I am really upset w/ pebbles trainer and I need to VENT!!! please give advise

[roxies_mom]

Sorry about that, I have no idea why that posted here. I was someplace else and when I posted it came up here!

[Mom to Hot Rod]

Originally Posted by delisa2850

You poor dears! I LOVE our trainer. Jane has her own business - it is called One Dog Makes A Difference (ODMAD) and she really does believe that. She has over 2 decades of training experience, has done tons of research into several training methods, and truly does love our dogs. She has told us that you need to find what best motivates YOUR dog - whether it is tons of praise, food, playing with a toy - whatever gets YOUR dog excited is what you need to use for your training reward. Every week she gives us handouts - puppy psychology type lessons. We have learned about pack leadership, pros and cons of clicker training, rewards vs. bribes, etc....

I can totally relate to your frustration with Pebbles not paying attention. I truly believe that Roxy has ADHD. My class laughs when I say this, but I am serious!! This last Monday, Jane's words were, "she (Roxy) has the attention span of a gnat, doesn't she?" (I think in a contest the gnat would win....) Fortunately for me, Roxy IS food motivated, but even at that, during her exciting classtime, I am the last thing she is interested in - even with yummy treats that she never gets except during training. During puppy kindergarten class all she had to do was look my way and she would get a treat. She did not get one treat for looking my way. She loves to socialize. (Then again, she is an only dog.) For us, having Roxy actually do what the lesson is during class time just doesn't really happen, but at home, she really will work with me. Last week we learned a game called "catch me." We kept backing away and telling our dogs "catch me!" and as they came toward us and paid attention to us, they got treats. During class, we were not much more successful than usual, but at home, she was wonderful. So this last Monday night, Jane had us play the "catch me" game, and I kept backing Roxy further from the group, and she must have remembered the home practise, because she WON the game!!! She even beat the border collie and got a HUGE bag of Pupperoni's - so there is hope! (Janes comment was "who would've thunk it??!!" Certainly not me!! )

Another thing that Jane has emphasized is that since Roxy DOES like treats, but even with treats she is ADHD during class, I need to use "premium" treats. For Kindergarten graduation, I was sure that Roxy would flunk because the week before she would not do anything for me. Scott (my 18 year old son and Roxy's "Daddy") grilled a sirloin steak for her. I cut it into slivers so small it was pretty much shredded for her treat rewards. Not only did she graduate, she kicked butt! It was amazing. We haven't used sirloin since - I am saving it for puppy graduation just to be on the safe side!

Before class, I give Roxy a bath to try to make her tired so she won't be so hyper. It helps a little, but not like I had hoped.

I don't know how you would find a "Jane" in your area. She is one of the main trainers for agility in our area. Maybe your local kennel club could help guide you to someone who is better suited for Pebbles needs. Just like not every teacher is for every child, not every trainer is for every puppy either. It does not mean that you are too easy. Pebbles just has a different learning style and she needs someone with enough experience to help you identify her style and then capitalize on it.

I wish I could box Jane up and ship her your way. She would give you the confidence to know that with your love and patience, Pebbles is going to do just fine. And that just by caring enough to get involved with Pebbles training, YOU are doing just fine. Don't get discouraged.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

I must have your Jane in a different person. Our trainer teaches agility and has her dogs in competitions. She was wonderful with Hot Rod. There were so many dogs in the class that she split the class up into 2, 1 at 6 pm and 1 at 7 pm. There wound up being only 4 dogs in our class, 1 shi, sm lab mix, anoher smallish dog and one wire haired terrier. The earlier class had the doberman, 2 labs and a couple of other larger dogs.

Our trainer Kelly was great and she actually took Hot Rod under her wing. He got full the first night from the treats that she had given us that I chose to make salmon for him the rest of the classes. Well, one night when the dogs rotated through the class, she stayed with Hot Rod and told everyone that he had an stomach issues and had to have the salmon instead of the regular treat--she made sure that the portions were not too big. Other times she took an extra few minutes to specifically address the needs of smaller dogs. When we were learning stay, she took her shoes off to show how to be around a small dog as Hot Rod. She always made sure that he was "okay" with the lesson and if he seem to not do it, she would have a suggestion for a different way to handle a smaller dog.

She holds training classes throughout the area. She also does private training at your home. Maybe try a kennel to see if they offer training classes or they may know of a trainer. There are good trainers out there. Good luck.

p.s. We ran into the other class one night and those dogs got BIG over 6 weeks!

