The Canine Good Citizen Test

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The Canine Good Citizen Test, or CGC, is an exam given by the American Kennel Club. Passing this test will allow you to have a dog that is well behaved not only at home but also when out in different surroundings. It also shows that you the owner have been determined enough to train your dog and give it the attention needed to have a well behaved dog.

The benefits of CGC Certification are many. Probably the one that you will enjoy the best is the fact that you will have a well trained dog that you can take anywhere with confidence. Your dog is allowed to enter the CGC designation after it name. Your insurance company might even allow your dog if it is one of the breeds that they normally do not allow in their homeowners insurance coverage.

Quite often I am asked what to expect during the test. Well the test is actually made up of 10 different tests. The test will be administered by a person that has been designated as a CGC Evaluator by the American Kennel Club.

The test requires the help of some other people and dogs to be able to thoroughly evaluate your dog. You are allowed to pet and encourage your dog, however no food, treats or toys will be allowed during the test.

There are several different things that can cause you and your dog to be disqualified. For example a dog can not urinate or defecate during the test. Any dog that does will not pass the test. If your dog shows any type of aggression including growling it will be immediately dismissed as well.
Scoring is a simple pass or fail. You and your dog must pass all 10 tests to be able to leave with the CGC certificate.

Getting the CGC certification should give any dedicated dog owner a reason to work with and train their dog. The CGC title is required by most therapy dog organizations to be a member of their organization. It just might also allow a landlord or hotel innkeeper to allow your special dog to be a welcome occupant or guest.

Rather than list the 10 tests here take a look at: http://images.akc.org/pdf/cgc/GK9GC1.pdf

Do you want your dog to be a Canine Good Citizen?  If so visit us at Canine Behavior Specialists and give us a call, or for our out of town readers  .

Until next time,

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P.S. Do you need some advice from a Canine Behavior Specialist?  If so CLICK HERE now!

About the Author: Wayne Booth is owner of Canine Behavior Specialistsin Nashville, TN.  Wayne has been teaching people how to become Professional Dog Trainers since 1990 and he is the Training Director ofCanine Behavior Specialists Network.

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