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Where can I take the CGC test on the North Shore?

AKC Canine Good Citizen

Where can I take the CGC test on the North Shore?

The CGC test itself takes a short while; finding one at a convenient time and place is where people get stuck. Here is where North Shore owners look, what the AKC's rules mean for your test day, and how preparation at Dogtown fits around the test.

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Last reviewed October 9, 2026 · by the Dogtown team · reviewed by Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist

The short version

Three places to find a CGC test: the AKC's search, AKC clubs and evaluating trainers

The test can only be given by an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator, so every route starts with one. The AKC's Take the Test page links its evaluator search, including a search by state, and says you can take the test at many local AKC training clubs or with any approved evaluator. A separate AKC page lists affiliated clubs that offer CGC, S.T.A.R. Puppy and Community Canine classes and testing, sorted by state; it listed five clubs in Massachusetts when we looked in October 2026.

Evaluators also work inside training schools and pet businesses, and some tests run alongside AKC events; the AKC's evaluator guide has specific instructions for tests held on the grounds of an AKC show. In practice, North Shore owners find a test through one of three doors: a club, a trainer who is also an evaluator, or a test day advertised at an event. Ask any of them for the date, the fee and the place before you plan your preparation backward from it.

The AKC's evaluator search, linked from its Take the Test page
The AKC's list of clubs offering CGC, sorted by state
Trainers and training schools whose staff include an evaluator
Test days held alongside AKC events

Test day

The AKC's rules decide what you can bring, wear and use on test day

The AKC's evaluator guide, updated in September 2024, settles the questions people ask the night before. All ten items are done on leash, in a well-fitting buckle or slip collar, a martingale, or a body harness that does not restrict movement. Pinch collars, electronic collars and head collars are not permitted, and neither are retractable leashes. You may talk to and praise your dog throughout, but food cannot be used as a reward during the test.

A few rules catch owners out. A dog that eliminates during an indoor test does not pass. Harsh corrections are not allowed and are grounds for dismissal, and any dog that growls, snaps or bites is dismissed. The test does not require proof of vaccines; owners sign the Responsible Dog Owner's Pledge instead. Fees are set by the evaluator or the club, and there is a separate fee to the AKC when you order the certificate or the title.

Buckle, slip or martingale collar, or a body harness
No pinch, electronic or head collars, and no retractable leash
Praise is allowed; food rewards are not
Walk your dog before an indoor test, since elimination fails it
The evaluator's fee, then the AKC's certificate or title fee

Does Dogtown evaluate?

Whether a Dogtown trainer can test your dog is confirmed at the training consult

We do not publish whether a Dogtown trainer is an AKC Approved CGC Evaluator, so this page will not tell you yes or no. Ask at the training consult, where we can explain how testing would be arranged for your dog and with whom, and line the date up with the end of your preparation block. If testing elsewhere suits you better, the AKC's search and club list above are the same ones any North Shore owner would use.

There is a sound reason some owners test with someone other than the person who trained them. The AKC's guide says evaluators may not test dogs they own, and that an evaluator who has handled a dog extensively in class should not play the friendly stranger in the greeting items. A test with a fresh face sits closer to what the CGC is meant to measure: whether your dog behaves well with people it has never met.

01
Choose the preparation route at the training assessment
02
Ask at the consult how testing can be arranged and who would evaluate
03
Pick a test date that falls just after the block ends
04
Rehearse all ten items on leash, with no food in your hand
05
Take the test, then order the certificate or apply for the title

Preparation

Dogtown prepares dogs through two CGC routes, with a puppy program before them

Canine Citizen Academy is our class route for adolescents and adults, in 4, 6 or 8 week blocks of 8, 12 or 16 sessions, with the emphasis on dependable manners, public behavior, confidence and real-world reliability. The 1:1 Private CGC Fast Track is 5 weeks and 10 individual sessions for a dog of any age with a specific sticking point. Both are led by Gabriella Pope, Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, sessions start from $94, and our Canine Good Citizen prep page compares the two.

For puppies, AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy runs 6 weeks and 12 sessions for pups from 8 weeks to 6 months; the AKC calls it the puppy level of the CGC program and notes that young puppies are sometimes better suited to it than to the CGC itself. After the CGC come the AKC's advanced titles, Community Canine and Urban CGC, which both require it as a prerequisite and can be tested on the same day if the evaluator has time.

On Cape Ann

Cape Ann gives you most of the ten items to rehearse before you drive to a test

Wherever you test, the rehearsal is the part you control, and Cape Ann supplies it free. A July sidewalk in downtown Gloucester or Rockport is the crowd item. A friend who stops to chat on Eastern Ave is the friendly stranger. A bench near a busy road covers the distractions, and a neighbor holding the leash while you step inside a shop for three minutes is the supervised separation. Practice the full ten in order at least once, without food, before test day.

Remember that a CGC certificate is not a license. Gloucester still requires the yearly dog license, due by April 30: $20 for a spayed or neutered dog or $25 for an intact one, each plus a $2 processing fee on the 2026 application. If your dog combines CGC preparation with Dogtown Academy days, those use our drop-off windows, weekdays 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM, and the Pup Van collects for $10 each way in the four Cape Ann towns it covers.

At Dogtown

Getting ready for the test

CGC preparation at Dogtown, plus Academy days that keep the manners in daily practice.

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Asked and answered

Questions people ask about this

Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.

Does my dog need to be AKC registered to take the CGC test?

No. Any dog, purebred or mixed breed, can take the test and receive a certificate. To have CGC recorded as an official AKC title, the dog needs an AKC number, a PAL number or an AKC Canine Partners number, and the AKC's Title Application Portal handles the paperwork.

Can I use treats during the CGC test?

Not as rewards. The AKC treats food as a training aid and wants to see that you can manage your dog without it. Praise, petting and talking to your dog are all allowed throughout the ten items, so practice the full sequence at home with the treats coming only at the very end.

Is there an age limit for the CGC?

The AKC sets no age limit, though its guide welcomes dogs once they are old enough to have completed their vaccinations, and tests held under AKC match rules can carry minimum ages. Young puppies are often better suited to AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, which Dogtown runs for pups from 8 weeks to 6 months.

What if my dog fails one item?

Dogs must pass all ten items, so a missed item means testing again later. Ask the evaluator what they saw; the AKC expects evaluators to give feedback at the end of each test. The 1:1 Private CGC Fast Track, 5 weeks and 10 sessions, exists for a dog that keeps failing one specific item.

Can my dog wear its usual harness or head halter?

A body harness is allowed if it does not restrict movement, and so are buckle, slip and martingale collars. Head collars, pinch collars and electronic collars are not permitted at the test, so a dog that normally walks in a head halter should practice in permitted equipment for a few weeks beforehand.