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Originally Posted by NODAK  I appreciate that as well....although, it seems PetSmart would be the "McDonalds" of pet training...I'd definitely try a private one over that... |
It's not what you think. Petsmart is positive reinforcement training - which is GOOD. What is in question is the experience of the trainer. My private trainer used to work for Petsmart, and I would also recommend the current trainer at our local Petsmart since she is also fairly good. I just can't vouch for the level of training of the trainer at YOUR local petsmart. And I also can't vouch for PetCo at all. Petsmart is fine unless you find a really great private trainer.
Private trainers generally give more intense lessons, and more of them, for the money. But there also aren't any certifications *required* for them to say they are a trainer. I could open a business tomorrow and call myself a trainer. There are also trainers who will recommend you use choke collars, leash corrections or try to dominate your dog. These are old-school methods and while many people still like to use them for German Shepherds, they do not work well with sensitive Yorkies. Loki and I did two years of positive reinforcement training classes (on and off) and he has gone from a complete terror to a very well behaved dog who I can communicate with extremely well.