The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme, otherwise known as obedience training is a scheme established by the Kennel Club in 1992 and was developed with the primary goal of promoting responsible dog ownership and well-behaved dogs in the community.

In 2020, we won the title of Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Listed Status Training Club of the Year out of 1,400 listed status clubs in the UK, having been runner-up the previous year. We thought it only fair after 2020 to step back and let other clubs have a go at gaining the coveted award.

The scheme offers a fun, friendly and structured approach to dog training, obedience and behaviour. It encompasses four different levels, each with its own set of criteria and tests that dogs and their owners must pass to achieve certification. The levels include Puppy Foundation, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

The scheme covers a range of skills and behaviours, including basic obedience, control in various situations, and socialisation. By taking part in the Good Citizen Dog Scheme, dog owners can enhance their relationship with their dogs, improve their dogs' behaviour, and ensure they are well-behaved and well-mannered whilst out and about.

Gaining certification through the Good Citizen Dog Scheme is a great personal achievement and a way to demonstrate responsible dog ownership. Here at Best Paw Forward Dog Training Club, we offer training classes and testing for all levels of the scheme in a warm, friendly and calm environment. 

We have summarised each level of the scheme below so you can familiarise yourself with the requirements and know what to expect when you start classes.

Puppy Foundation

The Puppy Foundation Course classes look to encourage the socialising of puppies and to give them a foundation for education and training. When puppies successfully complete the course assessment, they should be able to respond to their handlers and the handlers should have a more in-depth awareness of the responsibilities of owning a dog. Play exercises are included to ensure training sessions are fun for all involved with reward-based incentives.

There are 12 different exercises within the course and all must be marked with ‘Passed’ in the assessment to enable the dog and handler to be awarded their Puppy Foundation Certificate. Once achieved, you can choose to take part in classes to gain your Bronze award. You do not need to have gained your Puppy Foundation Certificate in order to start Bronze Award classes. 

Bronze

The Bronze Award Course classes aim to train a dog to be able to walk happily and behave naturally in a controlled manner whilst on lead, stay on command, be groomed and inspected by its owner plus other areas that form the foundation of basic obedience. The Bronze Award aims to provide handlers with the basic knowledge of understanding and training their dog.

There are 10 different exercises within the course and all must be marked with ‘Passed’ in each exercise during one assessment session to enable the dog and handler to be awarded their Bronze Award Certificate. Once achieved, you can choose to take part in classes to gain your Silver award. You have to gain your Bronze Award Certificate in order to progress to the Silver Award Course. 

Silver

The Silver Award Course classes are a natural progression from the Bronze Award certification and aim to build upon the skills learned during that course whilst increasing the level of difficulty. The Silver Award classes introduce new skills to learn including rejoin handler, road walking, vehicle control and controlled greetings. The Silver Award aims to provide handlers with a good knowledge of understanding and training their dog.

There are 10 different exercises within the course and all must be marked with ‘Passed’ in each exercise during one assessment session to enable the dog and handler to be awarded their Silver Award Certificate. Once achieved, you can choose to take part in classes to gain your Gold award. You have to gain both your Bronze and Silver Award Certificates in order to progress to the Gold Award Course. 

Gold

The Gold Award Course classes and respective certification is the highest level of achievement in the scheme and are a natural progression from the Silver Award certification. This level aims to build upon the skills learned during the Silver Award course whilst developing advanced training skills for both dog and handler. The Gold Award classes introduce new skills to learn including relaxed settle, stop the dog and send to bed. The Gold Award aims to provide handlers with a greater knowledge and a deep understanding of their dog. 

There are 10 different exercises within the course and all must be marked with ‘Passed’ in each exercise during one assessment session to enable the dog and handler to be awarded their Gold Award Certificate. Dogs who gain their Gold Award represent the highest standard of the Good Citizen Dog Scheme.