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Every dog deserves to be welcomed. This is how they earn it.
The Good Citizen Program is the standard every dog can reach — and every community deserves. Eight sessions. Non-competitive. Open to purebred and mixed-breed dogs alike. Built around the skills, the temperament, and the reliability that make a dog a genuine pleasure to live alongside and a valued member of their community.
This is not about perfection. It is about partnership — between you and your dog, and between your dog and the world around them.
What the Good Citizen Program certifies:
A dog who has completed the Good Citizen Program has demonstrated something meaningful. They have shown, in real situations with real distractions, that they can be trusted — with strangers, with other dogs, in crowds, in veterinary and grooming settings, and in the everyday moments that define what it means to be a dog living well in a community.
The certification reflects the dog. And it reflects the owner who brought them there. It's non-competitive and open to both purebred and mixed-breed dogs.
Accepting a friendly stranger approaching the handler
Sitting politely while being petted
Accepting grooming/examination (as a vet or groomer would do)
Walking on a loose leash
Walking through a crowd
Sit, down, and stay on command
Come when called
Calm down after play
Reaction to a passing dog
Reaction to distractions (strollers, joggers, noises)
Behaviour when left with another person (supervised separation)
Overall temperament and attitude
Goals of the program:
Increase awareness of dogs as valued community members, promote responsible dog ownership, and certify that dogs conduct themselves reliably in everyday situations around people and other dogs.
And running through every one of these — an overall temperament and attitude that reflects a dog who is settled, social, and genuinely at ease in their world.
Eight sessions. One clear purpose:
The Good Citizen Program runs across eight structured sessions — enough time to introduce each skill properly, build it to reliability, and prepare both dog and owner for the certification assessment with confidence. Every session builds on the last. Every skill earns its place.
Open to dogs six months and older. Purebred and mixed-breed welcome.
The Good Citizen has no interest in pedigree. It has every interest in character. Any dog — regardless of breed, background, or history — who is at least six months old and ready to learn is welcome in this program.
Why this matters:
Dogs who move through their communities with calm, reliability, and good manners change the conversation around dog ownership. They are welcomed rather than managed. They open doors — to patios, to trails, to the kind of life with a dog that most owners dreamed of when they brought one home.
The Good Citizen Program gives your dog the certification. The work you do together gives them the life.
Eight sessions. Twelve skills. One dog the world is glad to meet.
Every dog deserves to be welcomed. This is how they earn it.
The Good Citizen Program is the standard every dog can reach — and every community deserves. Eight sessions. Non-competitive. Open to purebred and mixed-breed dogs alike. Built around the skills, the temperament, and the reliability that make a dog a genuine pleasure to live alongside and a valued member of their community.
This is not about perfection. It is about partnership — between you and your dog, and between your dog and the world around them.
What the Good Citizen Program certifies:
A dog who has completed the Good Citizen Program has demonstrated something meaningful. They have shown, in real situations with real distractions, that they can be trusted — with strangers, with other dogs, in crowds, in veterinary and grooming settings, and in the everyday moments that define what it means to be a dog living well in a community.
The certification reflects the dog. And it reflects the owner who brought them there. It's non-competitive and open to both purebred and mixed-breed dogs.
Accepting a friendly stranger approaching the handler
Sitting politely while being petted
Accepting grooming/examination (as a vet or groomer would do)
Walking on a loose leash
Walking through a crowd
Sit, down, and stay on command
Come when called
Calm down after play
Reaction to a passing dog
Reaction to distractions (strollers, joggers, noises)
Behaviour when left with another person (supervised separation)
Overall temperament and attitude
Goals of the program:
Increase awareness of dogs as valued community members, promote responsible dog ownership, and certify that dogs conduct themselves reliably in everyday situations around people and other dogs.
And running through every one of these — an overall temperament and attitude that reflects a dog who is settled, social, and genuinely at ease in their world.
Eight sessions. One clear purpose:
The Good Citizen Program runs across eight structured sessions — enough time to introduce each skill properly, build it to reliability, and prepare both dog and owner for the certification assessment with confidence. Every session builds on the last. Every skill earns its place.
Open to dogs six months and older. Purebred and mixed-breed welcome.
The Good Citizen has no interest in pedigree. It has every interest in character. Any dog — regardless of breed, background, or history — who is at least six months old and ready to learn is welcome in this program.
Why this matters:
Dogs who move through their communities with calm, reliability, and good manners change the conversation around dog ownership. They are welcomed rather than managed. They open doors — to patios, to trails, to the kind of life with a dog that most owners dreamed of when they brought one home.
The Good Citizen Program gives your dog the certification. The work you do together gives them the life.
Eight sessions. Twelve skills. One dog the world is glad to meet.