Good Citizen Dog Scheme
Lessons take place for approximately one hour per week. Bronze courses normally take between six to eight weeks to complete, but silver and gold courses will take longer.
Bronze, Silver and Gold courses require a short test set at the end of the course or on an approved test day. An approved scheme examiner will assess whether you and your dog meet the required standard.
Each dog and handler who passes is issued with a Good Citizen Dog Scheme certificate (applicable to the award level). Rosettes, pin badges, souvenir dog discs and a range of merchandise is also available. You do not need to attend a course in order take the Bronze, Silver or Gold award tests.
The bronze award aims to produce a dog that will walk and behave in a controlled manner. It is a basic standard that all adult dogs can achieve with correct handling. Owners must show that they have means of picking up after their dog and that their dog is wearing a lead and collar with the name and the address of the owner inscribed on the collar/disc to take part.
The silver award aims to build on the skills learned in the bronze award while increasing the level of difficulty. It is a natural progression of practical dog training skills and introduces new concepts such as greeting a friend, vehicle control and a road walking exercise which are vital in everyday life situations.
The gold award is the highest level of achievement within the scheme awards. It builds upon the skills learnt in the silver award and develops more advanced training skills of the dog and handler. The gold award introduces new concepts such as sending a dog to bed, relaxed isolation, an emergency stop and heelwork off the lead, all of which provide greater understanding and control.
