|
What is the Canine Good Citizen Title? AKC CANINE GOOD CITIZEN TITLE (CGC) The Canine Good Citizen test is offered to all dogs, purebred and mixed breed, to evaluate and test their rediness to become accepted members in our communities. Training for this test is fun and helps you establish a closer bond with your companion. Basic and Advanced Basic Obedience Classes are recommended before applying for evaluation. This is not a competiton and does not require a precise routine but your companion will be tested for completion of each exercise. The Evaluation and Testing includes: (please click on an evaluation/test to find out more about it) 1. Accepting a Friendly Stranger To qualify for the Canine Good Citizen Certificate, a dog must pass all of the 10 exercises. The dogs may walk on either side of the handler and the handler my talk to their dogs throughout the test but cannot offer food. The test is perfomed on-leash and the dog should wear a well-fitting buckle collar or slip collar made of leather, fabric or chain. Pinch collars are not acceptable. Leash should be leather or fabric. Owners should bring a brush to the test for the grooming exercise. Any dog that eliminates during testing must be marked failed except during exercise 10, when test is held outdoors. Any dog that growls, snaps, bites, attacks or attempts to attack a person or another dog will be dismissed. The AKC urges all dog owners to participate in the CGC Program. A certificate is awarded upon completion of the test and you are permitted the use of CGC behind your dog's name. Many AKC dog clubs, obedience schools and private organizations offer the courses to prepare you and your companion for the test. Many of these same groups will sponsor the tests upon completion of the course. Contributed by Carolyn Sanford |
