My friend just told me Petco does dog training....9 weeks for $100. Anyone have an opinion about it? About a month ago, I asked for advice about a stray (abused) dog my husband brought home. (Showed up at the firestation and the guys talked my husband into bringing him home) He is a WONDERFUL dog (and I didn't want him). The only issue he has is he jumps on us and he is a BIG dog.....65 pounds. Do you think we could benefit from this class?
In my experience, any training is a good thing! The bond you create with the dog will help with future training as well! Good luck and have fun!
With big box chain stores, the quality of the training and services greatly varies by store and by trainer. We had a good training experience at PetsMart with one of the trainers but the other was a loon. At Petsmart, and I assume PetCo, they train their own trainers through a short term training program. They are obviously not as qualified or educated as someone who's been doing it years, been through intensive outside training, and has their own program. My advice? Go observe the classes. Meet the trainer. Ask them questions that you may already know the answer to and see if their answer agrees. Have your dog meet them. This is what we did at PetsMart and it quickly told us which trainer would be worth our time and which wouldn't. We even talked to people leaving their training class for their opinion on the classes and value. Training in that kind of format is really training for the human and socialization for the dog. It's not going to change any really bad behavior or fix any problems. It will give you tools to use in training your dog in basis commands. For more serious issues, you'd need to consult a "real" trainer or behaviorist for one on one help. It did what we wanted - we got some basic advice on teaching basic commands and our dog got to play with other dogs and be trained by other people. But for anything more than that, we'll consult an outside trainer if we need one. Good luck!
I taught obedience classes for many years prior to having children, plus showed my dogs in obedience and still do in agility. As one of the previous posters said, training can vary from person to person at places like Petco. The "trainer" and I use this term lightly, probably has no prior experience in dog training and at one time was a cashier who said, Hey I want to teach the obedience classes. The store sent them to a brief class and now here they are. Usually a privately owned school has trainers with alot more experience. Also the classes may be a little cheaper. But even the privately owned schools must be checked out. Some people believe in harsher training than others. The best training is a positive happy one. No reason for the dog to be afraid of you , just make sure they respect you, two totally different things. Good Luck!
I took my Great Dane puppy to Petco training classes about 10 years ago. I thought it was a huge waste of time and money. The actual classes were held in the aisles of the store, with shoppers all around patting and distracting the puppies. It was way too disorganized and chaotic. They may have things set up differently now, but I think I'd skip it and go with a private trainer. Good luck!
I'd ask your vet. We were referred to an experienced husband and wife who held the classes in a plaza parking lot early on Saturdays mornings. I think the classes were $80.
I did the training at PetSmart and it was a rip-off. My puppy, a collie, was bigger than any of the other dogs, and all the other owners wouldn't let their dogs play with mine b/c they though he would hurt the smaller pups. It was taught in the middle of the store in a little roped off section, and the trainer was not very good at all. I got a lot more out of a book about a "dog whisperer" type trainer and some time/patience at home, and visits to the local dog park. Save your money; if you want to go to a trainer, ask at a smaller, local pet store or ask your vet if there is anyone they can recommend.
When I had my dogs as puppies, I went up to Petco/Petsmart and looked at their classes. I didn't like the fact that they were doing it right in the back aisles of the store. This was very distracting for the puppies as there were people walking up and watching the classes, little kids gushing over the puppies, etc. I ended up going to a doggie daycare place that offered obedience training classes on nights and weekends. We had our own facility and no outside distractions. And the cost was about the same for 6 weeks.
Ok I will be honest here. I did one class with my dog. He is a bit hyper, half cocker half poodle. The basic training was good, although he only really learned to sit, stay (in order to get treats), and to come when he feels like it. I couldn't take him out off lease, he would bolt. If you chase him, he would run farther. It was awful. He would jump up on you, chase the cats, etc. Then I did something that completely changed him. I went and got him a shock collar that also had a tone function. I used the same commands I had learned in the class, (which Im sure you could pick up from a dog training book) and if he didn't respond I would use the tone to reprimand, three times, if no response then shock on lowest possible setting that he reacted to. I did this until he got it. After a few months he was a new dog. He will be let out to go to the bathroom in an unfenced 1.5 acre lot that abutts the woods he doesn't go anywhere. If I cant see him a voice call or quick tone and he will come running back. Its really amazing. Years of classes wouldn't have worked this good.
You can sometimes get some really good teachers. We took our dog and our daughter. More training the daughter than the dog. But it was a refresher for the dog. Our teacher had shown dogs at AKC events. She was also very involved in rescues. I would ask at the store and find out the teachers experience and talk to the person first. We had a great time.
