The AKC Canine good
Citizen Program is a
certification program that is
designed to reward dogs who have
good manners at home and in the
community. The Canine Good
Citizen Program is a two-part
program that stresses responsible
pet ownership for owners and
basic good manners for dogs. All
dogs who pass the 10-step CGC
test may receive a certificate
from the American Kennel
Club.
Many dog owners choose Canine
Good Citizen training as the
first step in training their
dogs. The Canine Good Citizen
Program lays the foundation for
other AKC activities such as
obedience, agility, tracking, and
performance events. As you work
with your dog to teach the CGC
skills, you'll discover the many
benefits and joys of training
your dog. Training will enhance
the bond between you and your
dog. Dogs who have a solid
obedience education are a joy to
live with-they respond well to
household routines, have good
manners in the presence of people
and other dogs, and they fully
enjoy the company of the owner
who took the time to provide
training, intellectual
stimulation, and a high quality
life. We sincerely hope that CGC
will be only a beginning for you
and your dog and that after
passing the CGC test, you'll
continue training in obedience,
agility, tracking, or performance
events.
Who Can
Participate?
All dogs, including both
purebred and mixed breed dogs are
welcome to participate in the
AKC's Canine Good Citizen®
(CGC) Program Sponsored by K9
Advantix®. Dogs must be old
enough to have received necessary
immunizations such as rabies
vaccines. Owners will sign the
Responsible Dog Owners Pledge
attesting to having the dog under
the routine care of a
veterinarian who will work with
the owner to determine an
appropriate plan and schedule for
vaccines and other health care
procedures.
There is no age limit for the
CGC test. A dog is never too old
to be a good citizen. Puppies who
have completed all immunizations
and boosters may be tested,
however, because we know that
behavior and temperament can
change over time, when puppies
pass the CGC test, owners should
have them re-tested as
adults.
Here is Paradise's Baby
Bear
earning his CGC at the
IABCA Winter Seiger - February
2007.
Congradulations to this
outstanding
corso and owner!
FIGHTING
BREED SPECIFIC LEGISLATION
At Bella Rosa, we are accutely
aware of the problems around
Breed Specific Legislation (BSL).
Proving your dog is a Canine Good
Citizen is an excellent way for
you to score another point for
your breed against ending up on a
breed-ban list.
THE
TEST
ITSELF...
There are 10 parts to the CGC
test.
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 to
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 a 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 to
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 of 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 a
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.
PUTTING
PITS IN A POSITIVE
LIGHT!
Pit Bulls and other bully
breeds are under constant attack
by BSL. To help combat this, we
have set a goal:
CGC 100 Pits in
2007!
While the regular price of a
CGC Test is $25 dollars per dog,
we are discounting the cost for
pits to $10 per dog.
And, if you are a Pit Rescue,
we will administer the test to
your dogs FREE OF CHARGE! This
will help prove your rescues are
stable and make them more
adoptable. We hope that having
passed the CGC will open up more
forever home opportunities.
WE MUST BE PROACTIVE TO
FIGHT BSL!
Pass the CGC and
prove your dog is an
awesome Canine Good
Citizen!
PRACTICE MAKES
PERFECT!
Here is Nefertiti,
socializing with a very nice
pitbull, Zealous.
The name fits her.
Zealous and her owner are
training and practicing for the
Canine Good Citizen test later
this spring.
BRINGING
THE CGC TEST TO
YOU!
Bella Rosa does CGC Testing at
many conformation shows
throughout the Pacific NW. Check
out our show calendar for dates
and locations. (Click
here for our calendar
page.)
(Above is Loki after earning
his CGC at the National Canine
Association conformation show in
January.)
If you are in the Portland
Metropolitan area, we can
schedule a test for you. Just
drop us a line and we'll get you
set up!
We can also come to your club and
perform testing in a group. Call
us for more information about
group discounts.
The AKC sells a variety of
beautiful products to show off
the fact that your dog is a
Canine Good CItizen. It's an
accomplishment you can both be
proud of!
From the patch above to
engraved I.D. tags, and even
bandanas, your dog can be styling
while showing off his status as a
well-mannered canine
companion!
If your city participates in a
Canine Good Citizen program,
displaying the CGC emblem on your
dog could allow him entry into
animal-friendly restaurants and
businesses.
Find out if your town has such
a program.
If they don't, perhaps you should
start one!
This beautiful Bullmastiff
flew through the CGC and had a
great time doing it! What a big
love!
This big boy passed his CGC
at the K9 ProSports World
Championship Trials in Texas this
November! Way to go
Newman!
