CGC Test coming up. Question.

Here's some thoughts I had (I hope they're helpful!): 

I think you can increase the criteria once Benny's reliably being calm/quiet (so maybe if he's good 8 or 9 out of 10 times?). Or you could gradually increase the length you're gone by a second each time... I think smaller increments would be a lot easier for him to cope with.

 Would Benny take treats from the person that he's left with? I think if he can associate you being gone with really great treats, that would help a lot. You can phase this out over time as well. Is there anyone that Benny doesn't know that you can practice with, as well?

 Good luck with the CGC test!
 

Unfortunately, EVERYBODY knows Benny!  I try to take him everywhere with me.  Family, friends, where ever just because he was so undersocialized to everything before I got him.  But there are people that he doesn't know too well.  It's just hard to do that everyday.  But I will try!  I also know that I do have to try this away from home too.

Also, yep I could try having that person give him treats and then fading them out before the test.

Thanks, and keep those ideas coming!
 

A dog makes a HUGE difference between being left WITH someone and just being tied, left with someone they know, etc.

Practice this all over the place -- PetSmart is usually pretty darned nice about it -- TELL THEM "we're practicing for his CGC and I need help with the "stay with a stranger" thing. 

The big deal is for you to act normal -- usually I train this literally as MY convenience.  "I gotta go get Hootie's food -- you stay with this nice lady and I'll be right back!!" hand the leash to the employee you've chosen and look at Georgie and say "And YOU be good!!  no barkin ok?? I'm gonna just go get that food and I'll be RIGHT back!" and then with your OWN sense of urgency just walk off like it was the most normal thing in the world.

If he pitches a fit you turn and act VERY disappointed.  "Whoa -- what IS that?? This is Sue and she WORKS here -- YOU be good!" and then turn, walk at least 3 steps and then turn and say "THAT is better!!"

My theory (and remember I talk to my dogs ALL the time and truly expect quite a bit of 'understanding';) is that if they think they are getting DITCHED with someone else (particularly if they think I"m going somewhere better WITH another dog or another person and they are getting left -- whoa Nellie - Mom you ain't doing this!!) then it all falls apart.

But if they think this is just a short thing and that there is something "in it" for them to stay with this person (and you can't give rewards and the stranger really can't interact with them) but if they think this is just while you 'go get' something quick then it becomes a no-brainer.

 When you leave give the dog the comfort of knowing YOU promise to be right back and that this is "no biggie".  So not only do I ask permission of the person holding the leash, I also turn to the dog and say "ok -- I'll be right back -- be good!!"

I've seen some people try to do this silently and for ME that is so alien to how I work with my dogs it wouldn't work in a zillion years. 

But MY dogs understand I would never ask someone to do this that *I* didn't trust.  So I'm prone to saying something like "This is Bob who works here" or "This is just MIssy's Mom, so you be good for her!" along with my "be right back" thing. 

And I'm sure my dogs know that if I'm, AS USUAL, running my mouther 99 miles an hour well then this IS no biggie and *yawn* she'll be right back. 

For Muffin - my deaf one - I used to drop my purse and say "stay with my purse ok?" and man -- that was fine with him.  During his CGC in total honesty he FELL ASLEEP during the 3 minute wait!!  He knew my keys were in my purse and we ain't goin no where without those!!!"

Make it 'normal' -- and it will be no big deal.

And that didn't really ANSWER your question -- increase the time as you can.  The big deal is you don't want to 'fail'.  You don't want the dog to break and get upset.  It's likely not going to be the length of time - it's the dog's frame of mind.  If the dog realizes you aren't leaving forever (and that IS so critical) then they'll be fine with it. 

This was the hard one for Billy --- but we just kept practicing and practicing -- mostly with me handing off the leash and saying "I gotta go get __________" or "I gotta go sit for a minute, you be good" or whatever excuse I decided to use.  But introducing the 'friendly stranger' with MY crew is critical.  If they really "get it" that I TRUST this person then they're fine with it -- particularly if they think they aren't "missing something" while I'm gone.

Oh yeah -- one of my FAVORITES is "She's gonna hold your leash -- Mom's gotta go potty"

Nothin new there for sure !!! *rolling eyes* I'm SO predictable.

My Kenya does not have separation anxiety (she doesn't do the barking, whining, lunging, and destroying things), but she really doesn't care for anyone but me and she tends to be wary of strangers.  She is just a one-person kind of dog and when I try to move too quickly with things it ends up making it worse for us in the end.  I sort of went about this in a different way.  Instead of working really hard on leaving her and having her be OK (which is something that will never ever happen considering her breed, her pedigree, and her life experiences), I focused on just training a down-stay.  That way, she was focusing on earning the treats for holding the down-stay rather than feeling like she was being abandoned.  This really worked well for me.  The 3 minute supervised leave was where I was SURE we would fail, but on test day I left her in a down-stay with a complete stranger and when I came back she was still there, holding still for me.  When the tester asked the person holding her how she did he said, "she didn't move a muscle!"

I don't know about using Petsmart since that's where he lived the first year and something of his life and where he was abandoned.  He gets very excited/nervous when we go there, but I may try PetCo.

He does do a nice sit/down stay for me so I will also try that (I wasn't sure if something like that was allowed for the test).

Thanks!! 

I wasn't sure either but my tester said you can place or command the dog before you leave.