Violet practicing the LONG DOWN covered in last night’s class
The American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Program (CGC) was started in 1989 for the purpose of teaching responsible dog ownership to owners and providing basic training and good manners to dogs. For people who are thinking of doing therapy dog work, a CGC Class is a great place to start. The AKC rewards all dogs who pass the CGC Test with a certificate from the American Kennel Club.
The CGC Class will cover all skills and commands which make up the 10-item CGC Test. Items in the test are: 1) Accept a Friendly Stranger, 2) Sit Politely for Petting, 3) Appearance and Grooming, 4) Walking on a Loose Leash, 5) Walk Through a Crowd 6), Sit and Down on Command/Staying in Place 7), Come When Called, 8) Reaction to Another Dog, 9) Reactions to Distractions and 10) Supervised Separation.
Besides being a friendly, outgoing dog that feels at ease meeting new people and going into strange places, it is imperative that a Therapy Dog be able to perform all the commands that are covered in the CGC Class. Those who have done extensive training with their dogs may be able to by-pass the class and go straight to signing up to take the test. I did this with three of my therapy dogs and they did fine. Violet is young and training is part of building our relationship. She and I have fun going to class together. It just depends on what level your dog is at and what’s best for you and your dog… For more details about the AKC CGC Program, visit the American Kennel Club website.
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