American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Becomes An Official AKC Title

New York, NY – In celebration of dogs with good manners at home and in the community, beginning January 1, 2013, passing the AKC^®’s Canine Good Citizen^® test can be recognized as an official American Kennel Club^® title for all dogs.

Since the program began in 1989, the CGC^® has been considered an “award.” Dogs that passed the 10-step test received a certificate, but CGC was not listed on the dog’s title record. Now as a result of frequent requests from dog owners and instructors, owners of dogs registered or listed with AKC will be able to use the CGC suffix after the dog’s name and include Canine Good Citizen on their dog’s official title record.

“We’re pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of the thousands of dogs that pass the Canine Good Citizen test each year by offering CGC as a title,” said Mary Burch, PhD, director of AKC’s Canine Good Citizen program. “The CGC program tests the skills that make dogs a joy to live with and many owners have expressed the desire to officially add this ‘badge of honor’ to the end of their dog’s official AKC name. We hope that CGC is the first of many titles these dogs earn.”

For dogs that pass the test on or after January 1, 2013, owners will be able to choose from two options on the CGC test form: CGC as a title or CGC certificate only.

• CGC as a title: CGC will be listed on the dog’s official AKC title record. The dog must be registered or listed with AKC (via an AKC registration number, PAL listing, or AKC Canine Partners listing). Owners will receive the CGC certificate and may use the suffix “CGC” after the dog’s name.

• CGC certificate only: CGC will not appear on the dog’s official AKC title record.

Owners whose dogs earned the CGC award from January 1, 2001 onward may convert the award into a title by filling out and submitting this form.

AKC began accepting CGC title applications on Monday, December 17, 2012. The processing of all CGC title application will begin Wednesday, January 2, 2013. Learn more about CGC as a title here.

To compete or earn any AKC titles, including the new CGC title, dogs must have an AKC number: an AKC registration number, a Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) number or an AKC CaninePartners^SM number. If your dog doesn’t already have an AKC number, learn how to obtain one here.

The Canine Good Citizen program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. Many dog owners choose Canine Good Citizen training as the first step in training their dogs. The program lays the foundation for other AKC activities such as obedience, agility, tracking, and performance events and also serves to enhance the bond between owner and dog, making dogs a pleasure with which to live. Get started or find a CGC instructor or approved AKC CGC evaluator.

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Posted by Geoff on Dec 19 2012. Filed under Breaking News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.