# puppy died in Petco class



## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

So sad... Please be careful before you choose your training class. Watch a few classes.... not just one - watch a puppy class, and beginner's class with adult dogs -- since adult beginner dogs tend to have more issues and that shows the "true methods" of a trainer.

So sad:

Are Petco's Dog Training Methods Outdated? | Dogster


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## dntdelay (May 27, 2011)

That is so sad to read. I did take Jasmine to Petsmart Training, but we decided to cancel because it did not work for Jasmine. The trainer has to come over to our house to get anything done.


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## michellerobison (Dec 17, 2009)

Aww I read the story and cried when I saw the pictures, what a much loved baby....


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## maggie's mommy (Mar 12, 2006)

So sad and tragic.....


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## maltese manica (Nov 6, 2012)

Speechless this is just so sad


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

:smcry: my heart is breaking, what a precious little puppy, I've read some other things about Petco and a few dogs dying


My girls are at Petsmart getting groomed, I am leaving to get them now, I always worry when I leave them with someone I don't know.


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## pippersmom (May 21, 2012)

OMG thats horrible! That poor little puppy.


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## LoveLucy (Mar 18, 2012)

What a horrible story. You know, I took Lucy initially to a Petsmart class, and while I could see the class wasn't working for her, and i dropped out of it, I DID actually stumble on to a good trainer there. It can happen. This woman is very good, totally positive methods and I am making some progress working with her in private sessions now. I find it really alarming that even a petco trainer would choke a dog like that. I would expect perhaps inept training, but nothing like this. Petco is making a huge mistake refusing to acknowledge their part in this.


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## Zoe's Mom88 (Apr 25, 2011)

Tori, I couldn't even read it.....so very sad to think something like that could happen.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

What a horrible story.

The truth is that the trainers and groomers at Petco and Petsmart only get a few weeks training at a program put on by the chain. They are not qualified by most standards. No way would I ever take my dog to either store for grooming or puppy classes.


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## Sushi's Mom (Mar 28, 2013)

This is so sad. We just had a Petco open by my house in Hawaii Kai and my vet (who is located in a separate building behind Petco) has already seen a dog that had the tip of his ear cut off by the Petco groomer and GLUED BACK ON. Yes, that's right, she cut the tip of the ear off, glued it back on then gave the dog to the owner LIKE NOTHING WAS WRONG. Suffice it to say that Sushi won't be going there for grooming!


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## IzzysBellasMom (Jan 16, 2013)

that is so sad. the trainer at the Petsmart class we took, is also a vet tech at our vets office. Knowing that she is truly a animal lover, i never thought twice about taking her class.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

The trainer I used for the girls was at PetSmart BUT I watched one of her classes before I signed them up and she was wonderful. Turned out she actually took her training elsewhere before she started working at PetSmart - only positive reinforcement - and she's been a tester for Caning Good Citizen for over 10 years.


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## iLoveMisty (Apr 27, 2013)

Oh my... That iS HORRIBLE... I won't feel the same about petco now....even of it was a different one...


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## Grace'sMom (Feb 22, 2012)

It's like Marj said --

The majority of trainers and groomers at Petco and Petsmart only get 2 weeks of training and are then "certified"......

So talk to the trainer. Find out their background. I did find one lady who was a seasoned trainer and the economy just forced her to be at Petsmart at the time...

But it's always a good idea, even with other private trainers to watch a few of their classes. They should be willing to allow this (without your dog)... a puppy class is good to watch if you have a puppy, but always go for the beginner class - which is "puppy class" for older dogs. Because those dogs have issues and you want to see how the trainer handles them.


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

Riley's trainer at Pet Smart trains all the police dogs in the area and has been training for awhile. Granted, he has more experience with big dogs, but we are learning the basics. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

Oh my. This is horrible. I would never put a collar on any of my pets to be used in training, knowing what I do now.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

This is such a sad story.....I sure hope that trainer realizes what he did was not right and changes his ways....

