High Point, North Carolina

Holly & Sean

805-794-1447

™

Canine Good Citizen

How To Get Certified

Several certifying organization exist, but the two largest ones in North America are Therapy Dogs International and The Delta Society.  Both use the American kennel club Canine Good Citizen test as a starting point for certification.  Here are nine sections from the AKC CGC test that therapy dogs must pass:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger.  The dog must show no resentment or shyness as a stranger greets the handler
2. Sitting politely for petting.  The dog  must show no sign of resentment or shyness as a stranger pets the dog on the head and body.
3. Inspecting appearance and grooming.  The dog permits a stranger to inspect it, including ears and front feet and to lightly brush it.
4. Walking on a loose leash.  The dog must be under control while walking, including making right, left and about turns and stopping.
5. Walking through a crowd.  The dog must be under control while walking close to several people, and must not be shy, resentful or overly exuberant.
6. Sit and down on command and staying in place.  The dog must sit or lie down and remain in place as the handler goes to the end of a 20 foot line.
7. Coming when called.  The dog must come when called to the handler, who is at the other end of a 10 foot line.
8. Reaction to another dog.  The dog must behave politely around other dogs.
9. React well to distractions.  The dog must remain confident and under control around distractions, such as a book being dropped or a jogger running by.  

Additional Therapy Dogs International (TDI) requirements include:

• Reaction to medical equipment.  The dog should not be upset by the presence of meidcal equipment, such as a wheelchair, crutches, cane or walker.
• Be able to leave it.  On command, the dog must ignore food placed on the ground within 3 feet of it.
• Respond confidently to infirmities.  The dog must remain confident when around people with infirmities, such as a shuffling or uneven gait, coughing or wheezing and heavy breathing.
• Handle supervised separation.  The dog must remain calm when left with a trusted person for three minutes with the owner out of sight.
• Happily say hello.  The dog must be willing to visit and be petted by a person.

The Delta Pet Partners skills test adds medical equipment into their CGC exercises.  Their Pet Partners Aptitude Test is designed to find the type of setting most appropriate for your dog.  Its exercise include:

• Overall exam.  The handler should know how to present the dog and the dog should be comfortable being examined by a stranger.
• Exuberant and clumsy petting.  The dog should tolerate clumsy petting.
• Restraining hug.  The dog should accept restraint by a stranger.
• Staggering, gesturing individual.  The dog should remain confident when approached by a person acting or walking unusually.
• Angry yelling.  The dog should remain confident when a stranger acts angry.
• Bumped from behind.  The dog should remain confident when bumped by a stranger.
• Crowded and petted by several people.  The dog should remain confident when surrounded and petted by several people at once.
• Leave it.  The dog should ignore a toy left on the floor.  
• Offered a treat.  The dog should accept a treat politely and gently.
• Overall assessment.  The handler must also react properly in all the exercises, being proactive, rather than reactive or inactive, in managing the situation and dog.
• Additional requirement for both organizations include vaccinations, physical exams and internal and external parasite checks.  Additional coursework or letters of recommendation may also be required.  Dogs must be at least 1 year of age.  For more information contact:

The Delta Society

875 124th Avenue, N.E., suite 101

Bellevue, WA  98005

425-226-7357

www.deltasociety.org

Therapy Dogs International

88 Bartley Road

Flanders, NJ  07836

973-252-9800

www.tdi-dog.org

Tips For Tiny Therapists

• Aside from walking in and out, the only time your tiny dog should be on the floor is when the patients and therapists are also seated on the floor.
• Place your tiny dog on a waist high table to meet patients who walk up for greetings.
• Only allow patients or therapists to pick up or carry your tiny dog when they are sitting, so that they cannot accidentally drop your dog.
• Reposition therapists or family members so they don’t hover over your tiny dog in a patient’s lap.  

No lag time, all information is current.  Web site is changed first then any listings.

All digital images are property of Blue Chi’s Ranch and are not to be posted or reproduced in any format without prior written consent from Blue Chi’s Ranch, this is to include, web sites, FaceBook, MySpace, and any other social networking sites, posting forums, webrings or chat rooms.  If consent is given, photos must have the Blue Chi’s Ranch watermark.  Watermark cannot be covered up, distorted, changed or hidden in any way.  Photos cannot be cropped, touched up or altered in any way.  No Blue Chi’s Ranch digital images can be used for advertising, marketing or logos.  

All intellectual information on this web site belongs to Blue Chi’s Ranch and is not to be reproduced in any way, shape or form.

Blue Chi’s Ranch ©Copyright 2008

All Rights Reserved.

No part of this web site may be taken without the express consent of

Holly Maxwell, Blue Chi’s Ranch.

Blue Chi’s ™