Leash reactivity is common for many dogs. Lizzie was no exception. With the right training system, she transformed from overreacting to adapting. Keep reading to learn how to help your reactive dog find calm.

The American Kennel Club is not just for purebreds. Their Canine Partners program allows any mixed-breed dog to join the AKC to compete for titles in Agility, Obedience, Rally, and Tracking and Coursing Ability.

If you're not sure how to register your dog online for AKC Canine Partners, follow these ten step-by-step instructions to success.

The AKC’s Canine Good Citizen test consists of ten practical tasks to test how well a dog behaves in his community and around other dogs. Learn more about the program, and specific training tips for each of the ten CGC tests.

When you’re taking the Canine Good Citizen Test, your dog must wear an approved collar or harness, and leash. Using other supplies that you’re familiar with will help make you and your dog more comfortable on test day. Other helpful supplies make practicing for test day out in the real world much easier for you, and more motivating for your dog.

The supervised separation task on the Canine Good Citizen Test prepares you and your dog for leaving your dog with a friend for a few minutes while you grab a coffee or run to the restroom. You want your dog to calmly wait for you, but achieving this goal may prove difficult for some dogs. Remember to start with small steps to help your dog understand that you will be right back. Keep reading for more ideas on how to help your dog with the final CGC Test item.

Dogs preparing for the Canine Good Citizen Test must be accustomed to a variety of distractions in their community. Whether it be bicyclists passing by or plates dropping in a restaurant, if you want a polite pup in public, then finding those visual and auditory stimuli is a must for practice. Keep reading for several suggestions for finding these every day distractions in your community.

Practicing neutral dog behavior may take time for some dogs. If you’re planning on taking the Canine Good Citizen Test, be sure to start reinforcing calm reactions to other dogs early on. Need ideas for where to practice this skill and how to ace meeting another person with their dog, read on…

Training for a reliable recall is vital to the safety of your dog. Feeling confident that your dog will race back to you when you called is a priority for many pet parents. Plus, to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test, your dog must demonstrate his ability to come when called. Read on for fun exercises you can use to teach your dog this important command.

While sit, down, and stay are basic commands that every dog should know for the Canine Good Citizen Test, practicing these commands can start feeling quite repetitive. If you need ideas for adding some variety to your training sessions while gradually increasing the difficulty level for your dog, then read on.

Sometimes finding crowds of people to practice walking around may seem elusive. If you’re preparing for the Canine Good Citizen Test though, you need to find the right size crowd for your dog. Not too big. Not too small. Just right. Keep reading for ideas on where to find different sized crowds, but also how to manage your dog safely through those crowds.

Teaching your dog how to walk politely on a loose leash takes concentrated effort and patience. Once you’ve got the basics down, though, finding ways to challenge yourself and your dog as you practice this core craft can be difficult. Read on for our best tips for honing your loose leash walking skill or the Canine Good Citizen Test.

During the Canine Good Citizen Test, a friendly stranger touches your dog only twice. After meeting your dog and petting him, the friendly stranger then must pick up his front paws, touch his ears, and brush him. For some dogs that brief contact is still too much. If you need some ideas for helping your dog grow more accustomed to being handled, keep reading for specific CGC training tips.

Learning how to calmly interact with friendly strangers can be a major challenge for dogs looking to earn their Canine Good Citizen Title. If your dog needs help bottling his enthusiasm, keep reading for tips on implementing threshold waits to boost your dog’s impulse control.

Sitting calmly while friendly strangers approach can be a major challenge for some dogs who aspire to pass the Canine Good Citizen Test. If your pup suffers from an abundance of enthusiasm for meeting people, keep reading for tips on how to start training your dog at home.

Before paying for a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Class, take some time to consider if you and your dog are ready for this next level of dog training. These four questions guide you with your decision on whether or not a CGC Class is your next dog training step.

When out with our two dogs, the best compliment I hear from time to time is “Are you a dog trainer?”

I am not, but I am dedicated to training Bernie and Lizzie. Plus with more than 15 years experience as a middle school educator, I probably have an advantage when it comes to dog training. Want some teaching inspiration? Remember these 13 middle school teaching strategies when you’re training your dog.