What a cute puppy!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

sherry said:


> Riley's trainer at Pet Smart trains all the police dogs in the area and has been training for awhile. Granted, he has more experience with big dogs, but we are learning the basics.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Careful with that trainer. Sadly most police dogs are trained by the old school correctional methods. Very out dated and especially inappropriate for toy breeds. There is a wonderful certified positive reinforcement trainer named Steve White who has been training police dogs using clicker training. It CAN be done. (see link)

What is this trainers accreditation's? Is he CPDT? CBCC?

Staff

Here's an article I posted yesterday on my store's FB page everyone may find helpful.

Training Tiny Dogs - Whole Dog Journal Article


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

This breaks my heart and makes me angry! I'm normally a peacemaker...but I can guarantee you that I'd hurt someone who did this to an animal in my presence.  Not just to Bella, to ANY animal.


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## LoveLucy (Mar 18, 2012)

maggieh said:


> The trainer I used for the girls was at PetSmart BUT I watched one of her classes before I signed them up and she was wonderful. Turned out she actually took her training elsewhere before she started working at PetSmart - only positive reinforcement - and she's been a tester for Caning Good Citizen for over 10 years.


Exactly--I'm sure that a trainer who ONLY had that 2 week certification trainer would be pretty useless. But, when you think about it...where are really good trainers going to work? Mostly, they can either go into business for themselves, or take a job somewhere. Petco and Petsmart are the two most common "somewheres." My trainer here was actually recommended by the HIGHLY trained behaviorist that we hired soon after we got Lucy. (The women had Temple Grandin as her Masters Degree Advisor, which surely impressed me.)


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

No trainer worth their salt would be caught dead teaching at a Petco. I don't use them for grooming and never for training. Period.


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## LoveLucy (Mar 18, 2012)

pammy4501 said:


> No trainer worth their salt would be caught dead teaching at a Petco. I don't use them for grooming and never for training. Period.


Well, I really really like Stephanie, my trainer at PetSMART. She is really good with dogs, and the techniques she's working on for Lucy and I are really working. They are totally positive, and coincide with everything I've read about how to work with leash reactive dogs. One thing I've learned in my 60+ years is that there is an exception to every rule.


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## LoveLucy (Mar 18, 2012)

pammy4501 said:


> No trainer worth their salt would be caught dead teaching at a Petco. I don't use them for grooming and never for training. Period.


Besides which, maybe the person just needs a steady job with a steady paycheck with benefits. I just don't think it's a fair thing to say. Even though I really respect all the great advice I've received on this board from EVERYBODY, I think a blanket statement like that is kind of insulting.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

My neighbor took one of her many puppies that never lasted long to Petsmart classes. They tried to recruit her as a trainer and she is about as clueless about dogs as they come. She told me she would have to complete their two week training program, that was it.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

LoveLucy said:


> Besides which, maybe the person just needs a steady job with a steady paycheck with benefits. I just don't think it's a fair thing to say. Even though I really respect all the great advice I've received on this board from EVERYBODY, I think a blanket statement like that is kind of insulting.


'm not being insulting. They aren't trained or certified. It's a cookie cutter approach. Dog training is actually quite complex, and requires trainers that are trained and have demonstrated their knowledge via the certification process. Yo wouldn't want an untrained person teaching your kids, why then for your dogs. I tried the grooming service, and it was bad. I know a girl that worked there and she shared with me how they are trained and a few stories that would curl your hair. If people knew they wouldn't go there for these types of services. Sorry you were offended by my comments, but I stand by them.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

pammy4501 said:


> 'm not being insulting. They aren't trained or certified. It's a cookie cutter approach. Dog training is actually quite complex, and requires trainers that are trained and have demonstrated their knowledge via the certification process. Yo wouldn't want an untrained person teaching your kids, why then for your dogs. I tried the grooming service, and it was bad. I know a girl that worked there and she shared with me how they are trained and a few stories that would curl your hair. If people knew they wouldn't go there for these types of services. Sorry you were offended by my comments, but I stand by them.


I agree. Goggle Petsmart or Petco trainers and groomers and you will pull up lots of complaints.


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## LoveLucy (Mar 18, 2012)

Ladysmom said:


> I agree. Goggle Petsmart or Petco trainers and groomers and you will pull up lots of complaints.


