Canine Good Citizen

How And Where To Purchase Canine Good Citizen Tags

March 20, 2008 By Colby 5 Comments

If you’ve been reading through this blog then you know that several weeks ago Stetson passed his Canine Good Citizen test. I already ordered his certificate and received it in the mail and also just recently received a link from our good friends Anne, Jim, and Dustin. The link goes to the ePetTags.com website who are the official collar tag sponsor for the American Kennel Club (AKC). And of course the Canine Good Citizen(CGC) program…

Here’s a picture of Stetson’s CGC Certificate and tag:

I duplicated and imported the second image of the tag so you could see both sides. It’s just a simple white plastic tag. You can see the CGC seal on both the tag and the bottom corner of the certificate.

Canine Good Citizen Tags

I just wanted to let you know how easy it is to order your CGC tag from ePetTags.com. Here are the step by step instructions:

Go to the ePetTags.com website.
Click “Canine Good Citizen” link the third item down on the left navigation bar.
Choose the tag you wish to purchase and click the “add to cart” button.
For some reason it took me a little while to see the “Personalize Tag” link (click this link to personalize the tag). I highlighted it in the image below.
Add your personal information and click the “Save Tag Information” button.
Click the “Proceed to Final Secure Invoice” button.
Fill out your contact and payment information and click “Confirm Entered Information“.
Record your order number for your records.

I ordered Stetson the White tag…Why? because he already has a blue and a stainless colored tag. The ePetTags.com website is very easy to use and navigate, but if you have any questions please feel free to contact me in the comments area.

Here are a couple other articles about Stetson and his journey to Canine Good Citizenship:

Dog Training – AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program
Stetson Took The Canine Good Citizen Test And He…

Has your dog passed the Canine Good Citizen Test? Did you get him tags and a certificate?

Stetson Took The Canine Good Citizen Test And He…

February 6, 2008 By Colby 2 Comments

Not too long ago I mentioned that Stetson was going to start training towards his Canine Good Citizens test. If you haven’t read my article that goes over all 10 tests in the AKC’s Canine Good Citizens Program then click on the CGC link. Here’s a short breakdown of the 10 tests and how Stetson did on each one. The cost of the CGC Test is normally $11, but we got to take the test for $5 because our evaluator didn’t have the CGC tags for our dogs.

AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Program – as completed by Stetson

Test 1 – Accepting a friendly stranger
- He did great during this part of the test.
Test 2 – Sitting politely for petting
- He seemed a bit distracted when our evaluator was petting him. He usually gets at least mildy excited when getting petted, but did great during the test and just sat in position.
Test 3 – Appearance and grooming
- Stetson’s always been pretty good during grooming. We brought his brush and she brushed a couple strokes, looked in his ears, then checked both his paws. Stetson was in a sit position most of the time and then popped up when she picked up his second paw, but kept position.
Test 4 – Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
- During the walk you have to make a left and right turn, at least two stops, and an about face. This is where I was almost sure we would fail because Stetson saw a moth slowly fly by his face and was tracking it while we walked. I was almost positive he was going to pull towards the bug. I told him to “leave it” a couple times and eventually he lost track of it. Besides the bug he did great!
Test 5 – Walking through a crowd
- This one was pretty easy we just navigated through a three or four people walking around. Stetson barely noticed.
Test 6 – Sit and down on command and Staying in place
- Stetson did his sit and down perfectly…much better than he often does in class. He’s always been pretty good with stay and remained in place while I walked out 20 feet and then returned to him.
Test 7 – Coming when called
- When we were training for the test a couple times Stetson came then sprinted right past me. I made sure I caught him when he came at me. Sometimes he seems like he doesn’t know where his head is and plows it straight into your knees.
Test 8 – Reacting to another dog
- This was the one thing we worked on the most. We worked on this part with 4 other dogs (thanks Charlie, Benny, Dustin, and Linus) leading up to the test. I’m happy to say all Stetson did was stick his nose out towards the other dog (Clover a Chocolate Lab) then retracted when I said “leave it”
Test 9 – Reaction to distraction
- Our evaluator had a bag full of dog training equipment and through it on the ground several feet from Stetson and also dragged her roller cabinet nearby Stetson. He wasn’t scared just mildy interested in the things going on around him.
Test 10 – Supervised Separation
- Another puppy raiser watched Stetson and said he was just fine for 4 1/2 minutes. He only had to stay in place for 3 minutes.

Where Did I Think He Went Wrong

The only areas I thought he might have had problems was when he was sniffing at Clover and when he was walking and tracking the moth with his eyes. The leash may have tightened a tiny bit during his walk, but I was pretty confident he was doing fine.

The Results Are In

STETSON PASSED HIS TEST!

We need to send in his paperwork along with $5 and the AKC will send us his certificate of completion.

Congratulations to Dustin!

DUSTIN ALSO PASSED HIS CGC TEST!

