SHOW TITLE STUFF

Show dog stuff is also known as conformation and is based on shows where a dog is judged against others of its own breed. A judge, knows the standard or requirements of the breed and makes a decision based on how close he/she feels a dog meets that standard. Championship titles are based on beating other dogs. Only one male and one female per show walk away with the points.

 

CH- Champion of Record- Show Champion

Must accumulate 15 points by being the undefeated male or female of their breed at a show. Points are based on how many dogs they beat.  They must also get two majors or clusters of points at least 3 points or greater. The fastest a dog can finish is three majors.

GCH- GRAND Champion of Record

A new title to American Kennel Club. This is ONLY for dogs that are already show champions and dogs that are shown in the Best of Breed class. Must accumulate 25 points and get three"majors" just like the show champion requirements. At least four judges need to be involved. The dog must have defeated another champion at at least three shows.

AOM- Award of Merit

On rare occasions- like specialties and Westminster- a judge can give AOM's to dogs he/she feels are special in the show. Though on these occasions a Best of Breed (BOB) is the highest honor- a specialty with 100 + dogs requires awards like AOM for the dogs that made an impact on the judge. Since the judge can only give one BOB- AOM's are a great reward for stiff competition.

 

AGILITY TITLE STUFF

 

Agility is the fun stuff! We have all seen it on TV, jumping with weaves and tunnels and dogwalks, teeter totters and A frames! In reality, it takes YEARS to teach a dog to do agility. In addition to doing each and every obstacle, there are things like distractions at a dog show which make things really challenging. Each dog is different and prefers different obstacles but also has different issues to overcome. Some dogs are great jumpers, but are afraid to walk on the teeter. Some love the A frame and dog walk, but knock jump bars down- which is a failure. Those yellow zones on the aframe and the teeter and the dogwalk also must have a paw touch- or there is a disqualification.In addition to all those requirements, there is a specific course which much be done in a time frame and with no stalls, run bys or deviations from the course. A good run, a good dog and handler...make it look easy!

Despite the challenges, agility is a fun sport to do no matter if it is a pass or non a pass. There are lots of different clubs and the rules are different depending on the club. Agility is a great sport for dogs and handlers and there is a venue for everyone!

 

NA- Novice Agility (ie Standard)

An AKC agility title. This is the first level of AKC agility. The dog must pass three separate courses to get the title. They must do a course of around 14-16 different obstacles and jumps in a set course time designated by the height of the dog. They are allowed 2 run bys (or basically "whoa, there was a jump there!?"), 1 wrong course out of order and 2 table faults either jumping off the pause table without waiting the full 5 seconds or getting on the wrong side. If a dog misses the yellow zone (or contact zone) of the down side of the A-Frame, Dog walk or the teeter- they have faulted and cannot pass (Non-Qualification). If a bar is dislodged from it's seat on the jumps- it is also a Non-Qualification. The Novice dogs are allowed three attempts at the weave poles. A successful weave means the dog enters the weaves with the first pole being on the left side. They must weave without missing or skipping a pole until completion. Novice uses 6 weave pole sets.

 

Examples of what is on a Novice Standard agility course: 

Jumps: Single Bar, Wings (with big sides), Broad Jumps, Tire Jumps, Triple Oxers and Double Oxers, Panel (solid) jumps

Tunnels

Shutes- a hard tunnel for about 4 feet, which turns into fabric for 10-15 feet. The dog must push through the fabric

Weave Poles: 6 poles

A frame

Dog Walk

Teeter Totter

Pause Table: Dog jumps up on the table and stays there for a count of 5 seconds. Not leaving or entering/exiting the wrong side.

NAP- Novice Agility Preferred (ie Standard)

Same rules exactly as above, three passes needed, but 4 inches LESS the jump height. This lower jump height is intended to help older dogs or dogs that breed or body type make it harder on their bodies to jump full height. 

