It seems like only a couple of years ago I was organizing a few dogs and people for a photo shoot for the Canine Good Neighbour Handbook and Brochures.  All those dogs were early CGN titleholders and proved their good temperament and easy compatibility with their owners by behaving beautifully when faced with unique situations.  This is what the Canine Good Neighbour Program is all about. 

Those dogs were not models or trained canine actors; they were simply well socialized and moderately trained family pets.  Each of these dogs could pass the Canine Good Neighbour test but would not have been a star in the obedience ring. 

The Canine Good Neighbour evaluation is a basic test.  Can you and your dog be safe and welcome in public?  For the average dog to navigate the complexities and expectations placed on them by our increasingly controlled urban lifestyle requires a steady temperament, trust in humans, adaptability and tolerance for random instances of noise, people, trucks, buses, skateboards, toddlers, other dogs, elevators, and a bunch of other stuff that would fill a page.

I don’t want homes for puppies, I want homes for adult dogs.  Puppies are easy to sell, ask any puppy mill or rescue. Puppies are snapped up in no time, then as adults they end up in rescue because the people who found the cutest puppy only wanted the puppy, not what the puppy grew up to be.

When people ask about my breed I tell them the good, the great and the not so great aspects of living with a dog this breed in particular.  I also tell them that they need to meet adult dogs and love them, really LOVE them before I will consider them as a home for one of my dogs...