What Does Your Dog Learn at Pet Smart Training Classes? Level: Beginner

I’ve been on the fence about Lady needing training, but my partner thought we needed to train her, so we signed up for a 6 week beginner course at PetSmart.

Beginner: Learn foundational skills and address problem behaviors for a well-mannered family member. A 6-week introductory course for dogs 5 months and older that teaches basic manners with impulse control and relationship-building exercises. It also focuses on management and redirection techniques for established problem behaviors. Cues taught: Wait, walk nicely on a leash, Come When Called, Leave It and many more

Quote from PetSmart’s website about training.

This left me wondering what is the many more. So here’s my week by week break down of tricks taught and my experience with them.

Week 1: Watch me, find it, and touch. Plus a check in with how we were all doing with potty and crate training, vs letting the dog roam the home when we leave her alone.

Watch me: holding food to your face so your dog makes eye contact and prepares for a trick to be said to them.

Find it: throw a treat on the ground and your dog finds the treat, you’d do this so your dog’s attention is no longer on you so you can do the next trick which is…

Touch: your dog makes contact with your body. For me, Lady put her nose to my hand. For a bigger dog he put his paw on his owner’s shoulder.