Good Dog, Good Citizen
5-Week Canine Good Citizen Prep + Testing Class
Dates: November 7, 14, 21, December 5 & December 12
Time: Saturdays, 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Location: Oroville, California
Investment: $295 per dog and handler team
K9 Guardian Member Rate: $249
Class Size: Small group with individualized coaching
Official AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluation Included
You’ve built the foundation. Now it’s time to see what those skills look like in the real world.
Good Dog, Good Citizen is a 5-week group class designed to prepare dogs and their humans for the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) evaluation, while continuing to build the everyday manners, neutrality, and reliability that make life together a whole lot easier.
This isn’t a class where we spend 5 weeks drilling a test. We’ll use the CGC skills as our framework while continuing to work on the things that actually matter outside the classroom: walking politely, staying engaged around distractions, greeting people appropriately, existing calmly around other dogs, handling unexpected situations, and listening even when something more interesting is happening.
Class sizes are intentionally kept small so every team receives individual coaching, weekly homework, and plenty of opportunities to troubleshoot their specific challenges.
And on Week 5, you’ll have the opportunity to put all that work to the test with the official AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation.
Week 1: Polite Dogs in a People World
We’ll start with the social and handling skills your dog needs to navigate everyday interactions appropriately.
We’ll work on:
✓ Accepting a friendly stranger
✓ Sitting politely for petting
✓ Appearance and grooming
✓ Calm greetings without jumping
✓ Handler positioning and leash skills
✓ Confidence with appropriate handling
We’ll also identify each team’s strengths and where a little extra homework may be needed.
Week 2: Let’s Take This Show on the Road
Knowing how to do something at home is very different from doing it while the world is happening around you.
We’ll work on:
✓ Loose leash walking
✓ Walking through a crowd
✓ Changes of direction and pace
✓ Sit and down on cue
✓ Staying in place
✓ Coming when called
✓ Maintaining engagement around distractions
Week 3: The Art of Minding Your Own Business
Your dog doesn’t need to say hello to everyone. Being able to calmly exist around dogs, people, movement, and distractions is a skill all by itself.
We’ll work on:
✓ Appropriate reactions to another dog
✓ Reactions to everyday distractions
✓ Passing dogs calmly
✓ Neutrality around people and movement
✓ Supervised separation
✓ Handler advocacy and managing space
Week 4: Dress Rehearsal
Time to put everything together.
We’ll run through a full mock CGC evaluation so you and your dog know exactly what to expect on testing day.
This gives us an entire class to identify weak spots, troubleshoot individual challenges, and create a final homework plan before the official evaluation.
We’ll also work on the human end of the leash because sometimes the dog is ready and their person is the one having big test-day feelings.
Week 5: Good Citizen Day
You’ve practiced. You’ve done the homework. Now it’s time to show off what you’ve built together.
We’ll give everyone time to settle in and warm up before completing the official AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluation.
The CGC evaluates 10 skills covering polite interactions with people, handling, loose leash walking, walking through a crowd, basic obedience, recall, neutrality around another dog, reactions to distractions, and supervised separation.
Passing the test is a pretty cool accomplishment, but the bigger goal is leaving this class with skills that make everyday life with your dog better.
Testing is included in your class tuition. Any separate AKC title or registration fees are not included.
Ready to Become a Good Dog, Good Citizen Team?
If you’ve completed Real Life Foundations and you’re ready to take your training to the next level, this is your next step.
Enrollment is limited to keep the class small and coaching individualized.