Marsha/CA
Moderator Emeritus
We've had a few dog discussion in the last couple of months and on a couple of the threads I mentioned that I was training Charlie (standard poodle) to prepare him to take the CGC (canine good citizen) test. It consists of 10 stations (requirements) that the dog must pass all of them in order to receive the CGC. It is actually very simple involving basic training. It's the first /step process to going further with dog handling ie therapy, fly dog, tracking, search and rescue. Some insurance companies even offer a discounted rate on your homeowners insurance if your dog has received it's CGC certification.
Charlie and I have been training and a week ago, we participated in a work shop to evaluate what areas are the dog's strong points and what are his weak one. I knew pretty much where his problem lies. He's an over friendly dog and basically shuts me out when he wants to greet a stranger. So all week we worked on his problem, by my requiring him to sit politely while we meet a stranger. Well, we took the test yesterday and he passed. One of the things the evaluator kept reassuring me was how great it is to have a overly friendly dog rather than a shy one. Charlie did every thing, but was so bouncy and happy that the evaluation cracked up laughing. I thought for sure we had failed; but he passed. We still have to keep working on the over-friendly greetings; but he's much better. Now I'm going to look for a series of classes to work on "tracking" and to get his "therapy" certificate. I want to take him into schools and nursing homes.
Marsha~
Charlie and I have been training and a week ago, we participated in a work shop to evaluate what areas are the dog's strong points and what are his weak one. I knew pretty much where his problem lies. He's an over friendly dog and basically shuts me out when he wants to greet a stranger. So all week we worked on his problem, by my requiring him to sit politely while we meet a stranger. Well, we took the test yesterday and he passed. One of the things the evaluator kept reassuring me was how great it is to have a overly friendly dog rather than a shy one. Charlie did every thing, but was so bouncy and happy that the evaluation cracked up laughing. I thought for sure we had failed; but he passed. We still have to keep working on the over-friendly greetings; but he's much better. Now I'm going to look for a series of classes to work on "tracking" and to get his "therapy" certificate. I want to take him into schools and nursing homes.
Marsha~