PetSmart

This place has been my go to store for pet supplies for quite a while, I also used to bring my now deceased dogs here for nail trims, the salon staff was always quick and efficient and as my lab (the one with the ruffled scarf in the photo was getting older) they were always gentle with her.
I now bring the newest member of the extended family here on less crowded days to shop, they have a good selection of what I need and generally getting in an out is pretty painless overall.

My toy poodle, sweet and friendly, is terrified of this place. Granted, he doesn’t like grooming and baths in general, but every time we go to Pet Smart, he is scared and is unusually aggressive. Last time we went, in March 2016, I had to get him back, not even half way through the grooming, because he was acting out. Later that day, when I was finishing his grooming myself, I found 3 fresh cuts. I personally never noticed harsh treatment with other dogs, but something is going on in that place that makes my dog extremely upset. Oh, and 2 years ago, he got something there that made him itch like crazy, loose his fur and be subject to a two-​month trial and error medicine treatments.

I brought in our lab to have her nails trimmed recently; she’s a bit squirmy, but she’s always been treated well by the young lady that typically takes her. Most recently I had the pleasure of working with Dani, who not only did a great job on our dog’s nails, but she actually sat on the floor with our girl and give her extra love (and a cute bandanna!) before we picked her up.
I will say that there is one occasion that continues to leave a bad taste in my mouth. There was a small terrier getting a hair cut as we were dropping off our pup a few months ago. Poor thing was whimpering and obviously stressed, but it was not necessarily a red flag at the time, as I’m sure most dogs are a little nervous. Things quickly escalated, though, as the dog’s frantic whimpering became terrified Unilocaling; the groomer forced a towel over the dog’s head, grabbed its legs, slammed it onto the groomer’s table, and held it down as it continued to cry. At this point another woman (I believe either a co-​worker or manager) screamed across the room, «Jesus, Wendy!» to try and get her to stop.
«Wendy» didn’t say anything, snatched up the dog and brought it to the back, out of sight.
Since this incident, we make sure only one of few of the girls we recognize there work with our dog, and we stay where we can see her. It’s a shame, because some of the groomers are absolutely wonderful and have always been so gentle with our dog.

Wow. I have been bringing my dog here for 6 years and was always happy with the service and the way that the staff treated him. He is super sweet but trembles in situations/​environments that he isn’t super familiar with and so thought this time I would see if an over the counter herbal remedy for dogs would help calm him (it didnt). So when asked if he was on any calming treatments and I told him he was, they said they couldn’t groom him. While I understand the rationale (even if it seems a little extreme in this case) the woman managing the salon couldn’t have been more arrogant or condescending; when I asked why this was a problem and why wasn’t this mentioned when I made the appt (which I had to wait over a week for) she was completely unsympathetic. While it is frustrating to wait for an appt for a week and then drive over 30 mins to find he couldn’t be seen, my bigger issue was with how the info was communicated and the complete lack of empathy or helpfullness on the part of this mngr. Would it have been so hard to say sorry about the situation and they understood it must be frustrating but let’s find the next available slot and rebook? That is all it would have taken to keep me as a customer of BOTH the salon and store.
While I was there this same manager was also telling a gentleman why they wouldn’t take his dog again (seems like the dog got nervous when having toenails clipped. Don’t think that is all that unusual and maybe this was just a coincidence but find it odd that she basically refused service to 2 dogs within minutes).
Anyway I then spoke to the general-​store manager who was very nice and understood I just didn’t like how I was treated more so then the policy. unfortunately though they still lost a customer who easily spent 150 a month there and I lost a place that I somewhat trusted to groom my dog.
Lose — lose for everyone.

this review is for our last grooming experience. My dog is a norfolk terrier mix we cut him short and the first time they did a good job. THis time i picked him up and his hair was a HOT MESS. It just looks like the person didn’t know what they were doing. On top of that when we got home he was just acting off. He has been very nippy and jumpy. When my kids try to pet him he growls and looks like he wants to bite. Normally the kids play with him alot and he is fine. Since this grooming he seems to be anxious and very nervous of sudden movements. I’m afraid they were not kind to him. THis is not his normal personality he barely slept that night. Even my husband who is usually oblivious noticed that he was not being himself and told me to spend a little extra next time to get him to a quality groomer.

