Petsmart/petco Training?

[ambpersand]

Hi all! I'm new around here, but I've recently adopted my first greyhound about a week ago with my husband from one of our local rescues. We're already 100% attached and feel that she's a great fit for our home, but we're interested in taking her to get some extra obedience training. She's six years old and already knows one or two commands, has no problems walking on a leash, responds very well to positive reinforcement, and is generally a good listener (except for when she's very tired and doesn't want to get off the couch). We'd like to take her someplace local for some casual/light training so she can learn a few more commands and give us some piece of mind that she'll listen better if we need to tell her to stop, leave it, ignore something, etc. Have any of you had any experience with Petsmart or Petco training programs? I ask because we have several store locations that are very close, both advertise positive reinforcement only training, seem to work with our schedules, and aren't too pricey. Most of the private training facilities in our area seem more intense than what we need.

[NeylasMom]

I'm not sure what "too intense" means, but if you tell me where you live I might be able to recommend a good reward based trainer. Petco has taken some steps to have a more formal training program for their trainers I believe, but according to their website it's a 16 week training program, which seems skimpy to me. I cannot recommend Petsmart at all. It's possible you could find a really good trainer at either location, but the problem is that there aren't good standards for training and qualifications so you never know what you're going to get. Also, more than likely the folks who are really good are going to move on at some point. My boss, who now owns and runs the dog training school and day care where I teach once worked at Petsmart. But more often than not, we get the clients who were unhappy or underwhelmed with their training there. I've also seen how they run their daycare - not impressed.

 

So I would say with Petsmart it's a total crapshoot. Petco you might have slightly better odds. But generally speaking I think you're better off finding a CPDT-KA certified trainer who offers group classes in your area. You can search their directory online, or again, if you tell me what city/state you live in, I would be happy to make a recommendation if possible.

[ambpersand]

Thank you for the advice. As for being "too intense," there is a very popular training facility in town that primarily does 10-14 day intensive training sessions (which the reviews all seem to point towards being good for dogs with behavioral issues) and promotes the use of shock collars, which we're definitely not interested in given the fact that our grey seems to be fairly well behaved on her own and we only want her to gain a few extra skills. We live in the northeastern Indiana area (Fort Wayne) if you have any recommendations.

[NeylasMom]

Thank you for the advice. As for being "too intense," there is a very popular training facility in town that primarily does 10-14 day intensive training sessions (which the reviews all seem to point towards being good for dogs with behavioral issues) and promotes the use of shock collars, which we're definitely not interested in given the fact that our grey seems to be fairly well behaved on her own and we only want her to gain a few extra skills. We live in the northeastern Indiana area (Fort Wayne) if you have any recommendations.

Ah yes, definitely skip that one. I don't know of anyone in your area off the top of my head. I'll post to my listserves and see what I can come up with.

[greysmom]

FWIW, I took one of mine to a Petsmart training class about 8 years ago. The trainer was very good, and *I* learned a lot that I've used with our other dogs since then. I was mainly wanting a place to socialize a very anxious dog in a low key way. It ended up not being good for that though totally not because of reasons someone might think. Cash hated the "big box" atmosphere - it was too loud, too echo-y, too hectic with too many strange people - for her to be comfortable. Other dogs I've taken to shop there have enjoyed it more, and, I think, would do better at a class in that kind of situation.

 

I made sure I went there beforehand and spoke personally with all the trainers whose class times I was considering. Petsmart had a training "program" back then and most of the people who ran the classes were OK with teaching it. There was a big difference in their effectiveness however. Fortunately, the trainer I liked the best had the early Saturday morning class time I wanted which was the quietest time in the store. I sat in on several of her classes to watch before signing up, and made sure I spoke with her about Cash and my goals for her. I basically just wanted to bring her to classes and maybe give her some confidence learning some things she could do - which is what happened. So it was a good thing for her, for that reason.

 

I think either place would be OK as long as it was based in positive reinforcement, and you had realistic (low ) expectations of that sort of training.

[PrairieProf]

I had an excellent experience with PetSmart training with my first greyhound -- my first experience with dog training, too. It was fun and she learned a lot, we went all the way through Advanced. I will say that the instructor I worked with throughout had years of experience -- her knowledge was just just based on PetSmart's training. One negative was the crowded, busy environment -- good for practicing with distractions but I would have liked to be working in a space dedicated to training, not practicing stuff in aisles full of clueless shoppers and their pups. One positive is they allow you to retake any class for free, even if you pass it, if you want more practice or whatever.

