SINGAPORE KENNEL CLUB

Good Canine Citizen Training

 

The Good Canine Citizen Program (GCCP) is a program targeted to promote responsible dog ownership and to encourage the training of well-mannered dogs. It is an 8 week program that provides dog owners the tools that they may use in their daily life with their canine companion. At the 8th session, a dog and handler team must take a short behavioral evaluation of less than half an hour; dogs who pass the evaluation earn the Good Canine Citizen certificate.

 

The evaluation consists of ten objectives. All items must be completed satisfactorily or the team fails. Test items include:

 

• Accepting a friendly stranger.

• Sitting politely for petting.

• Allowing basic grooming procedures.

• Walking on a loose lead.

• Walking through a crowd.

• Sitting and lying down on command and staying in place.

• Coming when called.

• Reacting appropriately to another dog.

• Reacting appropriately to distractions.

• Calmly enduring supervised separation from the owner.

 

Evaluators sometimes combine elements during the actual test.

 

Dogs do not have to be registered with the SKC to earn a GCCP certificate, nor do they have to be purebred or, in fact, registered with any canine organization. The goal is to promote good citizenship for all dogs.

 

It is the ONLY Obedience Training program that is endorsed by the AVA and the SPCA.