A Healthy Approach to Build the Bond Between Pets & Pet Parents
Why should you consider being a Petco Positive Trainer?
Petco Positive Dog Training adheres to LIMA: Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive. As a health and wellness company, we're proud to offer a positive training approach to go beyond just having your dog mind their manners and help impact their physical, mental and social health.
Our methodology utilizes proven, science-based training principles that enable you to conduct dog-training classes while nurturing the bonds between dogs and their parents by using positive reinforcement.
We offer group classes for puppies and adult dogs, private lessons, and AKC Canine Good Citizen and STAR Puppy Programs.
To prepare for your work at Petco, our Dog Trainers undergo a comprehensive 6-week instructor lead training program that remains current with the latest methods, concepts, and principles. Our program promotes a relationship of mutual respect and trust between pet and pet parent by using positive, voluntary, and reward-based training methods to teach how our dogs think, learn, communicate, and how to encourage appropriate dog behavior for real-world applications.
What is LIMA?
LIMA requires that all Petco Trainers use the “Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive” technique to succeed in achieving a training objective.
LIMA is Competence-based training that requires that Trainers work to increase the use of positive reinforcement. LIMA protocols are designed to be maximally humane to the dogs and pet parent who have chosen Petco to be their dog training partner of choice. In order to ensure best practices, all trainers should pursue and maintain competence in dog training and behavior through education, training, or supervised experience, and should not advise on problems outside the recognized boundaries of their competencies, experience and or Petco policy.
Positive Reinforcement and Understanding the Learner
Positive reinforcement should be the first line of teaching, training and behavior change program considered, and should be applied consistently. Positive reinforcement is associated with the lowest incidence of aggression, attention seeking, avoidance, and fear in learners.
Systematic Problem Solving and Strategies
The trainer is responsible for ensuring the learners success through a consistent, systematic approach that identifies a specific target behavior, the purpose of that behavior, and the consequences that maintain the behavior.
Prevent Abuse
We seek to prevent the abuses and potential repercussions of inappropriate, poorly applied, and inhumane uses of punishment and of overly restrictive management and confinement strategies.
Choice and Control for the Learner
LIMA guidelines require that the trainer always offer the learner as much control and choice as possible. Trainers must treat each individual of any species with respect and awareness of the learner’s individual nature, preferences, abilities, and needs.
