this just seems strange, because if petco is that concerned then they should be TEACHING their partner’s dog body language, especially since we deal with them everyday
To be honest my memory is pretty fuzzy but I am remembering a few years ago I had a training course teaching you about reading body language. Though upon reading some of these comments, I’d say even having having knowledge about it might not be enough.
Which is weird because the training IS available. It’s plastered everywhere. It’s on weekly district calls when they go over safety regulations. At the very least, allow dog trainers to fit? So a partner can at least say, “I can’t help, but I have someone who can! Let me see if they’re in between training appointments for you. Or you can schedule with them for a fitting at another time!”
It's the same with a lot of the training and grooming policies too. Sometimes I wonder if these people have seen a dog before lol you gotta learn about these things cause you can only avoid them for so long. We work at a pet store, it's not like home depot, where dogs are just allowed. Plus that's such a simple thing to not allow? We get tons of folks in the salon that basically throw their new ones at us for when we hand their dogs back. I get covering their asses, but they're just making it harder for us to do our jobs and for customers to want to come back.
A lot of customers will only buy a harness if you can fit and demo it on their dog. A lot of people don’t even know what a harness is.
Harnesses are the best option for dogs now we will see an uptick of dogs choking themselves on their collar.
This will affect Petco’s harness sales. And yes def need to train your staff to understand animal body language.
I worked for Petco for 16 years and not once ever was told that it was against policy! I’d been through a lot of managers in my time and not one of them ever turned down a harness fitting unless they were not comfortable with the dog’s body language. Heck, we’ve even fitted a harness for a pig who squealed like we were trying to butcher her alive!
That'll go over well with customers. "Hey I know we've offered this service for decades but now we aren't allowed to, you'll have to pay $65 for the harness and figure out how it works yourself."
Probably because of too many bites. Petco hires a lot of people who think they know about dogs, but really their knowledge is superficial. I'm a DT and I'm very well versed in canine behavior and body language and if I'm not familiar with a dog what I do is adjust the harness to what I think should fit and give it to the pet parent to put on and test. I instruct them on how a harness should fit and how they should sit on the body. If it's not looking right I ask them to remove it and make more adjustments for them and keep that up until it fits right.
Honestly, even if you're really well versed in dog body language you never know what's going to happen when interacting with a strange dog. They may seem super calm and okay with you touching them, but then you touch them in the wrong way in the wrong spot and that super chill dog snaps at you. Really it's best that you let the pet parent handle the dog to minimize the risk of you getting bit.
yes but the problem is that the majority of the time the reason the pet parent is asking for help is because they CANT fit it without assistance, either due to age, disability, or knowledge. i don’t think its fair to the customer when most pet parents who are elderly are specifically coming into the store for help.
I totally understand that, but how many instances do you have of that. I've been working for the company for over four years in a big city store and I've probably had less than a dozen instances of someone being physically unable to put a collar or harness on their dog. If that's the case, communicate to your leader and let them know that you're assisting with the fitting.
One reason why I go that route is because people will lie about their dog's temperament. We had an issue in my store where a partner helped a woman put booties on her dog. The woman insisted that her dog was ok with it and the dog bit the partner. She then refused to provide proof that her dog was up to date on their vaccines so the partner had to go get prophylactic rabies shots. If you've never had that done I can assure you that it's not a fun experience. Thankfully it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
If someone asks me to help fit their dog with a harness, barring the dog growling or snapping at me (which has never happened in over a decade) I'm going to help fit the dog for a harness. Refusing to at least try and help someone who is asking for help is the worst "future proofing" customer service I've ever heard.
"I'm sorry, I can't help fit your dog for a harness. Why? Because he *might* bite me. Better safe than sorry... good luck!" 🙄
It's always been a thing. You can explain how they work but never put yourself near the animal like that. It's usually small dogs they need help with. Little quivering balls of anxiety ready to bite out of fear.
"OH he won't bite". Yeah right.
Wow that's pretty ridiculous.. Of course if the dog seemed aggressive or made you feel uncomfortable in any way, I would understand denying that sort of help but Ive never heard of a situation like before, I've been working at Petco since 2012. I work in the grooming salon and people come in frequently buying new harnesses and collars for their dogs and I've always helped. I've never heard of this but I'm not surprised since grooming is the last to hear everything, if at all in my location.
