Taking the AKC Canine Good Citizen Challenge

by Jamie Pyatt

The AKC Canine Good Citizen Award, or CGC as it is commonly known, is awarded to dogs that pass a standard test of ten items that all good dogs should know. These ten steps are the basics to your dog being a well mannered member of society.

There is no age limit or other training requirements in order to take the test and it is open to every dog, regardless whether they are pure bred or mixed breed. Puppies must be old enough to have received all immunizations.

The test must be performed by a leashed dog wearing a regular buckle or clip collar; training collars cannot be used. Verbal encouragement is permitted but treats are not.

While some dogs may have completed basic training or CGC preparedness classes, these are not requirements to completing the Canine Good Citizen program. You as an owner can properly train your dog with patience and repetition of the necessary steps to complete the CGC and be an example of a well mannered dog. Training your dog, whether on your own or in a class, bonds your dog to you and provides a necessary dog-owner connection. Training your dog imposes boundaries and lets him/her know what behavior is expected. Dogs naturally want to please their master so teaching your dog what actions are expected of him will redirect anxious energy caused by a dog not knowing their limitations within society.

Passing the CGC program involves more than just teaching your dog a few commands. In addition to training your dog to be a respected (and respectful) community member you are declaring that you will be a responsible dog owner. You must sign a pledge stating, among other things, that you will be responsible for proper diet, health care, daily exercise and grooming. You will promise to properly control your dog at all times and be responsible for the dog’s quality of life.

The 10 test items of the Canine Good Citizen program will put your dog in situations that they are likely to encounter within the community. The first, Accepting a Friendly Stranger, will demonstrate how your dog reacts when you meet a friend on the street who ignores your dog. If you have a dog who thinks everyone he meets is his best friend, this one can be a challenge!

Sitting Politely for Petting, the second test, is exactly as it sounds. While sitting at your side, your dog must allow the evaluator to pet its head and body without showing shyness or resentment, or jumping up and enthusiastically licking the evaluators face!

Item 3, Appearance and Grooming, requires that the dog allow the evaluator to comb or brush him. You will provide the brush or comb that you normally use for grooming. The evaluator will also inspect your dog to see that it is clean, groomed and healthy in appearance. This item is also a test for you, the owner, as to whether you are showing the proper care towards your dog.

The next test demonstrates that you are in control of your dog when walking on a loose lead. You will make left turns, right turns, about turns, and stops while your dog’s attention is fixed on you. It sounds relatively easy but if you are like me when testing, your anxiety will pass right down the leash and even the best trained dog may walk like it is his first time on the leash. Luckily, if your dog has minor problems with one item on the test, your evaluator may, at their discretion, allow you to test again when everyone else is through.

In real life your dog will need to walk through crowds. Item 5 will test that your dog can pass close to several people without lunging or pulling. This item is best practiced often to not only pass the CGC but because no one likes a dog that jumps or noses their rear while walking past.

Sit, Down and Stay is performed on a 20 foot line. Once the dog is sitting, the handler will tell the dog to stay and walk the entire length of the line and back to the dog. The dog may change position but must stay in place.

Once your dog aces Item 6, then Item 7 – Coming When Called- will seem a breeze. You can either tell your dog to “stay” or “wait” and walk 10 feet away. The evaluator will attempt to distract your dog as you call the dog to you.

Your dog will need to prove that he/she can meet another leashed dog in a polite manner for Item 8. You and another person walking their dog will approach each other, greet each other and move on. Your dog should show “casual interest” only of the other dog.

Item 9: Reaction to Distractions. Enough said! The evaluator will select a noise or a visual distraction to expose your dog to. The dog should not panic, run away nor show aggressiveness. You can find a list of the 6 distractions the evaluator can choose from at AKC.org. It is a good idea to practice with each as you cannot be sure which the evaluator will choose. You can talk to your dog and offer encouragement or praise throughout the test but check yourself to make sure you are not offering the positive response when the dog is frightened or you will be reinforcing the fear.

My dog has been known to whine when I walk away so I was concerned that Item 10, Supervised Separation, might be a challenge. However, I walked away for my 3 minute “out of sight” separation with nary a sound from him. It may have helped that we tested at his favorite Doggy Daycare, but I prefer to think it was my superior training skills. Either way, we passed the Canine Good Citizen Test, sent away for our certificate and now have the bragging rights to go with it.

For more information on the Canine Good Citizen Program, including training tips, visit AKC.org.