My review is in regards to their pet training. I have brought my other two dogs to Petsmart in the past for training and liked the results and trainers. However, the woman who does the training at this Petsmart is terrible. Before the class even started she yelled at a customer and her kids for repeating a command. This was the first class and it hadnt even started yet. They were trying to get their rambunctious 5 month old boxer puppy to sit (it had no idea what they were trying to tell it) and out of no where she started going off on them about how you NEVER, EVER, REPEAT A COMMAND!!! Then she told them its like when your mom nags you to clean your room over and over, what do you do? You blow her off, thats what your puppy is doing to you. Ummm EXCUSE ME?! No my kids better not blow me off when I tell them to clean their room! She also made it very clear there would be no play or socializing time between the puppies. This is absurd, there are four excited puppies who want to sniff and play with the other puppies and are more distracted because they cant. Let them sniff, get some energy out and they would probably pay more attention to what you are trying to teach them. Two girls showed up late (they were young teens/​tweenager age) their mother didnt want to participate and just dropped them off. It wasnt their fault, its not like they could drive, but she made a big deal about being 15 minutes early to class and thoroughly embarrassed them. She harped on them being late for about 5 minutes of the class which was totally unnecessary, especially since they have little to no control over when their mom gets them there. The trainer had no control over the class and tried to just shout over the ruckus of the puppies trying to get to each other. She demanded that I put my dog in a «time out» to distract him so he would pay attention which was completely pointless as he could hear the other dogs behind him and see everyone walking around the store. She got frustrated with the two young girls because their puppy wouldnt sit still and excited and made them put him into a «timeout» which caused the dog to jump, squirm and get even more excited trying to get out of the corner. Her definition of a «timeout» is to put the dog facing into a corner so that it cant see anything but the wall. Perhaps this might work in a different environment however it is completely counterproductive when they can still see the other dogs out of their peripherals and hear them. From what I experienced putting my dog in timeout and seeing those girls put their dogs in time out all it did was make them more anxious and excitable. As I previously stated I have brought my other two dogs a pitbull/​boxer X and an English mastiff and have never encountered a trainer who used a «timeout» with puppies. I brought my mastiff there where he was about 3 – 4 months and my pitt/​boxer mix around a year and I never saw either of the previous trainers use her tactics and training methods. She was abrasive, condescending and unprofessional and I will never take another class with her again. I had a friend with me visiting from out of town whose wife was a Petsmart trainer in Virginia Beach and he was livid during her session. He also concurred that her class and methods of instruction were unprofessional and she came across as inept and had no idea how to teach this course. She spent the first part of the class yelling at the lady with the boxer puppy and then the girls who came in late which caused us to start late and run 20 min over the allotted time. I called Petsmart to switch to a different instructor but they stated she was the only one at the store. I asked if I could just transfer to a different store by my house and they said I could come in and get a refund or store credit. I was informed I was unable to get a refund over the phone (even though thats how I paid for it in the first place) so now I have to go back to the store to fill out a refund form to get my money back (I wish I could get the hour of my life I spent last Saturday back). Although I have had good experiences at the Petsmart in Yuma, AZ with my other two dogs I think I will just cut my losses and train my puppy at home, at least I wont have to worry about getting yelled at or my dog getting put in timeout.

John the groomer did a fantastic job with our two dogs. It was their first visit to a groomer, but not their first visit to this Petsmart. The pups were cheerful and happy when I picked them up (of course it could’ve been because I had their favorite bones with me). And the dogs love to go into this Petsmart any day, any time. Very nice people working here, and the environment is clean and organized. Kudos to the store management, staff, and the volunteers who hold adoption events at this store. The only thing that would make it better is if they added doggie day care to this location (hint, hint :-).

This PetSmart does a great job! The store is huge, and we always end up shopping while our dogs are there for grooming. We drive in all the way from Leesburg because our favorite groomer, Diana M., switched to this store and we followed her. She always does a great job, and that is difficult to do with our somewhat high-​strung Yorkies. They never complain about them, even though we know what a task it is to groom them. And we like our Yorkies cut short including paws, ears, tail, etc. Quite a task! We were just there, and the grooming was excellent, and they even had their dog food on sale so we stocked up there, too. All in all, a great experience for grooming and shopping.

