Many people shy away from getting a Canine Good Citizen title on their dog for some reason or another; however, it really isn’t as scary as it may seem. There are 10 components of the test, and yes, your dog does have to successfully complete all 10 components to pass, but in my opinion, AKC has set you and your dog up for success!
The ten components of a CGC test are as follows:
- Accepting a Friendly Stranger
- Sitting Politely for Petting
- Appearance and Grooming
- Out For a Walk
- Walking Through A Crowd
- Sit and Down on Command/Staying in Place
- Coming When Called
- Reaction to Another Dog
- Reaction to Distractions
- Supervised Separation
And while you may automatically discount your dog when reading one or two of these bullets, please realize that some items are simpler than they may read on the surface. For instance, when doing your sits and downs on command, your dog only has to stay in place for one of the positions rather than demonstrate both a sit and down stay. Furthermore, in regards to reaction with another dog, handlers will both have their dogs in a heel position and approach each other person to person with their dogs on the outside, so the dogs never truly have the opportunity to interact.
Feel free to watch the following video provided to you by AKC to get a better idea of what a sample CGC test may look like.
If you are interested in trying to get your dog’s CGC title, we are holding a test at our facility in Lowell, MA on Sunday, October 28th. We also will be hosting a couple of practice days beforehand if you would like to do a mock run through of the test prior to the actual test day. Please e-mail me, Jess Ritchie, your local CGC evaluator, at cookiethat@gmail.com for more details or feel free to call us at 866-957-DOGS(3647).
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