Halloween is almost here! We don’t dress up the pups in the McSquare household, but we do like tricks AND treats, so we’re pretty excited to be part of this year’s Trick or Treat Giveaway Hop! We’ve teamed up with several blogger friends to create training tutorials for a variety of dog tricks AND give away almost $1500 in prizes.

Pssst…if you visit all 19 blogs, you can enter 19 different times!

Living in the Sonoran Desert with active dogs means being prepared to deal with desert dangers. While there are numerous forms of threatening wildlife here, the rattlesnake is one predator whose bite can be painful, costly, and even deadly. Rattlesnake avoidance training helps your dog gain a critical skillset to potentially protect himself and you.

If you're training your dog to be a therapy dog, you may be feeling overwhelmed at the number of skills you and your dog must master. 

Visiting a variety of places is important. Each destination holds new sniffs and distractions for your dog. If you want to gauge whether or not your dog will respond on cue, then exploring a variety of settings is a valuable use of your time.

This practice will also offer you different opportunities to work on distinct skills to help your dog become a certified therapy dog. 

Are you looking for a flexible dog obedience training class that fits your busy lifestyle?

After Lizzie graduated from Puppy Obedience Class, I needed just that! Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification offers a drop-in Dog Obedience Park Class, which is a perfect way for me and my favorite girl to spend an afternoon.

Knowing that I'm managing Doodle enthusiasm, I spent most of February and March focused on the Canine Good Citizen test tasks that I thought Bernie would have the most trouble with.

During the five weeks of preparatory classes, Bernie made huge strides. Unfortunately, we missed two items on the CGC test.

Back in January, I knew I would be focusing on practicing with Bernie for Canine Good Citizen, so I decided to look around for special activities for Lizzie. I didn't want an obedience class because I didn't want the pressure of homework, so I was thrilled when I found Super Puppy Class lead by Kate Titus at A Loyal Companion Canine Swim and Recreation Center. 

Lizzie just squeaked by the age cut for Super Puppy Class. She turned one on March 17, the last day of the four-week class. During the four weeks, Lizzie and I learned a great deal about puppy body awareness. 

As our Canine Good Citizen Test closes in, Bernie and I decided to train at a location entirely new to him.

Thankfully, Bookmans Entertainment Exchange is a dog-friendly local store with late hours. They're open daily until 10pm. We spent about an hour practicing loose-leash walking and walking through a crowd.

Two of the most difficult tasks for our Canine Good Citizen test will be Accepting a Friendly Stranger and Sitting Politely for Petting. Bernie's enthusiasm for greeting everyone really has no limits.

Matthew and I have been practicing Accepting a Friendly Stranger and Sitting Politely for Petting almost every day with Bernie, so we knew he was ready for some real world meet and greets.

Since I remembered our 33-foot lead on yesterday's visit to La Encantada Shopping Center, Bernie and I focused our efforts on practicing two tasks for the AKC's Canine Good Citizen test:

Coming When Called
Sit and Down on Command / Stay

Over the weekend, Bernie and I decided we needed to get serious with our prep work for our Canine Good Citizen Class. The CGC test is a mere five weeks away, so we decided to see how many skills we could pack into a Friday afternoon visit.

Wondering how to calm an anxious dog? We decided to try the behavioral down protocol to help our dogs learn to relax on a whole new level. My first attempts with this dog training exercise proved that I had much to learn.

I read this official training publication of the American Kennel Club over several months. While you could easily read this book in a weekend, you could also opt to read a chapter here and there. Since the chapters are organized by each of the ten tasks a dog must demonstrate to earn the title Canine Good Citizen, you could also read these chapters in any order.

Our trainer explained this confidence building exercise called a controlled down. Since I'm always looking for new exercises to help prepare the pups to be therapy dogs, I listened carefully. Unfortunately, I didn't write any of the instructions down, so when I gave this exercise a try a few weeks later, I was going off my memory of watching her demonstration in class.

The idea is that you put your dog on a leash with no distractions around. You give the dog enough lead so that he can sit. Create an atmosphere of complete boredom, give the pup no where to go, wait until he stops fighting the boredom by wrestling around, and he lies down. Twice.

For the past three weeks, Lizzie and I have been attending the simulcast of the Downtown Lecture Series at The Core Health and Wellness at LaEncantada.

The lecture series is hosted by the University of Arizona's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. For their fifth year, they chose the theme Truth and Trust in the Global Scene.