Uma has signed up for a training class!

[hami2127]

i would agree that petsmart is fine for puppy classes and the socialization cant be beat but after that you are going to want to look at something a little more structured if you have anything but a EB, if you have an EB it really doesnt matter cause he is only gonna do what he feels like either way

[Cinder]

Originally Posted by hami2127

i would agree that petsmart is fine for puppy classes and the socialization cant be beat but after that you are going to want to look at something a little more structured if you have anything but a EB, if you have an EB it really doesnt matter cause he is only gonna do what he feels like either way

That's completely not true. With the proper training, your EB will do what YOU want him to do. Not sure if that comment was tongue in cheek or not, but I don't like giving newbies false information.

[esprinter]

Originally Posted by Cinder

Concur. Atticus and I learned a lot with his PetSmart classes....he nailed everything (minus the heeling). I also really enjoyed helping him submit and not be such a bully when he was a youngin'. They taught us the little things.

I would imagine that with the large number of folks Petsmart has, as trainers, some would no doubt be better than others. We found a trainer at our local petsmart, who happened to love working with breeds that have a rep for being stubborn (ie bully breeds and Mastiffs). In addition she was very experienced, yet current in her training methods. All positive reinforcement and very effective. In her classes our Bullmastiff did as well or better, than the the lab, the golden, the labradoodle, and the GSD that were also in the classes. We used the same instructor for begining, intermediate, and advanced. The only thing that Bella was not the best in the classes at was fetching objects (as if I wanted her to fetch things with her slobbery mouth).
P.S. It was not clicker training. Bella learned to follow both verbal and hand commands. We started out using both verbal and hand signals and by the end she had learned to respond to either or.

[Cinder]

Originally Posted by esprinter

I would imagine that with the large number of folks Petsmart has, as trainers, some would no doubt be better than others. We found a trainer at our local petsmart, who happened to love working with breeds that have a rep for being stubborn (ie bully breeds and Mastiffs). In addition she was very experienced, yet current in her training methods. All positive reinforcement and very effective. In her classes our Bullmastiff did as well or better, than the the lab, the golden, the labradoodle, and the GSD that were also in the classes. We used the same instructor for begining, intermediate, and advanced. The only thing that Bella was not the best in the classes at was fetching objects (as if I wanted her to fetch things with her slobbery mouth).
P.S. It was not clicker training. Bella learned to follow both verbal and hand commands. We started out using both verbal and hand signals and by the end she had learned to respond to either or.

Ours was an amazing trainer, however their curriculum is NOT based any further than "training". They will not deal with those issues that arise around the two year mark, and quite honestly, you're not with them long enough for those problems to manifest themselves.

Is PetSmart good as a basic groundwork training? I think so. I think it sets a good foundation for the dog and the owner to learn and to make an impression on the owner that it's about THEM, not the dog.

But dealing with territory issues, resource guarding, growling at people who approach the house/door...etc etc etc...things that 98% of green bully owners on this board have brought up eventually at some point...no.

[tt557]

Originally Posted by lqaddict

Oh, I did not see about the Petsmart training. AVOID! Find someone who is qualified.
just to give you a bit of a background, I started looking for someone to get the classes when I joined this board back in August.
I've contacted a few people, including sitmeanssit (what a joke), and I think I found a pretty good trainer, the classes are not cheap but so well worth it.

What are you paying if you dont mind me asking? Here in Westchester I found a great place for $225 - just have not had the money to do the group training. But I did the one on one. The lady was great, loves bullies and has a mastiff herself along with two Irish Wolfhounds.

[esprinter]

Originally Posted by Cinder

But dealing with territory issues, resource guarding, growling at people who approach the house/door...etc etc etc...things that 98% of green bully owners on this board have brought up eventually at some point...no.

True. I wouldn't recommend Petsmart (or any other) training alone, for a dog that has the above aggression issues. However, I am sure that they can be a valuable part of an overall training and socialization program to help prevent such problems.

[Cinder]

Originally Posted by esprinter

True. I wouldn't recommend Petsmart (or any other) training alone, for a dog that has the above agression issues. However, I am sure that they can be a valuable part of an overall training and socialization program to help prevent the above.

Agreed!

[lqaddict]

Wow I haven't checked my post in a few days and it is now 4 pages long...
Uma got a clicker from Karen Pryor's website , and she quite enjoys it

Originally Posted by tt557

What are you paying if you dont mind me asking? Here in Westchester I found a great place for $225 - just have not had the money to do the group training. But I did the one on one. The lady was great, loves bullies and has a mastiff herself along with two Irish Wolfhounds.

I am paying $300 for three sessions - the first introduction/evaluation was 2.5 hours long. The regular sessions run around 1.5 hours. If I've taken 5 sessions it would've run me $475, but can't do it until next month...
And she also expressed an interest to do a puppy socialization group training with another trainer, so she will let me know soon. Hopefully, before Uma is 6 months old.

[maryellen]

omg Boris that is EXPENSIVE for 3 sessions... a group class with other pups would have run you around $180 for an 8 week class at an hour each week..

[Lisa]

As already stated, Petsmart will only teach the VERY BASICS. Everything is positive (which is what you want for teaching) BUT, eventually you need to take things to the next level. Dogs need to learn they have to do what they are told even when there is no food being held in front of them..

Pet Smart is not the place to go for "special need" dogs with aggression issues, etc. Even if they have a very good trainer who is capable of working with dogs like that, the store has parameters set and the trainer must stay within those parameters..as far as I know, they are not allowed to give any corrections which will obviously limit the dogs learning curve.

A lot of times the "trainers" they have never even owned a dog before since training experience is not a requirement there. (check the online ads petsmart has that advertise for trainers)...that bothers me. I don't like the tiny little section they have cordoned off in the store for the class as I think it allows the dogs to get too close to each other. (maybe not all Petsmarts have this but our local store does).

Be careful with the "puppy socialization classes". They can actually be counterproductive to training. IMO they were created as another way for people to make money off the pet market. They serve no benefit as far as training goes, and can actually encourage your dog to pay more attention to other dogs than they do you. The opposite of what you want!