Hello everyone. I am takng Mercy to her first CGC training course this evening. I am needing to drive over 20 miles away to Bealeton VA for her classes though. I pray that I am never late getting home from work on Wednesdays, as I will have to leave before 6:30 to make it to the 7:00 class. I am praying that it all works out.

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Birthdate: February 5th 2012

Gotcha Day: March 30th 2012





March 16th 1996-September 27th 2009.

Hoping for the best!!
PS- if you hear anything about an upcoming test near you, let me know. I have been looking for one for months

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Drive carefully!

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Good luck!! Let us know how it goes!

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-Valerie

The first evening of class was lovely! Since the class was from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, we had class as the sun set. It was heavenly divine being on this farm with cows and horses and seeing the pink clouds and then a rainbow! And how the sun shone on the fields and meadows as you could hear the summer insects. Ahhhhhhhhh! This is the same place where Mercy took her puppy kindergarten classes and stayed for a few days while we took our son to an out of town hospital for tests. She learned to swim here and she attends doggy daycare here once a week for the next 8 weeks. In fact the young lady that picks her up for doggy daycare attends this class with her poodle mix. It makes me glad that I ended up having to come to Liberty Hill Pet Resort for the CGC prep course. Mary Ann Robinson is so neat! During class, she rolled out a wheelchair and a walker that she keeps stored in the barn! There is another Golden in my class named Jack and a pitbull named Reagan. We don't get to take our next class for 4 weeks since Mary Ann is going on a 3 week vacation, so I have have a lot of homework to do. I also still have 4 more weeks of Basic Obedience classes at another obedience school. She offers the test at the end of the class. Please pray that I succeed!

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Birthdate: February 5th 2012

Gotcha Day: March 30th 2012





March 16th 1996-September 27th 2009.

The town of Warrenton Virginia has a First Friday Festival on the first Friday evening of every month during spring, summer and fall months. This first Friday of September was their Dog Days of September event. The Warrenton Kennel Club was having their AKC Responsible Dog Ownership event as part of the overall event. I spoke to Lesa Fork, the Training Director for WKC, who is also a CGC evaluator, and told her about how I was taking classes with another AKC intructor/evaluator. When Mary Ann Robertson was checking with each of our dogs to see what we needed to work on, during the supervised separation, Mary Ann Robertson said that I would need to work on getting Mercy used to being alone with a strange person better because she was pacing and panting when she was holding her. She had said I would need to practice having strangers holding Mercy while I stepped out of sight. I asked Lesa Fork to hold Mercy for me and when I came back, Lesa said to me that Mercy had no problems and that she would have passed her on that part of the test. She was commenting on how sweet and gentle Mercy was. When I told her I was raising her to be a therapy dog, she had said she would be a perfect candidate and that her name must have something to do with it.

Another thing, the guy that was the Puppy Kindergarten instructor at Liberty Hill Pet Resort had left to start his own dog training company. He was Mercy's Puppy Kindergarten instructor for most of the times she was there. I had Mary Ann Robertson for her last Puppy Kindergarten Class. The guy instructor's name is Chris. I ran into him at the festival. He also had a booth set up there. I told him that I was taking Mary Ann's CGC prep course, he was telling me how nobody has ever passed Mary Ann Robertson's CGC evaluations! He is also an AKC CGC evaluator and was highly recommending that I take his CGC prep course instead of Mary Ann's. He could be stretching the truth a bit, but it got me thinking. Are Mary Ann Robertson's standards so high for the CGC test, that dogs and owners have to perform perfectly with no small gray area stuff that she fails people for insignificant things? If Mary Ann fails Mercy, I will go to WKC for her to be tested.

Oh how I wish I could get involved with the Warrenton Kennel Club and become a member and student there! Their slogan is Furthering the Advancement of the Purebred Dog. Their classes are only on Tuesday nights when I have an important church meeting. I always put Jesus Christ first, and for me, that means attending this church meeting. Driving to Warrenton after work every week would be pushing it anyway. I want to get Mercy involved in Obedience, Rally and Agility. *sigh*

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Birthdate: February 5th 2012

Gotcha Day: March 30th 2012





March 16th 1996-September 27th 2009.

I would be a bit careful using people's full names on an open forum, especially when someone says something negative about someone else... However, I think it is nonsense that no one passes that one instructor's test, maybe she sets the bar high, but that is only a good thing. People have told me, that taking a CGC before the age of one is too early, because most pups haven't really reached their teenage behavior by then and start regressing in manners. But is that a reason not to do it? People always tell you things...if she fails, she can do it again. I think your instructor is really spot on by telling you what you need to work on. And holding a dog in a situation where there is a lot to see is different from holding a dog in a test situation, where she will really watch you while you leave.

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Well, there is now only 1 more week until the test is given. We have only one more class this week and then that's it. Seriously, 6 weeks is not enough classes to prepare for such a test, especially with an adolescent pup. It is my goal for Mercy to have her Canine Good Citizen at 9 months. She turns 9 months two days before the exam. Mercy is still not reliably downing on command every time. I am frustrated about not having enough time to practice with her, but I work hard when I do. We have an important meeting at church on Tuesday nights, so that's at least one night that I don't get to practice. The storm kept us cooped up inside so I could not get outside and walk and train Mercy until yesterday afternoon when I was off work. I tried a few things indoors, but her excitement level was so high due to pent up energy. My husband always insists on leaving our home on Halloween night instead of simply staying home and ignoring the doorbell. I wouldn't have had a problem walking Mercy and training her with trick or treaters swirling around me. It would have been good for practicing with distractions, or walking through a crowd. We don't celebrate Halloween. Since we will have to go out, leaving Mercy in her crate, I don't have an opportunity to train tonight either. Sigh!
Please pray that Mercy and I pass the CGC test next week.

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Birthdate: February 5th 2012

Gotcha Day: March 30th 2012





March 16th 1996-September 27th 2009.

While it is good to have a goal, your are almost setting yourself up for disappointment. Dogs have good and bad days and some have more bad then good at that age. You can set a standard for yourself that your dog may not be ready to obtain. I hope that does not come off mean it just seems you are so focused on the goal your forgetting your puppy. They almost never do anything on a schedule no matter how important it is to us personally. I just don't want to see you frustrated and pushing hard at training. Your feelings go right down that leash and if your frustrated thinking you won't make your goal your puppy is going to feel that and is more likely to act up.
It might be better to think well if she doesn't make it by 9 months we will go for 12 take some of the pressure off yourself and it will take pressure off of her. Otherwise when you do the actual testing you might be so tense it will make it worse or remove the pressure and be more relaxed and so will she.

Good luck we are pulling for you.

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Tink
Bridge dogs, Tuffy, Blueboy, Pudge, Shasta, Maddie, Broker, Jet, Baily, and Reva

Tonight is the rehearsal. We will be going through all of the parts of the test, like a trial run to see how we are all doing. I had to stay home from work today to care for my son while my husband had to go somewhere, so I got to practice with Mercy today. She is still not downing reliably. I can only pray that with whaever practice I can fit in between now and next Wednesday Mercy will obey the down command during the test itself.

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Birthdate: February 5th 2012

Gotcha Day: March 30th 2012





March 16th 1996-September 27th 2009.