Puppy STARters Class!

After Lucy was 100% up to date on her vaccines, we quickly looked into enrolling her in a puppy class! We were looking for a place that would help us teach Lucy more skills, give us peace of mind when interacting with groups of dogs & give Lucy a safe space to learn to play with other dogs! Luckily we found just that at All Dogs Allowed in Cary, NC! Classes were held every Saturday morning at 9am for 7 weeks 🙂

On the last day of class, each pup was tested for the AKC STAR PUPPY certification & Lucy passed!! This is the first step to prepare for Canine Good Citizen testing & I would absolutely love to get Lucy certified! We’ve got to work on jumping, before that’s an option though…. Lucy loves to greet new people on her hind legs! 8am always came early especially after a long week at the hospital, so we Dillon made sure to pack the doggy bag the night before or else we would’ve never made it on time!

WHAT TO PACK FOR PUPPY CLASS:

You can never pack too many treats! either to use as a calming mechanism when it’s time to settle during class (PB filled KONG, Snuffle mat) or as positive reinforcement when learning new skills (training treats, tiny bites). In class each dog had a dedicated space (travel dog bed) & they work + play really hard, so a big water supply is a must! (travel dog bowl canteen). I am paranoid about Lucy’s safety, so it makes me feel much better to have a First Aid Kit within reach at any time, especially when she is around other dogs. Dogs can be so unpredictable, but I’m happy to report we didn’t have any major issues in class.

At the beginning of each class, the pups had to settle in their space to go over the plan for class & celebrate the highlights from the week… then we split up into groups for play time- a calm side & bigger/rougher play side. Believe it or not, Lucy was on the calm side! She can get shy around other dogs & needs to take lots of breaks during play time, its so exciting and overwhelming for her!

1st day of class Lucy wasn’t so sure what we were about to do, but the more she warmed up to her classmates, the more excited she was each week! Lucy’s besties were- Juno, Cookie, Clara, Pinot & Frasier. We could never get a clear picture of everyone together, but I got some great videos, here are some clips of Lucy living her best life!! I LOVE seeing Lucy in positive play time! Heart explosion!

After play time we split back up & practice the skill of the day, Lucy & Dillon were already ahead of the game in a lot of the tricks, but we learned a lot of great advice for dog behaviors & refined the skills of: SIT, TOUCH, DOWN, STAND, CIRCLE, COME, STAY, Leash walking… it was extra good practice to be in public & around lots of new distractions too

Lucy did such a great job on test day, we are so proud of her!! Puppy class has been such a fun time each week, I can’t wait for the next one! Go Lucy! I’m all about a certification, so I’m glad Lucy is joining in on the fun! 😉 We are off to a great start & puppy class has been so helpful!