Teach Your Dog to Be a Good Citizen
Do you have a well-behaved dog who enjoys obedience training and other structured activities? If so, you might consider having him earn his Canine Good Citizenship certificate, which proves that he has good manners and can interact well with humans and other dogs.
One of the only nationally recognized training and testing programs available to dogs of all breeds, including mutts, the CGC course is an excellent way to make sure that you and your dog develop a strong bond that will carry over to any kind of situation, whether it’s meeting dogs and people at the park or providing animal assisted therapy (AAT) services.
Although puppies aren’t good candidates for CGC testing, once they’ve completed basic puppy training, you can start teaching them basic commands, like “sit,” “stay,” “down” and “come.” Once he’s passed the phase where he must investigate every last thing and kiss every person he meets, it’s time to see if he has what it takes to become a Canine Good Citizen.
The Canine Good Citizenship Test
In 1989, the American Kennel Club established the Canine Good Citizenship (CGC) test to teach humans about the responsibility of dog ownership and the benefits of having a well-trained dog. Since then, hundreds of thousands of dogs have graduated from the program, making it one of the most widely used tools for assessing your dog’s ability to function at home and in public.
Although the AKC sponsors CGC testing, dogs don’t have to be purebred or registered with any canine organization. Any dog of any size, breed or age can apply and qualify for Canine Good Citizenship.
Trainers and behaviorists recommend the CGC as the first building block in obedience training. If your dog doesn’t know how to sit, stay or lie down, basic commands he’ll need to master in order to pass the CGC test, you may want to start him in basic training before applying for the test.
The Owner’s Responsibilities
Dogs aren’t the only family members who must pass CGC training. Before the test even begins, the owner must sign the Responsible Dog Owners Pledge, proving that he or she understands what responsible pet ownership involves. The Pledge covers your dog’s basic needs for health, exercise, safety and training, as well as your understanding of dog etiquette, namely picking up after your dog, keeping him from jumping on people and teaching him how to safely interact with other dogs.
Qualifications for Canine Good Citizenship
According to the AKC’s published guidelines, to pass the canine good citizenship tests, dogs must successfully complete 10 tasks:
- Accepting a friendly stranger: The dog must sit quietly while the tester approaches the owner and engages in conversation without acknowledging the dog.
- Sitting politely for petting: The dog must sit calmly while the tester pets his head and back.
- Appearance and grooming: This task not only ensures your dog is clean, well-groomed and physically fit, but also that he will allow groomers and veterinarians to handle him.
- Walking on a loose lead: The dog’s owner must demonstrate that the dog can walk calmly without pulling on his lead.
- Walking through a crowd: The dog must be able to walk through a crowd without becoming over-exuberant or fearful.
- Sitting and lying down on command and staying in place: After the owner commands the dog to sit, and then lie down, the dog must remain in place until released.
- Coming when called: The owner must direct the dog to return to him or her after waiting at a distance of 10 feet.
- Reaction to another dog: The owner will approach the tester, who is leading another dog, without reacting to the other dog with anything other than a wagging tail.
- Reaction to distraction: The tester will evaluate the dog’s response to elevators, loud noises, strangers approaching or other planned distractions.
10. Supervised separation: While the owner leaves the room for three minutes, the dog must remain calm and not show anxiety or bad behavior.
If the dog passes all 10 tests, the owner can apply for a CGC certificate and dog tag.
Dogs will fail the CGC test if they are unable to complete all the tasks, eliminate indoors during any task or growl, snap or bite during the test. If your dog doesn’t pass the CGC test, provide further training and reapply at a later date.
Benefits of Canine Good Citizenship Certification
Canine Good Citizenship isn’t just a piece of paper you can frame and hang on the wall. It has a number of practical applications useful in the real world.
- Foundation for Further Training: If your dog enjoyed training for the CGC test, he might enjoy other forms of advanced training, such as obedience or agility activities.
- Canine-Assisted Therapy: Although animal-assisted therapy organizations don’t generally require CGC certification, the skills your dog will need to be a therapy dog are essentially the same as those he’ll demonstrate during the CGC test. If you are considering doing therapy work with your dog, CGC is a great place to start.
- Rental Housing: Even if your prospective landlord isn’t familiar with Canine Good Citizenship, he’ll still be impressed if you tell him your dog has passed a test that focuses on good behavior.
- Insurance Qualifications: If your insurance company is hassling you about your “dangerous” dog (usually German shepherd dogs, bully breeds, Rottweiler or Dobermans), a CGC certificate might help your case. Some companies even give a small discount on insurance for homeowners with dogs who have earned CGC certification.
Training & Testing for CGC
No particular training is required to apply for CGC testing, but if you are interested, you can take an AKC-sponsored class in your area. Many kinds of animal professionals can administer the tests, including local breed specialty clubs, AKC judges, therapy dog evaluators, veterinarians, vet techs, groomers, trainers, behaviorists and animal control officers. The evaluator must already be registered with the AKC. To find an evaluator in your area, visit the AKC website.
