(Editor’s note: The CGC is the Canine Good Citizen title, the American Kennel Club’s recognition that a dog has passed a “good manners” test as being well-behaved in public under situations such as meeting and being petted by a stranger; not reacting when walking by a strange dog; not reacting in a crowd, or to a strange noise, etc. Waiting patiently with a stranger while the owner is out of sight for three minutes is perhaps one of the most taxing requirements for the dog and the owner.)
“Braelynn’s Memory of our Favorite Pub” is the name on his papers, but that’s a mouthful. We knew that beautiful little fuzz ball would go through some interesting growth and training phases, so we decided to call him Goose. I began working with him just to give him something to do, but I’m a social worker, and my hope is he will take over for my other Berner when she retires from therapy work.
Goose was a 10-month old, 90 lb. goofball when we arrived at the training center to test for his CGC. I was a little unnerved because he was energetic and particularly inattentive that morning. Feeling doomed from the get-go, I considered canceling the test.
“Don’t worry,” said Evaluator 1. “Just have him warm up with us,” said Evaluator 2. So we went through a particularly long warm-up session, putting him through various situations. Treats were not allowed and without his primary motivation, I thought his session was far from impressive, but he settled down. When it was time to practice the separation, I handed Goose off to Evaluator 1 and headed into a room to hide. Evaluator 2 was stationed outside my door. Three minutes is an excruciatingly long time under those circumstances.
Suddenly, I heard a loud, “Oww!” from Evaluator 1. A strong ”This-is-not-so-good” feeling swept over me as I stared wide-eyed at Evaluator 2 outside my door. “It’s okay. It was her fault,” she said, but that made me feel only marginally better. Finally, I’m told the three minutes are up and I can come out. There in the ring is Evaluator 1 sitting on the floor with Goose in her lap.
“It was my fault, “ says she. “I was horsing around with him and got tangled in the leash and tripped.” “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked as I grabbed my dog. “I’m fine. He passed the test,” she added.
“Hunh? Wow!,” I said to myself. I thought we were just practicing. I didn’t know he was actually being evaluated. Exercise finished, except for a big hug for Goose!
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from Mary, Georgia