Anywhere I can go with my dog - I love. Petsmart is one of our favorites of course for many reasons which I am happy to share. Before I start just on a side note, I think you should know that: The brand of food we buy for Buddy is only available at Petco - so we go to Petco once every month for a quick visit in and out, to stock up on yummy food. However, we visit Petsmart every week for training class, socializing and tasty treats. The sales staff is always very helpful and friendly. They always want to say hi to dogs and give them treats. The grooming department used to be a bit inconsistent with the level of quality in service, but it's much better now. Aside from all of this, the actual reason we go to Petsmart at least once a week is Pam. Pam is the director of the training program at Petsmart in Countryside and she is pretty amazing (and so funny!).
Buddy was a 6 week old pup when we added him to our family, hearts, couch, bed, laundry you know the usual obsessive pet owner stuff. On our very first visit to Petsmart, we met Pam. She told us about the puppy class and how it helps with socialization, and the basics. We thought "how bad could it be when the trainer just called our dog "boo boo face" and "meatball". So we signed up. Puppy class helped us a lot with potty training, basic obedience (sit, down, etc.) and walking. She was always very patient with each and every puppy in the class. For those of you who have a dog or two surely knows how tough the first steps can be. Pam, understood how frustrating it could be (having two "boo boo faces" of her own) and always added a twist of humor into each class, making us laugh and have fun most of the time.
So we graduated from Puppy Class, then we graduated Beginners, and then Intermediate. After a short break - we went back to continue (We all decided he needed to take Intermediate again, shhh) So now Buddy is almost 3 and he is in Pam's Advanced Training Class.
The classes are very helpful, for dogs and humans. For the dogs, its great socializing which is so important. The dogs love it - As soon as Petsmart is in sight, Buddy starts going bananas in the car. The training is mostly for the owner - and you have to dedicate your time to continue the training every day outside of class. About a year ago if someone had told me that my dog would go to his bed when I said "to your bed" - I would have laughed my butt off. But hes doing it. Pam is amazing at teaching you how to handle tough situations, frustrations, she is patient and very caring. It's pretty amazing when you can feel that the person cares, it makes all the difference.
For a while Buddy thought he was King of the house and owned everyone and everything in it. At some point he had taken over our bed and was very easily agitated when we decided to move our limbs. We called an Animal Behaviorist our vet mentioned and they recommended medication right away without even seeing us. Not to even mention the $400 they wanted to charge for seeing Buddy. We knew we had to do something so we asked Pam. She told it like it was, she was firm and taught us it was ok to be. She helped us understand how hes feeling and why he is doing some of the things we couldn't make any sense of. We've been taking her advice, with no medication - and Buddy's behavior has improved tremendously, he is still the King but its a secret for now.
This woman is truly an asset to that store and to the company. I am 100% confident when I recommend her training classes at Petsmart. The classes are extremely helpful, very informative, so much fun and when the trainer is Pam - theres no question. read more