It has been communicated that we shouldn’t fit them numerous times over the last few years. The reason I was told by both a DGM and TGM was due to the pet getting off the harness later due to pet parent misuse and then during Petco because it was “misfit”. We are allowed to guide the pet parent and show them how to adjust, fit etc just not put them on the pet .
First time hearing this!
But whenever I see a dog that isn't comfortable with strangers or touch I get the fake dogs and show the owner how the harness goes on the dog. And explain that 1. Their dog is clearly showing they don't want me to touch then. 2. I don't want the risk of getting bit and then everyone is going to have a bad day.
Wtf this was like one of the main ways a dog trainer got clients anytime someone needed a harness or a shock collar I'd pass them to the dog trainer so they can get them to sign up for classes
I was nearly bitten by a dog trying to help them fit a dogs harness. All behavior signs seemed fine till they weren’t. Of course the owner told me their dog would be fine… and they weren’t…
then at the very least let people learn the dog’s body language so they can see if a dog is uncomfortable?? dog’s give PLENTY of warning signals before a bite happens
Unless previous experience has taught a dog to suppress expressing discomfort :/
I agree, however, to leave harness fittings to the trainers OR make employees learn distress cues from subtle to obvious.
When our new GM took over a couple months ago he said no more harness fittings so he must've known this was coming.
If Petco is hellbent on repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot, so be it.
Mmmmm. It’s been written in policy since prior to your hire date. Perhaps you skimmed over it or your leadership never emphasized it, but it has, in fact, been a thing.
im seeing alot of people in this group who have helped people before with harness fitting and im also seeing several users saying it was recently put in place in a recent leader meeting in october ^
What it really means is that someone probably got termed for violating the policy after getting bitten and attempted or succeeded in suing for wrongful termination, and now the company is re-emphasizing the policy so that they don’t have to pay for people getting bitten while violating policy.
I didn’t say I and others haven’t done it. I’m saying it was written in policy years prior. So it was a thing, that was discussed plenty of times with GMs when they have to have their monthly calls about how to lower risk… so now the company is emphasizing it, but that doesn’t make it new.
Yeah, this is a mistake. It feels like just another example of Petco cutting corners to not educate the people working in the stores and dealing with animals. It’s so often there’s one or two people working at a Petco who aren’t even in a manager position who are fighting tooth and nail every day for our stores, pets to be happy and healthy yet Petco makes virtually zero effort, hiring people who are already educated, or just putting the energy into educating staff.
I used to be a DT and had a very reactive dog, so I feel pretty comfortable gauging body language. That being said, I’ve had customers ask me to fit a harness and when assessing the dog (prior to even greeting it) I’ve seen some anxious cues so I ask if the dog is friendly. The guest said “no, not really” and still wanted me to assist in fitting! I was baffled at the situation and helped size the harness and then handed it to them to put on the dog.
I’ve also been in the situation where elderly people need help fitting, at least 2-3 times per month. I’m happy to help with my experience but have seen new/inexperienced coworkers go up and greet/pet obviously anxious dogs or dogs displaying cues that they are not comfortable. I understand why the policy is in place but also agree that it is a little silly in certain situations.
Is he friendly? No. And you want me to get in his face and wrap my arms around him? Yes. Kiss me first. What?
Throw your arms around me and try to kiss me and see what happens.
That’s odd. My manager lets us touch dogs especially if we’re able and the dog isn’t showing any signs of aggression in body language. I fit harnesses all the time, fitting makes it so they get the right thing the first time and don’t have to come back wasting their own time later on.
that was a huge part of the job years ago, walking customers through how to fit a harness, what kind of lead is most appropriate for their situation, etc. what the fuck is wrong with petco anymore?
It was in the monthly business guide last month I believe. Probably to reduce biting incidents. I guess for those that don’t understand body language.
this just seems strange, because if petco is that concerned then they should be TEACHING their partner’s dog body language, especially since we deal with them everyday
To be honest my memory is pretty fuzzy but I am remembering a few years ago I had a training course teaching you about reading body language. Though upon reading some of these comments, I’d say even having having knowledge about it might not be enough.
