Cabana Good Citizen

Over the weekend, Cabana took the Canine Good Citizen test--and wonder of wonders, she passed! This was our first time taking the test, and I really wasn't sure if she would pass, with the culprit being "reaction to another dog". The dogs are only allowed to show "polite interest" in one another, and we've never been able to completely master Cabana's dog distraction.

Thankfully, the evaluators weren't that picky. Cabana did attempt to meet the other dog, but she sat when I asked her to. Her loose leash walking wasn't as loose as it should have been, but I think the evaluators know it's hard to keep the dogs from being too excited in a new, dog-filled environment and are somewhat lenient.

I TRIED to get to the test location early, but I couldn't find the address. I drove back and forth on the road and even called my husband to look it up online for me (I don't have a smart phone). Finally, I found the location in the nick of time, just had a minute to relieve Cabana before walking into the dog-filled training center. Thank goodness Cabana still knows how to relieve on command, especially since eliminating during the test is immediate failure.

Treats are not allowed during the test, so I didn't bring a single treat with me. Not a smart move, considering that Cabana is so used to getting treats for good behavior. There were 10 other dogs in the room, also taking the test, and we sat in the only available spot, next to a big handsome male black lab. Of course, Cabana was DYING to meet the hunk, but I couldn't let her. I sat down and had Cabana down-stay in front of me. But she kept looking up at me and groaning, expecting a treat for being so good about not meeting the big black lab.

Since we had gotten there last, we were the last ones to take the test. So for an hour, Cabana grunted and groaned at me, telling me that she wanted to meet all the other dogs, like this Ibizan hound and American Eskimo dog, and if she wasn't allowed to, shouldn't she be getting treats instead?

It actually turned out best that Cabana was the last to get tested because finally, after an hour of being busy of mind, body and sound, she settled down and relaxed. The black lab had already tested and left early, after performing all the test items perfectly. It was also helpful that Cabana watched the other dogs take the test--I think it definitely clued her in on what to expect.

All but one of the dogs passed. The dog that didn't pass was extremely stressed, urinated submissively twice while waiting for her turn to test, and during the test, refused to "stay". There were also two black labs and two pitbulls who had to leave right after being tested, so they are not in the photo. I heard one of the pitbull owners say she needed her dog to pass the CGC test so she could show the certificate to the landlord of a house she wanted to rent. Breedism is so unfortunate, but I'm glad she's able to have documented proof that her dog is not a liability. (Cabana is so used to having her photo taken, she's the only dog looking straight at the camera.)

After the testing was done, I drove straight to a pet store and bought Cabana a bully stick. I felt awful that she had done such a good job and that I'd had nothing to reward her with! Here, she looks more like a walrus than a Canine Good Citizen!

So what does it mean, now that Cabana is a Canine Good Citizen? For us, it basically means that she can participate in an elementary school program in our area, where they bring in dogs and teach the kids how to properly meet and greet them. Cabana is already a therapy dog, but for many therapy dog organizations, the CGC is a requirement.

Most importantly, I also thought it meant that Cabana would get a cute CGC pin to attach to her therapy dog jacket. But the pin they gave us only has the name of the training facility on it. I looked on the AKC website, though, and saw that we can buy our own CGC pin, so I guess that's what we'll do.

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Reading to a Dog

Last week, I mailed in our paperwork (forms, medical history) for the Paws for Reading program, which provides a motivational and non-judgmental venue for young children to improve their reading skills by reading to a friendly dog. Yesterday, I went to our local library to check out a Paws for Reading team at work. This lovely golden retriever Penny was the canine part of the reading team.

While the human part of the reading team got things ready, arranging the furniture, taking out a sign-up clipboard and other materials, several children lined up, waiting for their turn to read. The kids were so cute! I wondered, would kids line up and be so excited to read to a human? I doubt it. But the thought of reading to a snuggly dog (even if the dog doesn't seem to be listening) definitely excited them and motivated them.

Qualifications for being a therapy/reading dog include: accepting a friendly stranger, ignoring food on the floor, negotiating tight spaces, allowing their paws and tail to be handled/grabbed, being calm around medical equipment, quick recovery from loud noises, not reacting to "odd" characteristics (shuffling gait, canes or crutches, wearing unfamiliar clothes or paraphernalia). Dogs must also pass the Canine Good Citizen test, and only flat collars can be used (no metal collars or head collars).

I worried that Penny would be "perfect" and that I would feel discouraged about Cabana's ability to do the job. But somewhat to my relief, Penny was not perfect. She was as sweet as can be, but she licked a lot, licking me, the kids and her handler. She also tried to jump up on the chairs (without any kids sitting in them), and sadly, she wasn't really interested in what the kids were reading! In fact, she dozed off in the middle of a book. I thought the dogs would be trained to at least feign interest! But I guess that's too much to expect, and obviously, the kids didn't care that much whether the dog seemed to be listening or not.

So I left the library feeling encouraged. I haven't heard back from the program yet, but the next class doesn't start until the end of October, so I don't expect to hear anything for a while yet. Gives us a good amount of time to keep working on obedience and walking skills. I've been walking Cabana with just a flat collar lately, in preparation for the testing. She has been doing great, except when other dogs pass by--but we are allowed to use treats, even for the test, so I definitely won't be phasing those out just yet!

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