Why in the world is Doodlebug so exhausted, so very sleepy, and his mama grinning like a big silly goofus in this photo?
And take a close look at this photo. Does Doodlebug look any different to you? Perhaps a little wiser? A little more accomplished? More elite?
Still haven’t figured it out, eh? How about in this photo — notice anything special about our little Bug?
No, he didn’t just steal a ribbon that says CGC on it — although we wouldn’t put it past him — he actually took the Canine Good Citizen test and passed — with flying colors!
We have been training and practicing for months and months. He graduated from his CGC prep class this summer, after all, and he has been studying hard ever since!
We’re not gonna lie — the hardest test element for the Bug has always been the dog-dog passby. Being in close proximity to a dog he doesn’t already know gets him so excited that he has a hard time not jumping and pulling and vocalizing — none of which are allowed on the test. But he has been working his sweet little buns off, and yesterday his hard work — and mama’s — payed off. He was brilliant!
We came home, and his brother Chick could tell immediately that something was different about his baby brother the Bug. They got down into a huddle, and Chick insisted that Doodlebug tell him all about it. Didn’t you cheat just a little bit? What was your secret to not peeing during the test? But most of all, Chick was proud of his baby bro.
Doodlebug’s favorite part about being an official CGC? He can make his sweet snaggletooth face as much as he wants, and he’ll still have material proof that he’s no dummy!
More info on the Canine Good Citizen Test elements is available here.
To learn how to get trained and tested, click here (nationally) or here in Austin.
Love and a Six-Foot Leash 
Nailed it!!! Yay Doodlebug!!! Very exciting news for you all
Way to go Doodlebug! Congrats!
Oh Congratulations! We know how you must feel, when Sam passed his, I floated around for days – I was so proud of my little guy!
Sam
Yippee, Doodlebug! High-five! Hugs!
So awesome Doodlebug! Way to go!
Nice work Doodlebug!! So happy for you handsome boy.
Excellent! I would SO love to see CGC certifications be a bonus when people go to register their dogs with their town. How about: “provide us with an official CGC certification for your dog and get a 10% off the cost of your registration fee. We (the town) will take that 10% and 1) create a low cost spay-neuter program to work in partnership with _______________ OR 2) we will take that 10% and put it towards (something related to responsible pet ownership or whatever a town can come up with to benefit animals within its borders.)
Woo hoo!!!!!! Go Dude-a-rino!
WTG Doodlebug!!!! All your hard work paid off.
Awesome job, Doodlebug (and especially Aleks)!
Boo-yah! Good job, Doodlebug!
Congrats! Woof Woof
Wow. I’m not aiming for any certification (don’t even know if there’s anything like this in India) but I’d really like my dogs to be civil when other dogs are around. They scream and tug so much at present that it’s a major embarrassment. Do have any tips for me so I could teach them just a little bit of control?
The best thing you can do is find a good dog trainer to work with. Your dogs can become more relaxed around other dogs, but the easiest path is with a professional. It’s hard to give advice over the internet without being able to see the dogs in person — there are so many reasons that they may be acting impolitely, and your approach in training them would be different depending on the root cause!
Best of luck, Aleks
Thanks; the root cause is, I guess, that I’ve not socialized them with other dogs when they were babies, and now I’m at my wits end. But thanks anyway.
We have a dog that used to pull, jump, and bark when she saw other dogs on-leash. We took a class with Emma Parsons, who is in the US, but she also has a book called “Click to Calm”. Here’s her website: http://www.creativecanine.com/. You might even be able to contact her to see if she knows any trainers in your area.
We think our dog has improved a lot! It’s not a quick process, though, so don’t get discouraged. Our dog will still occasionally whine at other dogs, and she’s definitely not ready for her CGC test yet, but we are no longer overwhelmed when we’re out walking her.
Best of luck!
Wow thanks so much. I skimmed through the site and I will definitely order for the book.
Congratulations! Now you have some paperwork to let everyone who cares about those things know how awesome you are.
Your friends in blogville, of course, knew that already. 🙂
Congrats, Doodlebug!! This made me smile 🙂 So precious!
That’s awesome! Congratulations to you both!
I read your lead-in and thought “Oh, I wonder if he’s a CGC now…?” He is! Awesome, great job both of you!
You’re such a smarty pants, Doodlebug! Way to go 🙂
You have no idea how much you and your boys have touched my life, CONGRAT Doodlebug, I just wanna kiss your nose!
Congratulations! I knew you would succeed! This is concrete proof now of how hard you have worked together. You have a lot to be proud of.
Maybe I should try taking the Canadian CGN test again with my dog. Maybe.
Congrats Doodle!! You deserve all the accolades and praises you’ve received. I’m not sure who hit the jackpot in this equation, you, mama and dad, or Chick. Either way – you’re all such a beautiful family. Thanks so much for sharing the news!!!
So happy for you guys!!!
Congrats to you and Doodlebug! I know how much work both of you had to put into it – but I’m not surprised he passed with flying colors. He just exudes calmness and politeness, so you just brought out what was always inside him. Yay!
Yah Dude! Congratulations to you all!
Good boy! He looks so handsome with his ribbon and his little grin and his brother Chick:D
Congratulations Doodlebug!
XO,
~L.
Good work DB. Passing other dogs has been a problem for our dogs too… We’re still working on it.
Yay Doodle! Congrats!
Congratulations- that’s fantastic!!
Chick and Bug have what I consider to be THE “must read blog” each and every week. I can’t pass it up when it hits my inbox, because it always makes me smile. Great work “Mama” and congratulations to “Bug!” We’ll be keepin’ an eye on ya to make sure you keep up the excellent citizenship! 🙂
Great job Doodlebug! AWESOME! High 5!
I love the smile on his face in the photo with the certificate! Congratulations!
Super! Congratulations Doodlebug..! I hope I can find something similar in the UK for my Westie to participate too 🙂
Wohoo! Congrats to the bug, but more importantly to you Aleks for all of your hard work!
Congrats to both of you! I’ve been following your blog for a little while and I had to comment that these photos of Chick are the most heartwarming. His eyes pierce ones heart and you captured it perfectly. BTW, I nominated you for the “Sunshine Award” today. 🙂
Yay for Doodlebug! 🙂
congratulations Doodlebug!
Congrats, Doodlebug! Many sections of the test would be hard for my kiddos, but the dog-dog passby would definitely be the hardest. Awesome work, you two!
Congratulations Doodlebug! You and your Mum make a great team and I always love seeing your snaggletooth smile 🙂
Yay bug!
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