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AKC STAR Puppy: A Positive Behavioral Approach to Puppy Training
The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program will help your puppy, purebred or mixed breed, become a well-behaved and healthy member of your family and the community. Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsible Ownership are what every puppy needs in order to have a good life and this book will help you every step of the way! Puppies who graduate from S.T.A.R. classes have the foundation to be successful in the AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) program and succeed in more advanced activities such as obedience, agility, rally and therapy dog work. AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is about much more than teaching the basics such as sit, down and come. It includes practical information about introducing your puppy to the world, housetraining (including using a crate), health care, advice from nationally recognized breed experts, what to expect at every developmental stage and the right time to start home and group training. You'll learn how to apply the science of "applied behavior analysis" to make your training efforts more successful. This user-friendly book explains how to reinforce behaviors you like and how to avoid common mistakes including inadvertently encouraging undesirable behaviors, how to teach complex behaviors by using step-by-step techniques and how to reduce fear and anxiety in your puppy. If you and your puppy learn the twenty essential S.T.A.R. skills, you can receive a certificate and the gold S.T.A.R. medal from AKC and be well on your way to other exciting activities and a lifetime of fun! For those of you trainers who are AKC Approved Canine Good Citizen Evaluators, S.T.A.R. represents an exciting business opportunity to draw in more clients who wish to participate in this program. Most competent trainers teaching puppy classes will find that they are already doing many of the things that a participant would need to know to pass the test, so attracting these new clients should not mean you have to dramatically change the way you teach your classes.
- GenresDogsNonfiction
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 9, 2012
84 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 19, 2023
Good intro book for training puppers
October 2, 2019
The AKC STAR Puppy helps owners understand their puppies behavior and how to raise a good dog citizen. I found many things that I have read in other books but also some new suggestions which are helpful! Sometimes I need to read something many times in different books to grasp it completely, hence my reading more books on puppies and dogs. Ruby is a sweetheart and a good citizen in general but needs tweaking to make her a great citizen, she has been a STAR 🌟 with us since she was a day old and we heard her crying for her mommy.🐶😘💖
March 17, 2017
This was a good book for learning about various reasons for training and how to go about training a new puppy. The goal is to help set your puppy up for the Canine Good Citizen certification--which is a must in my opinion--by beginning obedience training early. I do like the Super Puppy training books a bit more than this one. I've also read a lot of this information on various training blogs and the AKC website, as well as when I signed my puppies (currently have had them for 2 weeks) up for obedience training classes (Puppy level 1, level 2 and the STAR Puppy Test). Granted, I've been wanting to get a dog for several years but didn't have the ability to until recently.
There are plenty of insights and aside comments to help readers understand why certain techniques work, and why puppies behave in various ways. The author also discusses a variety of scientific theories/ ideas behind the STAR Puppy training methodology. I appreciated her touching on some of the outdated theories, and giving a reason as to why some were chosen over others.
If you want a one-stop puppy training book to help you prepare for and get started with training a new puppy, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it along with the Super Puppy books.
There are plenty of insights and aside comments to help readers understand why certain techniques work, and why puppies behave in various ways. The author also discusses a variety of scientific theories/ ideas behind the STAR Puppy training methodology. I appreciated her touching on some of the outdated theories, and giving a reason as to why some were chosen over others.
If you want a one-stop puppy training book to help you prepare for and get started with training a new puppy, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it along with the Super Puppy books.
June 29, 2017
This book was a great comprehensive guide to the AKC STAR Puppy Test. If you want to get your puppy certified and want to train on your own than I highly recommend it. If you're working with a personal trainer, I didn't find much use for the book except to read it once through to know for a fact that my trainer was getting through all of the necessary points (but I could have looked it up online as well).
My German Shepherd Husky, Neptune, was certified on May 13, 2017, right before he turned one year old! It has been an amazing accomplishment for us because it shows that our hard work paid off. It's difficult to stay motivated when training because you don't necessarily see/remember all the amazing progress you and your pet have made so the test is a great way to remind you! I'm a huge advocate for getting certified because I believe in responsibility as a pet owner and for me, training is a big part of that.
My German Shepherd Husky, Neptune, was certified on May 13, 2017, right before he turned one year old! It has been an amazing accomplishment for us because it shows that our hard work paid off. It's difficult to stay motivated when training because you don't necessarily see/remember all the amazing progress you and your pet have made so the test is a great way to remind you! I'm a huge advocate for getting certified because I believe in responsibility as a pet owner and for me, training is a big part of that.
