CANINE GOOD CITIZEN
AKC CERTIFIED GOOD MANNERS
CGC exercises emphasize leash manners, polite greetings, and good manners in public situations while reducing your dog’s reliance on the presence of treats. The CGC program is an excellent preparation for continued work in therapy and service dog roles.
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN ONE
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN TWO
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN: Community Canine
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN: Urban
Prerequisites: Puppy 3, Manners 2, Advanced Skills, or instructor permission.
Not sure you qualify? Schedule an in-person assessment or email the instructor for permission.
Instructors:
Heather Archer, CPDT-KA, heather@trailreadydog.com
Ali Peace, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, ali@kinshipdogs.com
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Learn what to bring with you and about our cancellation, vaccination, and other policies!
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN ONE
The Canine Good Citizen 1 (CGC 1) class introduces you and your dog to the 10 test items of the American Kennel Club’s CGC test, helping you prepare for certification. Skills covered include polite behavior with strangers, grooming acceptance, loose-leash walking, staying on command, recall, calm reactions to other dogs and distractions, and handling short separations.
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN TWO
CGC 2 class, dog/handler teams will polish their skills in each of the ten test items introduced in CGC 1, and reduce the dog’s reliance on treats. At the last week of class, each team will have the opportunity to take the test to earn the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title. Canine Good Citizen is a requirement of most animal assisted therapy programs, and a CGC title is required prior to earning the more advanced CGC titles: AKC Community Canine (CGCA) and AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen (CGCU).
CAnine Good Citizen: community canine
The AKC Community Canine (CGCA) class is the advanced level of the Canine Good Citizen program, preparing dogs to take the CGCA test and earn the title. The test includes real-world skills such as staying calmly while the owner completes tasks, walking on a loose leash through crowds and around distractions (including other dogs), sitting-staying in a group, allowing friendly strangers to approach, ignoring food when told to “leave it,” staying at a distance while the owner walks away, coming when called with distractions, and waiting calmly at doorways until called through.
Prerequisite: CGC2, Previously earned CGC title, or Instructor permission. Click the button near the top of the page to schedule an assessment, or Email the instructor with your CGC title and training history.
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN: URBAN
The AKC Urban CGC (CGCU) class is an advanced-level course that prepares dogs to earn the Urban Canine Good Citizen title by demonstrating CGC skills in a busy city or town environment. The test includes 10 items focused on real-world urban situations, such as walking calmly through crowds and traffic, reacting appropriately to city distractions (noises, moving objects, varied surfaces), ignoring food on sidewalks, entering/exiting buildings and elevators under control, behaving politely when approached, being housetrained for city living, and handling transportation (car or public transit) calmly and safely.
Prerequisite: CGC2, Previously earned CGC title, or Instructor permission. Click the button near the top of the page to schedule an assessment, or Email the instructor with your CGC title and training history.