very good. They love dogs, are open minded, are very serious about positive reinforcement. They are not big on pushing the use of choker or pincher collars for pulling issues. Instead, they work a gentler way with using no pull harnesses and exercises to get the dog to stop pulling. They do understand though if it does have to come to one of those other collars and will be sure that you use them properly so not to hurt the dog. (They are not allowed to be used in class, however)
If you do get a good trainer, they have a very good program that's at a reasonable price and I've seen many happy people and well behaved dogs come out of it.

Answer 3

It really depends on the individual store. Some have excellent, knowledgeable trainers. Some have trainers that shouldn't be allowed anywere near a dog.

Watch the classes before signing up. Are the dogs learning? Do the dogs and handlers seem comfortable or stressed? Could YOU train your dog the way it is being taught (the best method in the world won't be any good if you can't use it)? Try to watch other classes in the area, see what would work best for you and your dog.

Thank you for training your dog!

Answer 4

I currently have my 5 month old Bichonpoo enrolled in the Puppy Kindergarten class at Petsmart. It is great! She is learning so much and she is benefiting a great deal from the socialization with the other dogs and the owners. She really seems to enjoy it. What I did before choosing Petsmart was went on their website and they had a coupon for a FREE training evaluation. I took my pup to the store for the free evaluation and watched how the trainer handled my pup, how she interacted with her, her ability to answer my questions and her overall knowledge. I was very pleased with her. Based upon this I decided to enroll her in the class. She is doing so well in the Puppy Kindergarten class that when she completes it I plan to enroll her in Obedience Classes and teach her further.

Answer 5

I signed up with my first dog there and it was fine. first off, it does matter who the trainer is..so I suggest watching a class or two beforehand...BUt it's not whether the dog is learning from the trainer but whether the human owner is learning. As any good trainer will tell you... obedience training is about teaching skills to the human on how to train a dog, it is not about them teaching the dog for you. The price was the cheapest around I could find though I know one of cheaper now (not a chain) but in comparison to privately run/owned obedience classes it is better than paying $250 and up. (My class for basic obedience cost $99). The skills I learned to train my first dog were able to be applied by me to use on my second dog.

Answer 6

As the above post said I think it depends on the individual store as well as the trainer.

I enrolled my puppy in the puppy eduation class @ my local store and the trainer is great as well as the class. I really liked her so I enrolled her in the intermediate class with the same trainer @ the same time.

The trainer that I have is great, she takes the time to get to know the dogs as well as the situations @ home training as well as the behavior. She is very knowledgeable as well as have her own experiences since she owns a dog presently as well as in the past.

The whole concept of the traing that I understand is that the owner trains the dog during the class as well as @ home. My trainer doesn't empahsize that the dog learning in the class, but instead feels that it's more important that the dog is learning and understanding @ home where it's most important (since my dog doesn't like to pay attention). Another important point is that the class is mainly for the owners to learn how to improve training as well as other things. I know that one class session my trainer took the time out to talk to us about grooming (dental/brushing/bathing) and so on. Another class session she discussed nutrition, the different types of food (premium, store brand) as well as what we shouldn't do (hand out pieces of food to our dog while we're at the dinner table), and so on.

So you go to the course and you have your dog as well as the family. The trainer goes over the past week concepts and discuss the current week concepts. The she talks to each owner and discusses behavior and training and offers solutions and ways to improve the behavior. Then we start the class. She borrows a dog and tries to show an example of how to get the dog to sit. Then she hand the dog back and we practice on our own as she goes around and offers a critque so to say. After awhile we move on to another topic. We try 2-3 topics in class and learn about 4 total that we can train @ home.

I suggest that you try to go and watch a class while in session with the different Petsmart trainers (ours has about 2 trainers). Observe and see what you like. That's what I did before I signed my dog up. I just went and observed and thought this was nice.

I know another owner who signed up their dog with the a different location petsmart store and they were very disappointed. They did not improve anything nor really taught anything. They felt that the way the instructor handle the class was unprofessional. So it really does depends on the indivdual store and the instructor. Good Luck.

Answer 7

I think they are trying to do a good job, however the environment in which the training takes place is way to small to really accomplish anything. Puppies need socialization(play) and that SMALL pen area is not conducive to allow proper play or training. Contact you local Kennel Club. All communities have one. They are your best avenue for finding good, positive training in a proper atmosphere.

Answer 8

I used them for basic training, and they don't necessarily use the clicker method, at least in my area. I thought it was a good basic first step for my dog (we adopted him when he was about 6 or 7). Training is partially about socialization but that's not all it's about--it's just valuable to go to training period to learn basic commands and who's the boss. My dog's behavior changed so much after this basic training and I wouldn't say it was due to PetSmart--they teach you how to train your own dog, they don't train your dog--but they do a fine job in my eyes. You're being trained as much as the dog is.

Answer 9

i agree with the person who suggested watching one of the classes. they are held right in the store so you could always just check one out. i have spoken to the trainer at my local petsmart a few times and i really like her methods. the only problem i have is that the classes are held in a very small space, but it is definitely a good option for your puppy in my opinion!

Answer 10

You *could* get lucky, but generally their 'trainers' have no business trying to teach anyone anything about training.

Pet(not so)smart ONLY hires people who have never done it before, and then gives them books/videos to watch. Years of experience are usually what makes a trainer good.