Canine Good Citizen (CGC)

• Goal: Mastering the social requirements of the CGC in controlled, low-distraction environments tailored for small breeds.
• Accepting a Friendly Stranger: Training the small dog to maintain Passive Neutrality while a stranger approaches and engages the handler in conversation.
• Prosocial Physicality: Teaching the small dog to remain calmly in position without jumping, leaning, pulling, or shying away during active social interactions.
• Grooming Readiness: Incorporating Fear-Free handling techniques to ensure your small dog remains comfortable while a stranger — simulating a judge, veterinarian, or groomer — examines their ears, paws, and coat.

• Goal: Building the reliability necessary to confidently navigate the sensory demands of South Charleston and the 25309 area with a tiny companion.
• Loose-Leash Precision: Perfecting turns, stops, pace changes, and leash communication using small-breed appropriate gear while maintaining focus and engagement with the handler.
• Crowd Navigation & Environmental Flow: Proofing your small dog’s focus and composure in higher-traffic environments such as the Carriage Trail, parks, and local shopping centers.
• Environmental Generalization: Developing calm, steady responses to common urban distractions, including sirens, sudden noises, environmental acoustics, and nearby larger dogs.

• Goal: Providing the final polish required for the most challenging components of the official AKC CGC evaluation.
• Supervised Separation Mastery: Teaching the small dog to remain calm, confident, and emotionally regulated while temporarily separated from the handler, utilizing foundational elements of our Separation Anxiety protocols.
• Recall & Positional Stability: Solidifying a highly reliable “Come” and “Stay” even under the pressure and structure of a formal testing environment.
• The Clinical Mock Evaluation: Conducting a complete run-through of all 10 AKC CGC test items under structured evaluation conditions to ensure both handler and small dog are fully prepared for official certification.

• Standalone Professional Consultation — $150 plus applicable sales tax
  Includes a pre-test readiness assessment tailored for small breeds. 
•  “CGC Ready” Program (6 Weeks) — $950 plus applicable sales tax
  6 private sessions with a full Mock CGC Test Evaluation, a personalized behavioral feedback report, and a framed Dog World and You, LLC Graduation Certificate.

Successful completion of the CGC requires the small dog to remain consistently under control in a variety of environments. Our specialists reserve the right to modify training protocols and program duration based on each dog’s individual arousal levels, emotional sensitivity, and social maturity. We prioritize the small dog’s mental and emotional well-being to ensure they remain willing, confident, and successful participants in public spaces.