4-H Canine Dog Club Visits 4-H Mentoring
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Leslie Henderson, Luc Henderson and Savannah Foster.
By Connie Gerow, 4-H Mentoring Site Coordinator
Does your dog sit and wait patiently? Is your dog well-mannered around other dogs? Have you ever wondered what it would take to have your pet dog Canine become a Canine Good Citizen (CGC)?
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Mrs. Leslie Henderson, a local 4-H Leader for the 4-H Club A-OK-9, a Canine Good Citizen program is recognized as the gold standard for dog behavior. In the CGC, dogs who pass the 10 step CGC test can earn a certificate and/or the official AKC CGS title after their name. According to the AKC website, the ten steps is a non-competitive test for all dogs, including purebreds and mixed breeds. The CGC is a prerequisite for many therapy dog groups.
Recently, the 4-H A-OK-9 club members visited the 4-H Mentoring program at Salmon River Central School and St. Regis Mohawk School to demonstrate and share with the 4-H Members the ten steps to becoming a Canine Good Citizen. Under the direction of 4-H Leader, Leslie Henderson and parent, Nicole Foster, the A-OK-9 4-H Members Logan and Savannah Foster, Codi and Luc Henderson with their trained dogs demonstrated each of the required 10 steps. The 10 steps includes the following: Accepting a friendly stranger; Sitting politely for petting; Appearance and Grooming; Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead); Walking through a crowd; Sit and down on command and staying in place; Coming when called; Reaction to another dog; Reaction to Distraction and Supervised Separation. A question and answer session followed the demonstration.
In addition to acquiring a CGC certificate, the CGC program teaches responsible dog ownership to their owners. Soon, the 4-H Club members of A-OK-9 club will travel to Cornell Cooperative Extension Learning Center in Canton, New York to be tested for their CGC certificate. Given the quality of their demonstration, the 4-H Youth of the A-OK-9 club are well on their way to being responsible dog owners and passing the 10 steps with their dogs and achieving Canine Good Citizen (CGC).
For more information, one may contact the Franklin County Cornell Cooperative Extension Office at 483-7403.
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