April 26, 2025
A great book for puppy owners, especially first-timers!
As a dog trainer with over two decades of experience, I highly recommend this book. AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy provides a great overview of what owners should consider before and after they bring home a puppy. S.T.A.R. is AKC’s acronym for Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsibility, which are 4 critical elements of properly raising a puppy so that he or she will become a wonderful adult dog that is a pleasure to be around. Reading this book is a great first step for all puppy owners, but especially those who are going through this experience for the first time.
Unlike other training books, AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is produced by an organization (the American Kennel Club) that celebrates the differences in individual dogs and breeds, acknowledges the important role played by responsible breeders, and motivates owners to be responsible and play an active role in creating the “perfect” lifetime canine companion. The author, Dr. Mary Burch, encourages first-time puppy buyers to do their research and make sure that the dog they pick will fit their lifestyle, especially as it relates to energy level and activity requirements. One thing that separates this book from other training manuals is that the author emphasizes owner responsibility to ensure that the puppy is properly socialized, well-trained, sufficiently exercised, and does not have opportunities to become a nuisance or danger to other people.
The goals of AKC’s S.T.A.R. Puppy Program provide a good framework for this training manual. To understand why socialization is important, readers will learn about a dog’s stages of development, starting immediately after birth. The author provides a list of 50 ideas for puppy exposure, which readers can use as a checklist for their puppy’s socialization goals. To prepare for puppy training, Dr. Burch teaches readers about the general principals of behavior theory and uses examples of applying these principals to influence their puppy’s behavior. Regarding activity, Burch explains how important daily exercise and play are for the mental and physical health of every growing puppy. Owner responsibility is emphasized throughout in order for the puppy and owner to reach the ultimate perfect dog-human relationship. Among other things, Burch reminds us that “responsibility means providing an education for a puppy” that includes “being reliable around other dogs, children and people of all ages.”
In chapters 4 through 6, the 20 requirements or skills of the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Test are used as a guide to teach readers all the basics of good puppy ownership, including owner behaviors, puppy behaviors and good citizen behaviors. These chapters include descriptions of housetraining, crate-training, leash-training, recall and other obedience skills; recommendations for puppy supplies and training equipment; preparations for future vet exams and grooming sessions; lists of puppy games; and guidelines for achieving the behaviors that will help your puppy become a S.T.A.R. Puppy and eventually a Canine Good Citizen.
In summary, all of the AKC S.T.A.R Puppy goals can be achieved with or without going to a S.T.A.R. Puppy class, depending on the owner’s time and skills. Likewise, it isn’t necessary to get an AKC certificate of completion for you and your puppy to master the skills. The primary goal of this book is to get you and your puppy off on the right foot/paw to achieve a lifelong bond based on training, fun and time spent together.
As a dog trainer with over two decades of experience, I highly recommend this book. AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy provides a great overview of what owners should consider before and after they bring home a puppy. S.T.A.R. is AKC’s acronym for Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsibility, which are 4 critical elements of properly raising a puppy so that he or she will become a wonderful adult dog that is a pleasure to be around. Reading this book is a great first step for all puppy owners, but especially those who are going through this experience for the first time.
Unlike other training books, AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is produced by an organization (the American Kennel Club) that celebrates the differences in individual dogs and breeds, acknowledges the important role played by responsible breeders, and motivates owners to be responsible and play an active role in creating the “perfect” lifetime canine companion. The author, Dr. Mary Burch, encourages first-time puppy buyers to do their research and make sure that the dog they pick will fit their lifestyle, especially as it relates to energy level and activity requirements. One thing that separates this book from other training manuals is that the author emphasizes owner responsibility to ensure that the puppy is properly socialized, well-trained, sufficiently exercised, and does not have opportunities to become a nuisance or danger to other people.
The goals of AKC’s S.T.A.R. Puppy Program provide a good framework for this training manual. To understand why socialization is important, readers will learn about a dog’s stages of development, starting immediately after birth. The author provides a list of 50 ideas for puppy exposure, which readers can use as a checklist for their puppy’s socialization goals. To prepare for puppy training, Dr. Burch teaches readers about the general principals of behavior theory and uses examples of applying these principals to influence their puppy’s behavior. Regarding activity, Burch explains how important daily exercise and play are for the mental and physical health of every growing puppy. Owner responsibility is emphasized throughout in order for the puppy and owner to reach the ultimate perfect dog-human relationship. Among other things, Burch reminds us that “responsibility means providing an education for a puppy” that includes “being reliable around other dogs, children and people of all ages.”
