As far back as the 1700’s, dogs have been used in therapeutic settings to provide comfort. In the 1970’s, several national therapy dog organizations emerged in the United States. These organizations registered handler and therapy dog teams who most often volunteered in nursing homes and facilities for people with developmental disabilities. Over the past few […]

The Saint Bernard mix looked like he was dead when he was first spotted in a ditch on the side of a road. “We thought he had been hit by a car,” recalls Deborah Workman, executive director of the Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, in Cleveland, the group that took in the 8-year-old stray. The truth was […]

As a search-and-rescue dog, Heidi works with her owner, Anne Wills, to sniff out missing people, pets, and things. Heidi has assisted the local police several times, including once locating a robbery suspect. She's helped almost 2,000 lost pets get home to their owners. But her biggest find yet happened in February when she sniffed […]

For dog owners who ask about housetraining a new puppy, crate training is frequently suggested as an important part of housetraining. The idea is that dogs won't want to soil the crate that they view as a den; they'll want to keep their sleeping area clean. But what do you do when you get a […]

As much fun as you have together, there will be times when you’ll need to leave your puppy at home unattended or times when someone else needs to take your puppy to provide grooming or veterinary care. Some puppies have problems when they are separated from their owners. In the extreme form, these problems can […]

Teaching tricks is a great way for dog owners to have fun with their dogs. Tricks are best taught using positive reinforcement and the behavioral procedure called “shaping” where successive approximations to a desired behavior are reinforced. Here is a trick that lends itself to being taught at home because it will most likely involve […]

Every time a CGC test is completed, whether it be for 50 dogs or one dog, evaluators must send in a Test Summary Form. If a CGC test participant loses his/her paperwork, they can contact the evaluator to ask for written proof of passing the test (a letter or copy of the yellow form) so […]

AKC Canine Good Citizen Becomes a Title Have Fun With Your Dog - Teach a Simple Trick Preventing Separation Anxiety – Supervised Separation Reading to Children with a Therapy Dog Three Steps to Making Your Dog a Therapy Dog Treating Aggression: Are You Exceeding Your Boundaries of Competence Trick Dog Titles Where Are CGC Training […]

After CGC: What's Next? A well-trained dog is a joy to live with, and the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program is a great first step in providing your dog with a solid foundation of basic training skills and intellectual stimulation. When you complete CGC training, you will have a canine companion who responds to core […]

Dog Training Time: 45-55 minutes Resources Needed: AKC Good Citizen Lesson: Ask students the types of behaviors a well-trained dog demonstrates. Write their ideas on the board or another central location. Ask students to share why they think it is important for a dog to be well-trained. Show students the video about the AKC Canine […]