Tuesday Training Tips: CGC Test Item 3

The third in my Canine Good Citizen (CGC) series going through each of the CGC exercises and offering tips for practicing in order to successfully pass a CGC Evaluation. Test Item 2 was covered previously.

Test Item 3: Appearance and Grooming

This test demonstrates that the dog will welcome being groomed and examined and will permit someone, such as a veterinarian, groomer, or friend of the owner, to do so. It also demonstrates the owner's care, concern, and sense of responsibility. The evaluator inspects the dog to determine if it cleaned and groomed. The dog must appear to be in healthy condition (proper weight, clean, healthy and alert). The handler should supply the comb or brush commonly used on the dog. The evaluator then softly combs or brushes the dog, and lightly examines the ears and gently picks up each front foot. It is not necessary for the dog to hold a specific position during the examination, and the handler may talk to the dog, praise it, and give encouragement throughout.

Grooming :)
Picture taken from www.examiner.com

So Your Goal: Accepting brushing and gentle inspection of feet and ears (or other handling).

Training Tips:

Pleasant daily handling and grooming will help you recognize physical problems early on, and your dog will learn that being examined and groomed is a welcome part of everyday life. So to prepare your dog for this test, you'll need to get started now with a daily routine of simple brushing and handling exercises done by you. Gradually build up from gentle touching to brushing and checking each area that will be inspected - ears, body, and feet. Every interaction with grooming utensils and hands :) should be a positive experience.

If your dog becomes afraid or uncertain when its ears or feet are touched, spend time linking touch to those areas with positive associations (praise and treats). Lots of dogs prefer not to have their ears handled, so you want to start making your touch to this place more of a massage. Stroking and massaging your dog's ears on a regular basis often becomes pleasurable for them and can help them deal with the brief inspection done by the evaluator. Once your dog is comfortable being groomed and examined by you, ask someone else to do the same.

The handling does not need to be extremely invasive and remember to take your time as you practice these exercises with your dog. Use a soothing voice - channel the massage therapist in you! Your dog needs to associate these grooming experiences with pleasure (and treats!). Grooming is also a wonderful way to bond with your dog, so make sure to take the time to enjoy the time spent with your dog.

Here is a short video demonstrating Test Item 3. (I used an unfamiliar brush on Mia and apparently she didn't think it smelled so good! Just another reason to use one that your dog is used to and smells like them.)

Next week we'll discuss CGC Test Item 4, Out for a Walk (Walking on a Loose Leash).

Don't forget to check out the other CGC test items we've covered:

Test Item 1

Test Item 2

Vito's Story

Oh, Vito. He's the baby of the family and definitely knows it. He's not even the youngest :), but he is the smallest (even though he has the biggest mouth!!). And he has that perpetual puppy look, everyone who meets him swears he's still a puppy (yea a puppy going on six years old, LOL).

Who me? I can't help it if I am eternally young and handsome...

Small But Intimidating

I've shared Bourbon's Story and so I thought I would share Vito's as his comes with a troubled start as well. Not dramatic like with Bourbon and Hurricane Katrina, but definitely unfortunate. See Vito was dropped off at a shelter when he was only two weeks old with the rest of his litter, but not his mama. Who does that?!? It makes me mad just thinking about it, even after all these years. Some people. Anyways, Illinois Doberman Rescue Plus had arrived at that shelter to pull a Doberman and just couldn't leave the litter behind for an obvious death sentence. So IDR+ pulled the litter along with the Doberman.

Vito with his littermates. There were four puppies total.

Sadly, Vito is the only one from the litter that survived. Which explains his incredible stubbornness - he was too stubborn to die :). IDR+ president Pam had taken the litter to her house (which is dubbed the medical ward, LOL) to bottle feed them and give them the best chance possible. Then once he was older, he moved to a foster home for a while before I decided that I wanted to adopt him. I had no idea what I was getting into but I fell in love with him through the continual updates, pictures, and story shared about him.

He was soo tiny!! Basically the same size as a box of kleenex.

Even when the ball was bigger than his head, Vito was still obsessed.

Everyone who met Vito loved him. He just sucks you in with those puppy dog eyes.

