If you're interested in purely positive training, don't work with Val. If you're looking for a compassionate and professional trainer, look elsewhere. Petco really ought to bring Val up to speed with modern force free methods that align with their brand ideology. This is only a review of the "trainer" Val--the store itself seemed fine enough and when we called in to ask a question before our puppy class, the staff member who answered was nice. Val, however, should no longer be a trainer--or should get some remedial training herself. Since Petco is advertised as 100% force free, we thought that the training itself at least couldn't cause our dog any damage. The first and only class we went to, though, was pretty terrible. We were crammed into a small training area with two other puppies. I expected it to be small, since I've been to other Petco locations with dog training, but it was uncomfortably small. Apart from the small training area, Val was condescending, arrogant, and just showed a lack of education in basic dog training concepts. Her idea of teaching 'leave it' was to hold food in front of the dog's face while shouting "leave it" at the puppy in a loud and intimidating voice. Definitely not "force free" or "positive only" and definitely not effective. We would have been fine if we were allowed to train our puppy how we wanted while socializing him around the other dogs (our main reason for enrolling) but Val insisted we train with her methods and acted offended when we said we'd rather teach that concept differently. She tried to demonstrate on our puppy but we stepped in and said we weren't comfortable with her raising her voice at our puppy. She then scoffed unprofessionally and made it seem her way was best. Val also encouraged the dog owners to talk amongst themselves in the beginning, but when we had some down time at the end of the class and were talking with another owner Val announced "I don't know if anyone's listening anymore, but I'm going to lunch". Very unprofessional, and I'm sure it was just retaliation because she was upset we challenged her training methods. As someone who isn't a 'purely positive' trainer myself, I still wouldn't use Val's method of teaching 'leave it'. Especially with a puppy, everything should be fun so training doesn't turn into something they fear or dread. Raising your voice at a dog as a first line method of 'teaching' isn't really teaching anything--you're essentially holding a treat in front of their face and yelling at them in a language they don't know. The same method can be taught without the shouting by just withholding the treat in a closed fist and rewarding when they stop mugging your hand. A cue can be added later--and not shouted at the dog. read more

Please consider allowing customers access to your restrooms... The customer should not have to ask for a restroom key it's embarrassing! read more

Very friendly associates, like how interactive the store is. Great rewards program lots of options for products with pretty reasonable prices, looking forward to continuing doing business here! read more

Petco - Bk - Pet Stores Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

All employees are very helpful and will go out of their way to assist you no matter the task. They are always willing to give pet advice and help out when you aren't sure what to do. One employee even recommended another store when they were out of it. Absolutely fantastic store. I will be shopping here as long as I live here. Wonderful employees wonderful store. Way more than 5 stars. read more

Ok, the man who "helped" us with hamsters was so rude. He appeared to be working the register, when my son went to ask for help, he was obviously annoyed to have to move away from his register. Granted, the store wasn't busy, so maybe he was hungry or just a miserable person to act like that? We were looking for a hamster and since this was my younger sons first time, it was exciting for him. Leave it to the older man to kill the enthusiasm for hamster buying. When I said "we would like to see a few of your hamsters." He literally replied "well you can see them, they are in the cages." Really, is that a way to respond to a few interested ppl who are hamster shopping??? We had to purchase the whole hamster get up: animal, food, cage and accessories, exercise ball-- not a small purchase. Regardless, because he was so annoyed by us asking to personally see and touch a few hamsters, we decided to leave and go to Pet Smart in McHenry. We will not go back to Petco in CL because of that man. He was truly rude and reluctantly helped us. I personally would never hire a person like him. He is obviously not a happy person. Perhaps he needs a vacation? Who knows? We went and purchased a hamster and accessories from PetSmart in McHenry. Our experience was completely different and very positive. The lady who helped us was very kind, patient and obviously cares about her job. She was top notch and obviously quite happy to work with customers to find a full solution to hamster buying. That's all for now. We love our new hamster as we speak. read more

The training Val provides is concerning for anything outside of a treat trained purse dog. Since, we have brought my girl to a professional trainer & now realize that we should have started with one to begin with. read more

This place still amazes me how friendly they all are! Thank you staff for being so friendly and helpful every-time I come here.

