Public Relations

Dr. Alexandra Moesta, a resident in behavior medicine, walks Dexter, a young Rottweiler puppy. The Behavior Service now offers puppy training classes and other services for pet owners.

UGA Community Practice Clinic offers ongoing puppy training classes

updated October 25, 2011

Note: Puppy training classes are suspended through December 31, 2011; they are expected to resume in January 2012.

For more information, contact: 706.542.0269, behavior@uga.edu

Athens, Ga. — Behaviorists at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine are now offering ongoing puppy training classes on Tuesday evenings at the college’s Community Practice Clinic.

If you have recently acquired a puppy that is between 8 weeks and 6 months of age, you can head off potential behavioral issues by enrolling your puppy in training classes. Behavioral problems are the number one reason why millions of dogs are abandoned each year. The training, aimed at the peak socialization age for puppies, is designed to teach you how to teach your puppy to: sit, stay, come when called, not be afraid or aggressive at the veterinarian’s office, learn proper canine etiquette and proper house training. The sessions will also help you learn to prevent common behavior problems such as separation anxiety, storm phobia and fear aggression.

The classes are held on Tuesday evenings at the College’s Community Practice Clinic, located off of East Campus Road. The course, which costs $80, includes four 60-minute classes. Owners may enroll their puppies in the course at any time. For more information or to enroll your puppy, contact 706.542.0269 or e-mail behavior@uga.edu. Specific vaccines are required for puppies participating in the group sessions.

The College’s Behavior service, which does not require a referral from your regular veterinarian, also offers counseling sessions for people who are considering adding a dog or cat to their household. The guidance is aimed at helping you choose a pet that will be a good fit for you, your family and your lifestyle.

The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, to conducting research related to animal and human diseases, and to providing veterinary services for animals and their owners. Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock, and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share. The college enrolls 102 students each fall out of more than 560 who apply. For more information, see www.vet.uga.edu.

The current UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital, built in 1979, serves more than 18,000 patients per year in one of the smallest teaching hospitals in the United States. The college is currently working to raise $15 million toward building a new Veterinary Medical Learning Center, which will include a new teaching hospital as well as classrooms and laboratories that will allow for the education of more veterinarians. http://www.vet.uga.edu/vmlc/index.php

About our photo: Dexter, a Rottweiler puppy owned by Dr. Greg Freden and Allison Lehti, receives training by Dr. Alexandra Moesta an animal behaviorist at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

This page was last updated on October 25, 2011.