Maplewood Dog Training

Canine Good Citizen & Therapy Dogs International Evaluations

Our Advanced Manners on-going Open Enrollment class works on skills to prepare dogs and their owners to take and pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluation and Therapy Dogs International Evaluation which we offer quarterly throughout the year.  View our Class Schedule to find out when our next Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dogs Test will be held.

We will be working on the 10 skills of the CGC Evaluation which include- greeting a friendly stranger, sitting politely for petting, accepting grooming, walking appropriately on lead, walking though a crowd, walking past another unknown dog, showing that your dog knows the basic obedience skills of 'sit', 'down', 'stay' and 'come', ignoring distractions and being left with a stranger for a few minutes while the handler goes out of sight.

Teams must complete the test on a buckle collar and 6' leash and with no food or toy rewards (you are allowed to praise and talk to your dog during the evaluation). The test is administered by an approved AKC Evaluator and dogs that pass the Pass/Fail test will be awarded a certificate through the American Kennel Club.

A number of home owners insurance companies will offer a discount or reduction of fee on a home owner's policy if your dog has passed his CGC Test. Check with your insurance company to learn if your policy offers such a discount.

The CGC is also used by some therapy dog organizations to test possible therapy dog candidates. A therapy dog is a dog that goes in to nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, schools etc with its handler and allows the residents of the facility to interact with a dog. Therapy dogs must be calm when around many different smells and objects, be very friendly and enjoy petting and know the basic obedience commands. Seeing how the CGC tests all of the above, it is a useful exam. TDI (Therapy Dogs International) uses a modified CGC test to test all of its applicants.

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