What is a Canine Good Citizen?
Canine Good Citizen (CGC) is a program designed to recognize and promote responsible dog ownership and good manners in dogs. The American Kennel Club (AKC) developed the CGC program in 1989 to set a standard of behavior for dogs in various everyday situations. The title of Canine Good Citizen is awarded to dogs who pass a series of tests that evaluate their obedience and social skills. Keep reading to learn more about the Canine Good Citizen program.
What is the Canine Good Citizen all about?
Dog owners attend a five- or six-week course to prepare for the CGC test. The course teaches and prepares them for all the items on the CGC test that include:
Sitting calmly for petting.
Accepting a friendly stranger.
Accepting grooming an.d handling (e.g. brushing or touching paws)
Loose leash walking. Your dog must also be able to walk on a loose leash. A loose leash is when you see a J-curve in your leash, and your dog is not lunging, pulling, or forging ahead, and they walk parallel with their owner's legs.
Loose leash walking through a crowd of people or around other dogs.
Sit and down on cue and stay.
You must demonstrate that your dog can come to you when called from a short distance.
Reaction to another dog is also a part of the canine good citizen test. Therefore, your dog has to be able to walk up to another dog, turn around, and go its separate way without lunging or pulling.
Reaction to a distraction is another essential part of the canine good citizen test. Your dog must demonstrate they are confident when faced with a distraction, like a loud sound. They should be fairly neutral, and may be a bit startled, but should not show excessive fear or aggression.
10. Your pup cannot ace the Canine Good Citizen without hacking the supervised separation! The supervised separation entails your evaluator taking your dog on a leash and holding the leash. They will then ask you to leave the room for about three minutes. During this time, they will just be looking to ensure that your dog is not overly stressed, fearful, aggressive, or anything of this nature. The pup should be a bit concerned because they are your dog but generally neutral on these aforementioned test items.
Benefits of a Canine Good Citizen Program
The bond between you and your furry friend deepens.
You and your dog learn all the master skills such as ‘stay’, ‘down’, and ‘sit’.
Your furry companion becomes a "more welcomed" community member in public due to good behavior and relations with other dogs and people.
Final Take Away
If you are a dog owner in the Houston or Atlanta area that would like testing, please reach out to Dr. Megan here to book a free phone evaluation. She is an AKC-approved evaluator who can help you either through a group class or private training.