I went to return my cat leash (as it turns out, cat’s are a creature that refuse to be leashed) today. I was told, when I purchased it, I could return it as long as I had the receipt. So, I brought the leash back WITH THE RECEIPT. Wilma, a vision of happiness and customer service, accepted my leash AND RECEIPT with an audible huff. The entire transaction was basically silent (aside from her «inconvenienced» huffing). At the end, she sarcastically said, «Oooook» and handed me my receipts. I left, feeling… well huffy. Poor Wilma, it’s time to move on. I’m pretty sure Target is accepting applications and it’s oh so close to your beloved PetSmart.

This review goes specially for John the trainer. I sign up my puppy for training. As we waited for trainer to come, John looks at my dog and my dog starts barking. He looks at me and tells me «I don’t want your dog in my class». I was so disappointed, he is a trainer for a reason, if he is not then he should leave. I don’t recommend it to anybody.

Went into PetSmart today because I needed some more dog food and hoped they would carry the brand. They don’t have a contract with the food company, I actually wasn’t expecting them to carry it, but the customer service was excellent. I was asked if I needed help right away and then given suggestions on other stores to look in.

Everyone is super friendly here. I like that this location has a lot to offer after you are done shopping.

This review specifically focuses on the training classes provided by Petsmart with John.
So I went into Petsmart and saw they have private classes and I wanted to sign my 4 year old German Shepherd for private lessons to deal with his dog aggression and separation anxiety. I paid for the one hour private lesson for $ 89. We took Odin (my dog) in and my roommate came with me to record (he gave the okay for us to do that). During the lesson he tried to teach my dog sit, stay, lay down… I kept telling him that these are not things my dog needs to learn. I told him Odin learned all his tricks and not to jump or chew or pee in the house within his first few weeks with me as a puppy. I felt he kind of ignored me and kept going on about it. He also kept bringing up his dog from home that never listens and jumps all over him… not really a good thing to hear from a guy I am trying to get help from with my dog.
At the end of the lesson I asked again about dog aggression and he told me to come back the next week and he would have a STUFFED DOG to test out his aggression with. I thought that was rather silly. My dog can tell between a stuffed animal and the real thing. So a week later my roommate and I show up and record again. Only there wasn’t a stuffed dog, there was a rather young and hyper husky in there that was jumping all over the place and yapping like crazy. Odin freaked out and started barking and pulling and shaking really bad. I was NOT expecting that and I actually hurt myself trying to pull my dog away. John then proceeded to teach «sit for greeting» and making sure we teach our dogs to let vet and other people touch their paws and mouths for check ups. Again I told him Odin did not need that, he already knows all that. That did not stop him, he still went on with the training with the other lady in there (private lesson I think not). He let the husky jump up and lick him in the face and be hyper without correcting her, but if Odin let out a bark he would say «Odin you know better!»…it was getting frustrating but I listened. He then asked us to walk around the store to try «loose leash walking» I thought he would be walking WITH US to see how we do and correct us when needed. Nope. He was no where to be seen but when I found him again he said we did a good job and ignored Odin while he was barking and trying to lunge while talking to another customer. Again I was getting agitated.
At the end of the lesson he told us that the husky would be in training with us and to come back again the next week where we will be working on «down, drop it, leave it». I told him before we left that Odin, again, knows all this and I just wanted to work with his aggression. He told me to come in anyway even if Odin knew it just to sit and watch… that is a waste of my time completely. You are helping another woman and not OUR needs. So we left and Odin was actually WORSE when we took him out, lunging at everything that moved. I called Petsmart to talk to the trainer and see why but he wasn’t there so I left a message with Lyn. Well a week later and he never called me back. It got so bad that we hired someone else for much cheaper to do an in home private lesson and Odin is immediately better. I marched right into Petsmart and demanded a refund. Their training was a joke and I am seriously disappointed and upset that I was ignored every time I tried to tell him that Odin already knew what he was teaching. I would never recommend their training class to anyone.

Good clean store, friendly staff.

I don’t usually come here to purchase dog food, because they don’t carry the brand my dog eats. However, we had a superb experience in purchasing a bearded dragon for my son from this location. The staff spent a lot of time answering questions during three separate visits and allowed us to handle the reptiles freely. Two staff who actually own these as pets helped ease my fear of these creatures. We’ve owned our beardie for less than a week and as much as I rebelled against buying him, I do love him too.

