SPECIALTY TRAINING
Earn Your Dog's AKC Canine Good Citizen Title
Polished manners, real-world reliability, and a nationally recognized AKC certificate, coached by trainers who run the test themselves.
Earn Your Dog's AKC Canine Good Citizen Title
The AKC Canine Good Citizen title is earned by passing a 10-skill evaluation, and our class teaches every one of those skills over roughly six weeks before testing on-site. Your dog learns to accept a friendly stranger, sit politely for petting, walk calmly on a loose leash and through a crowd, hold a sit, down, and stay, come when called, behave around another dog, stay composed through distractions, and handle supervised separation. It is more than a certificate. CGC is a proven foundation of everyday good manners that makes your dog welcome almost anywhere in the community.
QUICK ANSWER
What Is the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test?
The AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) is a 10-skill test from the American Kennel Club that certifies your dog as a well-mannered, socially reliable companion. Skills include accepting a friendly stranger, sitting politely for petting, loose-leash walking, walking through a crowd, sit and down and stay on command, recall, reaction to another dog, reaction to distractions, and supervised separation. At Partners Dogs, our 6-week prep program teaches every skill in order, then administers the official AKC test on-site at our Scottsdale or Cave Creek facility.
Not sure CGC is your dog's right next step? A brand-new puppy, or a dog working through reactivity, fear, or aggression, starts somewhere else first, often the Puppy Program or Behavior Camp. Take a PD360 Assessment and we will point you to the right beginning. Take a PD360 Assessment Explore Behavior Camp
WHAT'S INCLUDED
Three Things Every CGC Prep Class Delivers
All 10 CGC skills, in orderEvery test item is rehearsed in sequence, so skills build instead of cramming.
Coaching from an AKC CGC evaluatorYour instructor runs the official test and knows what the rubric rewards.
On-site test and certificateTest day happens at our facility, lower stress. Pass and your dog earns the AKC CGC title and certificate.
COACHED BY PEOPLE WHO RUN THE TEST
Your Instructor Knows What Passes and What Fails
Most CGC prep classes teach the skills. Ours is run by an AKC-approved CGC evaluator who administers the actual test, so every coaching decision is grounded in what the rubric rewards and what it rejects on score day.
That means your dog practices under the same conditions they will face on test day: the exact ring pattern for Walking Through a Crowd, the actual 3-minute supervised separation, and the controlled greeting that catches dogs who only practiced in a quiet living room.
You leave week five knowing your dog's honest test-readiness, not finding out for the first time on evaluation day.
Family-owned since 1997. 70,000+ dogs trained. 4.8 stars across 2,000+ reviews. Two Arizona campuses, Scottsdale and Cave Creek. Transparent pricing on every program.
THE 10 CGC SKILLS
Every Skill Your Dog Must Pass
- Test 1: Accepting a Friendly Stranger. Stays calm and in position while a stranger greets you.
- Test 2: Sitting Politely for Petting. Accepts a stranger's touch while seated, no jumping.
- Test 3: Appearance and Grooming. Tolerates a light check of ears and paws and a brief brush.
- Test 4: Loose-Leash Walking. Walks at your side through turns and pace changes, leash loose.
- Test 5: Walking Through a Crowd. Moves calmly through a group of people, focused on you.
- Test 6: Sit, Down, and Stay on Command. Holds a sit or down while you walk away on a 20-foot line and return.
- Test 7: Coming When Called. Returns reliably from 10 feet away, called from a sit-stay.
- Test 8: Reaction to Another Dog. Stays polite passing another handler and dog, brief interest only.
- Test 9: Reaction to Distractions. Stays composed through a dropped chair, a jogger, or a bicycle.
- Test 10: Supervised Separation. Stays calm for 3 minutes with a neutral handler while you step out of sight, the item that decides the most prepared dogs.
Test-Day Calm, Practiced Daily
The ten CGC items are rehearsed until they hold in a busy room, not just in your living room.
PRACTICE THE TEST, NOT JUST THE SKILLS
Your Dog Rehearses Test-Day Conditions, Not a Quiet Living Room
The skills are the easy part. What catches most dogs is doing them under pressure, in a crowd, around another dog, with a stranger reaching in. We stage those exact conditions every week.
By the time the real evaluation comes, none of it is new to your dog. The crowd, the controlled greeting, the dropped chair, the supervised separation, all rehearsed deliberately, so test day feels like one more practice rep.
HOW IT FLOWS
Your 6-Week CGC Roadmap
Every cohort follows the same build, with daily homework so the work compounds.