[ladyj]

Originally Posted by lulababy

OKay so I just got back from pebbles first obedience class at PETCO and I am verry upset. It has been postponed for more than a month, and so far all weve done is socalization with other dogs. So today was the first actual class...It was all puppies but pebbles was the oldest AND smallest there at 3lbs and 7 1/2 months.

I swear I am beginning to hate this trainer and I need to know if I should cancel this class and get my money back because i only have until the 2nd class (next wed) to decide if i want to stay.

FIRSTLY there are two large breed puppies in the class that are around 3 months old, and all the others are small breed dogs, however they are a lot larger than pebbles (the small breed dogs). The large breed puppies are OUT OF CONTROL! I mean, these are great dane puppies. They were pouncing on all the little dogs with their huge paws during meet and greet and the dogs were YELPING in pain!! Pebbles got hit twice and I was cowering in the corner with her soothing her and was so angry. Pebbles was scared. The trainer kept saying, "oh they'll learn. Give them 2 weeks!! They'll all be best friends!" I think everyone was trying to hint at her that she needed to do something asap but it took her a while to get the hint, at least 15 minutes. Eventually she got out a spray bottle and said next time they do it she will spray them. They kept jumping on this baby maltese and the big dogs just tried to drink the water when she sprayed at them. The little maltese baby was crying. This is when I started to get angry.

Later we were learning to sit. Now pebbles is not very food motivated for anything. This is why i was having trouble at home and why i decided to take her to a class with a trainer. She is a picky eater and I brought her favorite peanut butter treat and after 5 minutes she was not having any more. She lost interest and I was giving her verrry tiny portions knowing she could get full. She was so hyper with the people in the store and trying to run to them that she was not paying attention to me. I followed this womans directions and was obviously the person having the most difficult time besides the young maltese puppy but she completely ignored me!!! She said to push pebbles down to sit and and say good sit good girl and eventually she will get it. The whole entire rest of the class pebbles did not listen to anything--she just wanted to run around the store. She didnt want any food/ was full and was like NO im not doing what you say!! If she was a decent dog trainer you would think she would know what to do and would have helped me. But NO!!! she told me to go practice at home. AT HOME! why am i coming to class. I could teach her to sit by myself AT HOME. arghh!!!!! and there are only 6 dogs in the class

Was everyone elses obedience class like this?! Do I need to toughen up or is PETCO just below standard?! Was it all different sizes and did you feel you got enough individual attention?? I am upset because she seemed to give me the least attention when i was the one having the most problems. I am considering trying to find some kinda yorkie group around here and see if they have classes. Has anyone else done this? I dont even know if (just) yorkie training classes are available, but pebbles obviously has a different personality and needs to be approached in a different, non food motivated way. If any of this seems normal to you please let me know. I need to know if I should stick with this woman or let this class go and find another!! please help and tell me your experiences. I am sitting here steaming.

I would definitely cancel this class and find one with only small dogs. Your little dog is going to be afraid of any bigger dog, and you don't want that, and he could get hurt. I signed up for a class once with my Chihuahua and when we got there, most of the dogs were labs or goldens and my Chi was scared. He already knew come and no and sit and leave it, but he just sat or stood there and didn't respond to me at all. I cancelled the class. A responsible instructor will separate the big dogs and small dogs. It's necessary for a successful class. I had been through obedience classes before, so I just taught him what I wanted him to know on my own.

[ProfessorPeteZa]

wow just wow do not go back id complain get my $ back and complain to corporate and whoever does the hiring of the so called trainers

[artie merlino]

Every one I know that has a small Breed Puppy (Toy Poodle, Yorkie, and s**t-zu) has complained about the same thing. I would cancel the Class & get a Refund. Yorkie's are not picky eaters (I have 3 Yorkie's) believe me, if you are patient enough, after a while they will get hungry enough to eat anything.
Mine love any kind of Food, but when I Train them I do NOT reward them with Treats just so they will do the "Command" without them otherwise they only respond to Food and Praise is not enough. If you have to take a Class to Train your Puppy I would suggest you find a Class that has only small Breed Puppies to garuntee your Puppy's Safety! That was an insensitive Trainer and I don't think it's your responsibility to have to worry or stress over your Baby.
Just remember that every situation is a "Training" opportunity, everything they experience is "Training" you should be practicing not only at Home but every where you go? Your not the first to complain my girlfriend was so scared to complain she just stopped going to the Classes b/c they made her feel like it was her fault and she never got a Refund either, what a waste of Money!

