How old was your pup when s/he passed the CGC?

[Jen W]

Two questions for those of you whose doodles have passed the Canine Good Citizen test

1) How old were they when they passed?
2) Did they pass on the first try?

Yes, I am trying to make myself feel better over here.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackdoodle was two months short of his 7th birthday when he passed the CGC, lol. 

He did pass the first time he took the test, but we took a prep course for it, and the instructor was also the person who administered the test, in the same facility, so I'm not sure that he would have done as well if he'd taken the test in a strange location with a different evaluater, lol. 

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

EVERY DOG IS DIFFERENT!!!! Please don't be too hard on yourself or doodle if things didn't go so well. Fozzie passed at 9-10 months BUT there is NO WAY Shaggy would pass it now and he's 15 months old. I'm hoping to TRY taking the test in the fall. He just has a ton more puppy energy than Fozzie. Don't give up!!!!

[Patti and Bosco]

Bosco was nine months old and would definitely not have passed it if it was given in my neighborhood with real strangers around.  In fact he probably would have bitten one of the strangers rather than sat quietly by my side.  The test was given at the same facility that Bosco did his training and with people that he was familiar with.

Not every dog in the class passed.  One dog had separation anxiety issues and the other was a cute boxer that was just hyper and couldn't stay when asked to stay. 

We signed up for the class for the experience not expecting Bosco to pass considering all his fear/aggression issues he has when walking in our neighborhood or trying to get someone in the house.

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Monty passed when he was almost 10 months old. Auggie is a different story. He is 13 months now and I don't thin I can even attempt to pass the test with him. One reason is that he is a very happy puppy eager to meet everything and everyone. Another reason is that I did not provide all the same training I did with Monty. Even though Auggie attends obedience classes, I don't take him with me everywhere like I did with Monty. I was stressing about the CGC for Auggie, but I realized that it does not really matter. He will get it when he is ready. Every puppy is different and there is no deadline for CGC.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

LOL, JD is proof of that! 

[Cathy, Fozzie & Shaggy]

Jarka, I'm right there with you! The same thing happened with Shaggy, he had classes but not with the same intensity that Fozzie did. I figure we'll take the test when we're good and ready. Or at least when he stops peeing like he does when he's excited, or nervous, or just breathing it seems ;-/).

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness passed just before he turned a year.  He loved training and did really well....he actually got his TDI therapy certification right after he turned a year.  As I recall Murphy was a bit older, and in reality there is no way Murphy should ever have passed.  He got really good at obeying commands in the sterile environment of the training center but would attack any dog that moved outside of that room.  In retrospect, I should have been working with a trainer on his issues rather than spending that time and money to get him a CGC.  Every dog is different....I really now feel the joy and reward of training is in the work itself. 

[Carolyn Shusterman]

Hershey was 16 months old.  I trained her by myself then took her to a class to get her CGC.  She passed with flying colors.  I have to agree with Jane that " the joy and reward of training is in the work itself".

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Exactly what others have already said - every dog is different, the joy and reward of training is in the journey, not the destination. 

Lachlan was just short of 9 months when he passed, but I'd had him and been working with him since he was 9 weeks old and he's always been a more relaxed and sober puppy.

Declan - yeah, he's 18 months and not ready. We're still working on basic life skills, communication, and anxiety issues. I don't really care that he doesn't have his CGC - he's finally making confident eye contact and actually starting to communicate with his eyes. (There should be a ribbon and certificate for that!)

[Kyoko]

I believe that Charlie was about 15 months old. She took CGC class twice.  Accepting the friendly stranger and passing the another dog was particularly difficult for her. In the other hand, Pinot Grigio passed at 7 1/2 months old. I believe this is due to his very docile character, and the fact I had gone through Many Rally training with Charlie, and was more experienced in handling. I would not compare or feel pressured about passing CGC by targeted age, etc... If you are pressured, so will the dog! :-)