The CGC is not a Title

Great post by "Dog Show Newbie" on titles. AKC is coming up with all kinds of programs to keep the general public interested in spending money. A CGC is hard enough to earn with a Shiba or a CO, and it's expensive. I have paid over a $100 per dog on 6-8 week classes (for 4 dogs so far), including all the outside proofing and socializing, nursing home visits, trips to the hard ware store and other dog friendly events, etc. After all that work, make it a title already! The CGC certificate does not certify temperament I realize, but it does indicate to me that the owner is willing to put the time into socializing a dog, is willing to learn about responsible dog ownership, and is helping the dog to be well behaved in public. Can't say that about a Grand Championship title. Well, I consider it an achievement if AKC does not, especially for these 2 breeds, so I am declaring it on their individual pages even though I realize it is not an official title.

Special Announcement, Grym has a Brag

Grym Esquire, Caucasian Ovcharka, has become the third dog in my home to officially earn his CGC, or Canine Good Citizen. Grym is 11.5 months old, so this has been a great early birthday present. He is a confident, well socialized, well rounded dog that I can take anywhere, and he was pretty much this way from the get go thanks to the hard work of his breeders. They chose a very chill, confident male for me, who has turned out to be a great match for the lifestyle here.

Grym being an excellent boy at the CGC test

Grym standing pretty for the camera

So, why am I so excited about him passing this test? There are a lot of stupid people out there who love to just walk up to a strange dog (especially fluffy dogs who look like bears) and make it accept their unwanted hugs and pets. There is a lot of bias towards large dogs who look tough, who are certain breeds, and no matter what stupid, invasive or cruel thing a total stranger does, the dog is expected to tolerate it or be punished. Grym is my "can take anywhere" dog. I mean, he's really, really good and reliable in public. I don't want him to be punished for doing what he was bred to do (protecting his family). So, just in case, here's proof that he is well behaved and can follow basic obedience commands.

Good Citizen Ike: another CGC

Ike passed his Canine Good Citizen test last night. Of course, I have believed all along that he was a very good boy and worthy of the title. This was more of an affirmation of his good breeding. Unlike Beebe, Ike was bred to be a total package: he is a wonderful companion, with a stable temperament, great health and good looks to boot. I basically walked into the test on the spur of the moment with little preparation and let him be himself.
This was a very different experience in complete contrast to Beebe’s CGC experience. It had taken 2 years of preparation to get her to that point. I worked very hard to get and keep her attention, and it was immensely gratifying to have her pass the test because it had been such a challenge the entire way. The greatest reward for her was not the certificate we received, but me being able to bring her with me to work and feeling more free to go onto other types of activities such as Flyball, Agility and Rally.

Beebe has a Brag!

Well, after much work and preparation, Beebe managed to convince AKC that not only is she a real Shiba (she recently received her papers in the mail at the age of 1.5 years), but she is also now a certified Canine Good Citizen! She passed the test in typical Shiba fashion, paying attention when she felt like it. It didn't help that I had just picked her up an hour earlier from 3 days at boarding while I was out of town.

I was certain we had failed, when, during the left about turn, I failed to secure her attention. I marched sharply to the left expecting her to following me, but Beebe just kept going, so naturally I ran into her, stepping on her tootsies and sending her flailing end over end with a squeal. I barely managed to stay upright, but here was my dog sprawled on the floor looking up at me (finally) like she had just been mortally wounded. I was certain the test adminstrer was ready to dismiss me for willful animal abuse, but instead she said, "Well now she's finally paying attention to you."

Go figure, Beebe got up, she was ok, but she gave me a wide berth and a wary eye for the rest of the test. Lesson learned from this event: I look like a clown when I expect my dog to march military style right next to me and read my mind. Also, relax and keep it fun!

More about the CGC test: http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm

Weekly Shibatudes: an update

I will try and post a weekly or so update about our goings on.

Ike: We went to the breeders and I got a very good lesson in ring handling and proper presentaion. Long and short of it, if I am careful with how I move and present him, Ike should be fit enough to officially start doing some shows.

I entered him in the June 6-7th Puyallup cluster, so we will see how it goes! I have a few weeks anyways to iron out the kinks and go buy something suitable to wear for myself.

Beebe: Week 3 of her CGC class has gone by with good progress. She is showing very good focus and attention. She still can't seem to keep the "bark" inside, every once in a while one just slips out. She is doing extremely well with heeling and sitting to be pet. The instructor told me she had way too much obedience training. With shibas, you can never have too much training.

Agility class is likewise, going very well. Beebe has really "turned on" with this type of training and her obedience work has improved 10 fold because it's turned into an awesome game now. Tunnel-okay with that but sometimes she decides to back out of it or jump on top of it, same with the chute. Weaves poles-would rather try and jump over them (I don't know how this works in her brain). Aframe-loves it! Dog walk-my shiba may be a mountain goat. Tire-does ok. Teeter-umm, it moves when she touches it so she would rather it didn't exist.

We may be taking some time this summer to enter some Obedience/agility competitions, and will post dates later.