HCC offers variety of pet owner courses

Hagerstown Community College’s Center for Continuing Education is offering a variety of courses geared specifically towards pet owners in spring 2010.

The first course, “Home Dog Grooming,” is offered on Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from March 29 through April 5, at the Humane Society of Washington County. Topics include nutrition for a healthy coat, safety, equipment, and techniques. Cost is $89.

The second course, “Advanced Pet Grooming,” is offered on Mondays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., from April 12 through April 26, at the Humane Society of Washington County. This course expands on techniques learned in the “Home Dog Grooming” course. Cost is $109.

The third course, “Puppy Manners and Socialization,” is offered on Thursday evenings, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., from March 18 through March 25, in the Career Programs Building on HCC’s main campus. Taught by Mike Ocker of Greystone Kennels, this course will help your puppy become better socialized and develop good habits and manners. Owners learn age-appropriate training for eight weeks, 10 weeks, 16 weeks, and beyond. Cost is $50.

The fourth course, “Dog Behavior and Communication,” is offered on Thurs., April 8, from 6 to 9 p.m., in the Career Programs Building. This one-day workshop will focus on topics such as verbal chatter, tone inflection, body language, pack ranking, how conditioning works, and pet spatial references. Cost is $20.

The fifth course, “Introduction to Pet Message for the Pet Owner,” is offered on Sat., March 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Humane Society of Washington County. This one-day workshop provides owners with a step-by-step approach to massage their dog or cat. Cost is $64.

The sixth course, “Training the Family Dog: A One-Day Training for Dog Trainers and Owners,” is offered on Sat., March 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Career Programs Building on HCC’s main campus. The course will be taught by Pat Miller, training editor, Whole Dog Journal, and Colleen Pelar, canine training author. The one-day workshop will be broken up into two sessions. The first session, “Understanding the Canine Family Member: How Dogs Think and Learn,” will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. The second session, “What Trainers and Parents Should Know about Dogs and Kids,” will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Cost is $79. Fee includes a light lunch.

For more information or to register, call 301-790-2800, ext. 236.