jacksonsdestiny asked:
I want to know what you honestly think about Petsmart training classes. Have you taken one? Witnesses one? Heard about one? Taught one? Tell me everything. Thanks!!!
Antonio
I want to know what you honestly think about Petsmart training classes. Have you taken one? Witnesses one? Heard about one? Taught one? Tell me everything. Thanks!!!
Antonio
Jared
I took my puppy there – they were somewhat helpful. if you have a chance, look up the dog whisperer – he is better than any class. cesar milan. I think he sells video tapes too.
Comment by Kay G — March 28, 2009 @ 9:25 am
Josephine
It depends on the store. There are different trainers at each one.
I would go there and talk to the trainer before signing up. Go with your gut. If it seems right, go for it. If not, go elsewhere.
I dont know about elsewhere, but where I live, one thing Ive noticed about Petsmart’s classes that I like is that the classes are usually small. The first puppy class I ever went to (before Petsmart had classes) had 20 dogs/owners in it. It was a miracle that anyone learned anything. The Petsmart here, Ive noticed, has class sizes of about 5 or 6. Its a great size to get that one on one attention and correction.
Comment by Ani — March 30, 2009 @ 12:59 am
Ida
I work at PetSmart and I’m in/around the classes.
PetSmart training is a good experience, only if you have a good trainer, so research before you pick. Plus, it’s $109!
But, I’ve noticed that most of it’s a pure joke, so I would consider a professional. They technically aren’t.
Comment by Lucy ♫ — April 2, 2009 @ 6:22 am
Constance
Me and a good friend of mine worked in Petsmarts grooming department for a while and though it was a few years ago I would say theyre pretty good. I have groomed dogs as they were going thru the program and can tell you there was a big transition in their behavior before and after. Honestly though thers way batter out there than petsmart.. look on the internet, check craigslist, Im sure you can find better for a better price
Comment by bjoyful0881 — April 2, 2009 @ 8:40 pm
Monica
I personally wasn’t impressed. The classes I have witnessed the trainers seemed to be pretty inexperienced.
Comment by CorsoMom — April 3, 2009 @ 1:05 am
Beverly
Hi! I personally had a wonderful experience with my dog in the Petsmart training classes. My dog learned so much at puppy school that I highly recommend the class to friends. I live in Las Vegas and had a trainer who was very experienced which made a huge difference, but it’s really up to the owners because they teach you how to properly train your dog.
Comment by Shannon — April 3, 2009 @ 8:14 am
Hazel
I was the Area Pet Trainer for PetSmart for almost 11 years. Before coming to work with the company I did AKC obedience trials with my dogs. So I had a lot of background on working with dogs as I was going to 4 classes a week with my dogs. yeah, I was pretty nuts about the sport of competiting. I have a passion for training. Alot of the trainers that are hired PetSmart has to train them who have no experience. I was the trainer who would train them. If I felt that they wouldn’t cut it , then they were let go. I don’t know how consistent the other area trainers were on it. Some of them that want to be a trainer think that is all fun and games and don’t realize that its alot of hard work. I go to seminars for aggression, and others. I got referrals all the time from groomers and veterinarians in the area. The trainers are very limited on what they can do. They have a set of curiculums that they have to stick with. They can not deal with aggression. I no longer work for them. I was becoming more and more frustrated because I knew that I could help my students, but with Corporate breathing down your back saying, NO you can not do that. So I left and I am starting my own training and doing in-home. If you do not have a problem with aggression the classes will be great. But like we had a trainer in our store, and her heart just wasn’t into the training and it showed. You want someone who loves what they are doing and not just doing it, because they need to make the money until they finish college. This is a lifetime thing for me. Go to your PetSmart and watch the trainer do their classes. My store had 3 trainers in it. Call the trainer and they will meet with you. If you don’t feel comfortable with any of them, go to another store. An associate in the store will basically tell you which one is the best. If you take a class and you are not satisfied with it, you can take another one for free, so you are not losing anything. If you still don’t get anything out of it, they will refund your money. It’s a PetSmart thing. If you get thru like 4 classes and don’t like the trainer there is no problem with the refund. It’s all about making the customer happy.
Comment by dogsbestfriend27 — April 3, 2009 @ 3:34 pm
Nicole
Hi, I am a Senior pet training instructor at a PETSMART store. I have an extensive background in training. I was also very fortunate to have an excellent Area trainer who was my mentor. I would encourage you to meet the trainer, sit in on a class and also ask the class participants about their experience. I have clients who have been through all the classes (puppy, beginner, intermediate, advanced and I conduct AKC Canine Good Citizen testing) I feel that PETSMARTS classes really fill a need that other training facilities do not. We are not focused entirely on teaching your pet to sit, down, stay, come, we also address behavior.
If you and your dog are having trouble understanding one another we have some advice and solutions for you that once they are explained to you from your dogs point of view make perfect sense.
Dogs who are trained in our stores have the opportunity to learn to respond to commands no matter what distractions they are confronted with. My demo dog will lie down with a biscuit on each paw, at the entrance to the store, while customers, dogs, kids, and people with shopping carts, walk past him. I teach my clients to train their dogs to do this and they love it. You will learn about canine behavior and also how to train your dog to have impulse control. No matter where you chose to train, please be sure to use the things you learn and remember, your success depends not only on the instructors ability, but also how much you use the information you are given.
Comment by k9teachr — April 5, 2009 @ 2:28 pm