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Originally Posted by lengel  First off, I apologize to any Petsmart employees who may be offended by anything I say here.
Years ago when Argos and Nikki were puppies, I tried out a Petsmart training class. It was absolutely horrific. The trainer's voice was so loud that it would freak out any dog. She banished any dog that barked to another part of the store and all the while, her own dog was playing tug of war with her pant leg. Nikki got so worked up that she threw up - twice. At the end of the class the trainer told me that "labrador retrievers are untrainable" and this is why people shouldn't get them. We wound up at a fantastic training facility and today they are happy and nicely behaved, work well with me and fabulously socialized.
Fast forward four years later. Took new puppy Zooey to puppy kindergarten but most of her litter was there. Completed the course but decided that she needed an alternative environment because she was only playing with her littermates. A new Petsmart opened down the street. Met the trainer and really liked her and I thought, why not? It's not like we would be encountering anything new, just solidifying what Zo already knows. Plus, it was an inexpensive class. In the meantime, we signed up for Zo's first formal obedience course with the training facility.
So, here's the scary thing - I like the Petsmart class more than the other one. There are five dogs compared to the twenty at the other. The other trainer has so much on her plate but the Petsmart one is focussed on the individual dogs. And, oddly, I'm actually learning new things at the Petsmart class. Finally, there aren't any more advanced classes being offered by the training facility but Petsmart is offering classes up to advanced and CGC. Obviously, I can find advanced obedience and CGC at some place completely different but the only reason I would is because of the Petsmart name. I mean, it just sounds bad to me to say that she was trained at Petsmart.
What do you guys think? If you heard someone say that your dog got his/her CGC from Petsmart, would you completely dismiss it as irrelevant or somehow diminished? |
A CGC is a CGC, which is a simple test that the AKC designed to demonstrate that a dog is under basic control, and is safe enough to be handled.
I agree with targon on her comments. The reason that we "generally" discourage the use of Big Box Store trainers, is that "generally" BBS's don't require real knowledge of training or behavior, and as long as the potential trainer can read and pass a simple examination, ta-da, they are a trainer. Occasionally, someone with skills will take the job, and if you are happy with this new trainer, use her for the puppy classes.
You have personally witnessed this in the first trainer you had with your labs.
I will also state that for more advanced obedience, you should indeed seek out a trainer affiliated with Breed Clubs, or Working Dog Clubs, as they tend to have better experience all the way around, and can help with problem solving in a better manner. This being said, not all trainers are created equal.
20 puppies in a class is ridiculous. That sounds like total mayhem!