# has anyone ever heard of superdog.com



## robl45 (Dec 25, 2007)

has anyone ever heard of superdog.com training?

I'm thinking of having them train snowball. against my better judgement, I let my wife sign us up for 8 weeks of petsmart training classes. The only thing snowball has gotten out of it is that she now doesn't do the commands she used to do before we started.

I took her home today and retaught her the commands she used to know in like 5 minutes without feeding her 500 treats, without stupid hand signals and without the clicker thing.

I think this program is like 2K, but they promise the dog will obey off leash and outside etc. I feel the only thing the petsmart program is doing is getting me a dog that can do tricks and certainly is not going to help the next time she runs for the street.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

This post made me giggle for some reason! Well, maybe because I am a big time petsmart puppy school dropout and everything you said was true. Esp about it not helping you when your dog takes off down the street and refuses to listen to you. Maybe if I'd stuck it out and gone all the way through, but we didn't.

I have not heard of superdog.com but hopefully someone else will have heard of it/tried it and can give you feedbacvk on it!


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

> has anyone ever heard of superdog.com training?
> 
> 
> I think this program is like 2K, but they promise the dog will obey off leash and outside etc. I feel the only thing the petsmart program is doing is getting me a dog that can do tricks and certainly is not going to help the next time she runs for the street.[/B]


I haven't heard of superdog, but I don't think 2k is really necessary. I would rather not comment on Petsmart training because I know there are people out there who have had success there, but I would recommend finding a local obedience club where they do competitive obedience training. The prices are usually reasonable for a good CGC class. AKC has a club search feature on their website. 

Some of those 2k training programs are supposed to be like boarding school for your pet. You send the pet off and get them back trained. But I have seen dogs that have been through that training and have learned wonderfully to respond to their 2k trainer, but come home and don't see any need to respond to their mom or dad.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

I was wondering if the 2k program depended on you leaving your maltese
with the trainer for x amount of days too. There is no way I would trust
anyone with my dog in that type of situation for days and nights on end.
I've visited Man's Best Friend and although it may be fine for big dogs, 
their accomodations were the same for small dogs as well. Chain link
cages on cement floors that get hosed down is not my idea of 2k training.
Check out AKC for clubs that give classes.


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## robl45 (Dec 25, 2007)

did you guys check out hte website? seems like they treat the dogs nicely. I'm just guessing at the price, I haven't talked to them yet. I like that they don't use food as bribes and they claim the dog will obey from 40 feets away and such. Also that the dog will heel. 

Thats an intermediate class at petsmart. Also, the deal from reading about this is the trainer comes to you like 6 sessions 2 hours a time and shows you what to do and then you practice witht he dog. I believe you get lifetime support as well.


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## Missy&Maggie (Jun 17, 2007)

I went to the website (superdog.com), but they seem to me to be located out West like California, Nevada, etc. If I'm not mistaken your profile says that you are in Florida. I agree with the others and would look into local obedience training club.

I don't think that the dogs seem to be treated well. He dumps their food on a hard cement floor for them to eat. And he is trying to show off his Porsche, which has nothing to do with dog training. And I'm sorry, but I believe in using treats as positive reinforcement. It is just like you wouldn't work for free, so why should your dog. Eventually they should do the commands without treats and you don't need to use 500 treats to teach them.

The most expensive choice is not always the best. Good luck!


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## Lisacisme (Feb 21, 2008)

I agree with everyone about your local dog training club - they should have some decent classes. Also, PetSmart depends totally on the trainer. I ended up loving my trainer and took classes for three dogs from her. What's so great about their puppy socialization is that it is 8 weeks long rather than the usual six so you get some catch up time if you miss a class or don't practice.


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## robl45 (Dec 25, 2007)

they have a trainer in florida as well. All I know at this point is what there teaching at petsmart is not going to have my dog stopping from a running start before she hits the street. Nor can I throw tennis balls all around her and have her sit there. I found another place too, dogsecrets.com they say no treat bribing, no hitting, no shock treatment etc. And once they show you what to do, you can use it for the next dogs.


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## casa verde maltese (Apr 7, 2007)

We start dog obedience training this Wed. with Atticus and were fortunate that there is a trainer in town (who we met while Atticus was missing).

I just want to say that I'm a big believer in Hand Signal training - it allows you to have your dog do commands in a crowd, etc. It also helps when your dog gets older and looses it's hearing. (I have a dog who lost her hearing about 2 yrs ago and hand signals training has paid off - you know for sitting, lie down etc.)

Good Luck finding a reputable person.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Using treats in training does not mean you a bribing your dog. 

Dogs do things that are rewarding for them. The idea behind using treats and toys in training is to reward your dog for the correct behavior. The dog is more likely to repeat a behavior that is rewarding. As somebody else said - would you go to work every day for nothing? NO! You want to get paid.

Clicker training is just using a tool to further operant conditioning. The clicker is just a reward marker. Your voice can be used the same way. If somebody is not clicker savvy, it won't be much help to you. In addition, the clicker is only used for learning behaviors...you should not be carrying it around with you all of the time to get your dog to do anything. 

