Ever heard of the Canine Good Citizen certification?

Ronni

Ronni

Well-known Member
Location
Nashville TN
This goofball is in training to become a Canine Good Citizen! There are 10 specific behaviors required, and he’s nailed 7 of them, with the other 3 very close, just need some proofing.

This certification is the prerequisite for his training as a therapy dog. For those who aren’t familiar, a therapy dog is a trained canine companion that provides comfort, support, and emotional assistance to individuals in various settings, such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes, disaster areas etc. These well-behaved dogs offer unconditional love, reduce stress levels, and promote healing and well-being through their gentle presence and interactions with people in need.

Remy is a very good candidate for animal-assisted therapy. He’s very friendly, but has a gentle approach. He’s calm and very responsive to training.

Once he passes his canine good citizen test, he’ll be a certified Good Dog! ❤️™️
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My husband had to see a doctor whose office was in a hospital that has dog ambassadors all the time. All shapes, sizes & color, but my favorite is the Miniature Schnauzer. I met him one day in the parking lot after I dropped hubby off at the front & parked next to his car. I talked to his co-worker for quite a while & when I finally walked into the office, hubby was almost done with is appointment. Sorry hubby, it was a Schnauzer!

What does Remy have in him? How old?
 
Lilac said:
My husband had to see a doctor whose office was in a hospital that has dog ambassadors all the time. All shapes, sizes & color, but my favorite is the Miniature Schnauzer. I met him one day in the parking lot after I dropped hubby off at the front & parked next to his car. I talked to his co-worker for quite a while & when I finally walked into the office, hubby was almost done with is appointment. Sorry hubby, it was a Schnauzer!

What does Remy have in him? How old?
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He’s a Chinese Crested PowderPuff. He’s almost 1 1/2. Most folks have never heard of the breed, though some are familiar with the Chinese Crested which is a mostly hairless dog. Here’s a picture of his Sire. He’s won and placed in a number of Shows.
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Occasionally, and completely randomly, a bitch will deliver a haired variety of the breed. That’s Remy. They’re recognized by the AKC, though the haired variety has a few different criteria than the hairless.
 

Ronni said:
He’s a Chinese Crested PowderPuff. He’s almost 1 1/2. Most folks have never heard of the breed, though some are familiar with the Chinese Crested which is a mostly hairless dog. Here’s a picture of his Sire. He’s won and placed in a number of Shows.
View attachment 305050
Occasionally, and completely randomly, a bitch will deliver a haired variety of the breed. That’s Remy. They’re recognized by the AKC, though the haired variety has a few different criteria than the hairless.
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They look nicer with their fur on.
Yay for Remy for getting such good grades.
I’m sure she will make a great therapy dog.
 
Lilac said:
@Ronni I have question. How old was Remy when you started to go for his certification?
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We’e only been training with a trainer (who’s affiliated with Petco, the only chain pet store authorized to offer CGC training) for a week. I needed the trainer to be the interface because I can’t apply for certification personally, it has to be through an accredited source.

Prior to that, I’ve been working with Remy alone, training the specific behaviors required, all of which he’s accomplished in our home setting. But there’ll y aren’t proofed, meaning that he’s not always as proficient outside the home, with distractions. That’s what the trainer has been working with me on…proofing the behaviors.

Remy is just under a year and a half old. I’ve been training him randomly by myself since he was about 8 months. He’s very intelligent and loves to train, so he picks up things fast.

Realistically, if I’d been fully focused on his training for the CGC, and trained daily, twice a day, he would have mastered everything he needed in about a month. Again, they wouldn’t have been proofed, jist instilled so he could reliablely perform them at home. Proofing is the harder part of training.
 
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I understand the training at home, which we did with our second two Shepherds to start with. My husband trained his K-9 partner through the department in the 80s. From the time the second two were puppies, we took them all over for socialization so they got experience around all types of situations. Our friends, who were the breeders of the last two, had Schutzhund dogs & we did training with them which helped them interact with other dogs. We did the obedience & some tracking, but didn't have the time to devote to the protection portion. We were working full time with kids.

I wanted another Schnauzer so we now have a 5-month old bundle of energy. We're trying to figure out what his job skills will be trending to. His Dam competed in AKC obedience & agility. He's Schnauzer smart, quick on his feet & picks things up fast. If you tell him no, he's already looking for ways around it. I just know he needs to have a job.
 
Lilac said:
I understand the training at home, which we did with our second two Shepherds to start with. My husband trained his K-9 partner through the department in the 80s. From the time the second two were puppies, we took them all over for socialization so they got experience around all types of situations. Our friends, who were the breeders of the last two, had Schutzhund dogs & we did training with them which helped them interact with other dogs. We did the obedience & some tracking, but didn't have the time to devote to the protection portion. We were working full time with kids.

I wanted another Schnauzer so we now have a 5-month old bundle of energy. We're trying to figure out what his job skills will be trending to. His Dam competed in AKC obedience & agility. He's Schnauzer smart, quick on his feet & picks things up fast. If you tell him no, he's already looking for ways around it. I just know he needs to have a job.
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This last sentence is Remy to a T! He is so smart and always looking for challenges!

Do you have snuffle mats and puzzles and a variety of toys that challenge your dog? I never really believed in th honestly, till Remy, and now I know how valuable they can be! He needs to engage his brain and so I’m always looking for ways to accomplish that for him.

I’ve taped up or flapped boxes with treats or kibble inside, rolled up same into a towel and knotted it up, used all kinds of puzzle toys and snuffle mats, hidden a few kibble in places around the living room and kitchen…everything I can think of for him to solve. He enjoys this stuff so much! And it’s every bit as stimulating and tires him out as much as a long walk!
 
He's already living up to his heritage as a vermin hunter as he loves to dig in the outside kennel. He digs & I refill it. His nose is always to the ground. One day he was finding some old bones in the woods from some critter & was bringing them back one at a time.

My friend & his wife has done search & rescue for years, specializing in cadaver dogs. I'm want to pick their brain & see what they think of the boy. I am interested in teaching him to track. The cadaver aspect takes a lot more training, as well as going through certification.

The snuffle mats look neat, I may try one. His favorite thing to do is grabbing his toys & other items shaking them like a rag doll.
 
I’ve linked Remy’s favorite puzzle toy. At $10 is an excellent investment! It took him a bit to figure it out the first couple times, but once he learned it he’s become a whizz!

I watch his weight carefully, so when I use these puzzle toys and other enrichment activities, I mostly just use his meal kibble, so the various puzzles are often the way he gets dinner! Amazon has so many puzzle toys for dogs!

Another thing I do that I forgot to mention is I’ll put kibble in empty paper towel or tp cylinders, fold the ends in and tape them, and let him at it! Just one more challenge and he loves challenges!

Remy’s favorite puzzle toy
 
I like that toy. We've always used food as a training tool with our dogs. Food is such a motivator in training.
 

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