AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Rooney and I found a trainer that we like and yipee - Rooney starts the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program on 11/29.  This should actually be very easy for Rooney as most of it he can already do but I think it is a great way for him to get used to class, the other dogs, owners and trainer.  The trainer is lovely - she is the one that did the Puppy Play Group this past Saturday.  Rooney will continue to go to Puppy Play Group also.  It seemed to really help him.

 

Are there other puppies here that are taking or have already taken the STAR class?  What were your thoughts and experiences? 

[Jaime and Barley Barker]

Hi there,

I started Barley in the AKC S.T.A.R. puppy when he was 14 weeks old. Barley is the first puppy I've raised on my own, so I wanted to start out on the right foot/paw. Anyway, the class taught me a lot about training. At the start of each class, my trainer would ask us if we had any general training questions or concerns during the week. It was helpful to get feedback from the other owners which helped me realize that Barley was normal and not especially trying to drive me nuts. I also liked that we had five minutes of puppy play at the end of each class. The socialization was really helpful, and I learned more about Barley's play style and how he would interact with strange dogs. It was interesting how the puppies made a beeline for similar breeds during play time. Barley is a goldendoodle, and his best buds in the class from day one were a labradoodle and a labrador retriever. As for the training itself, it was a great help in preparing for the CGC. In fact, we took the CGC this summer and Barley passed it at eight months of age. I thought that was truly amazing, and I credit the training experiences we had in the puppy K. I also followed puppy K up with advanced puppy K. This was something my trainer offered, though it was not connected to the AKC. I found it helpful. Even though Barley passed the CGC, he is still a baby at 11 months of age. I find that I have to keep working with him to solidify his behaviors and consistency is key.

Enjoy the class!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Cosmo starts his AKC STAR puppy class tomorrow night! We're really excited about it. We have done Puppy Kindergarten, so this is our next step.

I hope you and Rooney enjoy your class, too!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Wow - Gia, Cosmo, and Rooney (who doesn't start till after Thanksgiving) will all be doing it at about the same time! We need to all stay in touch so that we can swap stories, tips, brag on our puppie (LOL) whatever to give each other support! This is exciting.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Cosmo's first STAR puppy class went pretty well. He knows the behaviors and performs them well at home. I think our biggest challenge will be performing them with distractions. Cosmo is so sociable and interested in all the other people and dogs that he would rather play with them than work!

I had thought he might be getting a little more mature, after his puppy kindergarten class, but, with an all-new set of classmates, we're back where we started with the energy and excitement!

Well, we'll keep practicing!

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Elizabeth & Amber (Gia & Cosmo) I'm not sure if you saw my post from yesterday but Rooney will now not be taking the STAR Puppy Class. Because we had left him with his breeder for 2.5 wks of training the trainer for STAR Puppy said it would be a waste of our money, Rooney already knows the basics. So now he will start tomorrow in a "Beyond the Basics" class. I'm glad that she told us this but a little bit nervous as he is only going to be 13 wks on Tuesday. In STAR Puppy he would have had an easy time, now it will be a real challange and the other dogs will be a lot older. I'm going to try it one time and then if I feel that it is too much for him, we'll go to the STAR Puppy class to give him a chance to be with puppies his own age. Wish us luck!

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Last night, Cosmo passed his STAR Puppy exam! We're very proud of him and our friend Knox the goldendoodle, who passed, too!

We might start the adult Basic Obedience class in January, but we're not sure. Cosmo will be only about 8 months old then, but I think the class environment and supervised socialization is very good for him. Right now, I'm concerned that he is a little too in-your-face with older dogs (other puppies don't seem to mind his exuberance), and being in a class with adult dogs will probably help him get the message about being polite. We want to do the AKC Canine Good Citizen, too, but Cosmo can't take the test until he's a year old--and that won't happen 'til May.

Amber, how is it going with you and Gia? And, Jane, I hope the more advanced class is working well for Rooney!