August 6, 2008 - Mika: Canine Good Citizen

Test day! Mika was a rock star and passed several of her requirements, including the Canine Good Citizen test.

CGC is a certification awarded by the American Kennel Club to dogs that "have good manners at home and in the community."

The CGC is a 10-part test in which dogs are tested on:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger - Dog should not be shy, aggressive, or too excited


2. Sitting politely for petting - Dog should stay seated and not show fear or aggression when petted.


3. Appearance and grooming - Dog should calmly permit examination of ears, paws, teeth, etc. to simulate being handled by a vet or groomer


4. Walking on a loose lead - Dog should be focused on handler and walk closely to the handler. If dog begins to stray, owner can call the dog and he should come back to the handler's side quickly


5. Walking through a crowd - Dog should show no signs of nervousness or over-excitement while walking through a group of people. Dog should not try to stray away from handler.


6. Sit and down on command and staying in place - Dog must sit stay for 1 minute and down stay for 1 minute.


7. Coming when called - Dog must return to owner when called from across the room.


8. Reaction to another dog - Dog should not show signs of dog aggression or be overly excited


9. Reaction to distraction - Dog should stay calm around loud noises such as a metal chair falling.


10. Supervised separation - Dog should remain calm while owner is away for 3 minutes.

Passing the CGC test is useful in demonstrating to others that a dog is good-natured. A potential renter might show the certificate to their landlord, or someone seeking homeowners insurance might show the certificate to their agent to verify the dog is friendly.

The CGC doesn't mean the dog won't ever bite or be dangerous but it shows that in everyday circumstances, the dog seems to adapt well to a variety of stimuli.

Before I graduate from the program I will have to pass another dog through the same test using a dog that has been trained using strictly motivational methods. With Mika I have used a combination of motivational and correction using a pinch collar. The next dog will be trained using treats only. Purely positive training takes 3 to 4 times longer to achieve, but many people in the animal world are endorsing positive training over other methods. It is really important that I learn how to achieve results this way because there is a growing demand for it.