I was recently asked, What is the Urban Canine Good Citizen (CGCU) title? The answer is: Â The American Kennel Club (AKC) has varying levels of a Title program for mix and purebred dogs that test their 
socialization to people and other dogs, ensures the dog owner is providing responsible dog care and that the dog has been trained in obedience skills in varying environments. The CGC program has four levels:
- Puppy S.T.A.R. (Socialization, Training, Activity, Responsible dog owner)
- Canine Good Citizen
- Canine Good Citizen Advanced
- Canine Good Citizen Urban
The Urban CGC title is the toughest level in the CGC program. To test for it, the dog must be registered or listed with the AKC (AKC number, PAL, or AKC Canine Partners number) and already have a CGC title or award on record. It is open to purebred dogs as well as mixed breed dogs. To pass the CGCU, a dog team must be able to:
- Exit/enter doorways with no pulling in dog friendly buildings.
- Walk through a crowd on a busy urban sidewalk.
- Show appropriate reaction to city distractions. This includes movement, noises and walking on a variety of surfaces.
- Cross an urban street by stopping at a corner, waiting to cross with no pulling and be under control while crossing the street.
- Ignore food on sidewalk.
- Accept a person walking up to them and receive petting.
- Walk under control in dog friendly buildings and do a 3 minute down stay in a lobby or outdoor area, or wait while owner has a meal or snack.
- Walk under control up and down stairs or ride an elevator.
- Be house-trained.
- Be under control while being transported (car, subway or cab).
Michael Burkey, CEO of Michigan Dog Training is a Certified AKC Evaluator. Additionally, MDT offers group dog training classes to help prepare dogs for the Canine Good Citizen certificates and titles. For more information, call 734-634-4152 or visit our website at: www.MichiganDogTraining.com.
