Pup quiz: Dogs and owners go for Canine Good Citizen certification
Great story in the Hilton Head Island Packet about what it's like to take the test for the Canine Good Citizen Test. I know many people who say that any dog who's had good socialization and has basic good manners (knows how to sit, stand, accept strangers petting him) can pass the test without any special training, but I think I'd probably prepare for it, too. I think the classes decribed in this story sound great. And, isn't it wonderful that the dogs train at an assisted living facility? That's great for the dogs and for the residents.
If you are interested in doing any kind of therapy work with your dog, the CGC test is a great place to start since having the title allows dogs to visit nursing homes, hospitals and other facilites. Administrators often accept it as proof that the dog is well-socialized and knows how to behave around strange people and objects. Visit the AKC web site to learn more about the Canine Good Citizen program. It's open to any dog.
Pup quiz: Dogs and owners go for Canine Good Citizen certification
By MAUREEN SIMPSON
msimpson@islandpacket.com
843-706-8141
Published Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Photo: Trainer Abby Bird watches as dogs Maddie and Sassy are led through an "obstacle course" in which they must avoid distractions, including Carolina House resident Charlie McManus.
Jonathan Dyer | The Island Packet
Most days, Maddie Megliore is not above a little begging — even in a pink ribbon and pearls.
But on the day of her final exam for Canine Good Citizen certification, the brown-eyed "terrier/schnauzer/sneaky neighbor's dog" mix was not the one pleading.
"Please, please try to behave," her owner Jennifer Megliore implored, as she took Maddie's furry face into her hands for one last pep talk before taking the 10-step test, which stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs.
Think of the exam as Emily Post's rules of etiquette with a four-legged twist. The American Kennel Club started the program in 1989.
"Just for tonight, Maddie. For mommy," Megliore said. "We've been working so hard."
In fact, the duo had been preparing for the exam for six weeks. Megliore and her pet took the training classes with two other dogs and their owners every Monday evening at the Carolina House of Bluffton with AlphaDog Training Academy owner Abby Bird.
Bird leads the classes at the assisted living facility, because it's one of the many sites where CGC dogs and their owners can volunteer once they receive certification from the AKC. Each month, Bird brings a host of the dogs to visit Carolina House residents and shower them with an hour of well-behaved puppy love.
"Not everyone who lives in an environment like this is an animal person, and they're not all dog people either," Bird said. "But some of these people, when we do our visits, they miss having a pet. When we did our last session here, it was packed. You could see the joy and the pleasure in the faces of all these people."
A good candidate
In addition to helping Maddie get over her fear of wheels — one item of the certification test involves reacting appropriately to distractions such as wheelchairs — Megliore signed her pooch up for the program because of a desire to interact with the residents at Carolina House and share Maddie with others.
"I would always see Charlie
(McManus) out by the side of the road, looking like he was wishing for something to do," Megliore said. "I thought, 'It would be so nice to stop and talk to him one day.' And of all odds, I got my wish … Charlie is one of the residents who worked with us."
Though Bird said giving of yourself and your pet is a wonderful gesture, she is quick to stress the CGC program is not for everyone. To qualify for the training classes, dogs must first go through an evaluation with Bird to see if they have the right temperament for the job.
She said the dogs most suited to serve are those who are willing to please the owner, but also desire to get love from strangers.
"Canine Good Citizen is about your relationship with the dog," Bird said. "Even though there are two or three obedience test items as part of this, it's really about temperament and behavior."
Test anxiety
To pass the test, a dog must pass all 10 items of the exam without food being used as a reward.
Dogs can fail for a variety of reasons, but specifically for showing signs of shyness, breaking position, pawing at a stranger, snapping, biting, growling or even eliminating during testing.
Bird said on average, about 60,000 dogs pass the test nationally each year, citing statistics from the AKC Web site.
"That breaks down to about 1,500 dogs per state," she said. "It's a very small percentage when you think about it. If you get your certification, you are in a wonderful minority."
The toughest points
By the third week of CGC classes, Megliore said she was certain Maddie would have to go take the test more than once to pass. She feared Maddie's natural desire to be "the ambassador of goodwill wherever she goes" would be her downfall on test item No. 8: reacting to another dog. During testing, the dogs should show no more than a casual interest in each other when their handlers approach each other from a distance. According to Bird, it's the top item dogs fail to pass.
To tamp down her dog's eagerness to say hello, Megliore practiced multiple proper greetings with strangers who came into her store, ArtWare, at Main Street Village on Hilton Head Island, where Maddie is the official greeter. When out walking the 2 1?2-year-old, Megliore said she'd cross three streets if she saw another handler with a dog just to say hello.
Bird, who has been leading CGC training classes for about 4 years, said there's always at least one other test item that is an Achilles heel for a dog — even the most even-tempered ones such as Maddie's classmate, Sassy.
Though the 10-year-old Keeshond could have passed 90 percent of the test on day one of the class, her reaction to loud noises wouldn't meet certification requirements. Each time Bird would clang a metal bowl with a metal object or drop it on the floor to create a noisy distraction, Sassy would try to retreat. Her owner, Bluffton resident Lisa Dorobiala, said practicing at home was quite the challenge.
"I ended up having to lock her in the bathroom when I'd clang on a bowl," Dorobiala said. "Just to get her used to the noise. Otherwise, I was chasing her up and down the stairs. She'd get so scared, I'd have to carry her back down. She's a character."
Put to the test
On the night of the final exam, Megliore brought in a string of graduation pearls for Sassy and Maddie's other classmate, a rat terrier named Maxxine. Though the dogs likely had no clue they were about to be evaluated, their owners gripped their leashes with white knuckles and wore nervous smiles.
Only two of the three dogs passed.
Maxxine, having already been CGC certified elsewhere, was going through the course as a refresher, but nipped at Bird's hands when it came time for her paws to be touched. She didn't have to regain certification, but Bird recommended her owners, Joe Newman and Laura Barrett, continue to work with Maxxine on that particular test item.
"She's still come very far, thanks to you and this class," Barrett said to Bird. "I hope you're still doing (Canine Good Citizen) 40 years from now, when I'll need some pet love."
Could your pooch pass the test?
On Canine Good Citizen test day, dogs are checked in 10 areas:
•Accepting a friendly stranger
•Sitting politely for petting
•Appearance and grooming
•Walking on a loose leash
•Walking through a crowd
•Sitting or lying down on command and staying in place
•Coming when called
•Reaction to another dog
•Reaction to distractions
•Supervised separation
Trainer Abby Bird said a CGC certificate entitles the owner to bring the dog to volunteer at nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, children's library hours and tutoring centers.
Want to know more?
If you are interested in learning more about CGC dog evaluations, classes or testing, contact Abby Bird at 843-837-4327 or ajbird@hargray.com. Her next six-week training course, which costs $105, is set to begin in January.
To find another evaluator in the area who offers Canine Good Citizen classes and can administer the test, visit www.akc.org/events/cgc/cgc_bystate.cfm
