walking

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Who’s A Canine Good Citizen?

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The Canine Good Citizen program is an American Kennel Club program open to all dogs, mixed breed and purebred.  Its purpose is to reward dogs and their owners who can show that they have good manners both in the community and at home.  It fundamentally stresses responsible dog ownership and good social skills.  Dogs who take part in the program go through a 10-part test and, if they pass, receive a certificate from the AKC and the CGC title.

The Canine Good Citizen program is often the first step for an owner and their dog in obedience training.  They may go on to participate in obedience competitions, agility or rally events.  However, many people earn the CGC title just to prove that their dogs have basic obedience skills.  The CGC title is often accepted as proof by landlords and others that a dog has basic obedience skills.  Forty-two state legislatures have already passed resolutions endorsing the Canine Good Citizen program at the state level.

Before taking the CGC test (sometimes at a dog show or other AKC event, sometimes at a dog training center with a certified tester), an owner will sign a Responsible Dog Owners Pledge.  After that, he/she and their dog will go through the 10-step test:

Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger
This test shows that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach and greet the handler.  The evaluator comes up to the owner and speaks to him/her while ignoring the dog.

Test 2: Sitting politely for petting
In this test the dog should allow a friendly stranger to touch him while he’s out with his owner.  The owner may talk to the dog throughout the test.

Test 3: Appearance and grooming
In this test the dog should welcome being groomed and examined.  He should allow someone, such as a vet, groomer or friendly stranger to go over him.  The evaluator will look over the dog to see that he/she is clean and groomed.  The dog should appear to be in good condition.  The evaluator then combs or brushes the dog, checks the ears and picks up the front paws.  This simulates a vet exam — dogs should be well-behaved during vet exams.

Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)

This test shows that the owner is in control of the dog on a loose leash.  The dog may walk on either side of the owner.  The dog should appear to be attentive and responsive to the owner’s changes of direction.  There are several turns on a course in this test.  The owner can talk to the dog, praise the dog, and give commands.

Test 5: Walking through a crowd
The test shows that the dog can move calmly and politely in foot traffic and be controlled in public places.  The dog and owner walk around and pass close to several people.  There should be no over-excitement, shyness or resentment.

Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place
This test shows the dog’s training and that he will respond to his owner’s commands to sit and lie down.  He should also remain in the place commanded by his owner.  The leash is replaced with a 20-foot line during this test.

Test 7: Coming when called
During this test the owner walks 10 feet from the dog, faces the dog and calls.

Test 8: Reaction to another dog
This test shows that the dog can behave well around other dogs.

Test 9: Reaction to distraction
During this test the evaluator chooses two distractions.  These can be dropping a chair, having a jogger go by, dropping a cane, etc.  The dog should not show any panic or try to run away or otherwise misbehave.

Test 10: Supervised separation
This final test shows that the dog can be left with someone and still maintain his good manners.  The owner is out of sight for three minutes.  The dog shouldn’t bark the whole time, whine or show more than mild agitation.

All of the exercises are performed on leash.  Your dog should wear a buckle or slip collar.  Leather, fabric or chain collars are fine.  You should bring your dog’s comb or brush with you to the test.

Kennel clubs and dog training centers offer classes for the Canine Good Citizen test but it is possible to pass the test without taking any classes.  You can prepare for it with your dog at home.

The Canine Good Citizen test is a good test for dogs and their owners.  It’s good for your dog to learn some basic manners and for you to work with your dog on simple obedience lessons.  These lessons will come in handy again and again for your dog and make him a more desirable dog in the community.

Who’s A Canine Good Citizen courtesy Dog Articles.

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Dog Assisted Therapy

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Many people are familiar with the idea of pet therapy, or “animal assisted activities.”  Less familiar is the practice of “Animal Assisted Therapy.”  Animal assisted activities generally refer to pet visits in hospitals and residential care facilities, while Animal Assisted Therapy is a much more focused use of a pet to help in the treatment program of a particular patient.

Animal Assisted Therapy usually has specific and measurable objectives.  It’s part of a carefully designed treatment program that matches one animal to one patient.  A “therapy dog” and his trained handler work with a medical professional to help a patient who may have a severe mental and/or physical disability.  The patient is encouraged to interact with the therapy dog.  This interaction is increased gradually.  In the beginning the patient may only observe the dog or be encouraged to touch him.  Later the patient may be confident enough to brush the dog or put the dog’s collar on, or even to walk the dog.  The medical professionals will maintain progress records during treatment.