[lulababy]

Originally Posted by roxies_mom

It sounds like you need more one on one and less distractions at first. I know I have a hard time getting Roxie to listen when there is any other animal around. She just gets too excited and worried they will get her treat. I don't know if anyone has tried the puperoni treats but she just loves those. I always get the beef flavored ones because one time I had switched to the chicken flavor and it really took her aback. She spit it out on the floor and just looked at it like what's wrong with that. After a few times she tried it but her favorite is the beef. They are chewy and moist. My puppy also doesn't like the hard biscuits. My sister in law lives in Florida and works for an awsome dog groomer, if I knew which part you live in I could ask if they know of any good trainers in your area.

Yes, pebbles just gets really really excited around strangers and other new dogs. She wants to kiss everyone. Do they sell the puperoni at normal pet stores like petco? I have tried some jerky treats but they were very hard and had sharp edges and I couldnt get them small enough and i was worried she would choke on a sharp edge. The problem with finding treats is you cant really open them up and get a feel for them/see if you can break them down to her size. If anyone else has a suggestion for "irresistible treats" let me know. I am already ordering one online that someone else suggested. I am willing to try anything. She is such a picky eater, it really has been a big problem.

I live in Spring hill, fl. Which is kind of out of the way. Its just a big suburban area one hour north of Tampa. A lot of tampa's professionals live here who just dont like what tampa is turning into--but it still has a lot of growing to do, which is the problem. There just isnt a whole a lot of stuff around here like youd find in a bigger city--just a lot of big new houses. It is also kinda south-west one hour of orlando. If your sister lives anywhere around me within an hour or so, I am willing to travel.

[lulababy]

Originally Posted by ScootieBootie

The socialization she is allowing to happen will only work against you. This will cause your dog, and the other small dogs, to fear larger dogs and can lead to fear and anxiety problems. This is a big red flag, in my book.

My advice to you would be to ask your vet for the name of a trainer he/she feels would be more beneficial.

Also, I train using mostly positive techniques, however there are times that I get a dog who does NOT respond to this. Sometimes, I do use physical manipulation to get the dog into the position. Dogs are individuals, just like people, so many not always respond to the same training.

This is what I would do:
1. Ask the vet for a recommendation.
2. Talk to the trainer and ask what dogs she has experience with.
3. Ask for client referrals.
4. Ask what the trainer thinks of the "socialization" your pup is getting...without saying where, to see what her take is on that situation.

Good luck!

Thank you for this. I dont know why I didnt think of asking my vet sooner. I hope they can refer me to someone good. I will call right after I finish responding to this thread. And you are so right.. I totally feel like she will be afraid of big dogs if I keep taking her there. Right now it looks like she is still open to the bigger dogs because she is just super friendly and our neighbor has a very sweet golden retriever, thank goodness.

[lulababy]

Originally Posted by roxies_mom

Sorry about that, I have no idea why that posted here. I was someplace else and when I posted it came up here!

LOL its ok. I was reading it thinking, "but i dont really need shampoo" hahaha

[lulababy]

Originally Posted by Mom to Hot Rod

I must have your Jane in a different person. Our trainer teaches agility and has her dogs in competitions. She was wonderful with Hot Rod. There were so many dogs in the class that she split the class up into 2, 1 at 6 pm and 1 at 7 pm. There wound up being only 4 dogs in our class, 1 shi, sm lab mix, anoher smallish dog and one wire haired terrier. The earlier class had the doberman, 2 labs and a couple of other larger dogs.

Our trainer Kelly was great and she actually took Hot Rod under her wing. He got full the first night from the treats that she had given us that I chose to make salmon for him the rest of the classes. Well, one night when the dogs rotated through the class, she stayed with Hot Rod and told everyone that he had an stomach issues and had to have the salmon instead of the regular treat--she made sure that the portions were not too big. Other times she took an extra few minutes to specifically address the needs of smaller dogs. When we were learning stay, she took her shoes off to show how to be around a small dog as Hot Rod. She always made sure that he was "okay" with the lesson and if he seem to not do it, she would have a suggestion for a different way to handle a smaller dog.
She holds training classes throughout the area. She also does private training at your home. Maybe try a kennel to see if they offer training classes or they may know of a trainer. There are good trainers out there. Good luck.

p.s. We ran into the other class one night and those dogs got BIG over 6 weeks!

She sounds wonderful. This is what I need. I was having trouble with the training books I purchased because they were geared toward larger dogs. I just got really frustrated and thought itd be easier if a person could work with me.

