The AKC Canine Good Citizen® program rewards responsible dog ownership and is the national gold standard for recognizing good canine behavior and a dog owner’s commitment to basic training. The 10-step CGC™ test not only encourages owners to begin a journey with their canine companions that epitomizes the human-animal bond, but is used as a yardstick for canine manners by the government, the insurance industry, law enforcement and beyond.
Since the program’s inception in 1989, the AKC has issued more than a half million CGC™ certificates to both purebred and mixed breed dogs. Nearly 30,000 dogs continue to be tested annually and today, CGC™ is often the “stepping stone” for AKC-registered dogs to enter other AKC activities such as obedience, agility, rally, tracking and performance events.
The state legislatures of Colorado, Delaware and Texas have recently passed resolutions recognizing the importance of responsible dog ownership, citing the CGC™ test as the official measure of that commitment. In total, 21 states (Massachusetts, Maine, Florida, Kansas, Alaska, Utah, Illinois, Louisiana, Georgia, New York, Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Michigan, Washington, and New Hampshire) join the U.S. Senate in this official recognition. In addition, the CGC™ test has been used as a model for similar programs around the world in such countries as England, Australia, Japan, Hungary, Denmark and Canada.
CGC™ is also turning up as a tool in many areas where dogs and humans need a framework for forging a bond and measuring behavior. For example, Petco is adding the CGC™ program as part of its training curriculum, while police departments, animal control agencies, therapy dog organizations, and 4-H groups use it in a variety of educational and professional programs.
In an age of liability lawsuits and breed-specific legislation, even insurance companies have come to recognize the value of AKC Canine Good Citizenship. We applaud Nationwide Insurance for allowing owners with previously banned breeds to be considered for homeowners insurance if their dog passes the CGC™ test.
With the new CGC™ evaluator testing program bringing a higher standard to the program with trained, AKC-approved evaluators and an enhanced testing protocol, we look forward to more government agencies, businesses and pet owners adding AKC Canine Good Citizen® to their vocabulary when talking about responsible dog ownership.
Sincerely,
Ron Menaker
Chairman