Four very peppy puppies are among the students enrolled in the first-ever canine class offered by the Moon Parks and Recreation Department.

While all of the students have a lot to learn, they all behaved at their first class June 24.

The youngest was a 4-month-old Airedale terrier named Pawley, who listened to her owner and didn't jump or bark. "She's a good girl," said owner Alice Canterbury, of Moon, "but she's coming to class to learn how to be better."

The four puppies and two young dogs were always on a leash for the class at a fenced tennis court in Moon Park. While many owners go to training classes because they want their dogs to walk on a leash without pulling, none of these classmates were doing that. Quite frankly, they never got to that point.

The first class was really basic.

"It's important that your dog knows its name," said trainer Debbie Miller-Gurchak, of Peters, who is teaching the course along with Kelly Pontiere, of Moon.

When Ed Anderson of Moon said "Lucie!" the 1-year-old black labrador retriever/golden retriever mix wagged her tail.

"Then you teach the command 'Watch me,'" Ms. Miller-Gurchak said. "You want them to look at your face. Say the dog's name and 'Watch me' and give them a treat if they do the exercise correctly."

Dogs must learn to watch their owner before they can learn other basic commands, she explained.

When Lucie and the other dogs learned that command, they moved on to the "sit!" command.

Kosar, a 6-month-old Rottweiller puppy, quickly mastered that skill and was rewarded. Owner Karen Kearns of Neville looked pleased and proud.

"Rewards can be a piece of their regular dog food, parboiled baby carrots, boiled chicken or liver or any healthy food the dog especially enjoys," the instructor said.

"Your touch can also be a reward."

There were frequent breaks for water, for it was a hot night "and young dogs can only work for 10 or 15 minutes at a time," Ms. Miller-Gurchak said. There was also a question-and-answer session to address common concerns, including house-breaking and excessive barking.

Among the other classmates was Goldie, 2, a soft-coated wheaten terrier with owner Kathy Roettger of Moon. Lorie and Jim Todd of Crescent brought two 10-month old puppies: Hershey, a Pekingese-poodle mix, and Madie, a schnauzer-poodle mix.

Moon's two parks are heavily used by dog owners "and everyone has a great interest in making everything safer," said Lance Welliver, assistant director of parks and recreation.

Hence the training class, which is expected to be offered again in the fall.

Moon officials are getting ready to start a new parks plan, and a dog park may be part of that study, Mr. Welliver said.

"I have clients who never have visitors at their home because their dog is so scary," said Ms. Miller-Gurchak, who also does in-home training to deal with problem behaviors. "You do not want to be one of those people."

Here are two of her important tips:

1-Don't nag your dog. Stay upbeat and cheerful.

2-Don't push on the dog's rear end to make him or her sit. You could cause a hip or knee ailment or aggravate existing joint problems.

"Dogs should never be in management positions," Ms. Miller-Gurchak said. "They are working for you. You are management and they are employees."

Ms. Miller-Gurchak, 57, has worked as a professional handler at the American Kennel Club shows and operates Hollybush Services dog training. She has been teaching dog training classes for the Peters recreation department for 26 years, and township officials there expect to offer fall training classes.

For information, visit www.hollybushdogtraining.net or call 724-942-3134.