The certifications are one way California Karelians is demonstrating the sociability of the KBD breed to those less familiar with the breed.
About the CGC program
Started in 1989, the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen® Program is one of the most rapidly growing programs in the AKC and lays the foundation for other AKC activities, such as obedience, agility, tracking, and performance events. CGC is a certification program that helps assure that the dogs we love will be welcomed as respected members of our communities by encouraging responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs.
A dog and handler team must pass a short behavioral test, passing
ten objectives:
 Accepting a friendly stranger
Sitting politely for petting
Allowing basic grooming procedures
Walking on a loose lead
Walking through a crowd
Sitting and lying down on command and staying in place
Coming when called
Reacting appropriately to another dog
Reacting appropriately to distractions
Calmly enduring supervised separation from the owner.
Many other countries (including England, Australia, Japan, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and Finland) have developed CGC programs based on the AKC's CGC Program. A CGC Neighborhood Model has been established, police and animal control agencies use CGC for dealing with dog problems in communities, some therapy dog groups use the CGC as a partial screening tool, and some 4-H groups around the country have been using the CGC as a beginning dog training program for children. Having recognized the benefits of well-trained dogs, some veterinarians have CGC programs in place in veterinary hospitals. 22 states now have Canine Good Citizen resolutions as a means of advocating responsible dog ownership. |
