Question about puppy school

[MoonandBean]

Sunny is 10 weeks old now and we've had her for a week; we just love her so much. She is such a sweet and good puppy. Yesterday we took her to petsmart and she rode in the front of the cart like a baby...she just laid there and looked around and of course, got lots of attention. Everyone thinks she looks like the puppy on the Advantage commercial and they sing the "ain't no bugs on me" song to her . She has growled at 3 people as they approached her too quickly which has me concerned but I'm hoping she was just scared and we will work diligently at socializing her lots and lots.

Anyway, my question to you guys is...what do you think about the puppy training classes at petsmart? There aren't a lot of personal trainers around me and everyone seems to use petsmart but I know the first training classes are the most important and I want to make sure we're not going to regret later that we didn't use a "professional". I know the trainers at petsmart get the necessary training but I also know they're not "professionals"...

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Oh, here is a picture of Sunny this morning. She seems to know "sit".

[Rachel]

I don't know. I've watch some of the puppy classes at PetsMart and haven't been very impressed. That said, it would probably all depend on the individual person handling the class you attended.

[chocolatepuppy]

My Lacey and Layla have both went to Petsmart for classes. In fact Layla goes back the end of May to 'fine tune' a few issues. I don't have a problem with Petsmart training,I guess it depends on the trainer. The one Layla is going to has a search and rescue dog and is training her newest puppy to be a cadaver dog. IMO, she is a darn good trainer. Lacey had her for a trainer when she was younger and she turned out quite well.The trainer Layla went to before is no longer there and she was a bit more 'easy' in her training ,therefore the need for some fine tuning.
Regardless, the socialization is well worth it, imo.

[Freedom]

If you have options, then you want to consider the requirements for the trainer. Is it 'just' sitting in a class room and learning book info? Does the person HAVE a dog? (Don't laugh, there is a trainer at my local PetCo who LOVES dogs, but has never HAD one!) Has the trainer had a dog in any sort of competition (obedience, rally, agility,field work . . . doesn't have to be SHOW / conformation). And the more obvious things like how long been training, what certifications, and so forth.

Maybe this will help you sort it out!

[Catlady711]

I don't know much about PetSmart's puppy classes but I'd think any class that allows socialization and helps with training would be helpful.

One thing I do want to mention. You said the puppy is 10 weeks old, which means the puppy has not completed the series of vaccinations yet (those are usually finished by 12-16 weeks depending on your vet). Until those vaccinations are complete (with Kennel Cough vaccination) your puppy is not protected from diseases.

I've seen far too many young puppies very sick or even lose thier lives because they have been exposed to diseases at a young age before their vaccines have provided the proper immunity. I know owners of puppies are very happy to show off their puppies and eager to socialize them as soon as possible. It's MUCH safer to hold off on that until the vaccinations are finished. You have such a cute furbaby there, I'd hate for anything bad to happen to her and cause her or you any suffering.

[MoonandBean]

Thank You! She has had 2 sets of shots so far and is due for another set on May 23rd. Her vet said kennel cough wasn't necessary?? I will check with him before I bring her out again...she is my first puppy.

I do have a call into a very well respected personalized trainer in the area...

[chocolatepuppy]

Her vet said kennel cough wasn't necessary??

My Petsmart requires kennel cough shots to join.

[Catlady711]

Thank You! She has had 2 sets of shots so far and is due for another set on May 23rd. Her vet said kennel cough wasn't necessary?? I will check with him before I bring her out again...she is my first puppy.

I do have a call into a very well respected personalized trainer in the area...

Kennel cough vaccination is only necessary if the dog is going to be going to a place with lots of other dogs (ie; boarding, obedience school, groomers, dog park, rest area).

Each business place (groomers/OB classes/kennel) has their own requirements as to vaccines, but if I had a dog I wouldn't take them to those places without having the vaccine and wouldn't be too keen on having my dog there if they didn't already require it for every dog. But that's just my personal opinon.

