CHANGES FOR GOOD CITIZEN DOG TRAINING SCHEME EXAMINERS


The Kennel Club has announced that, from 1st May 2014, all people wishing to examine a Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme Bronze, Silver or Gold Award test will have to submit their names for approval on one of the scheme’s examiner lists.

The list will be split into two categories: the ‘A’ list will be for people who have passed the scheme’s examiner assessment courses, and the ‘B’ list will be for people who meet the scheme’s current criteria and have examined previously.

The scheme celebrates its 20 year anniversary this year, and has awarded over 400,000 pass certificates since it began. There are currently over 1900 dog training clubs throughout the UK and Channel Islands that host GCDS courses, and over 75,000 tests have taken place. During this time there has been a lot of development within the GCDS.

The GCDS initially started with just one level of qualification but has been developed into four comprehensive award levels. Standards have been updated, and, in 2003, the scheme introduced its own Examiner Assessment Course which educates all examiners and prospective examiners about the scheme standards and provides knowledge of the scheme for those who did not meet the previous criteria. These courses are split into three levels and have created over 800 new examiners throughout the UK and Channel Islands.

When the GCDS was introduced in 1992, four initial categories of examiner were established - Kennel Club judges, police and service dog handlers, members of the British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers (B.I.P.D.T), and dog wardens. Since 2003, people who passed the GCDS Examiner Assessment Courses were then added to the list.

At present, not all categories of examiner have direct contact with the GCDS office and are difficult to contact when changes are implemented. This has resulted in complications with testing standards and also cases where it is difficult to verify the validity of an individual’s qualification.

The GCDS’s new Examiner lists will enable the scheme to keep all examiners up to date and provide additional support to the many dog training clubs that support the scheme in finding an examiner for their test. Whilst the GCDS keenly promotes its own Examiner Assessment Courses, it is aware of the previous contribution and dedication of all of the scheme’s examiners and wants to assure current examiners who have not passed the Examiner Assessment Courses that these will not become a compulsory requirement.

With effect from 1st June 2014, only individuals who have not passed an Examiner Assessment Course (Bronze or above) or examined a GCDS Bronze, Silver or Gold Award test in the last five years (as a KC judge, police or service dog handler, MIPDT or dog warden) will be required to attend a GCDS Examiner Assessment Course before examining for the first time.

Current GCDS examiners who apply to have their names placed on the B list will be sent a free copy of the new Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme guideline booklet and offered a 10% discount towards attending their first GCDS Examiner Assessment Course. There is no charge to have your name placed on the B list.

The benefits of maintaining and improving the standard of examining through the introduction of these lists will further enhance the GCDS in the long run.

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Thanks for that. I can't really see how it will have immediate impact in 2014 as current examiners who haven't attended courses will still be judging, but it will make a difference over time.

No doubt even when all examiners have attended courses, there will still be discrepancies as some will be much stricter than others, but there's no way round that.

In answer to the original question, I found the stays were the most feared amongst owners. It's surprising how nerves can affect during the testing - the owners' not the dogs' of course

Did the other dogs get 2nd chances and do it right or never get it right at all..??

Nope they just passed
It was a shame, in all other ways it was a really fantastic club, she was just way too nice and didnt fail anyone
Her argument was that she had seen us all suceed in class doing everything so she knew we could do it ( mother and daughter club so one was the traner and one the assesor - which is strictly a bit wrong too)

We had an outside person come in ,our trainer was not even in the building ,,.