- Week 1: Foundation and Focus. Baseline assessment, name attention, and loose-leash mechanics. We flag the two skills most likely to cost you the title.
- Week 2: Sit, Down, Stay Under Pressure. Positions held through coach distractions, including the controlled greeting. Homework: 5-minute reps twice a day.
- Week 3: Walking the Crowd and Loose-Leash Polish. Movement around handlers, dogs, and obstacles, including the exact ring pattern.
- Week 4: Recall and Reaction to Distractions. Come-when-called at testing distance, plus a dropped chair, a jogger, or a sudden noise.
- Week 5: Supervised Separation and Mock Test. A 3-minute handoff out of your sight, then a mock test scored on the official AKC rubric, with an honest read on readiness.
- Week 6: Official AKC CGC Evaluation On-Site. The real test, run by our AKC-approved CGC evaluator at our facility. Pass and the certificate goes home with you.
Schedule details arrive in your welcome email. Make-up sessions are available if booked in advance.
LOGISTICS
Pricing and What to Bring
Pricing. Competitively priced for the Phoenix area, AKC test fee included. Current pricing is on every cohort listing. Call 480-595-6700 →
What to bring. A 4 to 6 foot flat leash (no retractables), a flat buckle or martingale collar, current vaccination records, a water bowl, and high-value treats. We supply the rest.
What we do not promise. A first-attempt pass. Week 5 tells you honestly whether your dog is ready, and if not, the exact plan to get there.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
What a Partners CGC Prep Class Covers
- All 10 CGC skills in sequence. Rehearsed in order from Week 1 through Week 5, so skills build instead of drilling in isolation.
- Coaching from an AKC-approved evaluator. Your instructor runs the official test and knows what passes and what the rubric penalizes.
- Realistic practice conditions. Crowds, distractions, supervised separation, and the controlled greeting, staged to mirror test day.
- Honest Week 5 readiness check. A full mock test scored against the official rubric, with a plain answer on readiness.
- On-site AKC evaluation included. Same place, same people, lower stress.
- AKC certificate and title registration. Pass and we handle the paperwork. The title enters the official registry.
IS CGC PREP RIGHT FOR YOUR DOG
Honest Guidance on Where Your Dog Belongs
- If your dog has the basics and you want polished, reliable manners, CGC prep is the fit. Your dog should already know sit, down, and come, and walk without constant pulling. If you are close but not sure, a private lesson first is the fastest way to get evaluation ready. Private Lessons
- If your puppy is under six months, start with foundations. We test dogs from six months old, once vaccinations are current, so younger pups build the groundwork first. Pre-School Puppy
- If reactivity, fear, or aggression is the real issue, start there first. Serious reactivity or anxiety needs a focused reset before a public test makes sense, and a PD360 assessment tells you honestly which path fits. Behavior Camp
PAIRS WELL WITH
Related Programs
- Pet Parenting Group Classes Weekly foundational skills your dog needs before CGC prep.
- Private Lessons One-on-one polish for the specific CGC items your dog struggles with.
- Agility Training CGC is the recommended prerequisite for our agility classes.
- Scent Work Mental enrichment sport that pairs well with the polished obedience CGC builds.
Ready to earn the CGC title?
Talk to our team about the next CGC prep cohort, or take the quiz if you are not sure which class fits your dog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my dog need any prior training to enroll?
Your dog should know basic sit, down, and come, and walk on a leash without constant pulling. If you are not sure, a private lesson first is the fastest way to get evaluation-ready. Puppies under six months old should start with Pre-School Puppy.
What breeds can take the CGC test?
Every breed is welcome, purebred or mixed. The AKC CGC test is breed-neutral. We test dogs from six months old, once vaccinations are current.
How much does the program cost, and what does that include?
CGC prep is competitively priced for the Phoenix metro and includes the official AKC test fee, the AKC paperwork submission, and the on-site evaluation by an approved CGC evaluator. No surprise add-on at graduation. Current cohort pricing is published on the booking page. Call 480-595-6700 if you want a number today.
What is the success rate, and what if my dog does not pass on test day?
Most dogs who complete the full 6-week prep and do the homework pass on the first attempt. The ones who do not almost always fail one of two items: Walking Through a Crowd or Supervised Separation. We tell you in Week 5 whether your dog is test-ready. If they are not, we will give you the exact plan to close the gap and the retake is heavily discounted.
Is the CGC title useful beyond the test itself?
Yes. It is a prerequisite for therapy dog programs, many apartment communities, and AKC sports including agility and rally. It is also the foundation skill set for scent work, agility, and other advanced classes at Partners Dogs.