The Pace of Progress in CGC Training
Dogs in an AKC Canine Good Citizen class often surprise their handlers. Just when you think they’ve plateaued, they level up in ways you didn’t expect. The challenge is figuring out when to ease off the gas… and when it’s time to speed up.
We knew CGC would be full of tough training moments. But we still weren’t quite prepared for what was to come.
First Test: The Pack Walk
“We’re going to do a pack walk,” Jenny said. “Lady Priscilla, you’re here—between Obi and Callie.”
And just like that, my heart dropped into my stomach.
We’d never done anything like this before. A dog on each side. Five feet of space in a room charged with tension, anticipation, and raw canine energy. Lady Priscilla wasn’t even fully settled yet (though she had done well entering the room calmly—on the third try). And now, in the middle of our AKC Canine Good Citizen class, she was being asked to fall into line, walk toward a bowl, stop on cue, sit, and wait… all with other dogs doing the same thing inches away.
I wanted to raise my hand. Ask for space. Opt out.
But I didn’t.
Because something in me said she could handle it. And maybe, just maybe, she simply needed to be asked.
She crushed it.
That pack walk set the tone for the night. Stay challenges. A tether exercise with distractions. Ear and paw handling—skills we’ve been practicing through cooperative care. Greeting multiple strangers. Moment after moment that should have overwhelmed her… but didn’t.
Not long ago, this dog would have melted under the pressure. Not because she wasn’t capable, but because she hadn’t been asked to be capable. It’s a common trap in training—assuming a dog can’t keep up, when really she just hasn’t been challenged in the right way.
It took us a long time to figure that out.
A Different Kind of Learner
Before Lady Priscilla ever stepped into an AKC Canine Good Citizen class, her earliest training was gentle, thoughtful, and carefully paced. She needed that at the time—she was scared, unsure of herself, and learning how to feel safe in the world.
But eventually, her progress plateaued. She started lying down in the middle of class. Refusing to move. Tuning us out.
The consensus from multiple trainers was that she wasn’t ready for more. Not ready for advanced obedience. Forget CGC prep—it would be too much pressure.
But she wasn’t shutting down from stress. She was bored.
And I recognized it instantly.
Because I did the same thing as a kid. Skipping middle school entirely, I was placed in high school at age seven. I didn’t thrive in slow, repetitive classrooms. I needed complexity. Challenge. Expectations.
Turns out, so does Lady Priscilla.
By this point, she had already handled everything from quiet shops to crowded theme parks and healthcare centers. Even her medical alert task had taken just days to teach. She wasn’t lagging behind—she was ready for the next step in her training journey.
Rising to the Challenge
This AKC Canine Good Citizen class was fast-paced. No handholding, no reviewing last week’s material. Just Jenny’s incredible gift for knowing exactly where each dog’s threshold is—and how to walk right up to the edge without going over. That’s the zone where real progress occurs.
It’s why we drive two hours each way to train with her at P.U.P.S. Dog Training in Gainesville. Finding the right instructor isn’t about convenience. It’s about working with someone who understands your dog and your values.
For us, that made all the difference. Lady Priscilla didn’t just survive this class. She thrived in it.
She was making decisions. Managing herself. Trusting my dad and me. Recovering from mistakes without spiraling. No longer looking for reassurance (or treats!) every step of the way. Just working—the way a Canine Good Citizen dog should.
And that’s what training at this level is really about: not perfection, but self-regulation. Thinking. Choosing. Growing.
There is so much value in slow and steady. For many dogs, it’s the path forward. But some dogs—whether family pets, working dogs, or those preparing for service—need more. Not more treats or more praise. More expectations, more structure, more space to think.
And when they get it?
They rise.
The Bigger Lesson in CGC Training
Lady Priscilla is still the same dog who once came to us unsure of everything. But moving backwards to create a happy puppyhood gave her the foundation to shoot forward in ways we never could have imagined. Today, at three years old, she stands tall in a room full of dogs, making her own choices, trusting herself, and even handling a weekend road trip like it was no big deal.
Sometimes, slowing down isn’t the answer.
Sometimes, you have to skip the middle and go straight to grad school for dogs. And when you do… they might just surprise you with a brand-new title or skill, like Lady Priscilla earning her AKC Trick Dog Novice and choosing the tunnel all on her own.
Want to follow along with the rest of her AKC Canine Good Citizen class journey? Be sure to read Five Feet, Four Dogs, One Big Win and Not a Paw Out of Place. And don’t miss Putting the Lady Priscilla Method to the Test: CGC Results to see how it all came together.
If you’d like to learn more about the philosophy behind her training, take a look at The Lady Priscilla Method.
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