Passing the cgc
(canine good citizen) test has always been one of
my training goals. I have been practicing with Emma for a while taking classes
and just working on things. Training to me is a never ending journey and we are
not done just because we passed a test. The cgc test has 10 items and I will leave a
link below so you can see them in detail yourself. The first item on the test includes polite greeting. first the friendly stranger will
come up and shake your hand while your dog stays sitting, then the person will
pet your dog while sitting, the dog can stand up but can't jump or be nervous.
then they check dogs ears handle their feet and brush them. This was my
most nervous test item because Emma is very excited for
new people so we practiced sitting for petting with new people a lot. My friend
came over and walked away every time Emma stood up for some extra help. I was
extremely nervous during test day and it was a real
struggle for me to get it together. No treats or harnesses during the test either. There was a lot of dogs in the room for the test and we went around the room and did 1 test
item at a time per dog, instead of each dog doing the whole test
then the next dog. 2 dogs out of a whole room of dogs passed the test on the day we took it, but I was really happy we finally
took the test and passed. I had been putting off the test because I never felt we were completely ready. The class
we were in thought we would be ready and said everyone in level 4 can take the test and if you don't pass think of it as a practice, so that's
what we did. I know that passing the test doesn't change
who she is as a dog and we still have some practicing training to do but I am
pleased and just getting to that milestone is a happy moment for anyone who is
training their dog 
