CGC Dog Training: Passing the 10 Test Items

Train the ten AKC test items as three clusters rather than ten exercises - stranger tolerance, lead handling, and separation - because the items reuse the same three skills, and the two that fail most dogs are being examined by a stranger and being left with one.

What the CGC actually is

A ten-item evaluation run by an AKC-approved evaluator, resulting in an AKC title. It is open to purebred and mixed-breed dogs, and AKC states there are no age minimums or limits for taking part.

It is a manners assessment, not an obedience competition. Nothing in it is scored on precision — the dog is not judged on how straight its sit is, only on whether it can do ordinary public things without becoming a problem.

That makes it the most useful cheap benchmark available to a pet owner, and it is why so many therapy organisations use it as an entry requirement.

The ten items, in AKC's words

AKC publishes the list, and it is worth reading as written rather than paraphrased.

Accepting a friendly stranger — "the dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach it and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday situation". Sitting politely for petting — "the dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is out with its handler". Appearance and grooming — "the dog will welcome being groomed and examined and will permit someone, such as a veterinarian, groomer, or friend of the owner, to do so".

Out for a walk, on a loose lead — "the handler is in control of the dog". Walking through a crowd — "the dog can move about politely in pedestrian traffic". Sit and down on cue and stay in place, using a line 20 feet long. Coming when called. Reaction to another dog — "the dog can behave politely around other dogs". Reaction to distraction — "the dog is always confident when faced with common distracting situations". And supervised separation — "a dog can be left with a trusted person, if necessary, and will maintain training and good manners".

Note the standard in item one: the dog "must show no sign of resentment or shyness". Shyness fails the same item aggression does, which tells you what the test is really measuring.

The two items worth more than the title

Item three and item ten. The rest are manners; these two are the behaviours whose absence costs money and stops veterinary care happening.

Item three is a cooperative-care exam in disguise — AKC names the veterinarian and the groomer explicitly. AVSAB's positive veterinary care statement records that 38% of dog owners say their animals hate going to the vet, that those animals are less likely to be brought in, and that a single bad experience can generalise to every future visit. A dog that genuinely passes item three is a dog whose appointments are shorter and cheaper.

Item ten is the only formal test most owners will ever face of whether their dog can be left. It is three minutes with a stranger, which is a low bar, and a dog that cannot hold it is telling you something worth acting on now rather than after the first destroyed door frame.

Train those two as if they were the whole test. The other eight follow from lead skills and a settle.

The ten items in training order

Five blocks. Items are grouped by the skill underneath them rather than by their number.

Lead skills first, because five items sit on them

Loose-lead walking, a sit and a down on cue, and a settle. That covers items four, five and six, and makes everything else easier to rehearse in public. Build the settle as mat training so the dog has a default.

Strangers next, at a distance the dog is comfortable with

Items one, two and three. Have a helper approach, shake your hand and leave, with food arriving as they appear rather than after they touch. Do not let a helper reach over the dog's head; that is the handling error that produces the shyness the test fails.

Grooming and examination as its own project

Brush, ears, feet, a stranger's hands. This is the cooperative-care work in cooperative care training, and it is the single item most worth doing properly rather than passing.

Dogs and distractions, on separate days

Item eight is one polite meeting with another handler and dog; item nine is a dropped chair, a jogger, a rolling crutch. Rehearse each at a distance the dog can think at — the MSD manual notes that an aroused dog responds reflexively and learns poorly, so the distance is what makes the session count.

Separation last, in short pieces

Item ten is three minutes out of sight with a stranger holding the lead. Build it at fifteen seconds, then a minute, then three, with the handler leaving calmly and returning without a fuss.

What the title does and does not unlock

It unlocks the front door of a lot of dog activities. AKC states the CGC title is a prerequisite for many therapy dog certifications, and it is commonly required by insurers, landlords and clubs as evidence of basic manners.

It unlocks nothing legally. The Department of Justice is explicit that entities may not require documentation such as proof that an animal has been certified, trained or licensed, and that documents sold as certification convey no rights under the ADA. A CGC is an AKC award; it is not a service-dog qualification, and the difference is set out in training a service dog.

Treat it as a training goal with a deadline, which is what makes it useful. The value is in what the dog can do on the day, not the certificate in the drawer.

Is the CGC a certification?

It is an AKC title and award. AKC describes earning "the Canine Good Citizen award" and a "CGC title", which is a recognition from a private organisation rather than a licence from any government body.

That distinction matters mostly in one direction: nobody is obliged to accept it, and it grants no access anywhere. Where it is accepted — therapy programmes, some housing, some clubs — it is accepted because the organisation chose to recognise it.

Can any dog take the CGC test?

AKC states the programme is open to all dogs, purebred and mixed breed, with no age minimums or limits. A puppy that can hold a sit and tolerate a stranger can be entered; so can a twelve-year-old.

The practical exception is temperament rather than eligibility. A dog that shows fear or aggression toward strangers should be worked on that problem with a professional rather than entered into a test whose first item requires no sign of shyness.

Does my dog need the CGC to be a therapy dog?

Often yes, as an entry requirement rather than a qualification in itself. AKC states the title is a prerequisite for many therapy dog certifications, and registering organisations then run their own temperament assessment on top.

The CGC tests whether a dog can cope with strangers; therapy work asks whether it actively enjoys them, which is a higher bar and a different selection. That distinction, and the legal difference between therapy dogs, service dogs and emotional support animals, is covered in therapy dog training.

Related guides

• pet therapy dog training — A therapy dog visits by invitation and has no public access rights.
• cooperative care dog training — Cooperative care training gives an anxious dog a way to say stop.
• dog mat training — Dog mat training works when duration is paid for and the mat means the same thing everywhere.

Every guide we have written is on the dog training guide index.

Sources

1. Canine Good Citizen Test Items — American Kennel Club (AKC), Canine Good Citizen programme, 2026.
2. Canine Good Citizen (CGC) programme — American Kennel Club (AKC), 2026.
3. Frequently Asked Questions about Service Animals and the ADA — US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (ADA.gov), 2026.
4. AVSAB Position Statement on Positive Veterinary Care — American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), 2016.
5. Position Statement on Humane Dog Training — American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), 2021.
6. Behavioral Problems of Dogs — MSD Veterinary Manual (Merck), professional edition, 2026.