Puppy pupils
Head Start classes designed to socialize, train young dogs
Laura Tyler, one of three co-instructors for Head Start Puppy Training, pauses with her rat terrier, Skippy Do’Little, on Monday afternoon in the Centennial Mall. The first class in the four-part Head Start series begins at 6:30 p.m. today at the mall. Enlarge photo
July 15, 2008
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If you go
What: Head Start Puppy Training
When: 6:30 to 8 p.m. today
Where: Centennial Mall, 1111 W. Victory Way.
Cost: $125 for series of four classes.
• Puppies must be at least 10 weeks old and have had their second set of shots a week before the training to be eligible.
• Families who register for the series after today will be required to catch up on missed classes.
• The next class in the series is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 22 at the Centennial Mall.
• For more information, call Sandra Kruczek at 824-4189 or Laura Tyler at 824-5148.
In at least one respect, raising a puppy and raising a child are similar, said Laura Tyler, one of three instructors for Head Start Puppy Training.
The skills used in both tasks don’t come inherently — they must be learned, she said.
Upcoming classes are designed to teach puppy owners and their family the necessary skills to raising a well-adjusted dog.
The first of four sessions in the puppy training series is scheduled to take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. today at the Centennial Mall, 1111 W. Victory Way.
Puppies learn how to respond to human commands and socialize with one another during the series, Tyler said.
“In learning how to play with each other, those skills that they develop carry … over through a lifetime of meeting and greeting other dogs,” she said.
The series costs $125 and includes the Ultimate Puppy Tool Kit, a collection of booklets and other materials to help puppy owners train their new dogs.
Advanced registration is preferred, Tyler said. However, people who want to sign up for the series after today can call Tyler or instructor Sandra Kruczek to get caught up on missed lessons and register for remaining classes.
The training is open to puppies that are at least 10 weeks old and have had their second set of immunizations at least one week before class.
“There seems to be a real window of opportunity for training and socializing puppies, especially with other dogs, before they’re 18 weeks old,” Tyler said.
Proper social skills can mean the difference between a dog that is safe and one that is hostile.
A dog may show aggression “because they missed out on that crucial social time and they have no idea how to interact,” Tyler said.
Head Start aims to prevent future hostility by allowing puppies to interact with other young dogs.
“It prevents a lot of behaviors that send dogs to the pound as young adolescents,” Tyler said.
Lessons also train puppies’ human owners how to communicate with them through verbal and nonverbal commands. Family members are encouraged to attend the classes, Tyler
Bridget Manley can be reached at 875-1795 or bmanley@craigdailypress.com.
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