The groomer, Sam was phenomenal and had a wonderful connection with our dear puppy, Star. She was reluctant upon arrival but Sam had a remarkably soothing effect upon our nervous puppy. I will definitely return to Sam again and again and again!!! John Wilson, Woodstock, Illinois read more

Service was rude, offered a little bit of hair cut off, instead they cut my dogs hair really short, and made us pay extra 10 dollars for "aggression" even though we have never had this problem until we went there, Our family does not recommend this place. read more

I took my Goldendoodle to this location for a hydrating shampoo, hair groom, nails trimmed and a furminator deshedding. For this we were charged $94. When I came for Rylee her nails were Not trimmed, she was not given a bath - she still was stinky, and her coat had many spots where the cut was uneven. My guess is the groomer has very little training and only sees her job as an occupation and not a service. We are waiting for the manager of the studio to contact us. UPDATE: Manager asked us to bring Rylee back for an evaluation and personally resend the groom. We are satisfied, however I have left the original review so that others will know read more

Nate was amazing with our purchase today. We went in thinking we weren't going to be able to get all of the supplies we needed for our new baby turtle, and not only did we get everything- but I accidentally dropped and broke a decoration which he helped me clean and not feel bad about and gave us great information and knowledge. He made the process simple and easy which was exactly what I was looking for today. Nate is a great, fun, hard worker and deserves some recognition!! read more

Had a appointment for my dogs shots that I made on line- arrived on time, checked in, & than waited in my vehicle for them to get me when it was time for my appointment. Instead they went to lunch. I would have left at this point but my dogs needed their shot for the groomers- they finally arrived back and could have cared less that they had forgotten us. And than lied that he tried to contact us. We Will never use their services again - VETCO- get some employees that actual care about your customers. read more

We got our pet groomed here for years and was always pleased with our groomer. She was so nice and our pet warmed to her immediately, but recent changes in management at this store has us following our beloved groomer to her new location. We will always follow good service. Petco in Crystal Lake won't be able to treat good employees in a disrespectful way if we have anything to say about it. Our pet deserves the best. Petco is learning this the hard way. Sad for them, good for our dog. If you find a great customer service provider, support them. We are. Our dog only cares the great personal service she gets from her groomer, not a store full of stuff I can buy on line cheaper from Amazon. Some corporations insist on learning the hard way. See ya! Never again! Woof, woof! read more

Yesterday we took our 2 small dogs to PETCO in Crystal Lake. I could tell when I dropped the dogs off that the vibe and mood of the 2 groomers there was not great. The dog that was being groomed at that time was scared and had just pooped on the grooming table. When my husband went to pick our dogs up, we were told we could not bring our dogs back there!! I was in shock when he returned and told me this. For our younger pup it was due to aggression. I get it. He's a Lhasa Apao and needs to be handled with a more calm and patient demeanor (clearly not what these women were equipped with). They said he was too aggressive for them to work with and therefore did not complete his service. When I got home, I was able to cut the hair on his face, head and wipe his teeth (hands in his mouth)!! when I snagged his ear he did nip at the brush ONCE. Fine, if the perception is that HE'S too aggressive then we have to accept that! However, with our 13 year old Shih Zhu it's completely ridiculous. Apparently he's too old to be groomed because he can't stand the whole time?!? That is absolute BS. I wouldn't have written the review solely based on my Lhasa's feedback, but discriminating against a sweet old guy...absolutely would not want either of these women near my dogs again. Perhaps they need to get their aggression in check! read more

We love taking out two dogs to Petco in Crystal Lake for grooming and nail trims. They are so friendly and our dogs love them. They are also very accommodating to last minute reservations. Highly recommend! read more

First off any pet co in illinois should educate there employees better when it comes to buying pets at there store. My daughter bought a dwarf hampster there a few months ago. It passed away this morning. Your emplyees should inform the guests about the age and info on that pet. She got so attached and she is very sad as am i and i am extremely upset with your company. I would NEVER recommend your store to anyone. read more

Sometimes I go here to buy fish, or stuff for my fish tank. I don't know where they get the people to staff this place. This woman was telling me all kinds of things about how to care for the three 99 cent zebra danios I purchased. Most of that information turned out to be wrong. (How often to feed, correct water temperature, etc.) They sell other pets like rabbits, hamsters, birds, etc. On weekends they have a low-cost "shot clinic" for dogs. Not sure if they do anything like that for cats but it's a lot cheaper than getting the shots at the vet. read more

Super friendly and fairly knowledgable staff! I grab dog food here every couple weeks & I find the prices to be competitive. I like the program they have where I receive a FREE bag dog food after every 10 that I purchase. This was grandfathered, but they have a membership discount of 20%, I believe. read more

I frequent this Petco location often and I have never had a poor experience here. Today (10/9/19), I brought one of my cats, Jaeger, with me. Not only did the staff greet me, as they always do, but they took a few minutes to say hello to Jaeger as well and give him some back rubs. They made sure to ask if there was anything that I needed help finding, and encouraged me to let Jaeger get his fill of exploring the store. When Jaeger had had his fill of exploring (and picked out a new cat tree), and I brought my purchases to the front, Kate was quick to recognize that I would need help out to my car and requested assistance on my behalf. I don't remember the name of the gentleman that assisted in carrying the cat tree, but I do remember that he was very kind and even carried the tree without forcing Jaeger to leave his perch atop the tree (Jaeger was being very stubborn). The gentleman then helped me to get Jaeger back in his crate for car travel, put the heavy bag of litter and the tree in the car for me, and wished me well. All around, this was an excellent experience. TL;DR- This Petco is full of kind, helpful people who take initiative to help their customers. The atmosphere is very welcoming, and my cat likes to shop there. read more

Petco - Jaeger picking out his tree - Pet Stores Near Me - Crystal Lake, Illinois

My 10-year-old Pug-Tsu had some itchiness, and also needed all-over grooming. Becca at the Crystal Lake salon did a very thorough job, including inspecting the reddish/pink areas. She advised that I contact the vet, if the suspected rash didn't clear in a week. PS: Scruffy is doing well. Thank you! read more

Petco , Crystal Lake, has been doing shampoo's and nail buffs since we first got Badelia in 2016. We would not take her anywhere else. The groomers all treat Badelia as if she was there most important guest they ever had. read more

What a wonderful experience at Crystal Lake Petco! Mary greeted me on Saturday morning 4/21/18 and helped me with the products I was looking for. When I said that I was picking up a cat at the Dundee Petco later that day, she was all smiles. She offered help with nutrition as well as any thing else I had questions about. She gave me the cat parent booklet with coupon savings. I will be sure to return for great customer experiences with Mary. read more

This Petco was out of stock on the item I wanted, but Manager Jim offered to order it and stock it next day. I ended up getting the floor model after all, but Jim and Jeff are so friendly and helpful, their smiles and courtesy made my day. read more

Good prices, they always have everything I'm looking for - and their aquatic staff is VERY well trained and knowledgeable.

Has a spot where you can pick out treats for your dog like a candy store.

Petco where the pets go. Typical Petco, has everything you need to spoil your furry, feathered, scaled friends.

Great customer service!!! Very good variety of product.

This particular Petco is a little helter skelter depending on who is staffing. The store manager and one of the male asst managers are very helpful and friendly. There are a couple of older ladies who seem to be there quite a bit who are not very helpful at all and in one case I went to buy a new fish for my kids tank. She took her time in coming over and then acted like I was wasting her time. I asked a couple of questions about a couple of the fish I saw and she was curt at best. Another time a young male employee had no idea what he was doing while helping me with a different fish purchase. I prefer Petco over Petsmart any day, however, in this store it is the luck of the draw on how your customer service experience will be in the end. read more

Went here because I had a 10% off coupon and their selection of dog food seems to be wider than other stores I go to. Get to the cashier and she says the coupon is only for online purchases.....even though nowhere does it say "online only." I point that out and I get a blank stare back. So I say, you aren't giving me 10% off? She just stares again. So I could have walked out to my car, ordered online for in store pick up and walked back in and got the 10% off! That seems stupid. I ask if they match other store coupons and pull up both my Bentley's coupon for 10% off and Pet Supplies Plus for 18% off. She says no because there's no barcode. At this point I make the $100 purchase but am kicking myself that I didn't just say cancel everything and walk out. How is it that I take the time to come into the store and make my purchases yet I'm not rewarded because I didn't shop online?!?!? Too bad as I will only use Petco as a very last resort to the point I will go without now moving forward because of this experience! So mad at myself for not just walking out....ugh. read more

I brought my 12 year old bichon frise, Rocky, to Petco for grooming. Samantha was the groomer. She did a fantastic job considering that it had been a while since Rocky was previously groomed. She had praised him so much and did a great job. I definitely will return for grooming to Petco. read more

Walking in to this store, I thought right away about walking out. The store is not the cleanest but I figured I would still give it a chance. The cashier at the front greeted me as I walked in but the friendliness changed after that. As I was shopping for a new dog collar, leash and food. I was rudely told by the "trainer" I was interrupting a class that was going on in one of the aisle. I was treated like you would rather have your dog classes versus having your customers be able to look and shop and spend money in your store. I decided to walk out and spend my money else where. Won't be going back to that location! read more

I bought a pet calendar here that included several coupons. I wish I could remember the associate's name, she guided me around the whole store finding all (and there were a lot!) of the dog and cat coupon items. My dog is nuts about all his new treats, and right at the store I was able to donate the cat food and treats for area shelters. Thank you! read more

I stopped by here for the first time a couple days ago. I've recently acquired my parents 7 year old dog and needed to pick up a couple supplies. Previous other PetCo experiences had me not wanting to go here, but I'm so happy I did. The staff was amazing and friendly and so helpful! It had such a mom and pop shop feel with how much they cared. There was a female trainer there that helped me pick out the best harness options for my dog and went through the food options with me as well. I will be back! Such great service from staff on the floor, trainers, all the way to the woman who was at the cash register. read more