Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently applied to petsmart for a dog training position, but sadly I was rejected, lol. Anyways I found out that the Petco, which is actually slightly closer to my house has dog training too. I was thinking about applying there.

My question is do you guys have any idea what they might be looking for specifically? I definatly did not say the right things to the petsmart people . This would actually be my first job, and I was wondering what you guys think would be best things to say for a job like this.

I know at school they taught us over and over what to say and do at a job interview, but never did they talk about a dog training job interview. A lot of the experience that they said the 'CNC' employers would look for arn't exactly the same as a pet store's. Atleast I wouldnt imagine Cad skills help in dog training. In english comp we were brain storming things not to do at an interview and one of the things was 'don't talk about your dog' . So what exactly would you look for in a potential 'dog trainer' to say if you where the employer? ---keep in mind I was just looking at thier site and I believe it said they have training programs (for employees), and that no experience was necessary. I don't have any 'professional' experience but I do have home experience. How would you go about saying that? Do I say yes I can teach a dog to 'sit'. Are my 'skills' teaching a dog to crawl? Another thing I wasnt sure of is Dog training is teaching people to train their own dog, so are there people skills I should mention? I'm going to college, so maybe my Public Speaking, and psyc classes are like experience in the people area?

I was also thinking dog grooming, that sounds like an awfully strenuous job dematting, and bathing, and combing I probably could do that, although its not exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks for your advice!!!
-----
- Thanks, Novice Trainer

>>I recently applied to petsmart for a dog training position, but sadly I was rejected, lol. Anyways I found out that the Petco, which is actually slightly closer to my house has dog training too. I was thinking about applying there.
>>
>>My question is do you guys have any idea what they might be looking for specifically? I definatly did not say the right things to the petsmart people . This would actually be my first job, and I was wondering what you guys think would be best things to say for a job like this.
>>
>>I know at school they taught us over and over what to say and do at a job interview, but never did they talk about a dog training job interview. A lot of the experience that they said the 'CNC' employers would look for arn't exactly the same as a pet store's. Atleast I wouldnt imagine Cad skills help in dog training. In english comp we were brain storming things not to do at an interview and one of the things was 'don't talk about your dog' . So what exactly would you look for in a potential 'dog trainer' to say if you where the employer? ---keep in mind I was just looking at thier site and I believe it said they have training programs (for employees), and that no experience was necessary. I don't have any 'professional' experience but I do have home experience. How would you go about saying that? Do I say yes I can teach a dog to 'sit'. Are my 'skills' teaching a dog to crawl? Another thing I wasnt sure of is Dog training is teaching people to train their own dog, so are there people skills I should mention? I'm going to college, so maybe my Public Speaking, and psyc classes are like experience in the people area?
>>
>>I was also thinking dog grooming, that sounds like an awfully strenuous job dematting, and bathing, and combing I probably could do that, although its not exactly what I was looking for.
>>
>>Thanks for your advice!!!
>>-----
>>- Thanks, Novice Trainer

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

What they want is someone who is willing to learn to do the training their way. It is possible their way will not be highly effective in producing meticulously trained dogs, but neither will it be offensive or injurious to the dogs or likely to get them sued. If you're willing to do it their way, tell them so. And then keep your word. It will be useful experience, and if you find that you outgrow it, you can go apprentice with a different trainer and move on from there.

Learning to groom, or any part of grooming, is GREAT experience, too, if you learn it properly. I know groomers who are far, far better dog handlers than a lot of dog trainers I know! If you want to get the most out of the experience and can afford to, go through some time in both jobs. And also see if they will pay for your time to go help out at local shelters and adoption events, as a community contribution. They might--they should! And you'd learn a lot there, too.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

>>What they want is someone who is willing to learn to do the training their way. It is possible their way will not be highly effective in producing meticulously trained dogs, but neither will it be offensive or injurious to the dogs or likely to get them sued. If you're willing to do it their way, tell them so. And then keep your word. It will be useful experience, and if you find that you outgrow it, you can go apprentice with a different trainer and move on from there.
>>
>>Learning to groom, or any part of grooming, is GREAT experience, too, if you learn it properly. I know groomers who are far, far better dog handlers than a lot of dog trainers I know! If you want to get the most out of the experience and can afford to, go through some time in both jobs. And also see if they will pay for your time to go help out at local shelters and adoption events, as a community contribution. They might--they should! And you'd learn a lot there, too.

Thanks a lot!, thats actually quite helpful! And like you said "It will be useful experience, and if you find that you outgrow it, you can go apprentice with a different trainer and move on from there. " --- very true.
-----
- Thanks, Novice Trainer

I worked at Petsmart and was close friends with both the trainer and some of the groomers..

I wouldn't want to get into training there, personally. The training that they will give you is miserable. You spend weeks learning the books with very little support from real people and then after one practice run they practically throw you into a class of your own. And god help you if you disagree with anything in one of the books. It's all very positive training, and I believe that for the most part it works, but if you try to do anything extra you're in trouble. My friend, as she got more comfortable in the job, began writing up "report cards" for the dogs and their owners. The report card basically just reviewed the things that each dogs was doing best with, and was followed by instructions for homework for each individual dog, to help make sure that the entire class was progressing together.

Petsmart didn't like that she voluntarily took the time and effort to do this even though it wasn't in the policies and procedures, and she was threatened with being fired if she didn't stop. All of these report cards used the exact methods that Petsmart had taught her, but because it wasn't consistent with what all the other stores were doing she wasn't allowed to do it. She quit.

Grooming at Petsmart, on the other hand, is an opportunity that even I would jump at. The training there is absolutely incredible! It's remarkably well done and thorough and will teach you much more about handling dogs than the training. It's expensive as you have to buy all your own tools and shampoos, etc. but you get a big discount from the store and what you get paid is worth it.. If you can get into grooming at petsmart, it would be an amazing experience for any novice trainer. You have to bathe 100 dogs before you even get to go to the grooming academy though, so it will take a while to get to where you want to be. The experience is definitely worth it though..

"It's expensive as you have to buy all your own tools and shampoos, etc. but you get a big discount from the store and what you get paid is worth it.."

I'm not sure what you mean. The company doesnt supply the groomers with the equipment to use?

"If you can get into grooming at petsmart, it would be an amazing experience for any novice trainer. You have to bathe 100 dogs before you even get to go to the grooming academy though, so it will take a while to get to where you want to be. The experience is definitely worth it though.."

The Grooming academy? Is that a petsmart/petco thing? I noticed they have an assistant groomer, and a pet stylist too (well at petco atleast).
-----
- Thanks, Novice Trainer

When I was there (just over a year ago) the groom shop was equipped with tables and driers but the groomers had to choose and buy their own clippers, brushes, combs, finishing products, all that stuff.. Each groomer had their own toolbox that they would keep in their locker..

I don't know anything about petco.. But at Petsmart, when enough bathers had finished their 100 dogs they got them together for training for a few weeks. I'm not sure, but I think they set it up in or near a store in one area and the bathers from other stores in the area would have to drive to that place for training every day. They called it the academy because of the type of training that they went through... I obviously never went but I heard it was very intensive..