Three local dogs — Ella, Riley and Tater — and their owners have graduated from the American Kennel Club’s S.T.A.R. Puppy Training Class at Downtown Dog.

S.T.A.R. stands for Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsible owner — all of the things a puppy needs to have a good life. The program is a precursor to the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test.

“The AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy program teaches dogs and their owners the first important steps to becoming responsible members of the community,” said Jessica Ray, CPDT, AKC evaluator. “We are proud to see dog owners actively seeking ways to help their puppies start life on the right paw.”

To earn their medals, the participants enrolled their puppies in the S.T.A.R. PUPPY training class instructed by Ray. Classes included valuable training tips for puppy owners, such as how to housetrain; and lessons on practical skills for puppies, such as coming when called.

The program is open to all dogs. Puppies can begin training as soon as they have the necessary vaccines and they can enroll in AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy at any point up until their first birthday.

At the end of the training course, the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test is administered. Upon passing, owners and their puppies are enrolled in the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Program and receive an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy package which includes:

— A frameable certificate
— AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy medal
— AKC Puppy Handbook
— Discount enrollment in AKC Companion Animal Recovery
— Subscription to monthly e-mail newsletter that includes training tips.

To sign up for S.T.A.R. Puppy or Canine Good Citizen classes, visit www.downtowndogwash.com or call 378-0981. For more information on the S.T.A.R. Puppy program, visit www.akc.org/starpuppy.