[lulababy]

I am having trouble with my refund like I expected They are saying they are not connected to the trainer and her classes and that I'd have to speak to the trainer about getting a refund especially since the class date on my papers and receipt says the start date was in june and it is now july. Argh I seriously dont want to have to deal with her. I CANNOT say to her face the real reason why I am leaving and I would hate having to lie. Also, what if she says no?? arghh!!!!! I want my money back!!

[lulababy]

YAY i called again and the manager said to bring my reciept in and he'll give me a refund and I dont have to talk to Pam!

[ARCHIE]

I took Buddy to Petco when he was six months old for his puppy basic
training and it was pretty much the same. There were 2 german shepard
pups, one out of control lab puppy and a mixture of 4 others. Bud
and a little jack russel were the only two small ones. The jack russell
did not come back the second week. THe trainer only paid attention to
the big dogs trying to drum up business for himself in personal training
after the classes finished. He had me and Buddy walking the aisles for
three week teaching him to heel. (three years later he still does not heel).
LOL I thought it was a waste of $100.00. I was very excited about it
but would not recommened it to anyone.
I read books and taught him myself. I did write a letter to Petco and
never heard from them. I wasn't asking for my money back because
I kept going but wanted to let them know the trainer was only interested
in new clients for his personal training program and forgot about the other;s
who paid money to be there and learn something.

[lulababy]

Originally Posted by ARCHIE

I took Buddy to Petco when he was six months old for his puppy basic
training and it was pretty much the same. There were 2 german shepard
pups, one out of control lab puppy and a mixture of 4 others. Bud
and a little jack russel were the only two small ones. The jack russell
did not come back the second week. THe trainer only paid attention to
the big dogs trying to drum up business for himself in personal training
after the classes finished. He had me and Buddy walking the aisles for
three week teaching him to heel. (three years later he still does not heel).
LOL I thought it was a waste of $100.00. I was very excited about it
but would not recommened it to anyone.
I read books and taught him myself. I did write a letter to Petco and
never heard from them. I wasn't asking for my money back because
I kept going but wanted to let them know the trainer was only interested
in new clients for his personal training program and forgot about the other;s
who paid money to be there and learn something.

yeah, big dogs are not the only kinds of dogs.. grr... i swear the same lady is teaching all over america lol


Well Im going in the morning to petco after my dr's appointment to get my refund and using that money for another class. I called my vet and they recommended this place called still water dog training. I looked at their website and it seemed decent enough, but I would only want to be taught by the owner of the company, mary, just to be safe. She has been teaching for 20 years and has a lot of awards and recommendations under her belt. So I called them and talked to one of the trainers there, heather and I told her about petco. She said she had heard stories and that they went over there and asked to sit in on a class and Petco said they couldnt. FISHY FISHY!! I told hre about on here and now most reviews for them are bad. Anyway, she told me they would not be letting any dogs off leash and would definetly never let them off leash during THE FIRST CLASS. They do not use a food reward system for training the dogs, but praise (yay!! just what I need) and the training will take place inside, not outside in the burning heat like a lot of other places. It is very close to my house as well. Anyway, turns out the class I am probably going to be signing up for is going to be taught by the owner mary!! I was so excited about that. I am going to be getting a real expert. They also asked me if I would like to sit in on a class or two before I put my deposit down and I said yes so I am going on monday to two classes. One at 6:30, it is basic training and they are on the 3rd class. Then at 7:30 i will be sitting in on the first actual class of a basic training session. She said to be warned that it will be crazy but they taught the owners how to handle their dogs berfore the first actual class and no one would be off leash (they did not do that at petco, those big dogs were off leash and out of control). I said nothing will be ask crazy as petco was. So I am excited. They are holding a spot for me for ten days after I sit in on a class Monday, for the Basic Obedience that starts on Monday aug 18th. Kind of a long wait but oh well. I just missed the July classes by like 5 days.

[pookiebear]

to the toy idea. I do use treats for training...but I don't want them to get too full, so I switch to toys. Bernie loves to chase his toys and bring them back...so I just don't throw it until he does what I ask. We're only through, sit, lay down, and roll over, but it's working. I'd stay home and work with him one on one. I know Bernie wouldn't do well with others around. I have to have his undivided attention. Good luck to ya.

[scrapindee]

One more idea, I found my trainer through the adult education classes--she has been a trainer for 20+ years--many park districts offer dog training too. Interview the potential trainer--you now know what you don't want in a traineer and class.