Help your four-legged friend pass the Canine Good Citizen Test in a day? Easy!The AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program is one of the most rapidly growing programs in the American Kennel Club. With useful tips and quick fixes that will put a stop to all sorts of bad habits,Canine Good Citizen Test In A Day For Dummies helps owners build solid relationships with their dog based on positive reinforcement, trust, and obedience.
This handy little guide gives you a better understanding of the test itself, the essential skills tested, and the benefits of this unique training program. It covers the test's requirements and various elements, and is packed with expert tips and advice for mastering all ten sections of the test.
A detailed description of the entire test's requirements and elementsTips and tricks for mastering each the of 10 sections of the testThe do's and don'ts of taking the testOnline component takes you beyond the book with bonus content and features
Canine Good Citizen Test In A Day For Dummies gives you everything you need to help your dog master the skills and proficiencies necessary to pass the AKC's Good Canine Test.
Introduction 1
What You Can Do In A Day 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Chapter 1: Introducing Canine Good Citizenship 5
Looking at the AKC Certification Programs 5
Starting on the Right Paw with the STAR Puppy Program 6
Accepting the Responsible Dog Owners Pledge 7
Attending training and earning your pups STAR medal 8
Building on Your Dogs Skills with the Canine Good Citizen Program 9
What Exactly Does Training Mean? 10
Identifying a Well-Trained Dog 11
Defining a well-trained dog 11
Defining an untrained dog 12
An Exercise to Get You and Your Pooch Started 13
Chapter 2: Looking at the Specifics of the Canine Good Citizen Test 15
What to Expect during the Test 15
Interacting with Strangers 17
Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger 17
Test 2: Sitting politely for petting 17
Test 3: Having a clean appearance and behaving during grooming 18
Walking and Waiting 19
Test 4: Walking on a loose leash 19
Test 5: Walking through a crowd 19
Test 6: Staying in place 20
Test 7: Coming when called 20
Handling Other Dogs, Distractions, and Separation Like a Pro 21
Test 8: Reacting appropriately to another dog 21
Test 9: Reacting appropriately to distractions 22
Test 10: Succeeding at supervised separation 23
Knowing the Dos and Donts of Taking the Test 23
Chapter 3: Mastering the Basics: Sit, Down, and Stay 25
Sit! Good Boy 26
Getting Buddy into a sitting position 26
Sitting on command 28
Introducing Down Commands 29
Warming up with the Long Down exercise 29
Teaching the Down on command 32
Staying in Place 33
Teaching the Sit-Stay command 33
Administering the Sit-Stay test 36
Holding the Down-Stay 38
Chapter 4: Canine Cruise Control: Walking On-Leash and Coming When Called 39
Walking Your Dog 39
Born to pull: Teaching Buddy to respect the leash 40
Making it real: Adding distractions 43
Winning the Game of Coming When Called 45
Teaching the Come command 46
Adding distractions 49
Advancing to off-leash distractions 49
Chapter 5: Refining Your Training for the Canine Good Citizen Test 51
Training for Interactions with Friendly Strangers 52
Teaching your dog to stand patiently 52
Introducing the Stand command 52
Teaching Buddy to stand still 54
Showing Buddy how to stand still without holding him in position 54
Working on the Stand-Stay command 54
Leaving Buddy in a Stand-Stay 55
Teaching Buddy to accept petting from a stranger 56
Training for Appearance and Grooming 57
Teaching the Shake trick 58
Adding the High Five trick 60
Training for Reacting Properly to Another Dog 61
Training for Reacting Appropriately to Distractions 61
Training for Supervised Separation 62
A Final Piece of Advice: Reinforcing Training 62
Chapter 6: Where to Go from Here 65
Taking Your First Steps 65
Visiting dummiescom 66
