M.B. asks from Flower Mound, TX on September 06, 2007
Seeking Puppy Training for 10 Week Old Border Collie
We have a 10 week old Border Collie. We need to get some Obedient Training. There is a course that runs 8 weeks offered through PetSmart. It is 1 hour a week. Has anyone had experience with PetSmart Dog Training? Or, any recommendationsof a great experience with an individual trainer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
M. Brooks
More Answers
L.C. answers from Dallas on September 07, 2007
Hi M.,
I live in FM and I have two Australian Sheppards. We ended up training them at Canine Courtyard. It is located at 3209 Justin Rd, Flower Mound, TX 75028. Their phone number is ###-###-####. It is another option for you to consider when it comes to training.
Regards,
L.
1 mom found this helpful
D.L. answers from Dallas on September 07, 2007
Pets Mart is a good choice. Your 10 week old puppy will have high energy. Take him for a long walk twice aday if you can. Crate train. The crate need to not be any bigger than sleeping room. Find out how much your dog weighs and feed according to chart on the bag. If your a stay at home mom feed 3x's aday than two times aday. Alow fresh water. Until your dog is house broken playtime needs to be monitored. Puppies like to potty at least every hour. If you allow to let the dog drink whenever he or she will have accidents. Dogs will not potty in there sleeping area once they have control. Your dog will like sqeakie toys. I am from Ohio too. I have been in Texas 34 years. debbie
M.W. answers from Dallas on September 07, 2007
I know people who went through Petsmart and were happy with it. The one place I can tell to absolutely avoid is Man's Best Friend. I was a cruelty investigator (think Animal Cops) for 4 years and there was not a week that went by that we didn't have many complaints. When I went to investigate some of these I saw "trainers" handle the dogs very roughly, yell at them, etc... Just do your homework and check with the BBB about the location you are going to use. Good luck. Border Collies are smart dogs!
M.
J.J. answers from Dallas on September 06, 2007
Hi M.. My husband and I own a kennel in Flower Mound. You can find out more at www.caninecourtyard.com We offer training, but right now 10 weeks is pretty young to start. Our puppy classes tend to start around 4 months. That way also, you can be sure your dog has all the appropriate vaccinations before exposing him or her to other dogs. Please don't go anywhere that doesn't require your dog to be vaccinated. You can go ahead and call up to Canine Courtyard and ask to talk to our trainer. Her name is Ally. She can either get you set up for private lessons or give you some tips on what to do at such a young age. Border Collies are the absolute smartest breed out there though. They learn quickly. As far as PetSmart, like their grooming, they can be hit or miss. It totally depends on which trainer they have and what experience they have. I have met good ones and others that are fresh out of "training school" and no experience. I know a little about some of the private trainers in the area. If you have any questions about specific people, feel free to private message me.
M.S. answers from Dallas on October 03, 2007
I know I'm kind of late in responding, but in the event that you haven't done anything yet, we've taken 3 dogs (one for my MIL) and scheduled a puppy training for 10/9 at www.dallasdogtrainer.com. Mark is a great teacher and we've done the board and train (10 days) for all of them. He offers other alternatives that are less expensive. He offer retraining for the dogs for their lifetime and we take him up on refresher courses :) He's well worth every penny WE LOVE what he's done for us. Our dogs are not small by any means and they're great to walk, we had a socialized Fila (died of bloat in June at the age of 8), a Great Dane, a Rottweiler & the puppy is another Fila Brasileiro. Have fun with your pups!
B.C. answers from Dallas on September 07, 2007
Hi! I did the training classes thru PetSmart in Carrollton and we loved it and learned alot. We are about to start a second class with them.
K.K. answers from Dallas on September 07, 2007
We have a puppy as well and are trying to decide what to do about his obedience training. The thing that I haven't seen anybody mention is how important socialization is at this age. These first few months are the most crucial and shape who a dog becomes. So being exposed to other dogs and lots of new experiences is very important. So while I'm thinking private lessons would be awesome...how are they going to help with that crucial socialization? I don't want to take him to dog parks because that is very risky for his health. So the question is...how do you get the best training that involves socialization (oh...and that does not cost an arm and a leg)? Sorry...I know I'm not answering your question but I'm hoping some people will respond to this as well.
Oh...and I forgot to mention that when we had a golden ret. puppy we did the Petsmart class and I do feel it was a great start.
K.D. answers from Dallas on September 07, 2007
I would HIGHLY recommend Aaron Stewart from www.theeducateddog.com. He comes to your house and performs manner training specific to the personal needs of your family. HE IS AMAZING!!! I will be glad to talk to you personally about what he does and what to expect if you are interested. Just email me privately at ____@____.com, keep in mind... It is not the dog you are training. It is the dogs owners.. .US! The hardest part of training a dog is keeping yourself consistent with the rules!! Aaron is wonderful and I just can't explain the way he can relate to animals.
Good luck and congrats on your newest family member.
K.
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