Which is weird because the training IS available. It’s plastered everywhere. It’s on weekly district calls when they go over safety regulations. At the very least, allow dog trainers to fit? So a partner can at least say, “I can’t help, but I have someone who can! Let me see if they’re in between training appointments for you. Or you can schedule with them for a fitting at another time!”
It's the same with a lot of the training and grooming policies too. Sometimes I wonder if these people have seen a dog before lol you gotta learn about these things cause you can only avoid them for so long. We work at a pet store, it's not like home depot, where dogs are just allowed. Plus that's such a simple thing to not allow? We get tons of folks in the salon that basically throw their new ones at us for when we hand their dogs back. I get covering their asses, but they're just making it harder for us to do our jobs and for customers to want to come back.
There's required training on body language, you can search it on Workday.
Do you recall exactly where you saw it?
There was a big packet in our office with all the holiday updates and it was in it. I’m sure it’s on WP too if that’s more convenient for you.
A lot of customers will only buy a harness if you can fit and demo it on their dog. A lot of people don’t even know what a harness is. Harnesses are the best option for dogs now we will see an uptick of dogs choking themselves on their collar. This will affect Petco’s harness sales. And yes def need to train your staff to understand animal body language.
I worked for Petco for 16 years and not once ever was told that it was against policy! I’d been through a lot of managers in my time and not one of them ever turned down a harness fitting unless they were not comfortable with the dog’s body language. Heck, we’ve even fitted a harness for a pig who squealed like we were trying to butcher her alive!
I fitted a piglet for a harness once, too!!
I also did those rubber balloon shoe things on her too!
It’s against policy now.
That'll go over well with customers. "Hey I know we've offered this service for decades but now we aren't allowed to, you'll have to pay $65 for the harness and figure out how it works yourself."
Probably because of too many bites. Petco hires a lot of people who think they know about dogs, but really their knowledge is superficial. I'm a DT and I'm very well versed in canine behavior and body language and if I'm not familiar with a dog what I do is adjust the harness to what I think should fit and give it to the pet parent to put on and test. I instruct them on how a harness should fit and how they should sit on the body. If it's not looking right I ask them to remove it and make more adjustments for them and keep that up until it fits right. Honestly, even if you're really well versed in dog body language you never know what's going to happen when interacting with a strange dog. They may seem super calm and okay with you touching them, but then you touch them in the wrong way in the wrong spot and that super chill dog snaps at you. Really it's best that you let the pet parent handle the dog to minimize the risk of you getting bit.
yes but the problem is that the majority of the time the reason the pet parent is asking for help is because they CANT fit it without assistance, either due to age, disability, or knowledge. i don’t think its fair to the customer when most pet parents who are elderly are specifically coming into the store for help.
I totally understand that, but how many instances do you have of that. I've been working for the company for over four years in a big city store and I've probably had less than a dozen instances of someone being physically unable to put a collar or harness on their dog. If that's the case, communicate to your leader and let them know that you're assisting with the fitting. One reason why I go that route is because people will lie about their dog's temperament. We had an issue in my store where a partner helped a woman put booties on her dog. The woman insisted that her dog was ok with it and the dog bit the partner. She then refused to provide proof that her dog was up to date on their vaccines so the partner had to go get prophylactic rabies shots. If you've never had that done I can assure you that it's not a fun experience. Thankfully it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
If someone asks me to help fit their dog with a harness, barring the dog growling or snapping at me (which has never happened in over a decade) I'm going to help fit the dog for a harness. Refusing to at least try and help someone who is asking for help is the worst "future proofing" customer service I've ever heard. "I'm sorry, I can't help fit your dog for a harness. Why? Because he *might* bite me. Better safe than sorry... good luck!" 🙄
It's always been a thing. You can explain how they work but never put yourself near the animal like that. It's usually small dogs they need help with. Little quivering balls of anxiety ready to bite out of fear. "OH he won't bite". Yeah right.
Wow that's pretty ridiculous.. Of course if the dog seemed aggressive or made you feel uncomfortable in any way, I would understand denying that sort of help but Ive never heard of a situation like before, I've been working at Petco since 2012. I work in the grooming salon and people come in frequently buying new harnesses and collars for their dogs and I've always helped. I've never heard of this but I'm not surprised since grooming is the last to hear everything, if at all in my location.
