On September 30, 2014 at Michigan Dog Training in Plymouth, Michigan; six puppies passed the American Kennel Club (AKC) S.T.A.R. Puppy Program evaluation. The AKC “designed the program to get puppies and their owners off to a great start.” Puppy STAR requires owners to attend a basic training course with their puppies of at least 6 weeks in duration that focuses on Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsible ownership. MDT offers Puppy 1 and Puppy 2 classes that can be purchased together for a cost savings and is called Ultimate Puppy. By completing both classes, owners receive eight weeks of training and thus are qualified to take the STAR evaluation.
The AKC states, “their are obvious benefits to participating in the AKC STAR Puppy Program. Puppies that attend classes are well-socialized, and they learn the skills that are the foundation for all other learning. But AKC STAR Puppy is really about puppy owners. Knowing that a large percentage of dogs who are relinquished to shelters are dogs that have never received formal training, we want to do our part to encourage owners to take their puppies to a puppy class.”
The evaluation has three components:Â Owner Behaviors (responsible ownership), Puppy Behaviors (free of aggression), and Pre-Canine Good Citizen Test Behaviors (allows petting by someone other than the owner, owner can handle the pups ears and feet, walk on a leash, walk by other people, sit on command, down on command, comes to owner, reaction to distractions, and stay on leash with another person).
Congratulations to the following puppy teams!
1. Vanessa Guastella and Donny Smolenski, 24 weeks old Boston Terrier/Jack Russell mix of Plymouth, Michigan
2. Carrie Roosevelt and Oreo, 18 weeks old German Shepherd/Husky mix of Brownstown, Michigan
3. Diane Tochman and Java, 18 weeks old Chocolate Lab of Canton, Michigan
4. Stacy Downer and Makith 21 weeks old Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix of Ann Arbor, Michigan
5. Julie Basa and Lorn Stanley, 20 weeks old American Stratfordshire Terrier of Ypsilanti, Michigan
6. Courtney Ceci and Lucille, 7 month old Austrailian Cattle Dog of Canton, Michigan
If you have a ten week or older puppy, contact Michigan Dog Training now or call 734-634-4152 to enroll in the next Puppy 1 class which starts Tuesday October 7, 2014 at 7:00pm.
