Canine Good Neighbour Test Toronto

Starting January 2023, Foundation Skills Level 2 replaces this program.

Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) Prep Class

You’ve done one round of Foundation Skills class, and your dog can stay, recall, and walk nicely on a leash – when there’s NO distractions.

But, now you want to put these skills to the test – closer and closer to other dogs and people!

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to:

  • Have your dog sit calmly while you have a chat with your neighbour?
  • Pass another dog on the sidewalk, while your dog remains focused on you?
  • Enjoy time on a patio while your dog settles by your feet?

Then, Canine Good Neighbour is for you and your dog!

Prerequisites: Taken at least one full round of Foundation Skills at When Hounds Fly

Please note: This class is not appropriate if your dog exhibits excessive fearful or aggressive behaviour. Please see our Behaviour Modification page for information on private lessons to address fear or aggression.

Program Content

Module 1 

Stay with Distractions

Module 2

Loose Leash Walking

Module 3

Leveling Up Your Recall

What’s the Canine Good Neighbour (CGN) Test?

In addition to the better behaviour you’ll see in public, your dog will also be setup for success to take the Canadian Kennel Club Canine Good Neighbour Test, or also perform well in Therapy Dog evaluations. The CGN test consists of the following twelve exercises:

  1. Accept a Friendly Stranger
  2. Politely Accepts Petting
  3. Accepts Grooming and Examination
  4. Walk Politely on a Loose Leash
  5. Walk Through a Crowd
  6. Sit/Down on Cue / Stay 6 Meters
7. Come When Called
8. Calm Down After Play
9. Reaction to Passing Dog
10. Reaction to Distractions (strollers, joggers, noises)
11. Supervised Isolation (Handler leaves dog)
12. Walking through Doorways/Gates
  1. Accept a Friendly Stranger
  2. Politely Accepts Petting
  3. Accepts Grooming and Examination
  4. Walk Politely on a Loose Leash
  5. Walk Through a Crowd
  6. Sit/Down on Cue / Stay 6 Meters
  7. Come When Called
  8. Calm Down After Play
  9. Reaction to Passing Dog
  10. Reaction to Distractions (strollers, joggers, noises)
  11. Supervised Isolation (Handler leaves dog)
  12. Walking through Doorways/Gates

K. Turner

“Rachael was absolutely wonderful – she is experienced, knowledgeable and makes you feel super comfortable and confident. She gave us great tips, answered all of our questions, and was overall an excellent teacher (showing us by example and then having both my husband and I try). We had moved condo buildings and our dog had become reactive to some of the new dogs in the building and in just 2 sessions with Rachael he has improved so much. He now seems relaxed and secure and excited about his new routine and skills.  How much she cares about dogs comes across and you can tell she really wants to help.”

– K. Turner

Steph, Dylan, & King

“We are thrilled with how far King has come!

King is a rescue from the Toronto Humane Society and we got him a little over a month ago. He’s about a year and a half and to say he’s full of energy is an understatement. When we first got him we were told he was very dog aggressive, and probably wouldn’t do well in a condo.

Enter Stephanie – Within the first few minutes of meeting her we knew she was perfect for us. She’s extremely knowledgeable, confident, and you can just tell she loves dogs. She was very patient with the 3 of us and gave us confidence in our training. Without Stephanie we would have never realized how smart King is, and how much potential he has. “

– Steph, Dylan & King!

Tom and Deborah

“A year after our private sessions with Andre, our beagle Jake sits on our front porch and watches dogs walk by without aggression — dogs that used to set him off on sight at any distance. We continue to use food rewards on walks and have reduced fear-aggression responses to a rarity. He no longer guards the porch when the postman, delivery people or friends approach. Can’t tell you how grateful we are for Andre’s sound advice.”

– Tom and Deborah

Lauren R.

“We had an absolutely fantastic experience here. When we adopted our dog, Corky, she didn’t even know her name and didn’t know any commands. By the end of the Foundations Skills Class she knows a ton — how to sit, lay down and even go to bed! Most of all, the trainers gave us the skills and knowledge to train Corky on an ongoing basis. The trainers are awesome and always give individual feedback about your dog. Corky had a blast going to class.”

– Lauren R

Lauren K.

“My husband and I took the Puppy Start Right classes with our pup when we first got him. Two years later I still think it’s the best thing we’ve done so far as pet “parents”. In addition to teaching him the basics and teaching us how to properly train our pup, I think the early socialization made a huge difference in terms of how he interacts with other dogs. We take him to doggy daycare a few times a week and every time we pick him up the staff comments on how good he is with other dogs (even the ones who don’t typically play well with others).
The classes at When Hounds Fly were fun, informative and taught us how to train our dog instead of just focusing on teaching obedience and tricks. If you have a new puppy, I highly recommend the Puppy Socialization class.”

– Lauren K

Program Tuition

$141 for 3 Modules

For details regarding class/training policies, please see our Policy page:

Where and When?

Dundas West – Thursday Nights at 7:20PM with Hu Wang; Starting Nov 21 at 8:00PM

Yonge and Eglinton – Wednesday Nights at 7:20PM with Anita Rahmati; Starting Nov 21 at 8:00PM

Pape Village – Sundays at 12:20PM with Mayra Morales

South Etobicoke – Sundays at 11:10AM with Chris Taccogna

Okay, I’m Ready to Go!

This is an advanced class.  Dogs must have finished all foundation skills classes first.

Trained Elsewhere? Challenge our Evaluation Module and pass to get access.

Login to our class calendar system, purchase credit(s) and register for available spots.