Ok. And I don't doubt that 99.9% of them are not good. But I stand by the fact that SOMETIMES (probably very rarely) you can find a good trainer who was trained elsewhere and has decided to work at a chain. The trainer I have was a vouched for by the behaviorist that I hired, who is CAAB certified and received a Ph.D. in animal behavior with Temple Grandin at Colorado State University. I did not ask Stephanie (the trainer) where she was trained, but when I mentioned her name to Crista (the behaviorist) she told me she knew her and she's very good. Frankly that, and my experience with Stephanie is enough for me. It was a strange coincidence that they knew each other, but a welcome one. And I think she is an excellent trainer. She may be an anomaly, but I'm just saying its POSSIBLE. I wouldn't expose my dog to someone I didn't trust.


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## LoveLucy (Mar 18, 2012)

Sorry for getting defensive, and I appreciate advice and info I've gotten here, and I wouldn't ant to encourage people to go to the chain store trainers, but I have to stick up for myself when I feel like its being implied that I'm exposing my dog to an incompetent trainer. And I have to stand by the fact that in all kinds of situations, you sometimes find a really talented person working for a substandard company.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

LoveLucy said:


> Ok. And I don't doubt that 99.9% of them are not good. But I stand by the fact that SOMETIMES (probably very rarely) you can find a good trainer who was trained elsewhere and has decided to work at a chain. The trainer I have was a vouched for by the behaviorist that I hired, who is CAAB certified and received a Ph.D. in animal behavior with Temple Grandin at Colorado State University. I did not ask Stephanie (the trainer) where she was trained, but when I mentioned her name to Crista (the behaviorist) she told me she knew her and she's very good. Frankly that, and my experience with Stephanie is enough for me. It was a strange coincidence that they knew each other, but a welcome one. And I think she is an excellent trainer. She may be an anomaly, but I'm just saying its POSSIBLE. I wouldn't expose my dog to someone I didn't trust.


 I'm sure your one trainer is a good find. But that doesn't make a track record. Let's face it. Petco is a food and goods store for pets. Would you get your hair done or drop your toddler off at the grocery store simpley because they offered these services? Go on line, there are lots and lots of problems noted with them.


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## socalyte (Nov 15, 2010)

Gail, I see your point about it being possible that there are exceptions to the rule. It's unfortunate that the sad truth is that the exceptions are very rare indeed. It is very sad and scary that too many dogs get exposed to the trainers that are not the exceptions who have been hired by the big pet product retailers. 

Coincidentally, I just read Temple Grandin's book, Thinking in Pictures, while I was in Maui at the end of May. What an amazing person she is!

I also thought it was extremely interesting to read the comments below the article which was linked. There is further information that is worth noting regarding this particular case outlined by others purporting to have additional background on the tragic loss of that adorable English Bulldog puppy. I was also shocked to see a chain collar on the puppy in one of the pictures-- I would never use them on any puppy, and I thought brachycephalic puppies especially should never have chain collars used on them.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

Unfortunately I think that there are lots of bad trainers out there, in all kinds of settings.
It is amazing to me that there are still trainers using choke collars and dominance theory, even on little dogs.
We have to be especially careful because our dogs are so small and so easily hurt.
I did a lot of research before choosing a puppy socialization class for Daisy, and was careful to choose one with well qualified and certified trainers that only used positive reinforcement clicker training. But when we got to the class, the trainer let all of the big puppies terrorize her, and thought it was good for the big dogs to be exposed to a little dog. There was no concern for the fear poor little Daisy felt hiding under a chair. She could have been easily hurt by the bigger dogs.
So, as Tori said, it is so important to go observe trainers before showing up with your puppy or dog. You can read reviews, but there is nothing like first hand observation.

Gail, I am so glad you found a trainer that you like and that it is going well for you and Lucy


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## pehirsch (May 13, 2013)

While we're talking about you, Petco and PetSmart, how about selling toys made in the U.S.A.? Who knows? Perhaps they won't be made so cheap and dangerous and as a benefit, you can put Americans to work. 


(It's up to us to let someone know EVERY TIME we go there and purchase something. "It takes a village...")


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