[spidey]

I'm just finishing up puppy kindergarten at Petsmart, and it's been fine. I'm in the same boat as you - I don't mean to continue there, but it's fine for puppy kindergarten. It's all lure-based positive reinforcement, and it's actually been far better than I expected it to be in terms of the advice given and the way the trainer has helped people through problems. Be aware that there is playtime in class (our trainer does insist that we get our puppies focused on us first, and that we give them permission to play). I know many disagree with this, and I'm back and forth about it myself. However, since my main reason for taking the class was socialization rather than training (it's very hard to socialize where I live), I don't have a problem with it, but you should be aware of it in case you do have a problem with it.

It's very true that it depends on the trainer - I ended up there because I met the trainer when I was shopping for toys and we had a chat, and I liked her. She does use a halter on her own dogs when needed, and she did suggest it to one other person in the class whose dog was wild - since it happens to be one of those dogs who does well in the halter, I had no problem with that. Every other puppy is on a regular flat collar.

Go and meet the trainer (they're almost always there, and should be happy to talk to you if they're not teaching), and get a sense of whether you get along or not. That's what I did, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the puppy kindergarten class at our local Petsmart to anyone.