Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Prep
Prepare your dog for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test with calm, confidence‑building training that strengthens manners, focus, and teamwork. Our Puppy Foundations and Dog Manners programs create the exact skills your dog needs to stay composed, cooperative, and ready for real‑world expectations — the same expectations evaluated in the CGC exam.
How Our Programs
Lead to CGC Success
Your dog’s CGC journey begins long before test day. Puppy Foundations builds early impulse control, social comfort, and basic obedience. Dog Manners (Basic & Advanced) adds reliability, distraction training, polite public behavior, and structured communication — all of which map directly to the 10 CGC test items.
By the time you reach CGC testing, your dog has already practiced the exam behaviors in everyday life: greeting people politely, walking on a loose leash, staying focused around dogs, and remaining calm during grooming or separation.
CGC Test Skills &
How Next Level Training Builds Them
Below is list of the 10 AKC CGC test items, paired with how Next Level Dog Training programs support each skill:
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Accepting a Friendly Stranger — Dogs learn calm greetings and confidence around new people in Puppy Foundations and Manners.
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Sitting Politely for Petting — Your programs teach polite stationary behavior, handler support, and no jumping.
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Appearance & Grooming — Puppies and adult dogs practice handling, brushing, paw lifts, and cooperative care.
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Walking on a Loose Lead — Loose Leash I & II plus Manners create attentive, controlled walking with turns and stops.
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Walking Through a Crowd — Manners teaches navigating people calmly, ignoring distractions, and staying connected to the handler.
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Sit, Down, and Stay — Puppy Foundations introduces these cues; Manners adds distance, duration, and distraction — exactly what CGC requires.
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Coming When Called — Reliable recall is trained early and strengthened in Manners with real‑world setups.
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Reaction to Another Dog — Controlled meet‑and‑greets, neutrality training, and calm passing are core parts of Manners.
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Reaction to Distraction — Manners and Advanced Manners build confidence around noises, movement, and unpredictable environments.
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Supervised Separation — Dogs learn emotional stability, crate comfort, and calm independence — essential for this 3‑minute separation test.
