Nyspirit,

Good one!!!

There are diamonds in every rough.

Now you just need to get some of the other people who work at "*****" to hang out here too! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Nyspirit, Your students are fortunate.

milt

nyspirit,

I hope I didn't offend you. Your students and their dogs are lucky to have you. Petsmart needs a national coordinator like you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

You guys can be a bunch of big jerks. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

(i'm glad i didn't post in here yet <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> )

Have any of you read Sheila Booth's books on Training in Drive? I purchased the one she co-wrote with Gottfied Dildei and was amazed at the results I got with my 3 yr old female shepard. Especially the intense eye contact I began to recieve after starting to use her techniques. Prior to that I had taken 3 classes with 3 different trainers. Great for socialization, but didn't really get any really amazing techniques until I read the book and started to train in drive.

nyspirit..
It is great that your Petsmart will let you do your own thing.. and it sounds like a great class! But around here, you have to train the way they want you too.. it isn't "harmful" to the dogs.. but it sure doesn't help them.. Perhaps more of the petstores will come around to your store's way of thinking...

Jody

One time I saw a young lady in a Petsmart training class with a big Doberman. She had it on a halti or gentle leader or something like that. I don't know anything about those devices so maybe I shouldn't knock them. But I think it's better to teach the dog to heel and to establish communication through a medium such as a leash. Anyway, it was kind of comical to me because this big, bad-ass Doberman had an attitude. I politely suggested she toss the thingamajig she was using and go with a prong. The trainer was standing nearby and told me I was wrong. And of course he's a Dolphin trainer at Sea World which constitutes him as a genius. Maybe I was and am wrong. But let me see here, big, bad-ass doberman with an attitude, young and petite lady, halti and trained at Petsmart. Hmmm.
Another time there was a lady with a somewhat dog agressive GSD. I was watching the class and really liked her dog. There was a lull in the class and I gave her a couple of suggestions, like putting him dog on a prong, in spite of Petsmart, and giving him a hard correction when he lunged at other dogs, which was infrequent. She politely rejected my suggestions. Oh well, I tried, right? About two minutes later, no kidding, her dog lunged for another dog while she was blabbing away with another lady. She lost her balance and fell and nearly broke her ankle. Someone else had to grab her dog for her. Her husband was there and took over while she sat in a chair applying ice. The "trainer" either didn't care or didn't know how to deal with it.

My problem with Petsmart in particular is that if they're going to take the public's money then they ought to be able to recognize a problem and do something about it. Petsmart's training program leaves a lot to be desired.

OK, I guess I've bashed Petsmart enough. It wasn't my intention to bash them, just to say it as I perceive it. They do a lot of good for, as my wife puts it, "the poor doggies". And for that we support their efforts and shop there.

Patrick you are spending way to much time at petsmart.LOL Actually when I first got my pup last Feb. I found petsmart, petco the ideal place to socialize the dog, being the middle of winter. I went there at least 4 times a week. The stores also have an excellent return policy. I often wonder how they exist, big sq footage and really no one waiting in line.

Milt

Petsmart isn't a bad store and I too take my dogs in there to "browse" around. I spend my share of money in there BUT that doesn't change the fact that their training program is a joke. Hiring people with no experience and telling people the halti is the answer to their problems is ridiculous despite the fact they sell the very items they label as cruel. It's OK to buy the prong from them but not use it in their class. :rolleyes:

While we're on the subject of good places to socialize, we love to take our dogs to our nearby Home Depot. Not all of their stores allow dogs, but if you can find one that does, it's perfect. It's usually crowded, they have big towering shelves, people walking around carrying 2x4's, and lots of forklifts driving around. Great for de-sensitizing. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Don't think they offer obedience classes though... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />