The store itself is very clean and well-organized. I love the options they have for dog toys and their seasonal items are always adorable. I also love that they have frozen treats for dogs!!
The reason I am leaving a 2-star review is not because of the retail part of the store, it is because of the dog training. I purchased a dog training package about a month ago for 2 6-week sessions for my 10-month-old chihuahua puppy. I was very excited about being able to build a stronger bond with my puppy though training. The first lesson went well, and the trainer taught me two commands to work on with my dog. The dog trainer also mentioned that I should be taking my dog on a mile and a half walk, working on commands, and playing with my dog for about an hour per day. (In total, all of this would probably take about 2-3 hours.) At first, I thought I would be able to manage those tasks, but I was unable to. Before the next session, I took my dog to daycare before I went to dog training because I knew I was going to be unable to take him for a walk before class. (I am currently in an accelerated pharmacy degree program, so I am constantly studying or in class.) When we got to class, my dog still had incredibly high energy because he was excited about being in the store. The trainer got frustrated because my dog was struggling to focus in the training pin, but he still was trying to work with my dog. He reminded me that I should be taking my dog for a walk, playing with him, and working on commands every day. I told him that due to my schedule, that was unrealistic. I told him that I would try to take my dog for a walk at least 3 times a week, but I could not guarantee it.
The third session went terribly. I was able to walk my dog before class this time. He was still amped up once we got into the store because there were several other dogs walking around and he wanted to play. We started off the training session in the pin in the middle of the store. The trainer decided that he would show me how to teach my dog the 'heel' command in one of the aisles. Unfortunately, there was another dog in the aisle, so my dog was focused on the dog instead of on the trainer. The trainer tried multiple times to teach my dog the 'heel' command and to get my dog to perform the other commands he had learned during the previous training sessions to redirect his attention. The trainer eventually got frustrated because my dog was not listening to him anymore and decided to move the training back into the pin. He started talking to me about how my dog was too high energy during class because I was not giving him the exercise and attention he needed. He said that I really needed to be walking him for a mile and half every single day, playing with him, and working on commands. He talked to me about how his wife was unable to give her dog the care it needed and how she was having to consider re-homing the dog. It made me cry because I felt like a failure of a dog owner. I already felt like I was not giving him enough attention and exercise, but due to my school schedule, I am not able to offer him more time. He also made me feel like I was going to have to re-home my dog and I really did not want to. He said that due to how high energy my dog was, he thought I was wasting my money and offered to speak with the manager about getting me a refund. I ended up leaving the store that day to think about my options.
I did return to get a refund and I have contacted the Kentucky Humane Society about dog training. I would not recommend Petco to anyone for dog training. I feel like the fact that there is not a separated training area sets some dogs up for failure. With the training area being in the middle of the store, it allows the dogs to hear other people, toys, and other dogs. I would not use Petco for dog training. Save your money and go somewhere else. read more