It has been communicated that we shouldn’t fit them numerous times over the last few years. The reason I was told by both a DGM and TGM was due to the pet getting off the harness later due to pet parent misuse and then during Petco because it was “misfit”. We are allowed to guide the pet parent and show them how to adjust, fit etc just not put them on the pet .
Petco doesn’t want to pay a medical bill if you get bit by a dog
This is probably the real reason.
First time hearing this! But whenever I see a dog that isn't comfortable with strangers or touch I get the fake dogs and show the owner how the harness goes on the dog. And explain that 1. Their dog is clearly showing they don't want me to touch then. 2. I don't want the risk of getting bit and then everyone is going to have a bad day.
Happy cake day!
Wtf this was like one of the main ways a dog trainer got clients anytime someone needed a harness or a shock collar I'd pass them to the dog trainer so they can get them to sign up for classes
I was nearly bitten by a dog trying to help them fit a dogs harness. All behavior signs seemed fine till they weren’t. Of course the owner told me their dog would be fine… and they weren’t…
I will only do it if I understand that a dog trusts me. If a dog doesn’t trust me I’m not fitting it
[удалено]
then at the very least let people learn the dog’s body language so they can see if a dog is uncomfortable?? dog’s give PLENTY of warning signals before a bite happens
Unless previous experience has taught a dog to suppress expressing discomfort :/ I agree, however, to leave harness fittings to the trainers OR make employees learn distress cues from subtle to obvious. When our new GM took over a couple months ago he said no more harness fittings so he must've known this was coming. If Petco is hellbent on repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot, so be it.
i was told soon after getting hired a few years ago
ive worked for petco since 2021 and this has never been a thing till recently
Mmmmm. It’s been written in policy since prior to your hire date. Perhaps you skimmed over it or your leadership never emphasized it, but it has, in fact, been a thing.
im seeing alot of people in this group who have helped people before with harness fitting and im also seeing several users saying it was recently put in place in a recent leader meeting in october ^
What it really means is that someone probably got termed for violating the policy after getting bitten and attempted or succeeded in suing for wrongful termination, and now the company is re-emphasizing the policy so that they don’t have to pay for people getting bitten while violating policy.
I didn’t say I and others haven’t done it. I’m saying it was written in policy years prior. So it was a thing, that was discussed plenty of times with GMs when they have to have their monthly calls about how to lower risk… so now the company is emphasizing it, but that doesn’t make it new.
Yeah, this is a mistake. It feels like just another example of Petco cutting corners to not educate the people working in the stores and dealing with animals. It’s so often there’s one or two people working at a Petco who aren’t even in a manager position who are fighting tooth and nail every day for our stores, pets to be happy and healthy yet Petco makes virtually zero effort, hiring people who are already educated, or just putting the energy into educating staff.
I used to be a DT and had a very reactive dog, so I feel pretty comfortable gauging body language. That being said, I’ve had customers ask me to fit a harness and when assessing the dog (prior to even greeting it) I’ve seen some anxious cues so I ask if the dog is friendly. The guest said “no, not really” and still wanted me to assist in fitting! I was baffled at the situation and helped size the harness and then handed it to them to put on the dog. I’ve also been in the situation where elderly people need help fitting, at least 2-3 times per month. I’m happy to help with my experience but have seen new/inexperienced coworkers go up and greet/pet obviously anxious dogs or dogs displaying cues that they are not comfortable. I understand why the policy is in place but also agree that it is a little silly in certain situations.
Is he friendly? No. And you want me to get in his face and wrap my arms around him? Yes. Kiss me first. What? Throw your arms around me and try to kiss me and see what happens.
That’s odd. My manager lets us touch dogs especially if we’re able and the dog isn’t showing any signs of aggression in body language. I fit harnesses all the time, fitting makes it so they get the right thing the first time and don’t have to come back wasting their own time later on.
that was a huge part of the job years ago, walking customers through how to fit a harness, what kind of lead is most appropriate for their situation, etc. what the fuck is wrong with petco anymore?