Canine Good Citizen (CGC)/Canine Good Neighbour (CGN)

In the U.S.:

• Canine Good Citizen (CGC) — American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen

In Canada:

• Canadian Kennel Club Canine Good Neighbour Program (CGN)
• CCGCT — Canadian Canine Good Citizen Test^TM — Responsible Dog Owners of Canada has announced that it has taken legal ownership of the Canadian Canine Good Citizen TestT (CCGCTT) and is working to re-introduce the program across Canada.

These are certification programs that test dogs that have the training and demeanor to be reliable family members as well as good-standing community members. The testing takes place in a busy public area, such as a shopping mall. Testing includes the following:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger — The owner of the dog shakes hands with a friendly stranger.
2. Patiently sitting for petting — A test for shyness and resentment.
3. Appearance & grooming — The owner’s care and sense of responsiblity is seen in how his dog is kept.
4. Out for a walk — Illustrating handler’s control of the dog.
5. Walking through a crowd — Demonstrating how the dog moves in a crowd without unduly distress and under his owner’s control.
6. Commands — Sit, Down, Stay, Come. Illustrating that the dog has been trained and responds well.
7. Praise/interactions — Illustrating the relationship between dog and owner.
8. Reaction to passing dogs — Demonstrates if the dog behaves politely around other dogs.
9. Distractions — Demonstrates the dog’s confidence when faced with common distractions.
10. Supervised isolation — Demonstrates whether the dog can be left with someone other than his usual handler and still maintain training and good manners.

Any dog that jumps up on a person, lunges at another dog or displays unruly behaviour is automatically disqualified.

Note: CGC is a requirement for most therapy-dog programs.

For more information, visit the following websites:

• Canadian Kennel Club
• Responsible Dog Owners of Canada
• American Kennel Club