Puppy Classes/Obdience training

[TexasGS]

I will be getting a GSD here in a few weeks and I still havent found a training place that i feel comfortable with. There are a few local places I just looked up in the yellowpages and the reviews on some are meh at best. Im in the Bryan/College Station area of Texas. I am about 1.5 hours west of Houston 1.5 Hours east of Austin and 3 Hours South of Dallas. Does anyone know of any places in my general area they would recommend. I will do the drive of 1.5 hours if I have to for a quality trainer but I would prefer to find something more local.

[chicagojosh]

have you thought of petsmart or petco? for puppy class/basic obediance they work just fine still talk with the trainer beforehand and all, but i would'nt worry too much about ther perfect trainer for basic commands. you'll really be the trainer afterall

[JKlatsky]

Originally Posted by chicagojosh

have you thought of petsmart or petco? for puppy class/basic obediance they work just fine still talk with the trainer beforehand and all, but i would'nt worry too much about ther perfect trainer for basic commands. you'll really be the trainer afterall

I would not go to PetsMart or PetCo unless you know the trainer. The ones that I have known have in general been idiots. Anyone they choose to hire goes through a class and is "certified". Most of the ones I have known have no CLUE about dog behavior. I've watched PetsMart trainers put puppies into avoidance by being overbearing. They're great if all you need is some distractions, but if you need real meaningful guidance I would go somewhere else.

I like to find people who are successfully competeing in obedience or agility. They usually have puppy classes and I always feel more confident that they actually know what they are doing...You could try contacting your local AKC club to see if they have anything going.

[TexasGS]

See I have heard to not go with those classes for that exact reason. We do have a petsmart here but I would use them as a last option kind of thing.

[onyx'girl]

I agree, not to use the big box stores for training my pup!
I wish you luck in your search.
I googled your town and these two would be the ones I would check into. There were a couple others but one had three locations in TX and was a self described dog whisperer. That turned me off.
The other one had We accept Visa first and foremost and then seemed to be a send away type, another turn off!
So maybe these two would be ok for puppy class?
http://www.puppylovetraining.com/
http://www.aggiepetzone.com/

[Jason L]

What kind of training are you looking for? What's your plan for the dog?

Triple Crown in Austin is pretty good
Dog Training Boarding Kennel Austin TX

You can always drive up 3 hours to Dallas and I'll play with your puppy lol. I can't train the pup but I can go "oooh" and "ahhh" at the pup for a few hours

[Stosh]

Have you checked for a local obedience club? I live in Tyler TX and belong to the Tyler Obedience Training Club, it's AKC affiliated, great trainers, just cost $20 to join. They offer all levels of obedience, agility, rally, search, etc. There has to be one in Houston.

[TexasGS]

I know of a few places in Houston, the only issue is from where i am thats an Hour and a half away minimum. So one day of the week its a 3 hour drive, which would be worth it for me if its a great situation/program however I am just trying to see if there is anything closer. I have spoken to local breeders, as well as the Brazos County Animal Shelter. So far negative on both!

[Stosh]

Have you checked with the Houston Dog Obedience Club? I think they're at hotdogclub.org. If it's too far away, they should be able to steer you in the right direction.