Dog Health Questions: Being a certified dog trainer at petco....?

Hi. I am in the process of starting my new job at PetCo as a certified dog trainer. I went in asking a question about a school that they are affiliated with and they said they dont use them anymore because they have a mentoring program. Where they apprentice you their. I have not signed my contract yet, though it is 1 year which i am okay with but the question i am having trouble finding the answer to is, when I become certified am i certified under PETCO standards or am i certified universally. after my one year contract with them, is that certificate good to find another job with, or is it basically BS to other people. I have no professional experience in dog training, though i have a 6 year old minpin and a 4 month old chocolate lab that i do the training myself with who are really good,obedient dogs. With petco being my only professional experience is that good to get another training job when my contract is up with them, or will other training schools look at it like a joke? anyone who has worked/works for them who has the answers it would be really helpful. Thank you !

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Certification means very little in the dog world. People select trainers based on results - i.e. titling your own dogs - and on references - i.e. helping other people train their dogs. I have issues with PETCO training in general as the methods are all developed from a PR standpoint at the higher levels. No serious trainer I have ever met would ever recommend PETCO training and I have never met a PETCO trainer that seriously competed in any canine sport with their own dog or a "real" trainer that began in a PETCO-like situation.

If you want the job, then accept the training with a grain of salt and realize it won't transition well outside of that corporation. If you want to be a dog trainer, join a local all-breed club and ask if you can assist with a beginner class, work your way up to being a full trainer and then, when you have enough references and experience, you can start your own business. The training you will learn will not be dictated by a corporation and will applicable to dog sports as well as pet stuff, making your training much more valuable and provable.

Why not start showing your MinPin and Lab in some companion sports like obedience, agility, rally or tracking? You're sure to meet folks who can put in a good word or make a recommendation on where to find a mentor once you're in the "dog world".

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• ask PETCO that question


• You'd have to ask them. I would just do a training class not with them. Go to a school for it, I think it takes about 2 months.


• There is no such thing as a "Certified Dog Trainer" except for private organizations like PetCo - which really means nothing.
  You would be certified (cough) under Petco Standards period. It wouldn't mean anything to anyone else. (Certainly not me)
  I'm unclear about your Addition Details. Are you telling us that YOU have to pay for this "Certified (cough again) Petco Training? If so, do NOT sign that contract. And be very careful about any Dog Training places that makes you pay them, as you also train "their" dogs. ("Their" meaning the dogs other people have brought in for training by them.) What a racket.