7 Signs of a Canine Good Citizen

Canine Good Citizen 

Think your dog excels in good manners? Ever wondered whether your dog is social enough to meet other pets/pet owners? Curious about what manners are important for your dog? Well, Here is a primer on CGC.

What is CGC?

CGC stands for Canine Good Citizen which certifies your dog is well behaved in the community. CGC, started by American Kennel Club (AKC) in 2004, has become very important especially if you are living in small apartments or communities. AKC emphasizes dog training as a core part of CGC certification.

Whether you train your dog yourself or hire a professional trainer, here are 7 tests that your dog should master to become a CGC.

7 tests to become a Canine Good Citizen

1. 1. Behaviour

      Your dog should have a positive attitude. To evaluate this, an evaluator will come talk to you and shake hands. Your dog should be friendly, show no uneasy signs and shyness. The dog must behave natural and allow the owner to talk to a stranger.

   2. Grooming and appearance

      A well behaved dog should allow a friendly stranger to groom. So your dog will be groomed and examined by a stranger such as a veterinarian, a trainer or even your friend. This test is to demonstrate that your dog allows grooming by any friendly stranger. Ears, eyes and paws are inspected during this process. Hence, your dog should be well groomed before taking the test.

   3. Walk the crowd

      Your dog should not be straining the leash in public places. This tests how your dog walks in crowded areas. The dog should be left open leash and should move politely with the pedestrians. It should pass through at least 3 people in the test without disturbing anybody. Practise walking with your dog well before taking this test.

   4. Commands

      Your dog should obey your commands instantly. When commands like sit, stand, in place etc., are given, your dog should spontaneously respond. Remember to use the exact word every time you give a command. Tell the evaluator the commands used while training. So the evaluator will also use the same. This tests your dog on how it responds to the commands given by trainers.

   5. Interaction with other pets

      For this test, two other pet owners will come to you. Interact with you and your dog. When your dog sees another dog, there should be casual interest. And your dog should not exhibit aggressive behaviour towards other dogs.

1. Walk out loose

   Sometimes your dog walks without leash in public. This test is to demonstrate your dog is under the handlers control. The handler with dog will walk and take left, right or stop. The dog should follow the handler and respond in public.

2. Supervised separation

   This test demonstrates your dog’s behavior in your absence say at your friend’s house or that of a handler. There shouldn’t be any unusual behavior when you leave him at the new place. There could be mild nervousness and that is okay but no barking or whining. Wherever you leave your dog, please ensure his environment temperature is comfortable and safe. Use a pet monitor to keep an eye on his safety 24×7.

There you go! Check your dog now. Did it pass in all of the above tests? Tell us how you trained your dog and how you feel after he passed the tests. Look forward to your comments below.