The Canine Good Citizen Test

The Canine Good Citizen Test The American Kennel Club (AKC) has developed a test with corresponding certificate to demonstrate that your dog has good manners and self-control, as well as proving his/her owner has the skills keep their dog a canine good citizen. Many people confuse the CGC test as the proof that their dog is a service dog. That is not true. The CGC certification is a subset of service dog status. Meaning, the pup must have all the skills denoted in the CGC certification but that’s not all. A Bonafide service dog has to also be trained to perform specific tasks that help their owner, who must in turn have a government acknowledged disability. We have other blogs related to service dog requirements, but this blog is specific to the CGC certification.

There are 10 parts to the CGC test:

Your dog should be able to:

1. Remain calm while a stranger approaches and stops to talk to you
2. Remain calm while a stranger pets your dog
3. Accept being handled in a manner similar to the way a groomer or veterinarian would handle for grooming or an exam
4. Walk on a loose leash without pulling or lunging
5. Remain calm and walk on a loose leash through a crowd
6. Respond to the sit, down, and stay commands
7. Come when called
8. Remain calm as another dog and handler approach
9. Remain calm when distractions such as loud noises are presented
10. Remain calm while you hand its leash to someone else and walk away

You are allowed to pet and talk to your dog during the test, but you can’t use food rewards or toys to encourage it. Any dog that has a housetraining accident, barks, growls, or snaps during the test automatically fails.

Regarding #1 above, this test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach it and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday situation. The Evaluator walks up to the dog and handler and greets the handler in a friendly manner, ignoring the dog. The test begins with the dog seated at the handler’s side. The Evaluator and handler shake hands and exchange pleasantries (e.g., “Hello, it’s good to see you again,” as they shake hands). The dog may not jump on or rush to the Evaluator to initiate contact. The dog may not lunge forward to greet the Evaluator. The dog should be under control throughout the exercise. If the handler must use excessive corrections (e.g., trying to hold the dog to prevent jumping) to control the dog, the dog should not pass the exercise.

Regarding test #2, this test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is out with its handler. With the dog sitting at the handler’s side, (either side is permissible) to begin the test, the Evaluator approaches and asks, “May I pet your dog?” The Evaluator then pets the dog on the head and body. The handler may talk to his or her dog throughout the exercise. The dog must show no signs of shyness or resentment. As the Evaluator begins to pet the dog, the dog may stand to receive petting. The dog may move slightly forward to receive petting, but should not lunge at the Evaluator or rush or jump forward. The dog may appear to be happy about the contact with the Evaluator and may have some body movements. The dog should appear to be under control throughout the exercise.

For test #3, this practical test demonstrates that the dog will welcome being groomed and examined and will permit a stranger, such as a veterinarian, groomer, or friend of the owner, to do so. This test also demonstrates the owner’s care, concern and sense of responsibility.

Regarding test #4, it demonstrates that the handler is in control of the dog. The dog may be on either side of the handler, whichever the handler prefers. (NOTE: The left side position is required in all AKC obedience competitions). The Evaluator may use a preplanned course or may direct the handler by calling out instructions (e.g., “right turn”). Whichever format is used, there must be a right turn, left turn, and about turn, with at least one stop in between and one at the end. The handler may talk to the dog throughout the “walk” to encourage it and may give praise. The handler may also give the dog a command to sit at the stop, if desired. The dog’s position should leave no doubt that the dog is attentive to the handler and is responding to the handler’s movements and changes of direction. The dog need not be perfectly aligned with the handler and need not sit at the stops. The dog should not be constantly straining at the leash so that the leash is pulled tight. The Evaluator may instruct the handler to loosen (put more slack in) the leash. An occasional tight leash may be permitted. Excessive sniffing of the floor or ground, such that the dog will not walk along with the owner, should result in the dog not passing the test. If the dog is totally inattentive to the handler (e.g., does not change directions), it should not be passed.

For test #5, This test demonstrates that the dog can move about politely in pedestrian traffic and is under control in public places. The dog and handler walk around and pass close to several (at least three) people. The Evaluator can be counted as one of the three people in the crowd. Children may act as members of the crowd, however, when children participate in the test, they must be instructed on their role and be supervised by an adult. Some of the members of the crowd may be standing still; however, some crowd members should be moving about. This test simulates settings such as busy sidewalks or walking through a crowd at a dog show or public event. The dog may show mild interest in members of the crowd. The dog may sniff a person in the crowd briefly but must move on promptly. The dog may not jump on people in the crowd or attempt to go to them. The dog should not be straining at the leash. The dog should not be trying to hide behind the handler