Petsmart can leave a lot to be desired depending on the trainer you have. There is not a lot of quality control in place to assure your trainer is a savvy dog trainer. Class is suppose to be a place where your dog gets to practice with distractions and where YOU learn how to train new behaviors. Don't expect your dog to be learning new behavior in a class setting. That's what homework is for. 

Here are where I would look for a trainer:
akc.org check out all breed clubs, obedience clubs, and agility clubs. They all usually offer obedience classes. 
http://www.clickerteachers.net/clicker/index.php
http://apdt.com/po/ts/default.aspx

Educating yourself about how dogs learn can go a long way in your endeavors. Check out books by Karen Pryor and Jean Donaldson for good intros.


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

I agree with the idea of a local club. I found our trainer on the same link that JMM gave http://apdt.com/po/ts/default.aspx

The trainer I have is fantastic! It seems you have an issue with "bribing" your dog with treats. Our trainer put it this way:

If you went to work every day and when you walked in they gave you a $20 bill just for showing up, then the next day a $5 bill, then the next a pat on the back, the next, a $20, etc... you'd come to work every day just to see what you'd get.

If you do that with your dog it's the same. You don't always have to treat, but you still have to reward. You have to make training worth while and FUN!

And as puppies they need something to keep their attention. 

I'd say check out your local training facilities (like the ones on the link) and see how you like them.


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## robl45 (Dec 25, 2007)

yes, I do have a problem with training with treats. I notice it with my dog when we give her treats, she will do all the commands, forget the treats and she won't bother. If she doesn't feel hungry for a treat, she won't bother. That to me is not training. 

When my dog is running from me and is 30 feet away and I can call out her name and the stay command and she stops, I'll consider her trained. I was at the dog park today and the woman there had a maltese who she says is great off lease until there is a distraction. I feel bad because that dog will probably get hit by a car soon.


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

How old is your dog? It doesn't seem like she's that old since she was in puppy class. Training takes a lot of consistency, patience and time! 

Jax used to only do commands for treats (just like you mentioned), but now he does them without needing them. He still can be quite stubborn and not listen, but he is only 11 months old! And I don't practice all the time. If I did, I know he'd listen much better. I can throw treats on the floor and tell him to leave it and he will. I can typically throw the tennis ball and tell him to stay, and he will. I make him stop at all roads and tell him to wait, he will until I tell him "go". 

I also don't let him off leash, mostly for his safety! Even if he did listen to me and stop, that doesn't mean he's 100% safe. What if a large, aggressive dog was off leash?? No matter how well Jax listened and trained he is, the other dog may not listen to their owner and there goes my little one. 

You have to start with the basics and build up. They have to have a good stay with you sitting there, then with you walking away or around, before you can expect them to do the more complicated stuff - like stopping when you tell her to while she's running! 

All training we've had we use treats, and they said you slowly remove the treat. What do you consider a reward to make all this training worthwhile for your dog? If not a treat, then what? How is she suppose to know she did what you wanted her to?


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> yes, I do have a problem with training with treats. I notice it with my dog when we give her treats, she will do all the commands, forget the treats and she won't bother. If she doesn't feel hungry for a treat, she won't bother. That to me is not training.
> 
> When my dog is running from me and is 30 feet away and I can call out her name and the stay command and she stops, I'll consider her trained. I was at the dog park today and the woman there had a maltese who she says is great off lease until there is a distraction. I feel bad because that dog will probably get hit by a car soon.[/B]


Well, you may end up with some problems then. Dogs don't do things to "please" people. They do things because there is a reward involved. Some dogs do find verbal praise adequate. Most do not. 

I suspect her lack is listening has more to do with your methods than with using a treat period. Once a dog learns a behavior, we wean off of treats by variable schedule reinforcement. You can liken this to a slot machine. People keep doing it because they may get rewarded. They don't know which time, but they know something good may be coming. Once my dog knows a behavior, sometimes I treat, sometimes not (and the it is still verbal praise every time). But my dog is still engaged because I MIGHT have that treat as a reward. 

Also, not all treats/rewards are equal to all dogs. You have to work with something that truly motivates your dog. For Soda, I taught him a recall with a tug toy. And he has an AWESOME recall that he's never received a food treat for. Also, some treats he could care less about, some he goes nuts for. You have to find what motivates your dog. 

Letting your dog off leash in an unsafe area is a disaster waiting to happen. Even the most well trained dogs can still find something more rewarding than you (ie a squirrel to chase). I don't care how well trained your dog is - if you let it off leash in an unsafe area, you are waiting for it to get hit by a car. Proof recalls all you want...but don't chance your dog's life.


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## oiseaux (Feb 16, 2008)

Cool. Thanks for posting those links, JMM. I will check those out since I didn't know Petsmart training could be inconsistent even if the store near me says everyone is certified.



> Using treats in training does not mean you a bribing your dog.
> 
> Dogs do things that are rewarding for them. The idea behind using treats and toys in training is to reward your dog for the correct behavior. The dog is more likely to repeat a behavior that is rewarding. As somebody else said - would you go to work every day for nothing? NO! You want to get paid.
> 
> ...


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