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Part of being a responsible dog owner is making sure that your dog is well mannered. That can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people, so the American Kennel Club came up with a program to standardize it. The Canine Good Citizen test is a way of showing that your dog has met the minimum standard for a dog being well behaved in public.

Some people take the test because their trainer recommended it. Others take it because they wanted a certificate. Here are 5 other reasons why you should consider taking the CGC test with your dog.

1. Goal Setting

The journey to a trained dog can be a long road, and it is good to have checkpoints along the way. The CGC has to be taken without toys, treats, or training collars. This makes it a great way to measure how good you have done fading tools out.

The test items are diverse to test all aspects of training. If your dog has issues with separation anxiety, passing the Supervised Separation item is a big deal. Having that item as a clear goal can help you have something to aim for.

Not every dog passes the test the first time they try. You may find that your dog misses an item or two. Instead of looking at this as a failure, try to look it as information. If your dog makes mistakes in the heeling items, that tells you what you need to work on next.

2. A Stepping Stone to Bigger Things

The Canine Good Citizen test is the simplest obedience test offered by the AKC. Passing the test is a good goal to reach for, but there are other things out there. Performance and working events are great fun for dogs, and are options once your dog knows the basics.

Rally and obedience are activities offered by the AKC that build upon the skills already covered in the CGC. Sports like agility and flyball are high energy, and often high distraction. Having a dog that knows how to navigate crowds is a great asset in these sports.

The sport of Mondioring in the United States uses the CGC as one of their temperament tests. A dog must past a temperament test before they can compete. This ensures that the dog’s on the field are safe to be around.

The CGC is also a good starting point for new handlers. You might find it intimidating to stand in front of a judge with your dog. Doing it in a lower pressure environment with the CGC can help you gain confidence before trying other sports.

3. Better Insurance Rates and Housing Options

Finding housing with a dog can be a struggle. You may have a hard time finding a place to rent, getting homeowner’s insurance, or even living in certain areas altogether. One way that you can improve your odds is to have your dog pass the Canine Good Citizen test.

Many landlords don’t like to rent to people with dogs, especially large breeds. There are risks to them in terms of damage to property and liability. When your dog passes the CGC, you get a certificate that you can show to your landlord as proof that your dog is well mannered and trained.

Some insurance companies are catching on to how great this test is. Some companies will raise your rates drastically with a dog, or even deny you based on the type of dog you have. The Canine Good Citizen test can be used to keep your rates reasonable.

4. Keeping Your Standards High

Training your dog isn’t something that you ever really finish. After your dog learns a command, it needs to be tested around distractions, and then you have to maintain it. It can be easy to let old behaviors start to creep back into the picture in the years following a training program.

If you make the decision to take the CGC test every year or two, you have a standard to maintain. It is much easier to keep things going strong than to have to fix issues before the test. Staying invested in the long term will have big benefits for both you and your dog.

5. Setting A Good Example

Dog behaviors issues are on the rise. We get more and more phone calls from people who are struggling with issues that are a big nuisance, or worse. By taking the Canine Good Citizen test, you set your dog up as an example for what other pet owners should strive for.

The test is well known amongst dog trainers, but not with the general public. Increasing awareness of the test also increases awareness of the importance of training. The more people who make that extra effort with their dog, the better off the whole community is.

Invite your friends to come watch your dog take the test. Order one of the cute CGC bandanas from the AKC so that your dog can show off. If you are talking to someone about your pet, educate them on the importance of good behavior. More community awareness will make the world a better place for our dogs. After all, a trained dog is a happy dog!

Learn More!

If you are interested in learning more about the test and where to take it, you can go to the AKC Canine Good Citizen website to find the test items, evaluators near you, and information on the advanced versions of the test.

Head Trainer Sam Adams is a CGC evaluator. Contact us if you would like to take this test in the Lexington/Louisville area.

A good game of tug can be a great reward for toy driven dogs. Shepherds, working breeds, and terriers typically love tugging, but I’ve even had a shih tzu that enjoyed tug rewards.

One of the most common issues that I see with clients who use tugs as a reward is that their dog has bad compression. What this means is that the dog doesn’t bite down very hard on the tug toy. The toy may slip out of the dog’s mouth, they may munch on it, or they may only hold the toy with their very front teeth.

Using a leather tug or bite pillow encourages your dog to bite down harder.

If a dog bites incorrectly on a linen or jute tug, they can often still hang on because their teeth get hooked in the material. This prevents them from learning how to bite correctly. One of the best ways that I have found to avoid this is to use a toy with leather material.

In particular, I like the leather bite pillow that For Dog Trainers sells. I’ve used it with several of my personal dogs as well as working dog clients, and it really encourages a harder, fuller bite on the toy.

If the dog doesn’t bite down hard enough, the toy will slip out of their mouth. This builds frustration, and they learn that they have to bite more fully in order to keep their prize.

