pets socials

When I took my chocolate lab to PETS socials as a puppy I thought for sure her overly energetic personality was going to overwhelm the other puppies. So it was such a surprise when she ended up being very shy instead. Haley who runs PETS is extremely knowledgeable, professional and kind, and she gave my girl the space and tools to make pals at her own pace. We never felt isolated because of her shyness, but always included. In time she blossomed and now she loves everyone -- both furry and human! Another plus was the friendliness of the classes and how even the humans became friends - some of us still get together with our doggies on a regular basis. I highly recommend Haley and PETS Socials!

Based on one session, we would not recommend this social. Here's why: 1) When we arrived, having pre-registered, provided vax records & paid a week ago, they did not have our information. 2) There were SO MANY dogs. I didn't count, but it had to be at least 30. A number of them (including ours) were barking. So, it was really difficult to hear instructions. When we got confused & did the wrong thing at check-in, the lead "trainer" (actually, a volunteer) was very rude. 3) One woman came with a little girl who was walking around asking to pet puppies & give them treats. Kids are the very last people you want to socialize a dog with because they're unpredictable. People with kids should be in a separate session with WAY FEWER dogs. 4) Our puppy was very anxious throughout the social & we were given limited advice on how to deal with that. One of the trainers suggested I sit on the floor with our puppy, which I did, and to nudge away dogs who came near us. That didn't really calm my dog at all, and I was scolded for nudging a puppy (whose owner was on her cellphone the entire session without any feedback from the trainers) too firmly. 5) I was eventually directed to stand and walk around with her, and given treats, which I eventually figured out I was supposed to give her when she looked at a puppy. 6) The reason this was hard to figure out is that one of the trainers used the pre-school teacher/gynecologist dialect in which "we" replaces the pronoun for the relevant individual. So, she said, "When WE look at another dog, treat her..." I didn't know if she meant "we" the trainers, "we" the owners and dogs, or what. I eventually figured out that she meant "when SHE (our puppy) looks at another dog..." Then there was the "treat her" thing, which is apparently dog trainer jargon for "give her a treat." I kept waiting for an object for the verb "treat" as in "TREAT HER like she's done well." You know, standard American English. 7) The social was in a fenced in area that had gaps that were large enough for the very small dogs to go right through and our ~12lb dog almost made it through. They had portable metal fencing to separate the dogs, but it was not weighted down or anchored in any way, so it kept moving as the bigger dogs pushed against it. It all seemed very unsafe. One of the dogs became a little aggressive, and was separated into a portable fenced-in area. Because the owner and the puppy were kind of larger, it took up about 1/4 of the area that had been allotted to "small and shy dogs." 8) There were 3 accidents during the social, 2 pee, 1 poo. That would be expected, but the trainers & assistance were unprepared for clean up. Although there were benches & tables all around the permanent fencing, they seemed to just have one roll of paper towels way on the other side when the first pee happened. While the assistant took over a spray bottle with what I assumed was antiseptic cleaner; she actually did not use it. When the poo happened, the trainer gave the owner a small wad of paper towels & she then had to ask for a poo bag. 9) Halfway through, as I was walking around, carrying my puppy and "treating her," I asked the main "trainer" if I should put her down. She snapped at me that I had to talk with the other "trainer." That trainer was on the other side of the fencing. The main "trainer" eventually called her over. But, by then (the only bright spot) a very kind woman (not staff) explained to put our puppy down & gently turn her back toward the action when she tried to run away. Huge difference! 10) Overall, the experience was awful, unsafe, & unsanitary. One of the trainers did suggest another training group, saying they'd be better at understanding dog body language. We're going to observe one of their socials soon. 11) I learned after-the-fact that the woman I thought was a trainer was, in fact, a volunteer. Neither of the trainers listed on the website attended the social. I had assumed an actual trainer would be supervising the session.