Canine Good Citizen Test

I had a couple of hours before the test so I thought a quick refresher for Tipper might be beneficial. I got out the umbrella and opened and closed it as she warily looked on, but no big startle reflex. We then progressed to the down. Twenty repetitions of down with the clicker and treats and I was feeling pretty confident.
We arrived a few minutes early and headed into the building. Nadine was the woman giving the test and she had her Black Belgian Shepard who was to be the greeting dog. Tipper immediately sniffed nose to nose without any problems. We went trough strangers approaching, people shaking my hand and Tip stood quietly with her tail wagging and her ears sticking straight out! The wheelchair posed no problem having been in one for 6 weeks and the crashing noise of the xpen being dropped didn't
even warrant a look from Tipper. We are breezing through this and I am just starring to relax when I ask my show dog for the down. She looks at me and continues to sit and sit and sit. Something that she refused to do the first night of class. Now she was glued to that sit. After all in her mind a sit was as good as a down because she wasn't standing. Finally feigning a treat in my hand I got her into the down and wait. Long enough to get the teachers attention and have her see it. She asked me if I coerced the dog into the down and I told her I never touched her! The recall, stand for examination, have the paws touched by a stranger, being brushed and we has passed. Tipper was now CH Uptons Highland Hurrah CGC. I can't tell you how great it felt to have her pass the course with only completing 2 of the classes. This summer we plan to move on to Therapy Dog Training. I highly recommend the CGC course for you and your dog.