APAW – Poodle Pups for Working Roles

Locket, Marvel, baby Aria and I enjoyed a perfectly beautiful yet exceptionally windy Autumn day here in New England. We attended the Collie Club of New Hampshire’s evaluations for Farm Dog, Canine Good Citizen and Tricks.

These titles are all earned by pass/fail evaluation and are considered entry-level titles. They assess the dog both from a temperament standpoint as well as basic training. The CGC looks at basic obedience and general demeanor in the midst of some every-day types of distractions. The FDC looks at a different set of basic skills and responses to the distractions found in a farm setting. I’ll post the checklist of skills along with a video explaining each test below. First I want to explain why I feel breeders should view these titles as valid and worth earning, even if they are so “basic”.

Marvel is now officially RACEN APAW’s Perfect Storm CGC FDC TKN

Locket is now officially URO1 RACEA U-CH APAW’s Key To The Heart CGC FDC TKN

While these are simple titles and don’t take much effort for the average dog to earn, for my breeding program I feel that these titles are still beneficial. Any professional assessment which demonstrates that my dogs can manage themselves appropriately around various distractions is a bit more ‘proof’ that they are well-rounded dogs. This is really nice for potential puppy buyers who live too far away to meet my dogs before committing to travel for a puppy.

There was a time when I assumed that a dog who couldn’t pass a basic temperament assessment would not be bred, so I did not ask for temperament testing in the parents. I asked verbally what their temperament was like, and I took the owners’ word for it. Unfortunately I’ve found out about significant behavioral issues in parents/grandparents after committing to various pups, and seeing the issues arise as they matured. This was especially eye-opening and heart-breaking with pups who came to me as hopeful service dogs. It’s what drove my service dog program to stop accepting pups evaluated by anyone other than myself, because assessments and terminology differ from person to person. I decided I needed to personally meet the pups and dam, and if I couldn’t meet the sire I’d need to hear a first-hand description of him by someone other than the breeder/owner. Had the parent dogs passed basic assessments like the CGC and FDC, or certain other more advanced titles, I would have known that at least there weren’t severe temperament issues.

Canine Good Citizen – CGC

The CGC evaluates the dog and handler’s ability to respond appropriately to the following 10 exercises. It only needs to be done once, but a witness needs to verify that the team passed each step. It is a relaxed evaluation and the handler may praise the dog, give multiple verbal cues if needed, use hand signals, etc. The dog will pass as long as they respond relatively smoothly and don’t show signs of aggression, uncontrollable exuberance or significant fear.

• Accepting a friendly stranger
• Sitting politely for petting
• Appearance and grooming
• Out for a walk
• Walking through a crowd
• Sit and down on cue/Staying in place
• Coming when called
• Reaction to another dog
• Reaction to distractions
• Supervised separation

Farm Dog Certified – FDC

The FDC looks at the dog and owner’s response to a set of 12 exercises, and it needs to be completed on 2 occasions under different evaluators. As with the CGC this evaluation is relaxed and allows praise and multiple cues as needed. The following are the 12 exercises to be passed.

• Greet evaluator – initial dog appraisal
• Perform a walk pattern around farm environment and by passive stranger
• Jump on hay/straw bale
• Walk by farm animal(s)
• Walk over or through unusual surfaces
• Supervised separation
• Pass through a gate
• Handler feeds livestock
• Reaction to another dog
• Reaction to noise distraction
• Dog approaches livestock
• Physical examination

Trick Titles (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Performer) – TKN, TKI, TKA, TKP

Trick titles are separate from the benefits of temperament assessment I mention from the prior two titles, but I will address them very briefly here since that was part of our outing this weekend.

Trick titles may be earned in person under a CGC evaluator, or may be filmed and the link sent to an evaluator for approval. It is another casual test and a small number of attempts may be tried per trick, and treats may be given as a reward after each trick; if done by video the tricks do not need to be filmed in one session/location. Since these titles can be earned virtually they do not guarantee any sort of temperament stability, but as the complexity of tricks increases these titles can prove biddability, intelligence, coordination, problem-solving, motivation, and will hopefully demonstrate a strong working relationship with their owner.

Each level requires the dog to demonstrate 10 tricks from a pre-approved list, with a couple of options for “handler’s choice” of comparable complexity. Personally I do like to film my dogs doing tricks or other training exercises for me to share with potential puppy homes. This is a further opportunity for assessment of a dog when meeting in person is not viable. That said, Marvel’s TKN evaluation this weekend was not filmed and at some point I will be filming her just for the sharing ability. Locket’s TKN from last year is below.

I hope this post has been interesting, and if you are a competitor or breeder who has always considered these titles to be cheesy or even ‘fake’ I hope that my perspective has helped you see that even basic titles are helpful to prove a solid foundation. These types of titles are of benefit for any and all dogs – breeding dogs, pets, service or therapy dogs, etc – it’s all more ways to have fun with your dog.