As a volunteer trainer for Bay Area Dog Lover’s Responsible About Pit Bulls (BAD RAP), I coach a weekly Canine Good Citizen (CGC) class. The CGC certificate program was established by the American Kennel
Club in 1989 to recognize dogs of pure or mixed breeds who are “good citizens” when interacting with the public and xcommunity. By passing ten test items, which we practice each week, dogs demonstrate that they can do things such as accept being petted or groomed, greet a friendly stranger or another dog, or sit politely while the vet peers into their ears.
Pit Bull owners have a lot to prove these days given the abundance of media hype and hysteria, so CGC certification is a real plus. It can help with landlords when there’s a great, sunny flat you’d like to rent and it looks great on your dog’s resume when he’s working towards a therapy certification.
My CGC coaching class is offered on a drop-in basis and people work towards the test at their own pace. It’s a come-when-you-can, come-when-you-want, have-fun-and-prep-for-a-test class. Of course this means that only those who are really determined to earn a CGC show up. As a volunteer dog trainer, I know my real job is teaching a dog’s handler, and I want to work with people who are motivated to learn and committed to their goals.
It all happens early Saturday mornings in a parking lot in the East Bay. This particular morning it is overcast and I am sure it is going to rain, but I know somebody will be there, waiting for me under the eaves of a nearby building. There’s a slight misty drizzle as I arrive, but sure enough, about half a dozen dogs and their people are eager for class.
First off, I approach each dog and handler and greet each person in a friendly manner. This is the first item of practice today. Dogs are sitting politely and most are looking up at their handlers. I encourage everybody in class to teach their dogs a “watch-me”. This cues our dogs to really pay attention and receive the next bit of information we want to give them, which makes any kind of training a whole lot easier.
The next section, Sitting Politely for Petting, can be a bit of a challenge for many dogs, including and maybe especially Pit Bulls. If a Pit Bull is going to fail a CGC test, it’s often because of his tendency to be so people friendly and focused. I kneel down next to each dog in turn and pet him. If a dog decides to climb up into my lap or give me a big sloppy kiss, it’s a “no pass” on this section. Today we have just a few wiggles, no kisses, and soon we move on to Reaction to Distractions, our third test practice item.
Sometimes I learn more from my students than they learn from me. Today I see that one of the dog handlers, Nate, is holding a crazy-looking skateboard as a prop for this section. Nate has aspirations for his dog Ana to become a therapy dog, but Ana is cautious of anything with wheels. Knowing therapy dogs have to be able to work around wheelchairs, Nate showed up this morning with this new tool to help Ana with her phobia. He simply drilled a hole in one end of an old skateboard and finished off his creation with a string and some dog treats. Nate begins to desensitize Ana to the skateboard and we decide to drag it around amongst all the dogs as our distraction for the day. (Ana, who passed her CGC test and eventually earned her therapy dog certification, stops by now and then sporting her therapy dog vest.)
We complete the morning with dog-dog greetings, stay-and-recall exercises, and some loose leash walking. As our hour ends, the sun peeks out from behind some clouds and a few people linger and ask questions.
During my years as a volunteer CGC coach, I’ve met many people who have inspired me and a few who have changed my life. I’m grateful to the other volunteers who work on behalf of dogs, including the young son of one of the students who pulls our skateboard around the dogs dressed in his Spiderman costume.
My students are not afraid to make a mistake, to try or even invent a new training technique, and to show up in the rain. How can I not admire those who want nothing more than to have a wonderful relationship with their best canine friends, grounded in good behavior and based on mutual respect and affection?
Linda Chwistek has been a volunteer trainer for BAD RAP (www.badrap.org) since 2003. She recently retired her 10-year-old Pit Bull from competition Agility. She lives in the North Bay Area with her husband and their three dogs – one, a rescue from Michael Vick’s illegal dog-fighting operation (see page 8).
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