You can also play with your dog while an assistant handler holds them back on a harness. Back pressure also builds frustration and motivation to get the toy, and it makes it easier for you to keep tension on the toy at all times. If you have never done harness work like this, check out davekroyer.com for video on how to be a “post”. This is a very important skill to learn for this type of work.

To reiterate, this isn’t formal protection work, just you playing tug with your dog. Another toy that you can utilize to work on this is a leather bite rag. This is a great option for dogs who love to chase things, as you can put the rag onto a flirt pole or line. Making movement with the rag encourages the same drive and frustration as the back pressure would.

Rag available here.

Here is an example of a Frenchie who needed an outlet for his energy. He loved playing tug and biting the leather rag, and it was a great way for his owner to exercise him.

These are just a few of the ways to improve your dog’s tug game.

If you have any questions about these toys and how to use them, contact us or find a training club in your area.

Largest Dog Show in the United States

Formerly sponsered by Eukanuba, the newly christened Royal Canin AKC National Championship was held this year on December 17-18 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. This show is the largest in the United States, with more than 3,500 dogs competing at the championship and the pre-shows. Most of the dogs entered are competing in conformation, an event where each dog is judged accoridng to how closely they match the breed standard. The national breed club for each breed creates this standard, and judges must know it very closely to be able to discern the smallest of differences between dogs competing in a class. One of the unique aspects to the event at the National Championship is that the year end event for the National Owner-Handled Series is on the agenda. This competition is reserved for people who are handling a dog that they own, thus hopefully preventing any bias toward professional handlers.

​Agility is another event that goes on at this show. Agility is a timed obstacle course, in which the dog is not permitted to knock over bars, refuse to take an obstacle, or go over the time limit without incurring penalty points, or faults. The agility event at the AKC National Championship is unique because it features a huge variety of breeds. Only the top 5 dogs in each breed are invited to compete at the AKC Agility Invitational, so you may see some breeds there that you seldom see at a local trial. The winners of the finals this year were very diverse: Portugese Pondengo Pequeno (8″), Pembroke Welsh Corgi (12″), Shetland Sheepdog (16″), Brittany spaniel (20″), and a Belgian Sheepdog (24″).

Obedience is one of the longest running parts of this event, although the competition format has changed in recent years. During competition obedience, a dog and handler must demonstrate high levels of precision and accuracy throughout a series of obedience excercises. Some of these include scent discrimination (finding an item with the handler’s scent) and a signal excercise (the handler must use only hand signals to communicate to the dog). Dogs can qualify for Novice, Open, and Utility by obtaining 3 qualifying scores at their level during the year. In order to qualify for Masters, the best of the best, a dog must also demonstrate that they can play in the big leagues by having scores above 193 out of a possible 200.

Dock Diving is a relatively new addition to the National Championship line-up. The dock diving event is organized by the North America Diving Dogs, an organization that has partnered with the AKC to make dock diving titles recognized on AKC pedigrees. The iconic event in dock diving are the distance jumps, where the dogs run off the dock after their toy, and the longest jump wins the division. Another event in NADD is vertical, where the dogs jump straigt up off the dock to snag a bumper that is suspended as high at 7 feet off the dock. The final event is air retrieve, where the bumper is instead suspended out over the water in the pool, and the dogs have to leap off and snag the bumper before they hit the water. No matter which event is going on, dock diving is always a crowd favorite.

Meet the Breeds is a very popular event for the general public as well as more hard core dog people. Breed clubs will set up booths for their indivudual breeds, decorate them to demonstrate the dog’s heritage, and they will have representatives of their breed there for people to meet and interact with. If you are considering a new puppy, this is a fantastic way to meet a variety of breeds and talk to their breeders and owners.

Shopping is a huge allure for many of the national championship show patrons. There are vendors at the show for just about every dog item imaginable. Some of my favorite vendors are MAX 200, a company that makes fantastic agility and obedience equipment, and Primo Pads, a company that makes the kind of dog beds that I use in all of the crates for both my personal dogs and the training dogs. Other vendors include photographers, dog themed clothing, dog treats, grooming supplies, and custom crates.

Health in purebred dogs is something that has been the subject of much debate, derision, and criticism.  The AKC and breeders everywhere are becoming increasingly comitted to the health of purebred dogs, and a big part of this is making sure that dogs are screened for genetic issues before they are bred, to avoid passing problems to the next generation. Seminars were given at the show on topics such as nutrition and neonatology, and the Canine Health Foundation was in attendance providing education to breeders as well as pet owners. 

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Me and My Crew

I was very excited to attend one of the pre-shows on Friday, and then to come back again on Saturday for one of the national championship days. It’s one of the few shows a year that people will travel from all corners of the country to attend, so I was able to spend time with some friends that I only see on rare occasion, if ever. Modoc and Wild both got to attend, and the environment at this show is nearly impossible to replicate in terms of the sheer number of distractions and proofing opportunities.

