Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme
We are a Kennel Club Listed Status club for The Good Citizen Dog Scheme and can offer all levels from Puppy to Gold.
Puppy classes run on a Wednesday evening and incorporate the Puppy Foundation award. Good Citizen classes usually run on a Tuesday evening and occasionally a Wednesday evening.
The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme has 3 levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Bronze Award
The Bronze Award is the first level of training following on from Puppy Courses or for dogs over the age of 20 weeks. The Course follows the content of the Kennel Club Good Citizens Scheme, meaning that the Course is structured and has set exercises that should be achieved by the end of the Course.
The Course runs for 8 weeks with each session lasting for 1 hour. Weeks 1 to 6 are training exercises. Week 7 is a full run through of the examination and then work on any problem areas. Week 8 is the examination. The examination will be led by an external examiner who has not previously taught the group.
Some of the elements in the Bronze Good Citizens Dog Scheme:
-
Walking your dog to heel on lead
-
Walking your dog around distractions
-
Recalling your dog
-
A one minute stay
-
Walking through a doorway under control
-
Examining and grooming your dog
-
Being able to remove and fit your dogs walking equipment
-
Questions on being a responsible dog owner
Silver Award
This is the second level of training, which is designed to follow on from the Bronze Course. It runs for 7 weeks with testing on week 7.
The elements involved in the Silver Good Citizens Dog scheme:
-
Walking to heel outside
-
Recall your dog from 10 strides away
-
Calling your dog away from distractions
-
Play with your dog
-
Stay for two minutes
-
Safely getting your dog in and out of the car
-
A stranger examining your dog (as the vet or groomer would)
-
Food manners whilst you are eating
-
Questions on being a responsible owner
Gold Award
This is the third level of training, which follows on from the Silver Course.
The elements involved in the Gold Good Citizens Dog Scheme:
-
Walking to heel outside with changes in pace and direction
-
Walking at heel off lead
-
A recall
-
Sending the dog to a mat or bed
-
Stopping your dog for an emergency situation
-
Leaving food and only taking it when asked
-
Examination of your dog by a stranger (as the vet or groomer would)
-
A 2 minute down stay.
-
Your dog must be relaxed when left in isolation in a room on its own (this can be in a crate)
-
Questions on being a responsible dog owner
During the Gold Course we train you in the required elements as well as working on more advanced training in off lead heelwork, increased attention and being able to train using less frequent food rewards. The Gold Training requires a lot more practice away from the sessions, as there is a big jump up from Silver to Gold in the standard required. Due to this classes run continuously until the group is ready to be tested. It is usually 8-10 weeks long.
Inspecting the dog - Bronze
Controlled meet & greet - Bronze/Silver
I did the Good Citizen Dog Scheme with MAD club and Pass all 3 levels, you see your progression from Start to End. This is due to the excellent methods used by MAD as all dogs learn differently. I highly recommend joining club MAD so come and join our MAD family.