Canine Good Citizen Test - Any Advice?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Guinness is scheduled to take his CGC test at the end of this month. I'm wondering if anyone who has been through this might have hints about potential pitfalls. We have been practicing each element of the test, and he's been doing well. Right now his only problem is that he is not responding to the down command quickly enough. He has been staying in a sit and I have to give him a second command before he goes into his down stay. I have two more weeks to work on that, so I'm not too worried. I'm just wondering if anyone has run into problems during the test that they didn't anticipate. I am using treats very sparingly during training since I know there can be no treats during the test. I also have stopped using the choke collar since I know this won't be allowed. Any helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

[Diane Dolphin Rocker]

We had ours in a class setting and it seemed to be much better to go early, the dogs got kinda wierd just sitting around waiting...they weren't really sure what you wanted anymore. Also, keep your own body relaxed and try not to stress or you'll pass it on down the leash! Good Luck!

[Kathy (Ellie & Oliver)]

I agree with Diane. Go early and offer to be one of the first ones to be tested. I would suggest that you take your dog for a long walk and/or let him run in a fenced in area before you go. Also, make sure that he goes to the bathroom before the test starts. Test 8 is reaction to another dog. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other, stop and shake hands. Try to sit your dog first and tell him to sit and stay. I found that if I sat my dog first, he was less likely to go over and visit with the other handler or dog. Doodles are so friendly and love to visit!!! I also used a martingale collar. It gave me a bit more control.
In my experience, the CGC testers are not as strict as testers for the national therapy dog groups. My dog Oliver was quite young when he took his CGC and his recall wasn't perfect. The tester let me try calling him several times.
Good luck and try and relax!!!!!!

[Brenda Boggs]

My golden doodle, Winston, took the CGC test last winter and did very well. I was concerned as well about the test. We practiced in class for a couple of weeks which was very beneficial. The only part Winston had a problem with was being taken away/me not being in his sight. I was determined that Winston would pass the test because of several instructors at our local kennel club had problems with mixed breeds. Good Luck!

[z06558zx020a]

Cassie passed her CGC a few weeks ago. She was tired when she took it which helped. She passed it all but the last test which was separation anxiety. She cried when I left. We retook it with me telling her stay, I'll be right back like I always say rather then just Stay ( like the first time ) and she did fantastic not a sound. Good Luck stay relaxed and calm and you both should be fine.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thanks so much. All this is very helpful. The YouTube site is exactly what I needed because it shows the actual test being administered. I had downloaded all the testing info from the AKC site, but it's so much better to actually see the test in action. I will be sure to get Guinness a little tired before the test. I may take him to PETCO so he gets all his "people greeting" our of his system and isn't as excited during the test. Thanks again; you are the best! Keep those fingers and paws crossed.

[Leslie and Halas]

Good luck! Like the others have said, stay calm and try to have fun. Halas and I went through it twice, because he couldn't sit still to be greeted the first time. We just waited around, paid the fee again, and tried again. He did great the 2nd time. We played at the dog park for awhile in the afternoon before our test, and that really helped.

[Tammy & Gracie]

The test is fairly easy if your dog knows those commands. The tricky part for me came in my fear and nervousness. Gracie passed hers with flying colors at 9 months. I swear the only reason she passed is because she was tired when we took it so she did not have the energy to misbehave! We had been at a dog event for hours when a friend talked me into trying it. We did but my friend laughed for days because I looked so scared during the test!

[Kyoko]

I also went early with Charlie, and went over the test at the test site. I thought this will allow her to focus and get into the mood of complying to the command. She did very well, and I think I was more nervous!! :-)

[Rae]

Rozee and Bella both passed! I was sure Rozee would jump up and afraid Bella would not "stay". We really worked on both of these issues for weeks and weeks. Rozee just gets so excited when she sees a new human that it's like she can't control herself. But she did! Way to go Girls!

[Ginny Nightingale]

My instructor told us not to say Down more than once, but to "lure"the dog down to the floor with your hand if they don't go the first time. It works every time with my dogs. Lyric passed CGC a few months ago and just got passed therapy dog test last night!! You have gotten very good advice here. Don't stress!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I didn't realize it was okay to "lure" him with my hand. He does respond well to that... (he thinks there could be a treat hidden in there). Congratulations, Lyric! That is so awesome that he's now a therapy dog. That's our ultimate objective with Guinness. Thanks for your advice!

[Kathie and the gang]

MY boy Winston was 6 and half months when he passed his CGC. The biggest problem he had was the long down. We were inside and then the instructor took some of us out side and it made all the difference. We did very well for a young dog. We spent our training time at a local mall (of course this is not the time of year for that) which was great. Lots of people, distractions, walking through dog friendly stores and doing meet and greet. I think that it was the big factor in our success. In fact we still do it as part of our on going training every weekend.