AKC Field Trial TitlesThe Field Championship titles appear before the name. They are AKC’s competitive Field work titles-simulating hunting. Similar to the Hunt Tests but usually much further distances and more demanding tests.Titles appearing before a dog’s nameFC – Field ChampionAFC – Amateur Field ChampionNAFC – National Amateur Field ChampionNFC – National Field Champion
A letter preceding the title indicates the place of origin if a foreign title i.e. CFC – Canadian Field Champion.
These titles are awarded to the retrievers winning a required number of points in competitions against the best field dogs of the entire retriever breeds. These titles are difficult and expensive to attain and indicate the dogs are of superior intelligence, athletic ability, and have a very high desire to retrieve.
FC = Field Champion, can be handled by either a professional trainer or an amateur handler. A total of 10 points is needed to earn this title.
AFC=Amateur Field Champion. The amateur refers to the status of the person handling the dog. A total of 15 points plus a win are required to earn this title.
Points are awarded for placements. At least one win is required and then the accumulation of enough points for the title.
NFC = National Field Champion, only 1 dog per year earns this title – a sort of Super bowl playoff between top dogs of the year.
NAFC=National Amateur Field Champion. Only 1 dog per year earns this title and is handled by a person with an amateur status (not a professional that received money for training).
*** or QAA = Qualified All-Age. This is not a title but indicates a dog has earned either a 1st or 2nd place in the Qualifying event and is now capable of running the FC or AFC events.
DERBY= division for dogs under 2 years of age. Points are accumulated and a derby dog of the year is noted with the highest points. Generally those with 10 or more points will make the annual Derby list.
The Letter “C” before any of the following titles indicate that the titles were earned in the Canadian Kennel Club sponsored events rather than AKC. For Example CNFC is Canadian National Field Champion. This is not the official CKC manner of Titles it is the Americanized version.
Field Trial titles are the highest competitive AKC test for a hunting retrieving dog. They simulate difficult hunting situations often at long distances requiring excellent marking, trainability and drive from the dog. Dogs retrieve multiple land/water marks at the higher levels and are handled with whistle commands to retrieve birds that the dog has not seen fall (blinds). Points are awarded for placements and the dog needs at least one win and enough points to title. Points are assigned for placements. Only the best dogs title. There are different divisions for amateur handlers, young dogs and an Open division which is open to all, including professional trainers. Each year a National test is held for the Amateur and Open divisions for qualified dogs. The winner of that test is essentially the American retrieving dog of the year. All Field trial titles appear before the dogs official AKC name.
FC=Field Champion to earn this title a dog needs at least 10 point with at least one win in the Open division. 5 points are awarded for a 1st place, 3 for second, 1 for third and 1/2 point for 4th place. This test can be run by either an amateur handler or a professional and the division is called the “Open”.
AKC Titles appearing after a dog’s nameJH – Junior HunterSH – Senior HunterMH – Master HunterThese titles indicate that the retriever has passed a required series of retrieving and hunting exercises in a field situation at AKC regulation meets. Real hunting situations are closely simulated. Although not competitive, the dogs are tested thoroughly on land and water and must do blind retrieves responding to hand signals. Briefly the Hunt test titles appear after the name of the dog. These are titles given to a dog for achieving a standard of simulated hunting performance. Any dog that meets the required level in a Hunt Test will earn a ribbon as opposed to only 1 dog in the Field Championships taking a 1st place. Hunt test titles do not differentiate whether a professional or amateur handler runs the dog.
JH = Junior Hunter. Requires basic retrieves of singles (one shot bird) to hand.
SH = Senior Hunter. Requires dog be steady to shot, retrieves double marks to hand, capable of running blinds to retrieve birds the dog has not seen fall by taking commands and hand signals, ability to handle diversion shot birds, hidden guns.
MH = Master Hunter. Requires ability to handle multiple shot birds at once as well as all of the Senior Hunter requirements. Generally the tests will set up much more difficult situations than the Senior.
