Petco Obedience?!

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Megansmom

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Okay all you super experienced Sheltie breeder/trainers, anyone ever use Petco puppy classes or obedience classes with them?

Like I mentioned last week, Megan did beautifully in the obedeince class, BUT all but Megan were older, were rescues and being trained to unlearn bad habits. We ended up just standing around most of the time while the trainer worked on the more challenging cases.

Anywho, sorry to ramble, any suggs for me? :wink2:
 
No experience with Petco. But, Justice went to Petsmart puppy kindergarten classed and the next one I think advanced. After that we found a local private school for the next level and then into novice classes. We did so much better in the other school because we had the standing around problem too. The class was too slow for us! Just like in human schools, the problem kids get the attention. :smile2:

Ember went right to the private school and Diva started in their Super Puppy class which was geared for puppy who were going to do comp obedience and agility. We were starting go outs, baby tables, tunnels, wobble boards, retrieving and scent articles(just finding no retrieving) etc along with manners and normal puppy skills. It was fantastic.:smile2:
 
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I think most pet store training is geared toward minimum obedience -- sit, down, stay, walk on loose lead -- and, they do an OK job at that. If you want training for competitive obedience and/or preparation for performance sport, then a training club is probably the way to go.
 
Justicemom said:
Ember went right to the private school and Diva started in their Super Puppy class which was geared for puppy who were going to do comp obedience and agility. We were starting go outs, baby tables, tunnels, wobble boards, retrieving and scent articles(just finding no retrieving) etc along with manners and normal puppy skills. It was fantastic.:smile2:
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What an awesome idea for a class. I wish our club here did something like that! They do obedience and CGC etc...but no "puppy agility basics" or anything like you mention. I guess I'll have to do that on my own!
 
Megansmom said:
Okay all you super experienced Sheltie breeder/trainers, anyone ever use Petco puppy classes or obedience classes with them?

Like I mentioned last week, Megan did beautifully in the obedeince class, BUT all but Megan were older, were rescues and being trained to unlearn bad habits. We ended up just standing around most of the time while the trainer worked on the more challenging cases.

Anywho, sorry to ramble, any suggs for me? :wink2:
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We use the non-profit clubs. The rates are about the same but I feel like the money is going to better use than private clubs. I've been in PetCo when they were doing their training and my only issue there was that it seemed like they tried selling you stuff after class. Also, the instructor here was really young and didn't seem to have a clue about how to train. It was like she was reading off of a card. There was a gal that couldn't get her dog to sit and the gal looked at her with a blank stare.. it was sad. I guess the last part was, it was held right in the store. people were shopping around the people in class..
 
Strider said:
Also, the instructor here was really young and didn't seem to have a clue about how to train. It was like she was reading off of a card. There was a gal that couldn't get her dog to sit and the gal looked at her with a blank stare.. it was sad.
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This reminds me of a reflection I had last night:

I think that the biggest indicator of a good puppy class is, what does the instructor do when the dog doesn't "get" it right away. Can the instructor give the owner some tips? Can the instructor get the dog to do the behavior if the owner can't?

If the answer is no on both counts, it's not a good instructor. If you have a miracle dog that does everything right the first time, it's not an indication of a good instructor. It's the bad times that count for more.
 
Bailey took puppy classes at petsmart. Our petsmart has some pretty good trainers. I went there because they offered classes on weekends. It was definitely worth it for socializing and I did learn a few things.

I think when it comes to petco or petsmart classes, it really depends on the trainer. Some don't know what they're doing, but some do. They seem to be hit or miss.

Since my boss is allowing me to leave work early once a week, Bailey will be starting obedience class at our local non-profit obedience / agility school.
 
I'm a fan of obedience classes outside the home, just find a trainer that is compatible with the sheltie sensitivity.

Oh yeah, NO to the new forum posting system
YES to the old forum posting system.
 
That does seem to be a common occurence in some beginner obedience classes.... The good dogs don't get much attention while the naughty ones occupy all of the instructors time. I've found the higher up the type of obedience class you take it, the more individual attention you get. Then, there is more to nit pick over, and by then, the people with the naughty dogs have either dropped out or have worked through their issues.
 
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Excellent advice everyone, TY so much! Here's what I learned from you all:

1. Make sure the trainer can help you with any issue.
2. Observe class before enrolling to make sure it's what I want to put Megan in
3. If possible try a non-profit club as the fee's go to a good cause
4. Petco/Petsmart can be great, just be careful the trainer is experienced in various breeds, ex. Sheltie sensitivity.

Did I get it all :biggrin2:
 
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