Canine Good Companion™ certification is a hands-on evaluation of your dog's manners and obedience, tested in person with an evaluator or through an online video submission. This page covers exactly what testing involves, from test day to what happens if your dog does not pass on the first try.
Certifying a dog for Canine Good Companion™ means a certified evaluator watches your dog perform a set list of exercises for its tier and confirms whether it meets the standard for a pass. There is no combined score. Each exercise is a pass or not, and your dog needs to pass every required exercise for that tier to earn the certificate.
Which exercises your dog needs depends on the tier it is testing at. Review the Puppy, Companion, or Advanced requirements before scheduling a test, or see CGC certification levels if you are not sure which one fits. New to the program overall? The Canine Good Companion overview explains how the whole cluster fits together.
You do not need a trainer to do this. Owners prepare and test dogs on their own all the time, using positive reinforcement and steady practice on loose leash walking and recall. If you want structured help before test day, certified dog trainers work with owners on the specific exercises their dog needs.
An evaluator watches your dog perform each exercise live, at a partner training center, pet store, or community location, and gives you the result for each one as you go.
You film your dog performing the required exercises yourself and submit the recording for review, a practical option if you cannot reach a testing location or your dog behaves better without a stranger holding the leash.
Both paths are graded against the identical exercise list for your dog's tier. Testing online does not lower the bar, and testing in person does not raise it.
A dog that gets nervous around unfamiliar people sometimes performs better on video, in a space it already knows. A dog that needs the structure of a real evaluator, or an owner who wants feedback on the spot, usually does better testing in person.
Bring the leash and collar or harness you actually use day to day, not new equipment your dog has never worn before.
You and your dog go through each required exercise for your tier, one at a time, with the evaluator observing and sometimes acting as the stranger or distraction the exercise calls for.
The evaluator tells you on the spot whether your dog passed each exercise, instead of making you wait for a combined result at the end.
If your dog passes every required exercise for the tier, your certificate is issued for that tier.
Online testing uses the same exercise list as in-person testing, just recorded on video instead of watched live. Film your dog performing each required exercise for its tier in one continuous take where possible, or in clearly labeled clips, so the reviewer can see the full behavior rather than a highlight reel.
Contact United Pet Club before you start filming so we can confirm which exercises your dog needs on camera and how to submit the recording. A video that skips an exercise, or is filmed at an angle that hides your dog's response, usually gets sent back for a re-record instead of being reviewed as complete.
A dog that passes every required exercise for its tier earns a Canine Good Companion certificate for that tier, Puppy, Companion, or Advanced. It is dated proof that your dog performed a specific set of manners and obedience exercises to a pass standard on that day, useful for a landlord, a volunteer coordinator, or anyone else who wants more than your word for it.
Certification does not run on a fixed recertification schedule, but it reflects your dog's behavior at the time of testing, not a permanent guarantee. Dogs that stop practicing loose leash walking or calm greetings can lose the habits that got them certified, the same way any trained skill fades without use. A Master award works differently. It is not tested at all, and instead recognizes an Advanced dog that also holds a verified outside title.
A dog that fails one or more exercises does not pass that tier, but nothing about that is final. The evaluator tells you which exercises gave your dog trouble, so you know exactly what to practice before trying again instead of guessing at it.
Retesting is normal and expected. Some dogs need another few weeks of work on a single exercise, like holding a stay through a passing distraction, before they are ready. There is no limit on how many times you can retest, and no penalty attached to a first attempt that does not go your dog's way.
Prepare your dog on the required exercises for its Canine Good Companion tier, Puppy, Companion, or Advanced, then test either in person with an evaluator or by submitting a video online. Contact United Pet Club to confirm a testing option and which exercises apply to your dog.
In-person testing has an evaluator watch your dog live and give feedback on each exercise immediately. Online testing has you submit a video of your dog performing the same exercises for review. Both are judged against the identical Canine Good Companion standard for your dog's tier.
You bring your dog on its regular leash and work through the required exercises for its tier, one at a time, while the evaluator observes and gives pass or fail feedback on each exercise as you go.
Contact United Pet Club first to confirm the exact exercises your dog needs on camera, then film your dog performing each one clearly, ideally in one continuous take, and submit the recording for review.
Basic obedience and manners for its tier: sitting and staying on command, walking on a loose leash without pulling, coming when called, and staying calm around people, other dogs, and everyday distractions. The exact list depends on whether your dog is testing at Puppy, Companion, or Advanced.
Your dog does not earn the certificate for that tier, but the evaluator tells you which specific exercises it struggled with. Most owners practice those exercises further and retest once their dog is more consistent.
The Canine Good Companion process is the same at every tier, in person or online, judged pass or fail exercise by exercise. What changes is the exercise list itself, which gets harder from Puppy to Companion to Advanced.
Contact United Pet Club and we will help you choose a testing option and confirm what your dog needs to know first.
It does not run on a fixed recertification schedule, but it reflects your dog's behavior on the day it was tested rather than a permanent guarantee. A dog that stops practicing its manners over time can lose the consistency that earned the certificate in the first place.
