Family companions
Strengthen polite greetings, leash manners, basic obedience, calm responses, and confidence around common distractions.
AKC Canine Good Citizen · Greater Austin
CGC training and testing for real-world manners.
Prepare with an AKC-approved evaluator and help your dog demonstrate the ten skills of a dependable companion.
Hill Country K9 offers individualized preparation and official CGC testing for dogs of every breed and age. We’ll help you understand the test, strengthen the skills, and determine when your team is ready.
Training + Official Testing
Led by an AKC-approved CGC evaluator
Official Evaluator
AKC-approved CGC testing
10 Practical Skills
Manners, control, and confidence
All Dogs Welcome
Purebred, mixed breed, young, or adult
Training + Testing
Preparation before evaluation day
What Is CGC?
A respected milestone for dogs and their people.
The AKC Canine Good Citizen program is a ten-skill test focused on good manners and responsible dog ownership. It gives owners a clear training goal and a recognized way to demonstrate that their dog can remain manageable in common everyday situations.
Hill Country K9 can help you prepare through private or small-group training, then conduct the official test when your team is ready.
Open to every dogMixed breeds and purebreds can participate, and the AKC does not set an age minimum or maximum for CGC.
Certificate or official titleAfter passing, owners can receive a certificate or apply to have CGC recorded as an official AKC title when registration requirements are met.
A foundation for what comes nextCGC can support future goals such as therapy-dog preparation, advanced obedience, Community Canine, or Urban CGC.
Who Is CGC For?
A useful goal for far more than competition dogs.
CGC is designed around everyday behavior. You can pursue the credential for a future goal, or simply use the test as a practical roadmap for building a more reliable companion.
Therapy-dog prospects
Many therapy organizations look for CGC-level skills, although each organization has its own additional testing and requirements.
Advanced training teams
Use CGC as a measurable foundation before pursuing advanced obedience, rally, Community Canine, Urban CGC, or specialty work.
Distracted or excitable dogs
Build control around people, dogs, crowds, handling, and environmental distractions through a structured preparation plan.
Owners who want a credential
Celebrate the work you have completed together with a nationally recognized certificate or eligible AKC title.
Housing or insurance conversations
Some organizations may consider CGC when reviewing a dog’s training history, but individual policies vary and the credential is not a legal-access guarantee.
The Official Test
The ten Canine Good Citizen skills.
The evaluation is designed around practical, functional behavior. Your training plan can focus more time on the test items that are hardest for your individual dog.
Accepting a friendly stranger
Your dog allows someone to approach and speak with you naturally.
Sitting politely for petting
Your dog accepts touch from a friendly stranger without resentment or shyness.
Appearance and grooming
Your dog permits gentle brushing and a basic examination of the ears and front feet.
Walking on a loose lead
Your dog follows your movement and changes of direction without persistent pulling.
Walking through a crowd
Your dog moves politely and under control around several people.
Sit, down, and stay
Your dog performs the basic positions and remains in place when asked.
Coming when called
Your dog responds and comes to you from a short distance.
Reaction to another dog
Your dog remains manageable as another handler and dog approach and pass.
Reaction to distraction
Your dog may notice a sound or movement but recovers without panic or aggression.
Supervised separation
Your dog remains with a trusted person while you are briefly out of sight.
How Our Program Works
Preparation first. Testing when your team is ready.
The evaluation is the final checkpoint—not the first time your dog should see the exercises. We identify the gaps, build the skills, and help you understand what test day will involve.
Evaluate the starting point
We review your goals and assess your dog’s current obedience, handling comfort, leash skills, social responses, and ability to recover from distractions.
Prepare the ten skills
Private or small-group coaching is customized around the items your dog needs most, with real-world practice and clear work between sessions.
Complete the official test
An AKC-approved evaluator conducts the ten-step test. After passing, you can submit the appropriate paperwork for a certificate or eligible AKC title.
A Goal Worth Celebrating
A credential is meaningful because of the work behind it.
CGC preparation gives you a practical checklist, but the real value is the communication, consistency, and confidence developed along the way. The ribbon marks the achievement; the everyday skills are what you keep using.
What the Credential Means
Clear recognition—without overstating what it does.
CGC is a valuable training milestone, but it is important to understand the difference between good manners, an AKC title, and specialized working-dog certification.
Recognize practical manners
Passing documents that your dog successfully completed the AKC’s ten defined Canine Good Citizen test items with an approved evaluator.
Support future goals
CGC can be a foundation for therapy-dog programs, advanced AKC titles, public manners, specialty training, or simply higher everyday standards.
Replace specialized certification
CGC alone does not certify a therapy or service dog, guarantee housing or insurance approval, or grant public-access rights.
CGC FAQ
Helpful answers before training begins.
If you are unsure whether your dog is ready to begin preparing, contact us and tell us about their current skills and challenges.
Does my dog need to be AKC registered?
No registration is required to train for or take the CGC test. To have CGC recorded as an official AKC title, the dog must have an AKC number, Purebred Alternative Listing number, or AKC Canine Partners number. Mixed-breed dogs can enroll through Canine Partners.
Is there an age or breed requirement?
CGC is open to purebred and mixed-breed dogs, and the AKC does not set a minimum or maximum age. Because puppy behavior can change as a dog matures, owners may choose to test again later even if a young dog passes.
Can food or training equipment be used during the test?
Food rewards are not used during the CGC test. The test is completed on leash with AKC-permitted equipment such as an appropriate buckle or slip collar, martingale, or body harness. We will explain the current test-day rules and help you transition the skills before evaluation.
Does CGC certify my dog as a therapy dog?
No. CGC is often a helpful foundation and some therapy organizations require it, but each therapy program has its own evaluation, health, temperament, handler, and participation requirements.
What if my dog does not pass every item?
The result simply shows which skills need more preparation. We can help you work on those areas and schedule another evaluation when your dog is more ready. The goal is reliable understanding—not rushing the test date.
How much training will my dog need?
That depends on your dog’s current skills, comfort with handling, responses around people and dogs, and ability to work without food during the test. We can assess the starting point and recommend an appropriate preparation plan.
Start with a Conversation
Ready to work toward Canine Good Citizen?
Tell us about your dog’s current training and what you hope to accomplish. We’ll help you choose the right preparation format and explain the testing process.
