2012年7月19日 星期四

Help Your Dog Become a Good Canine Citizen


Is your dog a gentleman or lady? If so, you

may be able to get an award to prove it from

the American Kennel Club (AKC) through its

Canine Good Citizen Program.

This certification program is for all dogs,

whether purebred or mutt. Any dog who has

completed his vaccinations can be tested, and

there is no upper age limit.

Ten behaviors are tested:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger

2. Sitting politely for petting

3. Letting someone brush and groom him

4. Walking on a loose leash

5. Walking through a crowd

6. Staying in place (sit and down)

7. Coming when called

8. Reacting to another dog

9. Reacting to distractions

10.Being separated from owner for 3-minutes.

If your dog can't pass these, you need to

initiate a training program. These are the

social skills required for living with humans

in urban America.

The tests are done at dog shows, community

colleges and private training facilities. The

AKC charges $5 for the certificate (if you

pass) and some organizations charge a nominal

amount for the test ($10).

To find a location, go the AKC website at

http://www.akc.org/love/cgc/index.cfm>

I'm really, really encouraging you to take

advantage of this program.

You owe it to your dog to assure that he

can survive in an urban setting and that he

remains adoptable by someone else if

something happen to you. Not everyone would

put up with a nippy, barking, high-strung

dog who thinks he's the king of household.

Your participation also encourages the AKC

to continue this program. It's been around

since 1989 but hasn't been publicized the

way it should.

The AKC raises more than $50M a year from

registration fees and does a lot of great

work for purebreds.

The Canine Good Citizen is a way for them

to help all dogs and dog owners no matter

what they're background - something not all

AKC members support.

More participation will ensure funding

continues and the AKC expands the program.

We're also hopeful that insurance companies

and landlords will start accepting the

certificates and giving homeowners or renters

a break on insurance rates or damage deposits.

With the increase in "dangerous breed" laws

and rising homeowners insurance rates

when you have a dog, it's important for

all our dogs to be good citizens and

respected members of the community.




Louise Louis is a long-time dog person and creator of http://www.ToyBreeds.com





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