Many of our clients keep the KC vaccination up to date because of unexpected boarding. Some people never get the vaccination if they have an indoor dog that doesn't go anywhere.

If a dog gets Kennel Cough (the infection) it won't kill them but they will be miserable for quite a while and it's a highly contagious thing.

There is a nasal Kennel Cough vaccine that takes effect in 3 days vs. the two shot series given 2-4 weeks apart. It it usually a bit more expensive but saves a second trip in a couple weeks back to the vet again.

Having a current Parvo vaccine is a must. There is a new strain of Parvo recently and we are seeing at work many of the puppies with this disease aren't surviving compared to in the past. That's not to say they all don't make it, but the odds are slowly changing. Finishing the full series of Parvo vacinations at the proper time intervals is very important. As with any vaccine it's not 100% a guarantee your dog won't get it, but it does increase the protection against it.

Here's a link to some info on it.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...19/petscol.DTL

[Ginger's Mom]

I think PetsMart is a perfect starting point for training. As someone mentioned earlier, socialization is an important factor in their training. Ginger went to puppy kindergarten there, were she learned how to get along with other dogs, and I learned how to teach her to sit, stay, and come. The most important things any dog can learn. If you want to go further, PetsMart does offer higher learning classes (which we also took), or you can go for specialized or personal training. But for the initial, this is what it is like to be a puppy and this is what you do at home to train a limited attention puppy, I loved PetsMart. And the trainer we had actually trains working companion dogs.

[BC_MoM]

I used to say I didn't approve of Petsmart classes - but I attended one just to watch and I think it provides great training in a good environment with distraction, which is what dogs need to proof their training.

I would be extremely concerned about her if she is growling at 10 weeks old. Definitely get into classes ASAP, and don't stop after puppy classes. Continue on with her at different levels of obedience. Also, remember to bring her MANY different places SEVERAL times a week where she will meet lots of new people (not the same people over and over!) and animals.

[MoonandBean]

The private teacher's wife called me back and she sounded very knowledgable about dogs and her husband's teaching techniques. He sounds great; certifies pet therapy dogs, etc... She was concerned about the growling and said Sunny is very fearful and she recommends an "evaluation" where he can address our concerns and also tell us what we can expect from her (he sounds like the dog whisperer when I told her that, she said "he's better"

So...Sunny has an app't this Wednesday at 4pm and then he does individual sessions at our home. We will continue to socialize her tons but need to help her with her fear.

That's it for now...thanks for the advice (I make decisions pretty quickly so I appreciate all the input that helped me to reach this one which I think will be best for her and me and my family).

[lute]

I think private trainers are good for older dogs that are fully socialized. The Petsmart classes would be great for a puppy. It provides lots of distractions and different people every time you go. After you go to the petsmart classes and Sunny is totally socialized then you can do advanced training with a private trainer. Socialization is the single most important thing at this age!

As for growling when people walk up to her. Whup that habit right now! Make her walk on a leash behind you and the cart. Not in the basket. When she gets scared DO NOT pick her up. That only makes the problem worse. Totally ignore her. So many puppies jump out of those baskets too.

[BC_MoM]

I agree, I wouldn't recommend private in-home classes for a puppy. The main thing puppies need is socialization! I highly recommend you just go to PetSmart...

[Jessika]

I used to work at PetCo so if they are anything similar to the Petsmart classes I will say that while they may not be the BEST training you can get, for the price you really can't beat it! Plus you get lots of great socialization not only with other pets but with people, too, and IMO that is VERY VERY important as a young puppy.

The trainers at my PetCo were actually very intelligent and had some great pointers and methods. One had a philosophy that she wasn't here to help you teach your dog to behave, but rather teach you how to communicate better with your dog. To "speak their language", so to speak (no pun intended...). And if you had to miss a class she was MORE than happy to let you sit in on another class to make up for lost time. Plus if you had a "problem child" or just weren't getting something, she was more than happy to come early or stay late to work with you.

Now if all the classes at Petsmart are like this... I highly recommend them. But bottom line: the price is nothing to laugh at and you get some GREAT socialization!