I am on a mission to rid the world of the APBT stigma. My baby Pan (Meaning the Greek God of Wild Nature) is the most playful energetic puppy in town. He is an APBT Mix. From the moment I held him in my palm I knew he would be true to his name, he is always bursting with energy. You can hear Pan coming from a mile away not because he is big and ferocious but because he can’t wait to meet you and wants you to know that he has arrived! If you have read my post My Dog Has Sever Allergies you will see that Pan lives in a bubble so when he gets out to explore the world there is no holding him back. In an effort to calm Pan down I signed him up for Beginner Education at PetSmart.

At PetSmart I was paired with the most AWESOME-est PetSmart trainer ever Angela Curry {that’s my famous shameless plug} who turned Pan into a gentleman in six weeks! At PetSmart the training is mostly for the owner rather than the dog because if we don’t consistently practice what we learn your furry best friend will just revert to his natural instinctive ways.  Not to mention that I learned a dog’s short term memory is only 20-30 seconds long so repetition is key. Outside of good manners and great tricks the PetSmart classes also highlight so many other areas of care like;

•  What toys are best for your breed
• What are the best (and most cost effective) treats for your dog
• Diet
• Grooming
• Danger Zones- poisonous plants and foods for dogs
• Socializing
• House Training (Potty Training)

Another thing that I absolutely loved was that after Angela found out about Pan’s food and environmental allergies she truly went above and beyond to include key points and suggestions that pertained to our allergy sheltered lifestyle. She was also my food allergy advocate, she traded out her treats in the sessions to make sure Pan didn’t get into anything he wasn’t supposed to. Frequently telling on lookers “don’t feed the dog he’s allergic to the world”.  I appreciated the second set of eyes. Oh and don’t let me forget KOTA *throws hands up in the air* we love us some KOTA! I was so glad Pan had a playmate, Angela’s (APB Mix I think?).  Pan doesn’t get out much to socialize with other dogs and when he does he’s so worked up that pet owners give me the side eye like *you’re not gonna let him come near my dog* so we appreciate that DAKOTA wanted to play and can handle Pan’s energy. When Pan sees or smells KOTA he gets so excited (undertone not intended)! And I’m a happy Mama when my baby’s happy!

PetSmart Training was one of the best decisions that I made for Pan as well as my family. He is a lot calmer now and he has good manners. I am pleased with his progress and I am going to continue with his training. It is my goal to have Pan become Canine Good Citizen Certified and I am using PetSmart to reach that goal!

P.S. I paid for this class which is $109 out of my own pocket and with a $20 off coupon, this was not a sponsored post only my honest experience with PetSmat. However… should PetSmart want to sponsor our journey to become CGC Certified please please please feel free to contact me! {another shameless plug}