Even getting to the convention center was exciting, with Modoc getting a golf cart ride and Wild getting his first bus ride. Both dogs would certainly have preferred to be competing in agility rather than watching on the sidelines, and hopefully we will qualify to go sometime down the road. Due to the sheer size of the event, it’s unlikely that the National Championship will change venue anytime soon. Orlando is a nice place to be in December, and this will likely become an annual event for us in conjunction with a trip North for the Crown Classic in Cleveland.

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Food rewards are some of the most useful training rewards in a trainer’s toolbox. They are highly motivating, allow for many repetitions, and it’s easy to adjust reward value through type and volume. There are several factors that you should consider when selecting the right type of food to use for training, and making the correct choice can  mean that you can train behaviors quicker and increase the quality of performance for existing behaviors. 

Using Your Dog’s Meals

With young puppies, I almost exclusively use their kibble for all training treats. There are several reasons for this, one of which is simply increasing bonding time with your puppy. When all of his meals come from you and activities with you, it helps build a very strong bond with your new addition, rather than a relationship with a food bowl. Using kibble for training also means that you can be in complete control of nutrition and calories, which can be difficult when you are also using high calorie treats during training sessions. Kibble rewards are also excellent for building and maintaining food drive. On the overall scale of food value, kibble is not a high value reward at all. When your puppy learns from a young age that kibble is a fun reward, you have the whole remainder of the scale to use for jackpots and higher level rewards. Many people get caught in the trap of only using high level treats like hot dogs and commercial training treats, and their puppy may be disinterested in any lower level food rewards.
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Hopper working on engagement for his kibble during a private lesson.

Now that’s not to say that higher level food rewards don’t have a place in the toolbox. I use them frequently with dogs that are learning to work with me for the first time, dogs that need a bit more drive for the behavior we are working on, or with dogs that are working through things in new and stimulating environments. One of the easiest types of food to use are food rolls, like those made by Red Barn and Natural Balance. These are complete foods, so you have the same benefit that kibble brings where you do not need to worry about your dog getting extra calories or having an unbalanced diet. One of the downsides to this type of food is that it can get expensive, and you will have to take the time to cut it up. Different brands vary in their ease of use. Natural Balance crumbles quite a bit, Red Barn tends to hold together better, and Happy Howie’s, although the most expensive option, holds together very well. 

Commercial Training Treats

Other commercial types of treats can be useful as well, though this is often the most expensive route to go. Some of my preferred brands are Bil Jac, Zukes, and Pet Botanics, because they are easy for dogs to chew and are already the correct size for a training treat. There are so many different products on the market, and you may find a brand that works perfectly for you and your dog. Things to look for are small size, easy to chew, and of course making sure that your dog finds the treats motivating. There are options for those who want to use all-natural treats, options for dogs with food allergies, and options for dogs who cannot eat too many extra calories. Commercial treats can also be a good route to go if you have your dog on a raw diet. Obviously feeding a raw or other type of homemade diet will not allow you to use your dog’s kibble ration as a training reward. There are, however, several different kinds of freeze dried raw foods that are available. 

Grocery Store Options

​Various kinds of “people food” can also work as training rewards. A popular choice with lots of trainers are hot dogs, because they are cheap, tasty, and easy to cut into appropriately sized pieces. This is also a controversial treat to use, because they are fatty and full of sodium. If you decide to use hot dogs as a training reward, try looking into low sodium options, or lower fat chicken and turkey hot dogs. String cheese is another popular option, and the same low fat selection applies. Baked chicken is a choice that is very healthy for your dog in addition to being tasty, although it does tend to crumble. Another more unique option is one that I picked up from some AKC obedience trainers: cheese puffs. You can buy them in large containers, and they work really well for exercises where your dog is chasing a thrown treat. They show up easily on most floors, and roll when thrown. Another interesting aspect to this treat is that they are mostly air, so you can do multiple repetitions without your dog getting full. Not the healthiest of treats, but it has some unique qualities.

Even if you find a type of reward that works for your dog in training, you may have to mix it up for time to time. My dog Wild is getting several different kinds of food rewards right now. We are working on building his motivation for tracking, and I want him to get high value food rewards when he is tracking. Because he has done most of his past training for his kibble, he finds Red Barn to be highly motivating. I would ideally have something even more valuable than that, but he is eating so much of the food that I want it to be a balanced diet. Simultaneously I am working on building duration places with another dog. I do not need or want a dog to be in a high drive state for that kind of behavior, so he gets rewarded with his kibble. When I am working on snappy position changes with the same dog, he sometimes gets hot dog jackpots to keep his motivation level higher.