An experience I wanted to share.

 “Train hard, test easy.” This statement from Roxanne kept echoing in my mind as I prepared to take Zoey for her CGC (Canine Good Citizen) test. I knew I had trained hard and was hoping the second part of the statement would come true. I wanted to share my experience with everyone just for fun. Recently, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and have Zoey tested for her CGC. I was nervous, apprehensive, and quite frankly worried. How would she perform? What if she didn’t come when called or broke her stays? Mentally, I worked hard to prepare myself, reminding myself that I wouldn’t know how she would do unless I tried. So, I scheduled an appointment for the following Monday, which only gave me one day to prepare. This helped me to not overthink or overtrain due to worry. I solely had to rely on the training we had done. 

When the time came, I walked into the testing facility, trying to project confidence, though inside I was terrified. The tester asked if I wanted to practice, I said no, we were ready. She then asked if I cared about the order of the 10 test areas. Again, confidently, I said no, Zoey and I would be fine with whatever order she chose.

The test began with a sit/stay and then a down stay. (sorry, I wasn’t in the video frame for this part). For each skill, I followed our training routine with an exercise finish, probably seeming a bit odd to the tester, but consistency was key for Zoey. During her down stay, I wanted to demonstrate how well she could hold it, so I stomped my feet and ran around a bit. Zoey did not break her stay. I did a return to dog correctly, and we proceeded. We moved on to the heeling patterns, where the tester had set up cones. I politely asked if we could just go in an L shape instead of turning around the cones, and she said that was just fine. She said that the only reasons she puts cones out is to help the dogs. Confident from our week 9 and 10 heeling patterns, I knew we would succeed without the cones, and we did.

Next was the recall. The requirement is to have the dog stay, the handler walk 10 feet away, turn, and recall. Ten feet seemed too easy, so I went about 30 feet. I wanted to showcase the effectiveness of Roxanne’s program and how well-trained Zoey was. I gave the recall command, and Zoey immediately ran to me, sitting with a straight sit in front. Then, I gave the Heel command, and Zoey stood, walked around me, and sat right to my side. I was so worried she might fail this part, but she nailed it. Yay! Both of our confidence just increased tremendously. For the next test she said she needed to create distractions of throwing things and running past to see how she would react. Well, all the times of stomping around her, throwing toys in her direction, placing food that she loved around her, as we practiced “place” and “stays” paid off. She didn’t move but looked at the lady and thought “really, you’re not even giving me a challenge”. 

The last area we tested was having Zoey Walk past other dogs without reacting or lunging. Zoey had no problems with this, which I strongly believe is due to the long line training and all the times we practiced on Roxanne’s driveway, walking our dog’s past and around each other. Wow! Who would have known how valuable that piece of the training was? One interesting part of this test was when the tester told her group that they could practice without treats if they wanted to. One lady immediately spoke up, saying, “I just don’t think I can do that,” and I could hear the panic in her voice. This tells me she has no confidence that her dog would do what was expected without a treat. I don’t know about you guys, but I sure don’t want to carry a treat bag around my waist all the time to ensure my dog listens. And what about the times you forget the treat bag? Then what? Dogs are smart; the first time they don’t get that treat, they are done minding.

Watching the video, I noticed the other ladies giving treats to their dogs every time they even came close to something they didn’t want them to look at or sniff. The dogs weren’t looking at the handlers but to the treat bags. I am so thankful that Zoey looks to me for guidance and direction, not to a treat bag.

I share this not to brag, as Zoey and I are far from perfect and still have many issues to work on, but to emphasize that the training we receive from Roxanne is top-notch. It builds a belief in the dog to follow commands without treats, based on trust in the handler. The dog is truly working for you! I am so grateful I followed Roxanne’s motto of “train hard, test easy.” Yesterday was a true testament to that. Despite all the hard tests, difficult weeks, tears, and frustration, experiencing the payoff of our hard work in even a small way was incredibly rewarding. To everyone, stick with it, rely on the help and support of Roxanne, Jessi, and Mary. They are all phenomenal and want you to succeed.  I know from experience the Foundation course is not easy, and most days you may feel defeated. But by finishing the class and seeing the outcome it has all been well worth it.