dr evil goes to boot camp

[kustom007]

okay as we all know by now Grizzly is my 4 yr old male who wants to eat any living creature that dosent walk on two legs, sheppards,squirrls,J russels,cats etc
I want to take him for some training and I think petsmart would be a good place for the fact I dont have alot of money to spend on a primer of training, I more than anything want to socialize grizzly, putting the muzzle on and group training to me at least sounds like a good idea, any input or better ideas?

[Judi W]

I very much doubt that you are going to get the type of trainer at PetsMart that will be able to help you. Also, most places their classes are held inside the store which means pretty close quarters. It just simply does not work for a large dog-aggressive dog to be in group classes in close quarters, novice instructors, and a pile of terrified pets and pet owners. You might see about finding an obedience club in your area. They usually have group classes at a fair charge and you should find more experienced instructors.

[AngelBunny]

kustom007:

Another resource might be your local kennel club. We're looking to take our foster Moxie to obedience classes. I contacted our local humane society who offers "good dog" classes; I also talked to someone from our area's kennel club. The humane society classes weren't what I was looking for--I'm giving serious thought to obedience showing her & the classes aren't really geared to competitive showing. We'll be taking classes thru our local kennel club.

I think you're going to have to make some calls to talk to people & go to class to watch some folks before you'll find what you need.

[Judi W]

With a dog like Grizzly, you do need to find a class that has a large training area. This is in fairness to the other dogs in the class. Until he gets a certain amount of control, it is unfair to ask the other dogs to try to learn and work while being threatened. I have no problem taking in dogs like Grizzly, however, if I had to conduct classes in a restricted space, I would not be able to do so because of fairness to the other students.

[Carol Burke]

Judy is probably right as a general rule, however our local PetsMart happens to have a very experienced trainer. Go watch the class and talk to the trainer, you may be pleasantly suprised. Our city also sponsors training classes that are quite inexpensive and they happen to have a trainer who is good and not a bit put off by large, aggressive dogs. Shop around, I am sure you will find the right place.

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Carol
Darrlburg Rottweilers