Great job Dustin! I’m sure you’ll do great when you move on to your formal training in Sylmar on February 16th 2008. We’ll see you next week at class.

Dustin already wrote about his experience on his blog. The only time I got worried for Dustin was on come when called…he nearly detoured towards Clover, but Anne got Dustin to straighten out and he reached her successfully. Take a look at Dustin’s blog.

My Hints For the CGC Test

Go over all of 10 tests and make sure your dog is prepared for each one.
As the handler be confident and relax. Your dog will notice if you’re tense.
Review everything several times the day of the test.
Make sure your dog gets ample exercise the day of the test before he/she is tested.
Arrive early to get your dog used to the environment and the smells at the test site.
We met up with another dog, Dustin and his handler Anne to review all parts of the CGC exam about an hour before test time.

That’s about it. If you’re dog is taking the CGC test anytime soon and you have questions please email me or leave a comment.
Thanks to everyone who helped us prepare Stetson for his CGC training including Ramona, Dustin, Anne, Jim, Virginia, Julia, Bennie, My Mom, Linus, Erin, Charlie, and the Loara freshman basketball team. We couldn’t have done it without your help.

What do you think? Are you ready to pass your Canine Good Citizen Exam?

Filed Under: Dog Training Tips Tagged With: Canine Good Citizen, Guide Dog Training, Puppy

Dog Training – AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program

January 14, 2008 By Colby 9 Comments

Last week at our GDA meeting I was told that we would have the opportunity to certify our dogs in the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen Program. I have heard of this certification before and I know that many dog owners use the Canine Good Citizen training and testing as a prerequisite to therapy dog certification.

I’m very interested in getting Stetson the best training possible in preparation for his duties as a Guide Dog and the Canine Good Citizen Certification would look great on his resume. And if Stetson did not make it as a Guide Dog then I would definitely do my best to certify him as a therapy dog.

AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program

There are 10 test items in the CGC Program. Here’s the list:

Test 1 – Accepting a friendly stranger
- In this test Stetson has to remain in position while the handler (me) meets a friendly stranger. Stetson is pretty good at this and doesn’t usually break position when I meet a stranger.
Test 2 – Sitting politely for petting
- Stetson needs a little bit of work in this area. He doesn’t always stay seated when he is petted…something we’ve been working on, but as far as I can tell he may not have to remain seated for the test.
Test 3 – Appearance and grooming
- I groom Stetson quite frequently including bathing, brushing, brushing teeth, cleaning ears, and cutting nails. He should be fine on this test.
Test 4 – Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)
- Stetson is pretty good on walks. He usually keeps a loose lead. He should be fine on this test.
Test 5 – Walking through a crowd
- Stetson is not bothered by walking through a crowd. He should be fine on this test.
Test 6 – Sit and down on command and Staying in place
- Sit, down, and staying in place is one thing we are constantly working on. Stetson should be fine on this test.
Test 7 – Coming when called
- Stetson loves coming when called. He shouldn’t have a problem on this test. My only worry is how hard he’s going to hit his head into my shins.
Test 8 – Reacting to another dog
- This is the big one. We really need to work on his reactions to another dog. Basically the handler (me) and Stetson will meet the evaluator and a dog. Stetson must remain calm and show no more than casual interest in the other dog. My Mom, Stetson, Linus and I practiced this yesterday and Stetson did great, but he sees Linus everyday. I need to work on this with dogs Stetson does not already know.
Test 9 – Reaction to distraction
- For the most part Stetson is not bothered much by distractions. He should be fine on this part of the test.
Test 10 – Supervised Separation
- Stetson is fine when he’s separated from me. I often think he will not even care when he leaves for his formal guide dog training. He just seems to have fun wherever he goes. He’ll be fine during supervised separation.

Why Doesn’t Linus Get Tested For CGC

Linus is an awesome dog, but there are just some tests I’m pretty sure he’d never be able to pass in the Canine Good Citizens Program. Actually he is much better than Stetson on several of these tests. However, I don’t think he’d ever be able to pass Test 9 – Reaction to distraction. Linus is a bit timid and gets frightened easily by distractions. The examples listed on the AKC website are dropping a chair, rolling a crate dolly past the dog, having a jogger run in front of the dog, or dropping a crutch or cane. Linus shies away from these things which is a negative reaction and would most likely not pass this portion of the exam.

I have about a month to prepare Stetson and will find out most of the details on the test this Tuesday.

I’m looking for people with well behaved dogs to work on Test 8 – Reacting to another dog. If you have a well behaved dog and would like to work on this portion of the test with me then please contact me in the comments section of this article. By the way, I’m located in Orange County, CA.

For more information on the Canine Good Citizen Program visit the AKC website.

Are you interested in getting your dog CGC certified? Have you completed this program? I’d love to hear what you have to say especially if you are interested in or have already completed the Canine Good Citizen Program.

Filed Under: Dog Training Tips Tagged With: Canine Good Citizen, Dog, Dog Training, Puppy, Puppy Training