Test #6 demonstrates that the dog has training and will respond to the handler’s commands to sit and down, and will remain in the place commanded by the handler. The dog needs to 1) sit on command 2) and down on command 3) then, stay in a sit or down. For the Stay in Place test, the handler may choose to leave the dog in a sit or down position. So, it looks like this: “Show me your dog can sit on command. Great! Now show me your dog will go down on command. Great! Now it’s time for the Stay—you choose the position, sit or down, leave your dog and walk out to the end of this line.” Prior to this test, the dog’s leash is removed and replaced with a 20-ft. line (or a 15-ft. line attached to the dog’s leash). The handler may take a reasonable amount of time and use more than one command to make the dog sit and then down. The handler may not use excessive force to put the dog into either position, but may touch the dog to offer gentle guidance. When instructed by the Evaluator, the handler tells the dog to stay and walks to the end of the 20-ft. line, turns and returns immediately to the dog at a normal pace, at which time the Evaluator instructs the handler to release the dog. The dog must remain in the place it was left (it may change position such as stand up) until the Evaluator instructs the handler to release the dog.

Test #7 demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the handler. With the dog still on the 20-ft. line from Item 6, the handler will walk 10 feet from the dog, turn to face the dog, and will call the dog. The handler may use body language and encouragement when calling the dog. Handlers may tell the dog to “stay” or “wait” (or another similar command) or they may simply walk away. The dog may be left in the sit, down, or standing position. This exercise does not test “stay”; this exercise tests whether or not the dog will come when called. The test is complete when the dog comes to the handler and the handler attaches the dog’s own leash. Dogs who attempt to follow the handler may pass the test. The Evaluator should distract the dog. The test begins when the handler calls the dog. The handler can bend down to call the dog, pat his or her legs, and make encouraging sounds. Handlers may call the dog more than once (two or three attempts) but if many, repeated prompts are required, the dog should not be passed. Dogs should not be passed if handlers have used the long line to “reel in” the dog. Dogs should come on their own when called. The Evaluator who sees that a handler is starting to reel the dog in may stop the exercise, give instructions to the handler, and start over.

Test #8 demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 15 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, and continue on. The dog should show no more than a casual interest in the distraction dog. If the dog attempts to go to or jump on the distraction dog, it should not pass the test. The dog may move slightly toward the other dog/handler, then stop. The dog must stay back from the other dog/handler. The dog can stretch its neck and sniff without moving forward to the other dog/handler. When the handlers stop to shake hands, the dog does not have to sit. It can remain standing beside the handler. If the dog remains standing, it should not cross over in front of the handler to go to the other dog. The conversation between the handlers can be brief, “Hi, good to see you again. Give me a call sometime.” As the handler leaves, if the dog turns around and begins pulling as if to follow the other dog/ handler, the dog should not pass the test. If the distraction dog causes a disruption, the dog can be tested again with a more appropriate distraction dog. The distraction dog should have been observed or evaluated before the test to ensure that it is reliable.

Test #9 demonstrates that the dog is confident at all times when faced with common distracting situations. The Evaluator will select two distracters from among the following:
A person using crutches, a wheelchair, or a walker (5 ft. away).
A sudden opening or closing of a door.
Dropping a pan, folded chair, etc. no closer than 5 ft. from the dog.
A jogger running in front of the dog.
A person pushing a cart or crate dolly passing no closer than 5 ft. away.
A person on a bike no closer than 10 ft. away.
The dog may show casual interest and may appear slightly startled. The dog may jump slightly but should not panic and pull at the leash to get away. The dog may attempt to walk forward slightly to investigate the distracter. Dogs who become so frightened that they urinate (or defecate) should not pass. Dogs who growl or lunge at the distracter should not pass. An isolated (one) bark is acceptable. Dogs who continue to bark at the distracter should not pass. Handlers may talk to dogs and give encouragement and praise throughout the test. Dogs may be given instructions by the handler (“Sit…good boy..watch me…”)

The last test demonstrates that a dog can be left in the presence of a trusted person and will maintain its training and good manners. Evaluators are encouraged to say something like, “Would you like for me to watch your dog?” An Evaluator will hold the leash of the dog while the owner goes out of sight for 3 minutes. Evaluators may talk to and pet the dog but should refrain from giving the dog excessive attention, playing with the dog, etc. The dog does not have to stay in position. If the dog continually barks, whines, or howls, it should not be passed. The dog should not pace unnecessarily, should not show signs of agitation. A dog that simply walks back and forth and looks for the handler is passed. There should be no signs of extreme stress, including panting, breathing hard, etc. If a dog begins to look very upset or distressed (barking, whining, panting, pacing, pulling), the test should be terminated. The CGC test is an activity that should be fun.

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