Back in 2009, our sweet Maggie was young, energetic, and very much in need of some structure. We loved her enthusiasm, but we also knew we needed help teaching her the basics — and building the kind of communication that makes life easier for everyone.

We enrolled her in a beginner training class at Petco, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made during her puppy years.

The classes were simple, positive, and focused on helping dogs succeed. Maggie learned foundational cues like sit, stay, and come, but the real joy was watching her confidence grow. She loved the praise, the treats, and the feeling of getting things right. And we loved learning how to communicate with her in a way she understood.

Those early sessions didn’t just teach obedience — they helped us build trust. They were the first steps in forming the bond that shaped Maggie’s entire life with us.

If you’re looking for a beginner‑friendly, positive training option, Petco’s group classes can be a great place to start. They’re accessible, affordable, and especially helpful for new dog owners who want guidance and support.

Dog trainer, Victoria, praises Maggie as she completes her 6 week basic dog training course at Petco.

For 1 hour a week Murry, Julie & Maggie focused on basic commands such as sit, stay, down, wait, come, and the all important command to stay away from CATS – “leave it!”.

Even though Maggie had some training before we adopted her, we could tell that more was needed.  I would say we needed the training just as much as our pet.

During the first class we learned an important lesson to make trips in the car more enjoyable. 

This is Maggie before the training — She gets into the back seat, even though she loves to ride in the car she was all over the place.  Trying to get to the front seat, barking at bicycles, barking at dogs, barking at innocent mother’s pushing their baby strollers.

On the first day of training this is what we learned to do:

• We brought along a spray bottle of water to squirt Maggie when she misbehaved.  It only took one time to teach her to cease and desist.
• The other method we used is the leave it command.  As we passed a noisy motorcycle we would say “leave it, Maggie, leave it” and as we successfully passed by the former object of distress Maggie was praised with a “good girl” and given a treat.

It has been a few months since her graduation and Maggie is doing great.  I would say the most important aspect of keeping her under control is for us to focus on our part of her training.  We need to take time from our day to give her commands and praise and to take her for walks.  She loves to go to the park. 

We will keep up our personal training and definitely recommend Victoria as a first class trainer at Petco on Federal Way in Boise.

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