[ambpersand]

Good to know! Thanks for sharing the experience greysmom and PrairieProf- I might continue to look around and maybe do a few consultations before making any sort of decision. Pearl does fairly well listening on her own, but we're mostly looking for a place where she can get in some socialization (she loves other big dogs and we currently don't have any) and teach her some basic commands. She's got some arthritis and a problem with her back leg from a previous break that never healed correctly, so she won't be doing any complicated tricks or agility courses anytime soon! Lucky for us she doesn't have destructive tendencies or serious behavior issues, she mostly just wants to follow us around. Our two main concerns are when she tries to follow us out to the garage (learning a "stay" or "stop" command would come in handy for those times when the garage door is open and we don't want to risk her slipping past) or teaching her to look away/not get interested when our cats get a little crazy and tear through the house.

[macoduck]

You've only had her for one week. I'd avoid Petsmart?Petco and the like for a couple months. Your girl's personality with emerge and evolve over time.

Try some YouTube videos for the things you want to work on.

 

By garage door do you mean a door from the house to the garage may be open at the same time as the garage door? Can you fit a baby gate there?

 

Are you keeping her muzzle on while she gets used to your cats, and they to her?

 

If she doesn't want to get off the couch when you tell her to, leash her up and lead off. Bribes and happy voice. Same thing if you don't want her on your bed.

 

Most of us here have BTDT and made plenty of mistakes along the way. That's why we I sound like we I know it all.

[racindog]

Well the bottom line is that you generally get what you pay for. Personally I am not a fan of the mega store training protocols. In my experience money is well spent on top quality trainers. But the important thing is have fun with your dog. Just don't be disappointed in her or push her if you go the PetSmart/Petco route because if there is any issues it will not be her fault and she probably would not have had them with a higher quality trainer. I don't think you should take her anywhere to train yet. IMO you should spend weeks if not months just getting to know each other and developing engagement with her BEFORE you begin asking things of her. If you don't take the time to develop good engagement before you start asking things of her-like obedience- then you will almost certainly have problems. If you take the time to get good engagement first and build that solid foundation then you will be able to easily train her to do amazing things. In fact most reputable good trainers will insist on building engagement first and those are the first exercises that you will do if you train under them. Anyway have fun. You will not believe what a wonderful loving experience having a greyhound is.

[Walliered]

I used Petsmart with DaVid and was very happy with the training, but I totally agree with the big box stores noise and distractions. Also, there are a lot of idiot people that bring their dogs to these stores and do not have a clue on how to manage them (or their kids). I have had to correct many kids on the proper way to approach my dogs (for their safety and also my dogs safety)..But, like racindog says-it is too early in your relationship to start training them..just love them and give them a lot of time to get to know you.

[MaryJane]

I would wait at least a few weeks before doing any formalized training so that you can develop a relationship and before that, you can do much of the training yourself on a side street.

 

The problem with Petco/Petsmart type of training is that the trainers are not really knowledgeable and they can tell you that it is OK to do things that are not so much ok especially for greyhounds. For example, one class that I went to, the trainer wanted me to let my dog off the lead -- that was not going to happen and I am sure enough of myself that I let the trainer know - others might be willing to assume that the trainer is right and put their dog in jeopardy. Another trainer that I had (at an excellent place) was way to "positive reinforcement" focused and just believed in shoving treats down my dog's mouth. I also stopped that and only treated few times during the session (not as a bribe).

 

What I do find invaluable and the reason that I take my dogs to training sessions like this - it allows you to train your dog to ignore other dogs. It also helps that there are distractions so that you can make sure that your dog is focused on you and you focus on protecting your dog. It's a good place to train your dog to move closely with you so you can get by people/dangerous situations a quickly and safely as possible.

[GreytHoundPoet]

Some of the Petco/Petsmart trainers are good. Some aren't. After undergrad and before grad school I worked as a Petco trainer. I went through a few months of intensive training back then. I don't know what the program is like now but it was basic but decent back then. Clearly I have sighthound experience. The benefits to these classes are more for socialization and focus training in public than anything else. I train rally obedience and other things at home by myself but do take my dogs to various training classes for the experience of training in that kind of situation. I'm also a lifetime positive socialization advocate so we do all kinds of things together.

[EllenEveBaz]

Pearl sounds like she's a goodgirlgoodgirlwhosagoodgirl I took my first hound to a course sponsored by my city Parks & Recreation dept. I called the instructor ahead of time, and found out that she had sighthound experience and followed positive reinforcement. It was about the level of training/socialization it sounds like you're looking for. You might also try calling the rescue program you got Pearl from or your area ASPCA to see if they have recommendations.

 

A trainer having sighthound experience would be good because that group of hounds tends to be more (ahem) "independent" than the typical retriever mix puppy that will probably be the largest group in whatever class you're in. Plus, you'd like your trainer to be aware that many greyhounds don't see any sense in sitting and take some extra training for that, even if they don't have a history of back leg injury.

 

You've probably already thought of this for socialization, but those big pet stores can be good places just to practice training in the aisles during non-busy times. I did this when I had another hound in a therapy dog course. I'd ask a friendly person to hold his leash while I went to the far end of the aisle, and so on.

