CGC Stumbling Block: Left with a Stranger

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackdoodle and I have been working together, with no trainer and no set program, towards getting his CGC. I really think he could pass every requirement at this point except one: He will not hold a stay if I am out of his sight.

Now, he goes in back without me at the vet's office every other week at a minimum, and if he knows the person who's taking him, he does so quite willingly, but he's on leash and really has no choice either way. And he's moving, not staying.

But when put in a sit-stay or down-stay off-leash, he will get up immediately if he cannot see me. The funny thing is that when we're at home, he is usually not even in the same room with me, and also likes to lie on the patio out back when I am in the house and out of his sight.

I am sure that I could leave him with a stranger holding his leash, but he probably wouldn't remain seated or lying down if he couldn't see me, and he definitely would try to follow me if he could.

I know there are really no quick fixes in training, but does anyone have any suggestions? What I'd really like, of course, is to be told that he can be on-leash for that part of the test.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, if all he has to do is stand there calmly on leash with someone, he can do that. He might even sit or lie down voluntarily. He would never cry or whine, and there is no possibility at all of his eliminating, lol.

[Jeanne, Tura and Dolly]

I would try the sit stay around the house, getting farther away all the time. Will he stay when you are in another part of the house?
If he knows you are going to come back, perhaps he will not break the stay.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I know I do need to work harder on this; when I put him in a stay and go into another room, he gets up almost immediately. It's when he's focused on me that this happens. If he's just lying in a room voluntarily, and I leave it, he rarely follows me.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Karen, he will actually be on leash during this part of the test.  I also found that the evaluators (that he would stay with while you leave the room) are usually great about keeping the dog distracted while you're gone.  This was an issue with Guinness who whined when I left the room.  We practiced a lot to get him comfortable with that.  Solicit the help of anyone visiting.  Put him on a leash and have them stay with him while you leave the room for three minutes.  Again, they can talk to him to make him comfortable and he can even move around.  JD can do it....

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If that's the case, yes, he can definitely do it. He stayed with Leslie the other day when I went into another part of the house, even without a leash.

[Leslie and Halas]

He was busy giving me kisses.  Can he give the evaluator kisses?

[Clifford, Cloud, Jake..and Kim]

No doubt in my mind JD can do this - like others have already said, he does not have to maintain a sit or down position.  Very little of the test is done off-leash.  The only trouble I had when practicing with Cloud is if he could hear me talking outside of the room he was in with the instructor, then he wanted to get to me but if I was quiet he was fine.  I was a lot more nervous than the boys were!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Indoors, JD is fine off leash; I can walk around the pet supply store with him off-leash.

I'm also assuming that the strange dog they meet is one the instructor knows to be appropriately behaved with other dogs. Jack is fine on-leash around strange dogs who are also on-leash at the vet's office and other indoor places, and he's always fine off-leash, but if another dog comes at him inappropriately, he will react. So I think the classes are the way to go, now that I've found one that focuses on these things.  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Karen, they also don't let the 'strange' dog meet Jack. The dogs they use are really well socialized and non-threatening.  Jack will do great!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

My understanding is that when you put your dog in the sit stay for CGC - you only walk away from them 20 ft and then return immediately to your dog.  If they are sitting when you leave and they lay down, but still stay at their position, it is ok.  They just cannot take steps away from where you left him.

The only time you are out of his sight is for the 3 min. period that you leave the room while your dog stays with the evaluator and they do not have to sit and stay.  My instructor suggested to our class that we not use the word stay when we leave the dog with someone else.  Actually they can stand and walk around the person holder them and are not required to stay in one position.  A better word might be wait with so and so, and then leave.

Good luck.

Charlie takes his CGC a week from today.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I just found an instructor and AKC certified evaluator who holds 5 week classes to prepare for the CGC and then gives the test at the end. She's not far from me, and I think I am going to sign up for the classes. Getting some practice around other dogs in a structured setting sounds right to me.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Now this is exciting news!