AKC Canine Good Citizen

What is a Canine Good Citizen?

At the AKC, they believe that all dogs can be good dogs, and all owners can be great owners, all it takes is a little bit of training, lots of love, and of course, plenty of praise along the way.

That’s why they created the Canine Good Citizen™ (CGC) program: an expert-made training program designed to help you and your dog be the best you can be–together.

Canine Good Citizen is a 10-skill test that teaches good manners to dogs and responsible dog ownership to their owners. The 10 test items on the CGC test are practical, functional behaviors that every dog should have to be welcomed in the community.

BMK9 now has an American Kennel Club (AKC) certified evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen (GCU)!

If you have any questions, all of the above information and more can be found at the American Kennel Club website below or you can call and speak with Andrew about how to schedule and get your dog certified as a Canine Good Citizen!

The test will be $30.00(plus tax) and takes about an hour to complete.

https://www.akc.org/

Canine Good Citizen Test Items

1. Accepting a friendly stranger.

Evaluator approaches and pretends to shake hands with handler (hands 6- 12” apart). Evaluator does not touch dog.

2. Sitting politely for petting.

Evaluator pets dog; dog must show no shyness or resentment.

3. Appearance and grooming.

Evaluator inspects dog, combs or brushes lightly, examines ears and each front foot.

4. Out for a walk.

Handler takes dog for a short walk including right turn, left turn, about turn and stop.

5. Walking through a crowd.

Dog and handler walk close to several people; dog may show causal interest but not jump up.

6. Sit and down on cue/Staying in place.

Handler shows that dog can do both sit and down, then chooses a position, leaves dog and goes to the end of a 20 ft. line, and returns immediately.

7. Coming when called.

With dog still on 20 ft. line from Test 6, handler walks out 10 ft. and calls the dog.

8. Reaction to another dog.

Two handlers and dogs approach, pretend to shake hands (hands 6-12” apart), exchange pleasantries, then move on.

9. Reaction to distractions.

Distractions are presented; dog may not panic or show aggression.

10. Supervised separation.

Handler goes out of sight for 3-min. Dog is held on a 6-ft. leash by an evaluator.

Dog Activity Center