Obedience Titles – also after a dogs nameAX – Agility ExcellentMX – Master Agility ExcellentNA – Novice AgilityOA – Open Agility
CD – Companion Dog
CDX – Companion Dog Excellent
TD – Tracking Dog
TDX – Tracking Dog Excellent
UD – Utility Dog
UDX – Utility Dog Excellent
VST – Variable Surface Tracker
Obedience and Tracking titles appear as suffixes, and are earned by performing and passing a required set of trained exercises at official AKC meets. They indicate that the dog is very trainable and intelligent but not necessarily birdy.
Hunting Retriever Club – UKC TitlesHRC is affiliated with the United Kennel Club, Inc., Kalamazoo, MI, who carries the registry for the HRC. The UKC offers 5 coveted titles to the HRC program:Started Hunting Retriever (SHR)Hunting Retriever (HR)Hunting Retriever Champion (HRCH)Grand Hunting Retriever Champion (GRHRCH)
Upland Hunter (UH).
In keeping with the philosophy of HRC, titles earned are awarded as a prefix to the dogs name on its pedigree as opposed to a suffix to the name. The United Kennel Club, Inc., established in 1898, is the second largest all breed dog registry in the United States, registers over 250,000 dogs each year and licenses 10,000 challenging, fun, relaxed, family-oriented events annually.
HRC maintains its common sense, hunting realism in testing Hunting retrievers. There are five ability-based (not age) categories that the dogs may enter in the HRC Tests: Started, Seasoned, Finished, Grand and Upland. Unlike field trials, these are not competitive 1st, 2nd and 3rd place events, but tests where all dogs are judged pass/fail against a “Hunting Standard”. These are events that are great fun where everyone can root for the other person’s dog and help each other with their training. The judges must be experienced Hunters and must pass HRC administered tests, apprentice as judges, have gun safety training, attend judging seminars, have handled and passed a dog in the category that they are judging and meet other HRC requirements. Good ‘Hunting-oriented’ judges are the key to having tests with Hunting realism.
The tests are directly related to hunting the retriever in the field for waterfowl and upland game. Unlike field trials, the bird throwers and guns in the field are not exposed and dressed in white, but are hidden as in real hunting situations and dressed in appropriate hunting clothing.. The Handler must wear camouflaged or other hunting attire. Gallery members must also wear appropriate camouflaged or other hunting attire due to creating distractions for the working dog. In the three upper levels, the Handler handles the shotgun (firing blanks), and works his/her dog from a blind or perhaps a boat, and may be required to quarter the dog in a pheasant or quail field. Seasoned, Finished and Grand dog Handlers must direct their dogs to birds the dog did not see fall (a blind). HRC stresses actual ‘Hunting realism’ and ‘gun safety’ in the hunting tests.
The Grand Hunting Tests are held twice a year and are open only to those retrievers that have attained their Hunting Retriever Championship title. While there are over 4,500 Hunting Retriever Champions, there are only 333 Grand Hunting Retriever Champions (GRHRCH). These Grand tests are considered the ‘Retrievers Super-bowl’.
In 1996, a new Upland Hunt Test program was added to the HRC/UKC hunting program. The Upland test consists of a simulated walk-up with a subsequent quartering or tracking test. The Upland dog is required to honor another dog, be steady to wing and shot and will be presented with a minimum of two birds to flush in the quartering test. Successful completion of each test earns the dog ten points. Upon attainment of 40 points an Upland Hunter (UH) title is awarded.
Conformation titlesCH – Champion – Conformation or Bench Champion – this title indicates that the dog has won a required number of points in competition judging conformation, against the best looking dogs in its breed group. The dog is an almost perfect looking specimen and moves correctly according to the breed standard. It gives no verification of field ability.DC – Dual Champion (Show & Field – CH & FC) The most coveted title awarded to retrievers. The dog is both a Field Champion and Conformation Champion, this indicates that the dog is among the best looking and best performing in the field. There has not been a DC in AKC for over 30 years.TC – Triple Champion (Show, Field, & Obedience – CH, FC, OTCH)
OTCH – Obedience Trial Champion