LITTLE ROCK — There was a story in the paper a few weeks ago that mentioned Canine Good Citizen training for dogs. What is that and how is it different from regular obedience classes?
The Canine Good Citizen program, developed by the American Kennel Club about 13 years ago, stresses responsible ownership for pet owners and basic good manners for dogs - all dogs, not just AKC-recognized breeds.
While regular obedience classes teach many of the same manners and behaviors - sit, down, stay, coming when called, for example - CGC classes include instruction on how to teach a dog to walk calmly through a crowd, behave politely around other dogs and show confidence when confronted with common distractions.
Dogs are also taught to “accept a friendly stranger,” which means allowing a stranger to approach and speak to his owner without reacting with any resentment or shyness.
Owners learn how to walk their dogs on a “loose lead,” which means a dog is attentive to his owner and responds to his movements and changes of direction. This isn’t the same as “heeling,” which is a precision exercise that requires the dog to walk at the handler’s knee at an exact pace, then sit when the handler stops.
Heeling is used mainly in formal competitions, while walking on a loose lead is handy in everyday life - it means the owner walks the dog, not the opposite.
At the beginning of a good citizen course, pet owners sign a “responsible dog owners pledge” in which they agree to “take care of their dog’s health needs, safety, exercise, training and quality of life,” the AKC explains at akc.org. “Owners also agree to show responsibility by doing things such as cleaning up after their dogs in public places and never letting dogs infringe on the rights of others.”
After completing the course, the dogs and their owners take the CGC test and are graded on their performance by an “evaluator” approved by the AKC. To be a Canine Good Citizen evaluator, a person has to have at least two years of experience working with dogs and their owners, as well as experience training a variety of sizes and breeds of dogs. Evaluators also must pass a written examination.
Evaluators may teach as well as conduct the 10-point CGC test for dogs and owners. One area of the test focuses on appearance and grooming; it’s a test with a practical application, demonstrating that a dog will calmly allow someone other than the owner (like a veterinarian or groomer) to brush the dog, inspect its ears and handle its feet.
Another significant element of the test allows the evaluator to see that a dog can be left with a trusted person and still maintain good manners. During the test, the evaluator asks the owner if he can watch this dog, then the owner leaves the dog’s sight for three minutes. To pass, the dog can’t whine, bark, pace or act agitated and nervous while he’s alone with the evaluator.
Canine Good Citizen classes can be found through local AKC organizations but are also given by private trainers. All dogs are eligible. In fact, many animal shelters and rescue organizations use CGC training methods to teach dogs manners in hopes of improving their chances of being adopted.
In Arkansas, for example, the Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals (careforanimals.org) uses CGC training for its Paws in Prison program, in which prison inmates care for and train dogs up for adoption. A list of CGC evaluators (most of whom are also trainers) in Arkansas is available at tinyurl.com/ 7mckevz on the AKC website.
Do you have a question about pets?
We’ll get you an answer from an au
thority. Send your question to Rhonda Owen, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or e-mail askcreature@att.net
Family, Pages 36 on 03/28/2012