Many centuries ago when dogs lived in the wild, they had to forage for food and that took up most of their days. Later, men domesticated dogs and then bred them to do specific work. But today, most dogs are companion animals and don’t have much to keep them busy, resulting in bored dogs. Luckily, there are various programmes available to develop your dog further and provide something that he will enjoy doing and keep him occupied and his mind stimulated.
Canine Good Citizen
One such programme is the Kennel Union of Southern Africa’s (KUSA) Canine Good Citizen Programme. The goal of this programme is to develop dogs to be well-mannered and controllable, and for people to be responsible dog owners.
The programme has three levels and dogs are rewarded with certificates, rosettes and titles when they complete the tests at each level successfully. The great thing is that this programme is not competitive, which is ideal for those dogs and owners who want to achieve their goals at their own pace.
The Canine Good Citizen Programme also provides a foundation for dogs and their owners who want to compete in dog sports and disciplines like agility, obedience and dog jumping. But even if you don’t want to compete in any activities, the programme is still a great way to give your dog something to do.
Prerequisites
Part of being a responsible owner includes taking care of your dog on all levels, and to take part in this programme, you and your dog have to adhere to a few requirements.
- Inoculations To ensure that your dog stays safe, he needs to have had all his vaccinations according to his age.
- Microchips To participate in the programme, dogs must be microchipped.
- Child handlers Children who will be handling a dog in the programme must be at least eight years old and they need written consent from their parents.
- Aggression If your dog shows any aggression or behaves in an aggressive or dangerous way, he might be permanently or temporarily barred from taking part in the programme.
Once your dog ticks all the above boxes, he can proceed to the tests where he needs to be able to:
- Allow an evaluator to approach and greet him.
- Sit politely for a stranger.
- Allow you to place a collar and a lead on him.
- Allow a judge or vet to examine him without any reaction from your dog.
- Be healthy and clean.
- Allow a stranger to brush and touch him.
If your dog can pass the above tests, he is ready to start with the first level of the programme.
Levels
There are three levels in the programme – the first level is the bronze level, the second is the silver level and the third is the gold level.
The bronze level focuses on grooming, proper socialisation, how to properly walk on a lead, how to relax in the presence of other dogs, and how to calm down after receiving praise. Once this level is achieved, you’ll move on to the silver level. Here you will do road work, in-vehicle behaviour, focus on food manners, learn how to stay in one place, learn about impulse control, how to come away from distractions and tips around active play.
At the gold level, you will be tested for activities like off-lead recalls, how to send your dog to bed successfully, distance control, emergency recall, and your dog will need to walk free beside you (the handler).
To achieve all three levels of the programme is a great achievement for both you and your dog and something to be proud of.
A good start in life
By working through the different levels of this programme, you give your dog an excellent start in life. He will be able to handle any situation so much better and he will make life easier for you by being a well-behaved dog. You will be so proud of him and be able to brag wherever you go. But the best part is that programmes like these also give your dog something worthwhile to do and to achieve. If you would like more information about this programme, go to www.kusa.co.za or send an email to info@kusa.co.za.
