Lucky is a Canine Good Citizen!

Ron adopted Lucky a few months ago knowing that Lucky had had a few homes and had been in transition for the last few years.  He knew he could get anxious in situations and wanted to work with Lucky.  Ron was committed to work with him, but brought him home to observe and acclimate him to the home initially.  After a few months getting to know Lucky and observing where Lucky may get stressed, he decided he wanted to work with Lucky to pass the AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test.If you have not heard of the CGC program, it is a program that stresses good pet ownership and good manners for dogs.  The dog must pass a 10 step exam and is then eligible to receive a CGC certificate from the AKC.  It lays the groundwork for those that want to continue to teach other skills or continue on to other types of training. In order to pass the exam and become a CGC the dog must pass the follow tests:1) Accepting a friendly stranger2) Sitting politely for petting3) Appearance and grooming4) Walking on a loose leash5) Walking through a crowd6) Sit and down on command and staying in place7) Coming when called8) Reaction to another dog9) Reaction to distraction10) Supervised separation from ownerRon took Lucky to a regular training class with a group of trainers he'd previously worked with and felt comfortable with.  He diligently worked with Lucky at home in between the training sessions.  Ron looked for triggers for behavior and worked on desensitizing the behavior and continued Lucky's ongoing training for short periods each day.  Since Ron had been observing and working with Lucky for a few months he knew that walking on a loose leash and appearance and grooming could be more difficult for Lucky.   He worked daily on their walks with Lucky on his loose leash walking and practiced desensitization with Lucky on grooming.  Lucky did not like his hind quarters or paws grabbed.  In order to desensitize Lucky to his aversion to grooming Ron would ask Lucky for his paw and hold it for a short second giving Lucky a treat.  Each day he would extend the time he would hold Lucky's paw until he felt Lucky was accepting of bring groomed.   Ron finally felt Lucky was ready to pass the loose leash walking and appearance and grooming portion of the CGC exam and signed him up to take the exam.Lucky did pass his CGC test the first time he took it and is now an official AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC).  He has done so well with Ron's guidance and the rescue considers itself to be "lucky" to have Ron as an adopter and volunteer.While passing the CGC exam is quite an accomplishment, Ron still feels he may take Lucky to a higher level of training...perhaps even working on Lucky becoming a therapy dog in the future.  He is contemplating his options with what Lucky and Ron may be successful at next together.We are thrilled that Ron has worked with Lucky and taken the time to both get to know him and to do a level of training that is so beneficial for both Ron and Lucky.  This is an ideal type of home that Lucky really needed to be a successful home companion, good citizen and likely someday a therapy dog.