More Than I Bargained For

Vito was 12 weeks old when I finally brought him home. He was definitely a large dog in a very, very tiny package. The moment he came into my house he took over. He had the best facial expressions which instantly had him getting his way time and time again. He also had these cute ears that never went in the same direction twice. They were all over the place!! And his damn spotted nose. He was definitely WAY too cute for his own good (and my sanity).

How do you resist this face?

Vito climbing on the kitchen table. He was not supposed to be up there....but you never could tell Vito what wasn't acceptable, he did his own thing.

He had a love affair with shoes. They ranked right up under tennis balls.

While Vito livened up my house, he also made me learn even more about dogs. Bourbon pushed me to learn more about training, exercise, and dog reactiveness; but Vito pushed me to learn more about fearfulness, anxiety, and resource guarding. Vito is not an easy dog to live with and he's taught me a lot. Over the years, I've had quite the roller coaster ride with the little man but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Vito staring down Tito for his tennis ball. Even that young, he was very intense and possessive.

Vito loved agility but he eventually hated going places because of his anxiety :(.

Vito turns six next month, I can't believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like just yesterday he was a tiny, little imp that was smaller than my shoe. I'm sure he has more 'surprises' in store for me as the years go by. I can definitely say that he keeps life interesting!

Silly Baron...

...Sunbathing is for outside.

Making the Rug Theirs

It's been delivered!!

I finally got a new rug for the living room! Not that I don't love my old color block rug, but I've had it for almost 10 years and it's begun to, well...smell like dog. Imagine that! :) I've housebroke many a foster on that rug and I think it's time for its retirement. So of course I order a new rug that is light green and light gray - LOL, probably SURE to show all the dirt the dogs track through. Oh well, it certainly looks nice and the dog's have approved.

Bourbon supervising the new rug getting laid out. He's quite the helper :).

The new rug is A LOT bigger than my old rug. I probably should have really measured, LOL instead of just trying to guess. I'm horrible at spacial estimates! But the bigger size definitely works for the living room and it protects more of the floor, so that is at least a good thing. We need to sand down and reseal our floors, but that is definitely a project for another day (most likely another year!).

Bourbon is satisfied with its appearance, now to get it in the correct spot!

Once I got it situated correctly and vacuumed (who knew rugs came with carpet balls all over them!), Bourbon had decided he was tired from all the excitement. He was apparently done being my helper, LOL.

Whew, that was hard work! Time for a nap...

The true test was letting the rest of the dogs into the living room and gauging their thoughts. They were all pretty intrigued at first because of the new smells and new feel of it. But in true dog fashion, they were over all the fuss in about 2 minutes flat and life was back to normal in the living room (aka dog room!).

Mom, what is this thing on the floor? :)

Baron was over the new rug pretty fast and was way more
interested in what was going on outside  :).

Vito and Rookie approved!

How do your dogs handle new 'furniture' or room accessories in your house? 

Wordless Wednesday - Dogsitting A Diva

Miss Maggie Mae checking out the neighborhood.

Tuesday Training Tips: CGC Test Item 2

The second of my Canine Good Citizen (CGC) series going through each of the CGC exercises and offering tips for practicing in order to successfully pass a CGC Evaluation. Test Item 1 was covered previously.

Test Item 2: Sit Politely for Petting

This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is out with its handler. With the dog sitting at the handler's side to being the exercise, the evaluator pets the dog on the head and body. The handler may talk to their dog as it is petted. The dog must not show shyness or resentment.

CGC Test 2 being demonstrated
(photo borrowed from www.abettertraineddog.com).

So Your Goal: No Jumping (or otherwise overly enthusiastic behaviors)!

Training Tips:

Sitting politely for petting sounds simple, right? Not so much for most people's dogs (mine included!). The butts seem to just pop off the floor the minute the petting starts. They turn into wiggling, spinning, jumping, giddy bundles of silliness. Dogs that are social butterflies will have a harder time remaining calm than those dogs that are a bit more aloof with people.