Dogs are ideal participants in this Animal Assisted Therapy.  They are nonjudgmental, they do not pressure the patient, and they are very patient.  They are also very empathetic.  The patient can also feel useful by grooming and walking the dog, which can be an important part of patient recovery.  Therapeutic interactions between dogs and patients have been shown to exist in studies.

Animal assisted activities, or pet visits with therapy dogs, are less formal in nature.  Their benefits may vary depending on the needs and conditions of the patients participating.  There is no formal treatment plan or schedule involved and they generally are not set up for one-to-one visits between patient and pet.  These visits usually take place in hospital settings or assisted living homes or in nursing homes.  They change the routine of the residents and cheer people up.  These visits can be very beneficial, however, appealing to people who may have shut themselves off from others.  Pets can stir emotions that people may not have acknowledged.  There are examples of patients who have not spoken in over a year who have begun speaking to visiting dogs.

Many institutions are continuing the idea of pet therapy with a “resident pet.”  A resident pet is a cat or dog that becomes a permanent resident of a facility and has free run of the place.  Each resident has an owner’s interest in the animal and can look forward to assisting in the animal’s care.  In some places a full course of therapy has been built around the care and feeding of the resident pet, giving residents something to look forward to.  Residents meet to discuss the animal’s care and other matters relating to the animal.  They may develop their own charts and schedules to take care of him or her.  Of course the staff must watch out to avoid problems of jealousy over the pet and caring for him.

Characteristics that make for a good therapy dog are more about temperament than training.  Of course such dogs do require basic obedience training, but personality plays a crucial role in determining which dogs will succeed as animal assistance dogs.  Patients, residents and even staff will react to the dogs in these programs in varying ways.  Some people will be outgoing and show emotion; others will be quite shy.  The dogs must be able to respond to a variety of emotions and remain calm.  They must have stable temperaments, even if patients lunge to grab them or make loud noises.  Dogs may also need to accept various medical equipment and hospital noises in some cases.  When considering a dog for these circumstances you would discount dogs that are nervous or high strung or one that doesn’t like to socialize.

Many studies have shown the benefits and importance of pet therapy.  Pets have been helpful with AIDS patients, cancer patients, the elderly and the mentally ill.  One study has even determined that petting a dog can lower blood pressure.  Another study found that pets can help reduce stress-related illnesses.  According to a study at City Hospital in New York, heart patients who owned pets lived longer than those who had no pets.  In fact, owning a pet was even more significant to long term survival than whether a person had a spouse or friends.  That’s rather amazing.  Pets can make a remarkable difference in our lives.

Dog Assisted Therapy courtesy Dog Articles.

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Pet Obesity – A Call to Action

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If your pet is overweight you might be very concerned.  The sad fact is that almost a quarter of our pets are actually overweight.  It’s important to understand why this is happening.  Some think it correlates with the electronic age and the lack of time we all have for our pets.

People tend to take a lot of shortcuts these days.  There are remote controls, microwaves, dishwashers and computers that are all meant to make our lives easier.  These things that are meant to make our lives easier and leave more time for things like walking the dog often do not.  Unfortunately, there is no time.

Sure, our tasks can be completed quickly.  Even so, people are finding other things to fill their time with.  People spend hours on the Internet or in front of the TV screen instead of getting outside and walking the dog.

It is a sad shame that people can’t find pleasure in the simple things anymore.  Our pets are suffering, which is probably a direct cause of our own sedentary lifestyles.  People are even moving into more urban areas with less room for dogs to run around.

Another reason that pets are overweight is because of over-processed pet foods.  Pet owners also feed their dogs unhealthy scraps and think that it will have no effect.

You do need to take notice and action if your pet is overweight.  If it continues your dog will die at an early age.  There are also many diseases associated with obesity.

Some are:

• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Heart Complications
• Endocrinal Diseases
• Bad Joints

The best thing for you to do if you suspect your dog is overweight is take him to a vet’s office. They can set you straight with an exercise plan and diet for your dog.  You might find that you’ve been doing some things wrong that directly contributed to your dog’s weight problem.

Another thing you can do is make sure you’re not too busy to spend time with your pet.  No matter how busy your schedule is you must make time for your pet.  Your dog will be a lot happier and healthier if you feed him the right things and take the time to do some healthy exercise.

Pet Obesity – A Call to Action courtesy Dog Articles.

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