Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Classes
The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme is for anyone wanting to enhance the relationship they have with their dog, while also improving basic obedience behaviours, such as recall, loose lead walking, stays, road walks, and food manners.
Perhaps you have an adolescent dog who completed their puppy classes but needs a refresher course? Maybe you have an older rescue dog that needs to learn more appropriate behaviours? Or perhaps you and your dog just enjoy training and love to achieve things together.
These classes run as 8-week blocks with the opportunity to take either the bronze, silver or gold GCDS assessment at the end, in an optional, additional session. If your dog isn't ready at that time, you can simply book another 8-week block.
A dog's progress in these classes will be affected by their age, sex, temperament, breed and training history, as well as the time their guardian can spend working on and practising the behaviours we teach at home and outside of class.
Perhaps you have an adolescent dog who completed their puppy classes but needs a refresher course? Maybe you have an older rescue dog that needs to learn more appropriate behaviours? Or perhaps you and your dog just enjoy training and love to achieve things together.
These classes run as 8-week blocks with the opportunity to take either the bronze, silver or gold GCDS assessment at the end, in an optional, additional session. If your dog isn't ready at that time, you can simply book another 8-week block.
A dog's progress in these classes will be affected by their age, sex, temperament, breed and training history, as well as the time their guardian can spend working on and practising the behaviours we teach at home and outside of class.
We cannot offer any guarantees that a dog will be ready to take the assessment after an 8-week block of sessions. However, we can guarantee that we will have covered the teaching of all of the behaviours required to take the assessment.
As well as covering the behaviours required for the awards, the classes will also include fun games for gaining and keeping attention, confidence and focus-building activities.
Please note - these classes are not suitable for dogs that bark, lunge, are uncomfortable or very over-excited around other dogs or people.
These dogs are not going to learn new things in the class environment as they will be too stressed and/or over-aroused. We also need to think about other members of the class in these situations also. Practice makes permanent and putting these dogs into a situation where they are 'practising' the unwanted behaviour, is going to make that behaviour worse in the long run.
You may wish to book a behavioural consultation or one-to-one training session to assist with these problems.
As well as covering the behaviours required for the awards, the classes will also include fun games for gaining and keeping attention, confidence and focus-building activities.
Please note - these classes are not suitable for dogs that bark, lunge, are uncomfortable or very over-excited around other dogs or people.
These dogs are not going to learn new things in the class environment as they will be too stressed and/or over-aroused. We also need to think about other members of the class in these situations also. Practice makes permanent and putting these dogs into a situation where they are 'practising' the unwanted behaviour, is going to make that behaviour worse in the long run.
You may wish to book a behavioural consultation or one-to-one training session to assist with these problems.
The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme (GCDS) is the UK's largest dog training programme.
The Scheme is open to all dogs, young or old, pedigree or crossbreed, Kennel Club registered, or not. Dog guardians of any fitness level or disability can take part too.
The Scheme is non-competitive, and emphasis is placed on the standard of achievement. There are four levels of courses from puppy foundation, to bronze, silver, and gold awards.
We currently offer training towards, and assessment of the bronze, silver and gold GCDS awards. We now also incorporate the puppy foundation award into our 8-week puppy classes.
The Scheme is open to all dogs, young or old, pedigree or crossbreed, Kennel Club registered, or not. Dog guardians of any fitness level or disability can take part too.
The Scheme is non-competitive, and emphasis is placed on the standard of achievement. There are four levels of courses from puppy foundation, to bronze, silver, and gold awards.
We currently offer training towards, and assessment of the bronze, silver and gold GCDS awards. We now also incorporate the puppy foundation award into our 8-week puppy classes.
