Is Petsmart a good place for training?

Oh, I forgot to mention- Chico is about a year and four months now.

I have partially watched a couple of classes at Petsmart and frankly, I wasn't very impressed.  I am sure it depends on the knowledge and skill of the specific trainer.  While I suppose it is possible that some Petsmart somewhere has a very good trainer on staff, I would think there are far more less qualified ones on their payroll.
 
Ask around about trainers.  Ask your vet or your local shelter who they recommend.

I just started my 9 week old Lab/Coonhound and it is a joke.  Everything they are teaching us can be found on the Internet or in a good dog training book.
 
The only good thing about it is the socialization my pup receives.
 
Good luck with what ever you decide.  We personally are looking into hiring a "professional one on one trainer", but will continue to go to Petsmart for the socialization.

To be fair though, and I agree with your premise about Petsmart, anything ANY trainer teaches you can be found on the internet or in a training book.

Ok, I'll keep looking. Thanks!

I think Billy is right - it depends a lot on the individual trainer.  Some people go to PetSmart and really like it. Others don't think it was worth the money.  Why don't you go to your local PetSmart and just observe a class or two and talk to some of the clients after class?

Joyce

All right, I'll see how they train, but BTW, do you think it would be more worth it to go into a group for training or one on one sessions?

I agree with Joyce.
 
Definitely go for a group class. It's a great opportunity to teach your dog to pay attention to you even in a highly distracting environment.

Cutepetsrus-
We 'graduate' today from a Petsmart Beginner's class.
I had posted to you before that it was a pretty good experience.  The socialization was REALLY a good part of it.  And our trainer was a good 'authority figure' to our dog, which she (and I) needed to see.
We got our basics and we practiced them right there in the group.  I think that is about all we got out of it.  But, we took those basics home and we worked on them daily. 
With the help and advice of all these experts dog people, I've taken the training much much farther.  I am now reading the books and utilizing the information found in them.
But, all in all. the Petsmart experience was a good one. I got 'my feet wet' with real dog training.  (I had a dog for 15 years, who had passed away this spring.  I find now that he was not a real dog.  He was an angel with fur.  No training was necessary.)   My current dog, HoneyBear is a REAL dog.
Also- as a side - our trainer gave us her cell phone number with an OK to 'call anytime' and has invited all of us to attend extra classes with other groups 'at no charge'.  I thought that was generous of her.
Just my own opinion.  But that is what you were looking for, right?

ORIGINAL: jones

I agree with Joyce.

Definitely go for a group class. It's a great opportunity to teach your dog to pay attention to you even in a highly distracting environment.

 
Oh yes, group for sure.  We got our Lab/Coonhound at 7 weeks (a little early) so the socialization he is receiving at the class is very much needed (interaction with other pups, bite inhibition, etc.)  We are going to do both, group and one on one training.
 
Good Luck!

Group classes are great in themselves because of the socialization.  Group classes are only as good as their instructor and that's across the board. I'd rather a person go to a petsmart class than accidently end up in some unkown a$%'s 'jack 'em up' group.  You can always use it as a start if you're uncertain.

LOL when I read the thread title I misunderstood it to ask whether petsmart was a good place for YOU to train your dog and I was going to say absolutely.

Paula

Boy do I have conflicted feelings about Petsmart for training! LOL 
It all depends on the actual trainer and their experience.  I second the recommendation made to watch some classes and ask some students.
 
The reason I laughed is because I have a ACD foster that I posted a flyer at Petsmart (among other places) to get her noticed.  Received a phone call but it wasn't someone interested in adopting her but a trainer at Petsmart with a 5 yo ACD who was having resource guarding and dog-dog aggression problems wanting my advise.[]  I had to laugh because much like Trilby I am only on my 1st "real" dog!   After talking to her I found out her dog had bit another trainer there who was (to me) antagonizing her ACD by shaking a finger in its face while leaning over saying "We will be friends" (i'd have bit him too).  The bitten trainer is a 18 yo kid who didn't even like dogs before working there and had completed their training program (pays better). 
 
So - some trainers I have run across there have struck me as experienced and knowledgeable.  Others are at the beginning of their career and are probably fine for basics. 
 
If your Petsmart does not seem to have an experienced trainer contact the local dog park, breed clubs, your vet, or Humane Society for recommendations.  I found our trainer thru the GSD club even tho Bandit is a Aussie/Lab mix.  We had a great time and it was only $80.00 for 12 weeks and included an AKC CGC test at the end. 
 
Good luck! 

I took Rory there for her first lessons and then switched to a class at our town hall. I think it is a good experience, they get good socialization but Rory is a American Pit Bull Terrier, in otehr words.....VERY STUBBORN, ha ha and distracted to easily. She was fine with the other dogs but people who walked by, workers from the store, and lil kids were to much for her to not ignore. We were in the middle of a class and some lady totally interupted to tel me how pretty Rory was and ask me about her breed, I was flattered but it was hard to get this lady to leave us alone. I much preffered the one at town hall because they still had otehr dogs but without the other distractions and the trainer had more time to spend with us because she wasnt rushing us out to start another class.

Sheprano -
You just reminded me that the same thing happened (twice) during our Petsmart experience.
Yep, people shopping in the store and oblivious to the fact that we were trying to hold a class, walked right into the ring (one even had a shopping cart) and stood there talking to me about my dog.
It wasted valuable learning time and made my dog even more distracted than she usually is!