LOVE IT! I’ve been buying from PetsMart for years but the Sterling location is above the others! We got a new puppy almost 2 months ago so I have been visiting 1 – 2 times per week… so many times that I’m getting to know the associates. Jen is especially helpful ! Doug is a great trainer (new pupppy training). Kudo’s to management!

Our puppy joined the family in late-​May of this year (2010), and in the six months since then we have spent quite a bit of time at this PetSmart. The stock of regular supplies is more than adequate here — I especially think the toy aisle is amazing. But for us, the really excellent part of this store is the dog training.
Our girl started Puppy Kindergarten with John in June and Graduated in August. John clearly loves the dogs and really gave us, new dog parents, a forum to ask a million questions and made us feel really comfortable that we were going to get through the puppy crazies. It’s funny, but a lot of the stuff we did in that class we weren’t sure that our dog actually «got» until we recently started the Intermediate level at the store. Now, we are in Intermediate level training with Doug. Not only has our dog really solidified the stuff we learned in Kindergarten, but Doug has been fantastic in giving us strategies to improve the dogs’ attention span in the face of increasing distance, duration, and distraction. And he will adapt class sessions depending on the needs of the dogs and the concerns of the owners. I can honestly say that, not only has this been great for my dog, I genuinely enjoy myself in the classes. And the group classes are VERY affordable for people who are willing to put in the time and effort outside of class to reinforce learning with their dogs.
I also had my dog groomed here once. She’s a short coated dog, so it entailed a bath, nails clipped and filed, ear cleaning, and tooth cleaning. All of the young ladies who were in the salon at the time were pleasant and professional. My baby was returned to me smelling great all over and, most important, really happy. She clearly had fun when she was there.

Response to Bob’s review:
Your story is quite funny ;-)
When I was looking at the fish tanks in 2009 I realized that they had not removed the dead fish from the tanks. I asked the staff about the dead fish and a young lady told me that the «ick on the fish was normal» (???) Certainly, the staff does not care about the animals…

Pet Smart Wouldn’t Sell Me A Goldfish Today
So we were at Pet Smart today. It was my daughter’s 6^th birthday, and all she could talk about is how she wanted a goldfish. Jen had your typical goldfish bowl in hand and some nice pink rocks that Hannah picked out. It’s funny… The goldfish are only .27 cents each, but everything else (food, bowl, rocks, water treatment) is about 15 dollars.
Anyway… we finally found the guy in charge of the fish. I mentioned to him that we were buying a goldfish and asked what else we would need. He replied «I can’t sell you a goldfish if you’re going to put it in that bowl.» Bewildered, I asked «Why not?» «You have to have a tank with a filter» he replied. Okay, after a couple minutes of thinking about this, Jen and I decided to buy a goldfish starter kit. It had a filter and everything else you needed except for the fish and the water and was only about 10 dollars more. I grabbed the box and said «we’ll take it.» The fish guy then informed me that he couldn’t sell me a goldfish until 24 or 48 hours after we purchased the filtered aquarium. I laughed in his face honestly thinking he was trying to have fun with me. He wasn’t. It was store policy.
OK. This is a store that is selling other fish and insects as food for other creatures, and they won’t sell me a .27 cent goldfish unless I buy a tank with a filter and then wait 24 to 48 hours afterwards to buy my fish. Is it just me, or have things gotten way out of hand? I guess I could have lied, but it was all so silly, I guess I got caught up in it.
In the end, we were able to get a Betta fish on the spot. For whatever reason I don’t care… My daughter was happy in the end and that’s all that matters.

The selection of dog food here is limited, and quite often out of stock.
My dog goes through a 35 pound bag of food in 2.5 weeks, so I visit fairly regularly.
He is on a fixed diet with Royal Canin brand food, and unfortunately I’ve had a couple experiences where they did not have the brand in stock, and I schleped over to Tyson’s Corner PetCo in order to find it.
I give them 3 stars because I’m a bleeding heart, and its very hard for me to leave that store without adopting another cat. Now I bring my dog with me so I can’t go near that section.
If they would keep their inventory updated, and clean up a little, the store could be a much better experience. Their staff is doing very well in terms of customer service, just add one custodial staff member and one inventory manager!