[jetcitywoman]

she tries to follow us out to the garage (learning a "stay" or "stop" command would come in handy for those times when the garage door is open and we don't want to risk her slipping past)

 

When I foster, I start teaching the dog "wait" at the doors on day two, so this one is not too early to train. (Although I agree with the others that you should wait on other obedience training until she's settled a bit more and you've developed more of a relationship.) Here is how I teach a dog to wait at the doors.

 

First, something marvelous that my first dog trainer taught me was to direct a dog with my body by claiming space. If you step forward into the dog's face (genty, don't ram her) she will naturally back up a step or two. Not too much different than if you get into another human's face, the natural inclination is to back up to reclaim personal space. This is better than grabbing the dog's collar because she's backing herself up, instead of just trying to pull against the collar. So you'll be using this technique here.

 

So go near the door and if your dog follows you, position her where you want her to stand and wait. I suggest it be a spot not too close to the door so that someone walking in has a place to enter, but ideally a spot where she can see whoever it is outside. (I think one reason dogs rush doors is so they can simply see who is out there.) This is going to be her waiting spot from now on. The end goal is that whenever someone is at the door, or if you walk out it, she will go to this spot and wait.

 

Start the training with nobody at the door to keep excitement down and you can do some repetition. Put her in her spot. Hold your hand up like a traffic cop, palm toward her face and say "wait". Grab the door handle, and if she doesn't move, praise and treat. Then open the door slightly and if she doesn't move, close the door, praise and treat. Any time she moves forward from her spot, use the body space technique to put her back in her spot. As she gets solid with each baby step, increase the challenge: open door all the way (it's ideal if you have a screen door in case she bolts past you, but if you don't, have her on leash). When she's solid with nobody at the door, go back to square one with a friend at the door and progress through the steps again.

[ambpersand]

 

When I foster, I start teaching the dog "wait" at the doors on day two, so this one is not too early to train. (Although I agree with the others that you should wait on other obedience training until she's settled a bit more and you've developed more of a relationship.) Here is how I teach a dog to wait at the doors.

 

First, something marvelous that my first dog trainer taught me was to direct a dog with my body by claiming space. If you step forward into the dog's face (genty, don't ram her) she will naturally back up a step or two. Not too much different than if you get into another human's face, the natural inclination is to back up to reclaim personal space. This is better than grabbing the dog's collar because she's backing herself up, instead of just trying to pull against the collar. So you'll be using this technique here.

 

So go near the door and if your dog follows you, position her where you want her to stand and wait. I suggest it be a spot not too close to the door so that someone walking in has a place to enter, but ideally a spot where she can see whoever it is outside. (I think one reason dogs rush doors is so they can simply see who is out there.) This is going to be her waiting spot from now on. The end goal is that whenever someone is at the door, or if you walk out it, she will go to this spot and wait.

 

Start the training with nobody at the door to keep excitement down and you can do some repetition. Put her in her spot. Hold your hand up like a traffic cop, palm toward her face and say "wait". Grab the door handle, and if she doesn't move, praise and treat. Then open the door slightly and if she doesn't move, close the door, praise and treat. Any time she moves forward from her spot, use the body space technique to put her back in her spot. As she gets solid with each baby step, increase the challenge: open door all the way (it's ideal if you have a screen door in case she bolts past you, but if you don't, have her on leash). When she's solid with nobody at the door, go back to square one with a friend at the door and progress through the steps again.

 

This is fantastic advice- thank you! I agree withe everyone above that it's probably best to wait a little while before more detailed obedience training, but I feel like teaching her this one command could be very helpful in the meantime. We've noticed that she's a bit on the nosy side (surprise surprise!) and it does seem that she just wants to see what we're doing out in the garage. She does very well on direction already (we only have to lightly tap or nudge her on the shoulder and she'll walk forward- very helpful when trying to get her to go out into the yard to go to the bathroom) so I'm very interested to see how she'll respond to this once we start trying it out. Thanks again!

[GeorgeofNE]

You know, it's not difficult to teach a dog yourself.

 

Just find a book you like, and follow the instructions. The key to training is consistency and practice. It doesn't matter what command or hand signal you use as long as you use them consistently. It doesn't matter where you are, everything you do is training the dog one way or another. So if you can set aside two 10-15 minute sessions a day and work on things like sit/stay/come/down/heel (or whatever you feel is important) you can teach her anything you want for the cost of one book!

 

I trained my first dog when I was 10. It's not rocket science, and it's fun!

[DofSweetPotatos]

You know, it's not difficult to teach a dog yourself.

