Your dog responds well to commands at home and in public, but how would he respond in a farm environment? There’s an easy way to find out: Sign him up for a Farm Dog Certified test.

Open to all breeds of dogs, this test involves your dog performing a series of 12 exercises that are typical for a farm environment such as being in close proximity to livestock (who are always penned to avoid any altercations); jumping and staying on hay/straw bales; walking on unusual terrain; and jumping over logs. There is no herding involved. Instead, the goal is to assess his aptitude as a working farm dog by exhibiting self-control, confidence and trust with you or his handler. ~AKC

This past weekend my friend Tom along with Josey, Gambler and I went to a AKC Farm Dog Certified test. This is a fairly new test offered through AKC, not many are held so when Pawsitively Unleashed offered this test we signed up as fast as we could since there was a limit of 30 dogs per test. In order to receive your Farm Dog Certified test you need to pass two tests under two different judges. There were two tests offered on Saturday.

The FDC test is open to all breeds. You dog must be 9 months old and have a form of AKC registration. There are 12 elements to the test that you need to pass in order to receive your FDC title.

Below Tom and Josey will demonstrate the 12 elements of the FDC test.

1. Greet Evaluator – Initial Dog Appraisal Handler approaches evaluator, dog stops at handler’s side on a loose lead while evaluator performs introduction.

2. Perform a Walk Pattern around Farm Environment and by Passive Stranger The handler walks the dog on a loose lead in a prescribed pattern through farm objects. A passive stranger sits quietly on course.

3. Jump on Hay/Straw Bale The handler instructs the dog to jump up on a bale of hay and stay on the bale for a minimum of 10 seconds while maintaining a loose lead.

4. Walk by Farm Animal(s) The handler walks the dog on a loose lead in view of penned farm animal(s) approximately 30 feet away from the fence line housing farm animal(s).

5. Walk Over or Through Unusual Surfaces The handler walks the dog on a loose lead over or through three different unusual surfaces, including a plastic tarp, safe wooded surface, and another typical farm environment surface.

6. Supervised Separation The handler places the dog in a freestanding kennel or dog crate and walks out of sight for a minimum of 1 minute.

7. Pass Through a Gate The handler and dog navigate through a gate on a loose lead, the dog must wait calmly as the handler opens the gate, calls dog through the gate opening and closes the gate.

8. Handler Feeds Livestock The handler performs a farm chore of feeding farm animals while the dog is secured a minimum of 30 feet away from the animal enclosure.

9. Reaction to Another Dog The handler is positioned in a designated area with the dog at side on loose lead. The dog may stand, down or sit. Another dog is walked by on lead approximately 10 feet away.

10. Reaction to Noise Distraction The handler may stand or quietly walk in a designated area with the dog at side on loose lead. The assistant creates two background noises typical to a working farm environment.

11. Dog Approaches Livestock The handler, with the dog at side on a loose lead, enters a fenced area that contains livestock within a separate enclosure. The dog is introduced to livestock and encouraged to approach the pen, the dog is then called back to the handler and returns readily when called.

12. Physical Examination The handler physically examines the dog for any plant material, debris or objects that the dog may have collected while working on the farm.

OVERALL TEST ASSESSMENT: Was the dog consistently responsive to the handler and successfully exhibited self-control while exposed to a farm environment? * To pass the FDC Test, dogs must pass all elements of the test, including test assessment.

Both Gambler and Josey passed both FDC tests with flying colors. This was a very fun test and we had a great time participating in it.

Josey’s new registered name is: URX UROC UAGI USJ CA SHR U-GrCh RATN Sand Spring Outlaw SPOT-ON RA JH THD DS CGCA CGCU TKI RATN FDC

Gambler’s new registered name is: USJ RO3 HRCH U-GRCH Sand Spring Ev’ry Paw’s A Winner MH TDA RN CGCA CGCU RATI TKA FDC TT SPOT-ON

Tom and I would like to thank Pawsitively Unleashed for hosting this event and to our judges Renea, Brenda and Kelly a big thank you! This was a well run and fun event for a Saturday morning.