Make Your Puppy a STAR: The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program

When you bring your new puppy home, one of the most joyous times of your life will begin. Puppies arrive in the world full of life, willing to please and ready to learn. There's no better place for your puppy, and you, to learn than in the AKC^® S.T.A.R. Puppy^sm Program. S.T.A.R. stands for Socialization, Training, Activity, and a Responsible owner: all the things every puppy needs to have a great life.

Launched in January 2009 to meet the training needs of puppies too young for Canine Good Citizen training, AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is an added-value program for loving dog owners who have taken the time to take their puppies through a basic training class. Training classes teach you how to best communicate with your puppy and provide an opportunity for your pup to socialize with other dogs. In classes aimed at earning the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy distinction, you'll be able to get information on all of your puppy-raising questions including housetraining, chewing, and the most effective way to teach practical skills such as coming when called. AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy training is a natural lead in to the AKC Canine Good Citizen^® Program. All puppies up to 1 year old, purebreds and mixed, are welcome to participate in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program.

How It Works

You'll attend a basic training class for at least 6 weeks taught by an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator with your puppy. On successful completion of the class, your instructor will administer the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test. Upon passing the test, you'll get an application to send to AKC for enrollment in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program. Your puppy will receive the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Medal. You and your puppy will be listed in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy records. In addition, so that you can continue learning, you'll receive our AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy package that includes:

• A beautiful, frame-able certificate designating your puppy is in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy records at AKC
• AKC New Puppy Handbook, 64 pages of helpful puppy-raising information
• Ongoing Monthly Email Newsletter: Your AKC. This includes training tips and up-to-date information every dog owner needs to know. We want you and your puppy to continue learning beyond puppy classes.

Successful Graduation Classes

Here are a few of the recent graduation classes for the AKC S.T.A.R Puppy program. Congratulations to every graduate from this program!

Secret  Lake Dog Training, West Simsbury, CT

CGC Evaluator Karen Moulton sent in the photo here of her graduating S.T.A.R. Puppy class. This was the first S.T.A.R. graduating class on record. Karen commented on her first experience with the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program, "I offer a 6 week puppy class and S.T.A.R. Puppy was a great addition to my classes. I get a lot of families with kids. I find that the children are just awesome with the puppies - with good instruction, they learn very quickly and they develop great relationships with their puppies."

PetCo Training Class, Kingman, AZ

CGC Evaluator Marcia Rute wrote to tell us about her first S.T.A.R. Puppy graduate. "I have been teaching a 6 weeks puppy class and I wanted to try the S.T.A.R. puppy program. The first person who wanted to earn the S.T.A.R. medal was a young girl. She is 8 years old and her puppy weighed nearly as much as she did. By the end of the class, she was excited about training her dog and wants to learn more."

Leeward Training Club of Hawaii

The Leeward Training Club of Hawaii held the very first AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy graduation, with a fancy dress theme with evaluators dressed as college professors. Those folks in Hawaii know how to have fun. Instructor Carole Sussel wrote: "We 'Puppy Professors' had the greatest time with our human students in the S.T.A.R. Puppy class. They all tried very hard. Everyone attended all of the classes and they all got a great start toward learning to properly train their new puppies. This is a great program with wonderful incentives for the owners. Mahalo!"

Dr. Burch writes, "I applaud Leeward Cub for its fun approach. We thought the 'Puppy Professors' were hysterical. The main thing is that the AKC CGC training evaluators are committed to find out what works best in their classes and to make dog training a rewarding experience for both dogs and owners. The Leeward Cub students have happy smiles, they didn't drop out of class, they all came to graduation, they enjoyed their instructors, they made new friends, and they want to continue training. Bravo!"

How to Get STARted

For more information on AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy^sm, contact starpuppy@akc.org

To find AKC S.T.A.R. puppy training near you, visit: http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/cgc_bystate.cfm

This article was written by Mary Burch, Ph.D., Director, Canine Good Citizen and AKC S.T.A.R Puppy, American Kennel Club