AKC S.T.A.R Puppy?

[chaoticdovah17]

I am getting a mini in a few weeks and am trying to decide if AKC STAR test is worth it. Opinions on puppy class in general? First hand exp? Any advice would be appreciated.

[zeta1454]

If you are getting your mini schnauzer puppy from a first class breeder who raises happy pups for good health and temperament, you will already be well on the way regarding the future development of your pup. Although we live in the U.K. we have brought up puppies we bred in the past using the U.S. based Puppy Culture protocol and we introduce puppies to many of the skills, challenges and demands of life as a pet in a human family before they leave us for new homes - meeting new people; experiencing novel sounds and sights; travelling out of the home by car and sometimes public transport; noises and sight of traffic; as well as starting crate training and toilet training etc.

Puppy classes of any kind can be useful but you do need to be very careful to check out any that you are thinking of attending before you take your puppy along. A badly run class can actually be worse than not going to a class at all as it can result in a puppy being traumatised e.g. if there are too few or inexperienced trainers; too many puppies especially if there are both large breed and small breed pups together, and/ or the trainers are using harsh training methods. You want a good ratio of trainers/ assistants to pups and a class with no more than 6 puppies in total. We have been to classes with a trainer and 3 assistants for 6 puppies. They should be using reward based and positive training methods.

Much will depend though on how much or how little has been done in advance by the breeder as some classes are so basic that a well raised puppy may gain little benefit from a class. I could not comment on the AKC STAR TEST as it is not something we have here in the U.K. although we have put some of our dogs in the past through the U.K. Kennel Club Good Citizen test programme which may be similar(?) It is not a necessity but can be an interesting and useful programme to go through with a young dog and can give you a sense of achievement and confidence in your dog’s social behaviour.