Canines Good Citizens Test

1. Accepting a friendly stranger: Evaluator will approach dog and handler, exchange pleasantries and shake hands, no attention is paid to the dog. Dog must remain calm and not interfere, and can sit, stand or lie down during the interaction. 

2. Sit politely for petting: Must sit nicely and be accepting of attention.

3. Grooming: Dog should be clean, evaluator will check ears, pick up a foot, may brush with handler’s comb or       brush to check reaction. 

4. Out for a walk: Evaluator will call out a heel pattern to check for sit, halt and turning. Pattern: From sit, forward, halt (dog does not have to sit but should stay next to handler), forward, left turn, forward, about turn, forward, halt, forward, finish. 

5. Walking through a crowd: A crowd should consist of at least 3 people and the dog being tested should be able to walk around them, remaining at handler’s side, no jumping or pulling. 

6. Sit, down, and stay: Dog must sit and down on command, the use of hand signals is permitted but the dog should not need to be placed into position. Stay should be from a distance of 20 feet and the dog can be in the sit, down, or stand position until the handler returns to the dog. 

7. Come when called: Dog should come reliably from any position from a distance of 10 feet. 

8. Reaction to another dog: Two neutral dogs and handlers are required. They are to approach each other from the front at a distance of 20 feet. The tested dog should remain calm, handlers are to stop, shake hands, and exchange pleasantries. The tested dog can show casual interest and remain calm until the interaction is finished and the other dog has passed. 

9. Reaction to distraction: Evaluator can use any two distractions with the dog (cane, walker, etc.). If the evaluator chooses to drop an item, they must drop it at least 10 feet away from the dog. 

10. Supervised separation: The handler will leave their dog with the evaluator for 3 minutes. The evaluator will          hold the dog’s leash but does not talk to or pet the dog. Evaluator is looking for severe separation anxiety                symptoms. 

No treats or training collars (pinch collars, slip collars) are permitted during testing. Praise is encouraged!