Congratulations to all our members (including two not pictured here) who took part in the IKC Good Citizen's Assessment this past Thursday, and a big thank you to Jenny Hickey for taking a day to be our amazing assessor!
All twelve of our wonderful dogs passed - from Puppy all the way to Gold! So congratulations to Atlas, Bandit, Billy, Dapper, Darcy, Dino, Dualtagh, Flora, Honey, Lottie, Molly and Tommy - and to their owners for all their efforts!
If you'd like to learn more about the IKC Good Citizen's Assessment, or would like to try it with your own dog, get in touch with us! We try to run an assessment day at least once a year, depending on demand.
What is the Canine Good Citizen's Assessment?
This scheme is run by the Irish Kennel Club. The premise is that it mirrors every-day events that you and your dog may face, ensuring your dog can carry out these common tasks. Some examples include (and vary in difficulty by level):
Walking on a lead in a controlled manner in the presence of distractions (including a jogger or another handler and dog walking past).
Behaving calmly while you talk to another dog handler.
Lying down and staying on command.
Allowing you to groom the dog, and examine its coat, teeth, ears and feet.
Returning on command and co-operating with an owner attaching the lead.
The scheme has a pass or fail result - there are no grades or places. All dogs are eligible, regardless of background, although there is an age limitation for the Puppy level.