 

Just find a book you like, and follow the instructions. The key to training is consistency and practice. It doesn't matter what command or hand signal you use as long as you use them consistently. It doesn't matter where you are, everything you do is training the dog one way or another. So if you can set aside two 10-15 minute sessions a day and work on things like sit/stay/come/down/heel (or whatever you feel is important) you can teach her anything you want for the cost of one book!

 

I trained my first dog when I was 10. It's not rocket science, and it's fun!

I half agree with this. Yes, you can do it from a book and teach a dog yourself.

We all generally do the basics of assessing wants and needs on our own. However, I found that my timing in marking and rewarding the wanted command/behaviour was off. It was leading to frustration for both me and my pup. After going to a trainer (one who had a bunch of initials after their name) they pointed out my timing and my dog's frustration. After one session it was a HUGE difference. The bond we created during those 6 sessions was better than I ever imagined. I highly recommend searching for basic obedience/ pet obedience classes with positive reinforcement, you wont regret it.

[GeorgeofNE]

Well, we didn't use "marking" and rewarding back in my day. You petted the dog, told it is was a very good dog, and moved on.

 

Not a lot of timing involved.

 

Like so many activities today, I think people tend to overthink obedience training.

[XTRAWLD]

I have to say while I agree that you could definitely train the dog yourself, there is something to be said about being in a class with other owners and dogs.

 

I took Ryder to obedience training in an effort to advance into agility. He was rather shy too so I was hoping that exposure to a training environment would be good for him, and I do believe it was. One element in the class was that each owner was to visit each dog and ask for a command sit. It gave the dog exposure to other people, and positive reinforcement when rewarded for doing the command when not by the owner. Naturally dogs that were overwhelmed or couldn't handle it just sat out, but this also gave the owners an opportunity to experience commanding a dog that was not theirs, and getting critiqued for it too.

 

I can't comment about Petsmart training though, as I went a different route with an indoor arena designed for agility, but a trainer observing your actions IMO is never a bad thing.

 

There are lots of other things to stimulate her too. You could try Nose Work - where she's training to sniff out certain smells. It helps to keep her mind active, etc.

 

Enjoy your pup!

Edited August 9, 2017 by XTRAWLD

[NeylasMom]

Thank you for the advice. As for being "too intense," there is a very popular training facility in town that primarily does 10-14 day intensive training sessions (which the reviews all seem to point towards being good for dogs with behavioral issues) and promotes the use of shock collars, which we're definitely not interested in given the fact that our grey seems to be fairly well behaved on her own and we only want her to gain a few extra skills. We live in the northeastern Indiana area (Fort Wayne) if you have any recommendations.

This is who was recommended:

http://caninecompanion.us/

[Hubcitypam]

Totally depends on the trainer. I took one of my first greys to Petsmart in Lubbock and the trainer was great. I actually trained to be a trainer at the Petsmart in Lufkin. One lady asked about a puppy that cried at night. The trainer told her to lock it in the bathroom and when it cried to beat on the door until it stopped. :

[DofSweetPotatos]

Well, we didn't use "marking" and rewarding back in my day. You petted the dog, told it is was a very good dog, and moved on.

 

Not a lot of timing involved.

 

Like so many activities today, I think people tend to overthink obedience training.

Petting the dog and telling them they're good is a mark/reward. No over thinking just semantics I suppose.

[Guest taradaktl]

First, let's just take a moment to acknowledge how lucky we are to have adopted dogs that - more or less - come to us pretty well trained from the track. They know people are the boss, we just have to keep acting like it.

 

I thought about Petsmart/Petco training, but ultimately went with our local Humane Society. It was half the price, small group classes and a few different class times that work with my schedule. We'll see how it goes! Good luck!

[racindog]

I'm not sure what "too intense" means, but if you tell me where you live I might be able to recommend a good reward based trainer. Petco has taken some steps to have a more formal training program for their trainers I believe, but according to their website it's a 16 week training program, which seems skimpy to me. I cannot recommend Petsmart at all. It's possible you could find a really good trainer at either location, but the problem is that there aren't good standards for training and qualifications so you never know what you're going to get. Also, more than likely the folks who are really good are going to move on at some point. My boss, who now owns and runs the dog training school and day care where I teach once worked at Petsmart. But more often than not, we get the clients who were unhappy or underwhelmed with their training there. I've also seen how they run their daycare - not impressed.

 

So I would say with Petsmart it's a total crapshoot. Petco you might have slightly better odds. But generally speaking I think you're better off finding a CPDT-KA certified trainer who offers group classes in your area. You can search their directory online, or again, if you tell me what city/state you live in, I would be happy to make a recommendation if possible.

NeylasMom is right. I would not waste time or money on big box dog 'traners.' It is sooooo worth it to use a QUALITY trainer as she recommended. Can't tell you how important that can be! Congrats on your new houndie

[3greytjoys]

This is who was recommended:

http://caninecompanion.us/

 

Ditto.