Canine Good Neighbor week

Next Sunday Lola will be taking the Canine Good neighbor course so this is what we'll be working on for most of the week.
I started tonight by taking her to a fairly busy grocery store where she sat nicely on the sidewalk while people walked by with carts and bags and baby strollers. Eventually I'd like her to get certified to be a therapy dog so that is something we will always be working towards as well.
I just need to get my hands on a wheelchair and maybe even an old person.

The Canadian Canine Good Neighbour Test™ must take place in a busy public area such as a shopping mall, hotel or community centre lobby, NOT a regular dog training hall. Vaccination certificate, license, grooming tool, plastic bag and leash with a plain buckle collar are required for this test. A dog straining on its lead, or touching anyone with teeth or feet is unacceptable, and therefore a failure.





• Accepting a friendly stranger: a key in good neighbour relations with adults and children. Owner shakes hand with a friendly stranger
• Patiently sitting for petting: a test for shyness and resentment
• Appearance & grooming: owner's care & sense of responsibility show in how he keeps his dog
• Out for a walk: illustrates handler's control of the dog
• Walking through a crowd: shows that the dog moves around in a crowd without being unduly distressed and is under handler control
• Commands: sit, down, stay, come: this illustrates that the dog has been trained and responds well to its handler/owner
• Praise/interactions: shows the dog's relationship with its owner and that it can be calmed down easily
• Reaction to passing dogs: this test demonstrates that the dog behaves politely around other dogs
• Distractions: shows that the dog is confident when faced with common distractions
  
• Supervised isolation: this test shows that the dog can be left with someone other than
  its usual handler & will maintain its training & good manner