Video Of The Week 26: Dougy's Mental Muscles

Kelly got to posting this before me, but I did want to talk about this new AKC S.T.A.R puppy program. Have you heard about it? It's like Canine Good Citizenship for puppies! It starts off with a pledge by the owners that they will be good puppy parents by keeping the puppy healthy, safe, and well mannered. Then there is a 20 part "test", part of which consists of making sure the puppy have been properly raised thus far, such as having the proper vaccinations, diet, and exercise. You can view the the full details of the test here. I love that you get the adorable medal...and yes, I know I'm a total consumer whore.

I think it's a really great idea. It gets people off on the right foot. For new owners it's a good checklist for learning the ins and outs of raising a puppy, and for experienced owners it can be a stepping stone to getting their CGC. I sure wish this was around when Theo was in puppy class. Heh, technically since Theo isn't yet a year old he could take it now. It would of course be totally ridiculous since he already passed his CGC test...but funny too. ;) I plan on emailing my trainer and asking if she's planning on incorporating this into her classes. What do you think? Would you take the S.T.A.R. test if you had a young puppy?


Thank you James for sharing this adorable video of Dougy:



He is so well trained! It's funny to see how some of Theo's movement are obviously "Corgi moves". They lay down the same way, they roll over the same way, etc. Hehe. Congrats on teaching him bang! Theo hasn't gotten this one down. He always goes straight into a roll when I try it with him.