June 26, 2005
Congratulations Reboot, an AKC Certified Good Citizen!
Posted by Jess in
Announcements
On Friday, Reboot passed her exam with flying colors and became an AKC Certified Canine Good Citizen.
"I passed! I passed! Bring on the treats!"
The test consists of 10 steps (pass/fail) that proves that a dog has great manners overall. An owner must also prove their committment to the dog (dog license, rabies vaccinations, etc.).
(Something else you can do is microchip your dog. When Reboot was a baby, had her microchipped. Just about every vet, shelter, and even animal testing lab has a wand. Every incoming dog, lost collar or not, gets a wave of the wand. The chip is the size of a grain of rice, and is inserted in the same spot in every dog. The result is a number, which is cross-referenced in a giant doggie database. Should we change our contact information, the microchip is still valid, we just change her database information.
It's a very inexpensive operation, and now I never have to worry that she'll lose her collar and be lost to us. Contact your vet if this is something you are interested in!)
Why would anyone want to get this certification? Well, CGC is currently the only AKC certification available to mixed breed dogs, but it's so worthwhile. First of all, the classes are fun (for the dogs AND the owners), and secondly, it's pretty cool to have a dog that behaves well enough in public that we can take her pretty much anywhere.
Thirdly, many home insurance companies are getting wind of this certification, and the results are great! Currently, thanks to some pretty irresponsible owners, many dogs are on a "list" of breeds that will void your insurance policy completely should you own one. These dogs include Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, and Dobermans, to name a few.
Nationwide Insurance, for example, will now insure dogs that are on this list if they are a CGC. More information can be found here.
Now, onto the test itself! The test consists of 10 items that Reboot must pass.
1. Accepting a friendly stranger. The evaluator approaches us, and Reboot must sit politely. That means NO jumping.
2. Sitting politely for petting. The evaluator pets Reboot, and she must not be agressive or shy.
3. Appearance and grooming. The evaluator checks Reboot's ears, paws, and brushes her gently. She must be well groomed, and allow the evaluator to do all this.
4. Out for a walk. We must take Reboot on the leash in 'heel' position and turn right, left, about turn, and stop.
5. Walking through a crowd. Still 'heeling', we must walk through lots of people. Reboot is allowed to notice these people, but again, NO jumping.
6. Sit/Down/Stay on command. Reboot must 'sit', then 'down', and finally 'stay' while we leave 20ft. away, and then return.
7.Coming when called. Again, 20 ft. away, Reboot is called and must come directly to us.
8. Reaction to another dog. Another handler and dog walks up to us and Reboot. The two dogs must sit politely while the owners chat.
9. Reaction to distractions. In the midst of distractions (such as people on walkers and crutches, bright red umbrellas opening and closing in front of her), Reboot must not panic or show agression.
10. Supervised separation. Reboot, on her leash, is handed over to someone else for three minutes.
Hopefully, animal-assisted therapy is in our future, even though we just heard that the Therapy Dog test is pretty darn strict.
Good dog Reboot, good dog. We love you. And we promise not to tell anyone that you accidentally punched out the screen window the other day. Whoops! Did I just use my outside voice?
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Comments
Hey congrats! We each have honor students for kids! Of course, WE also have a couple of cats, one of whom, especially, is dumber than a pile of mud. So not ALL creatures end up smart!
LOL! Yeah, we have a ferret who's three races short of a triple crown. Actually, they both have their little 'quirks', now that I think of it. But they have lived long, wonderful lives, so they must be doing something right. At least they are happy, and that's all that matters. :-)
Reboot's just happy doing the training. We really didn't know how much she liked it until she started wagging her tail when we turned down the street to the building. But then, what's not to like? Lots of treats and praise. :-)
I did find out, btw, if they are outdoor cats, that ALL animals can be microchipped. It's not just for dogs.
Grats to Reboot!
And that picture is fantastic... She's such a good dog!
Hope she can come play again this week...
@Way Kewl!!!!!!! Congrats Reboot!
Woof Woof, well done cousin. At least one of us gets a certificate! Congrats to your humans too - you have them well trained!
Hi Cousin Jess
Finally found a way to get access to your page. May have told you that our webminders are convinced that the site sits in the "sex" category and therefore cannot be displayed. Think they may be mistaken.
Great site and good to find out more about the American branch of the family!
Neil
Carolyn and Neil,
Yay!!! I'm SO happy to see you both blogging!! Isn't it fun? And you are both great writers. I'm looking forward to some great overseas stories. :-)
Neil, I think it was the comment spam that was causing the filter to kick in at your office. I've despammed the whole thing, so we should be good.
Hi Jess
Thanks for the welcome but oops, looks like you'll have to put the comments spam thingy on again! I am linking to you outside of my work server, so I can get you easily now.
Take care.
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