The best way to practice for this test is to do the same thing you did for test item 1 - get your dog out in public frequently. :) A large part of this exercise (sitting calmly when a stranger approaches) has been accomplished by practicing for test item 1. So now we are going to build on that behavior by having people actually pet your dog. It's a good idea to start with family members and friends who are already familiar with the dog. Have your dog on leash, sitting next to you and have your family members approach and pet your dog. Praise your dog as it sits and don't allow anyone to pet the dog while it is jumping. If your dog has trouble containing their excitement, you may have to direct the person doing the petting to go in increments. Start by slowly approaching and merely touching the dog and backing up. You can gradually increase the length of petting time over several practice sessions.

As soon as your dog understands that it must remain under control while being petted by those it knows, you can allow strangers to do the same. Remember that many people, especially children, do not know how to approach an animal and they may need some guidance, particularly before your dog is well trained and reliable.

I recommend that you courteously confirm with the evaluator that they will approach your dog from the side and to pet your dog under the chin or on its chest. Also note, this exercise, and test item 3 (appearance and grooming), are the only exercises you are allowed to physically touch your dog. You may place your hand gently under the collar of the your dog to encourage it to stay in the sit position while being touched by the friendly stranger and you may repeatedly tell it to sit and praise it. However, you may not force your dog to maintain its sitting position by placing your hands on its body or pulling on the leash.

Next week we'll discuss CGC Test Item 3, which relates to appearance and grooming. 

Remember - Keep your practice light and fun!

More Awards!

Back in April I received the Liebster Award three times (remember two of my nominees re-nominated me!). And now guess what?!? I recently received two more awards. :) Hopefully, this means more people are enjoying my blog, LOL.

Coralee and Finn from Bark and Chatter nominated us for the The Super Sweet Blogging Award and The Versatile Blogger Award. Woot, woot! Thank you Coralee and Finn :).

Obviously, both of these awards have their own set of 'rules' so here we go...

Super Sweet  Blogging Award Rules

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you. (Done! We are mighty flattered you thought of us!)
2. Include the award image on your blog. (Done!)
3. Nominate and notify a baker's dozen sweet blogs for this award (see below).
4. Answer 5 Super Sweet questions:

Cookies or Cake?

If I have to choose, than CAKE! But I do love cookies too :).

Vanilla or Chocolate?

Vanilla

What is your favorite sweet treat?

Hmmm, I suppose I will try to pick only one...Cupcakes :)

When do you crave sweet things the most?

Pretty much all the time.

If you had a sweet name, what would it be?

Um, cupcake?

Versatile Blogger Rules

1. Add the Versatile Blogger award photo to your blog post. (Done!)
2. Thank the person who presented you with the award and link back to them in your post. (Done!)
3. Pass the award along to 15 favorite bloggers. Contact the chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.
4. Share seven things about yourself:

1. I am learning more about essential oils and ways to live more

naturally with less chemicals. Green is better :)

2. I love nature, trees, flowers, and gardens, however I do NOT

have a green thumb. I try but I tend to fail :). One of these days...

3. I have a very eclectic music taste - in one listening session I go from Hard Rock

to Classic Rock to Blues to 'Spa' and pretty much everything in between. I think

my favorite musicians are Rob Zombie, Florence + The Machine, and Blind Melon

(not always in that order!) 

4. I hate cleaning, who has time for it? But I LOVE a clean house, LOL.

5. I LOVE shopping (for pretty much anything) and in order to curb

the impulse control I don't have :) I just stay away from stores.

I literally cannot handle window shopping.

6. I like wine, A LOT. Mostly red wine, but some whites if they are not too sweet.

I am of the opinion you should have a glass with EVERY meal (including breakfast!).

It's good for your blood :).

7. My dogs eat better than I do. Seriously....sometimes it's a bit disturbing :).

These awards are fun and they are a great way to get word out about different blogs. Plus, it's nice to get a big ol' internet hug from your peers and fellow bloggers. I'm still new to the blogging world so the encouragement is nice :).

Soooo, I've decided to fail on the requirements of posting blogs to pass the awards on to. Mostly, because a lot of the blogs that I am familiar with have already received these awards. I wish I had more time to spend in the blogging world reading and finding new sites! I could spend all day doing that :).

Bourbon is ready for his award - he said he'll take something sweet :)