In chapters 4 through 6, the 20 requirements or skills of the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Test are used as a guide to teach readers all the basics of good puppy ownership, including owner behaviors, puppy behaviors and good citizen behaviors. These chapters include descriptions of housetraining, crate-training, leash-training, recall and other obedience skills; recommendations for puppy supplies and training equipment; preparations for future vet exams and grooming sessions; lists of puppy games; and guidelines for achieving the behaviors that will help your puppy become a S.T.A.R. Puppy and eventually a Canine Good Citizen.
In summary, all of the AKC S.T.A.R Puppy goals can be achieved with or without going to a S.T.A.R. Puppy class, depending on the owner’s time and skills. Likewise, it isn’t necessary to get an AKC certificate of completion for you and your puppy to master the skills. The primary goal of this book is to get you and your puppy off on the right foot/paw to achieve a lifelong bond based on training, fun and time spent together.
May 11, 2020
This is the first puppy training book I’ve read and I read it a few weeks before we got our first puppy. I thought it was very informative and easy to follow. I liked how it presents each training step as kind of a benchmark in raising a good dog. Also considering that we don’t have our puppy yet, it’s served as great preparation so we know more about what to expect.
June 5, 2023
A mostly helpful guide to basic puppy training using only positive reinforcement. Nothing practical for anxious dogs who won’t tolerate being alone their crate for more than 30 minutes or how to keep puppies from chewing phone and laptop cords, alas.
December 30, 2018
Great book!
Easy to read and very helpful! I’m looking forward to spending time training and loving my rescue beagle/blue heeler, Benny!
Easy to read and very helpful! I’m looking forward to spending time training and loving my rescue beagle/blue heeler, Benny!
February 16, 2023
Decent reference if you looking at getting a puppy. How to prepare and establish a training plan.
December 27, 2023
Great tips
May 4, 2025
Aside from a few uncorrected typos in the book, it's a solid book for new puppy owners. I'll probably keep it around and gift it to the next person I know that's getting a new puppy.
November 1, 2025
Would recommend for all your puppy training needs. Will be referencing for future endeavors.
December 15, 2017
Really great book about all the stuff that pups can and will do to get into trouble and how you can train them not to!
"If they don’t have enough appropriate chew toys, puppies will find their own things to chew such as furniture, shoes or nice grooming tools."
I would not only recommend this book for someone that has or is getting a puppy but also for owners that may have a dog with issues. There is quite a bit about what to expect when you get a puppy and how it will effect you and your home but it’s more than just that. It’s about really getting to know how to talk with your puppy. How to figure out his signals and what to do about those signals!
This book has everything from crate training, finding a vet, when your pup may need a vet, dinner through their ages and more! So much more. And although this book is strictly about pups and the various ways of taking care of them, I did find a lot of useful information. My pups are not really pups anymore, the youngest being over a year but I still enjoyed the helpfulness and insight that even after having dogs for years, I didn’t know!
And even if you don’t plan to get a pup for a while, this book is designed to help you look for a pup that suits your needs and then to help you get that puppy home and enjoy your first few months together, in reasonable peace. Definitely a great find! And the pictures of all the puppies are too darn adorable!! I just want to adopt all of them!
Thank you to Dogwise Publishing for allowing me to review this super cute book!
"If they don’t have enough appropriate chew toys, puppies will find their own things to chew such as furniture, shoes or nice grooming tools."
I would not only recommend this book for someone that has or is getting a puppy but also for owners that may have a dog with issues. There is quite a bit about what to expect when you get a puppy and how it will effect you and your home but it’s more than just that. It’s about really getting to know how to talk with your puppy. How to figure out his signals and what to do about those signals!
This book has everything from crate training, finding a vet, when your pup may need a vet, dinner through their ages and more! So much more. And although this book is strictly about pups and the various ways of taking care of them, I did find a lot of useful information. My pups are not really pups anymore, the youngest being over a year but I still enjoyed the helpfulness and insight that even after having dogs for years, I didn’t know!
And even if you don’t plan to get a pup for a while, this book is designed to help you look for a pup that suits your needs and then to help you get that puppy home and enjoy your first few months together, in reasonable peace. Definitely a great find! And the pictures of all the puppies are too darn adorable!! I just want to adopt all of them!
Thank you to Dogwise Publishing for allowing me to review this super cute book!
July 12, 2016
Good and easy to read book on puppy training.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews