Canine Good Citizen Classes and Info

AKC's Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) Program

Sponsored by K9 Advantix™

Training/Testing: CGC Test Items

Before taking the Canine Good Citizen test, owners will sign the

Responsible Dog Owners Pledge. We believe that responsible dog

ownership is a key part of the CGC concept and by signing the

pledge,

owners agree to take care of their dog's health needs,

safety, exercise,

training and quality of life. Owners also agree to

show responsibility by

doing things such as cleaning up after their

dogs in public places and

never

letting dogs infringe on the rights

of others.

After signing the Responsible Dog Owners Pledge, owners and

their

dogs

are ready to take the CGC Test. Items on the Canine

Good Citizen

Test

include:

Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger

This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger

approach it and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday

situation.

The

evaluator walks up to the dog and handler and

greets the handler in

friendly manner, ignoring the dog. The

evaluator and handler shake

hands

and exchange pleasantries.

The dog must show no sign of

resentment or

shyness, and must

not break position or try to go to the

evaluator.

Test 2: Sitting politely for petting

This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger

touch it

while it is out with its handler. With the dog sitting at

the

handler's side, to

begin the exercise, the evaluator pets the

dog on the

head and body. The

handler may talk to his or her dog

throughout the

exercise. The dog may

stand in place as it is

petted. The dog must not

show shyness or resentment.

Test 3: Appearance and grooming

This practical test demonstrates that the dog will welcome being

groomed

and examined and will permit someone, such as a

veterinarian,

groomer or

friend of the owner, to do so. It also

demonstrates the

owner's care,

concern and sense of

responsibility. The evaluator

inspects

the dog to

determine if it is

clean and groomed. The dog must

appear to

be in healthy

condition (i.e., proper weight, clean, healthy and

alert).

The

handler should

supply the comb or brush commonly used on

the

dog. The evaluator then

softly combs or brushes the dog, and in a

natural manner, lightly examines

the ears and gently picks up each

front

foot. It is not necessary for the dog

to hold a specific

position during the

examination, and the handler may talk

to the

dog, praise it and give

encouragement throughout.

Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)

This test demonstrates that the handler is in control of the dog.

The dog

may be on either side of the handler. The dog's position

should leave no

doubt that the dog is attentive to the handler and

is responding to the

handler's movements and changes of

direction. The dog need not be

perfectly aligned with the handler

and need not sit when the handler

stops.

The evaluator may use a

pre-plotted course or may direct the

handler/dog

team by issuing

instructions or commands. In either case,

there should be a

right

turn, left turn, and an about turn with at least

one stop in

between and

another at the end. The handler may talk to the

dog

along the way, praise

the dog, or give commands in a normal tone

voice. The handler may sit

the dog at the halts if desired.

Test 5: Walking through a crowd

This test demonstrates that the dog can move about politely in

pedestrian

traffic and is under control in public places. The dog

and

handler walk

around and pass close to several people (at least

three).

The dog may show

some interest in the strangers but

should continue to

walk with the handler,

without evidence of

over-exuberance, shyness or

resentment. The handler

may talk to

the dog and encourage or praise

the

dog throughout the test.

The

dog should not jump on people in the

crowd or strain on the leash.

Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place

This test demonstrates that the dog has training, will respond to

the

handler's commands to sit and down and will remain in the

place

commanded by the handler (sit or down position, whichever

the handler

prefers). The dog must do sit AND down on

command, then the owner

chooses the position for leaving the

dog in the stay. Prior to this test,

the

dog's leash is replaced with a

line 20 feet long. The handler may

take

reasonable amount of

time and use more than one command to

get the

dog

to sit and

then down. The evaluator must determine if the

dog has

responded to the handler's commands. The handler may not

force

the

dog

into position but may touch the dog to offer gentle

guidance. When

instructed by the evaluator, the handler tells the

dog to

stay and walks

forward the length of the line, turns and

returns to the

dog at a natural

pace. The dog must remain in the

place in which it was

left (it may

change

position) until the

evaluator instructs the handler to

release the

dog. The

dog may be

released from the front or the side.

Test 7: Coming when called

This test demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the

handler.

The handler will walk 10 feet from the dog, turn to face

the

dog, and call

the dog. The handler may use encouragement to

get the

dog to come.

Handlers may choose to tell dogs to "stay"

or "wait" or

they may simply

walk away, giving no instructions to

the dog.

Test 8: Reaction to another dog

This test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around

other

dogs.

Two handlers and their dogs approach each other

from a distance

of about

20 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange

pleasantries, and

continue on for

about 10 feet. The dogs should

show no more than

casual interest in each

other. Neither dog

should go to the other dog or

its handler.

Test 9: Reaction to distraction

This test demonstrates that the dog is confident at all times when

faced

with common distracting situations. The evaluator will

select and

present

two distractions. Examples of distractions

include dropping a

chair, rolling

a crate dolly past the dog, having

a jogger run in front of

the dog, or

dropping a crutch or cane. The

dog may express natural

interest and

curiosity and/or may appear

slightly startled but should not

panic, try to

run away, show

aggressiveness, or bark. The handler may

talk to the dog

and

encourage or praise it throughout the exercise.

Test 10: Supervised separation

This test demonstrates that a dog can be left with a trusted

person, if

necessary, and will maintain training and good manners.

Evaluators are

encouraged to say something like, "Would you like

me to watch your

dog?"

and then take hold of the dog's leash.

The owner will go out of

sight for

three minutes. The dog does

not have to stay in position but

should not

continually bark,

whine, or pace unnecessarily, or show

anything stronger

than mild

agitation or nervousness. Evaluators may

talk to the dog but

should not engage in excessive talking, petting, or

management

attempts (e.

g, "there, there, it's alright").

Equipment

All tests must be performed on leash. Dogs should wear well-

fitting

buckle

or slip collars made of leather, fabric, or chain.

Special training

collars such

as pinch collars, head halters, etc. are

not permitted in the

CGC test. We

recognize that special training

collars may be very useful

tools for beginning

dog trainers,

however, we feel that dogs are ready to

take the CGC test at

the

point at which they are transitioned to regular

collars.

The evaluator supplies a 20-foot lead for the test. The

owner/handler

should bring the dog's brush or comb to the test.

Encouragement

Owners/handlers may use praise and encouragement throughout

the

test.

The owner may pet the dog between exercises. Food and

treats are

not

permitted during testing, nor is the use of toys,

squeaky toys, etc. to

get the

dog to do something. We recognize

that food and toys may

provide

valuable reinforcement or

encouragement during the training

process but

these items should

not be used during the test.

Failures - Dismissals

Any dog that eliminates during testing must be marked failed.

The only

exception to this rule is that elimination is allowable in

test Item 10, but

only when test Item 10 is held outdoors.

Any dog that growls, snaps, bites, attacks, or attempts to attack a

person or

another dog is not a good citizen and must be dismissed

from

the test.

Information above is from

American Kennel Club web site

AKC's Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) Program