NAJ-Novice Agility Jumpers

An seperate AKC agility title from Standards (above). This is the first level (Novice) of AKC agility. The dog must pass three separate courses to get the title. They must do a course of around 14-16 different jumps and one set of 6 weaves in a set course time designated by the height of the dog. They are allowed 2 run bys (or basically "whoa, there was a jump there!?"), but no off courses (wrong jump order). If a bar is dislodged from it's seat on the jumps- it is also a Non-Qualification. The Novice dogs are allowed three attempts at the weave poles. A successful weave means the dog enters the weaves with the first pole being on the left side. They must weave without missing or skipping a pole until completion. Novice uses 6 weave pole sets.

NJP- Novice Agility Jumpers Preferred

Same rules as jumpers exactly as above, three passes needed, but 4 inches LESS the jump height. This lower jump height is intended to help older dogs or dogs that breed or body type make it harder on their bodies to jump full height. 

NF- Novice FAST (Fifteen And Send Time)

Another AKC agility title. This is the first level Novice of AKC agility. This is a game of strategy and skill, and takes a dog with some ability to leave you and go out and do stuff without you.

There are 15 obstacles out on the course, each pointed with a different value 1-10 points. There is NO course. You have a designated time to finish the class depending on the height of the dog. You must get 50 points which are accumulated by doing the obstacles out on the course. Once you cross the start the timer begins and every obstacle/jump executed correctly gets points. Drop a bar or miss a contact and you don't get the points, just eat up time. Each course has a"SEND BONUS" which is a combo of two things( jump and tunnel or A frame and teeter etc etc) the combos are endless! The kicker is that the SEND bonus has a line around it (designated by tape on the ground) roughly 5 feet from the obstacle combination. The owner and the dog cannot cross the line until the send bonus has been fully attempted. A successful bonus will get 20 points in addition to the points the obstacle has been labeled. Lets say it was a jump tunnel combo, with the jump being worth 5 points and the tunnel being worth 8 points. Get the bonus and the point value is 33 points (5+8+20). Miss the bonus (ie dog veers off, comes back to you, goes backward over the jump, wrong tunnel entrance or drops a bar) then it is only 13 points and you can't pass the test. You must get the bonus in order to pass. You must get the points in order to pass and you must get it within the time in order to pass. If the buzzer buzzes, when the time is up, points can't be accumulated anymore, and in fact a point is deducted for each second over time and subtracted from your score. To stop the run you must execute the last obstacle which is most likely a jump. This is a blast with panic-y moments and scares, but a GREAT class for young dogs and people who love strategy!

 

Examples of what can be/but isn't required to be on a Novice FAST agility course: 

Jumps: Single Bar, Wings (with big sides), Broad Jumps, Tire Jumps, Triple Oxers and Double Oxers, Panel (solid) jumps

Tunnels

Shutes- a hard tunnel for about 4 feet, which turns into fabric for 10-15 feet. The dog must push through the fabric

Weave Poles: 6 poles

A frame

Dog Walk

Teeter Totter

Pause Table: Dog jumps up on the table and stays there for a count of 5 seconds. Not leaving or entering/exiting the wrong side.

NFP- Novice FAST Preferred

Yep, same rules as FAST just 4 inches lower on the jump height.

OA- Novice Agility

 This is the second level of AKC agility. The dog must have a Novice Agility title to move up to Open. The dog must pass three separate courses to get the title. They must do a course of around 16-18 different obstacles and jumps in a set course time designated by the height of the dog.

Rules get tougher....Dogs are allowed 1 run by, 1 wrong course (out of order) and 1 table faults either jumping off the pause table without waiting the full 5 seconds or getting on the wrong side. Contact (yellow zone rules) are the same. Bar drop rules are the same as Novice as well. Time frame requirement is faster and now there are 12 weave poles (@#$@#$@!) and now refusals count in weave poles as well.

OAP- Open Agility Preferred

Yep, you guessed it. OA with 4" lower in jump and table height. 

OAJ-Open Agility Jumpers

A jumpers course with 1 set of poles. More jumps (16-18) and weaves are 12 now. 1 refusal is allowed and the weaves count as a refusal. Times get tougher and harder to beat! The dropped bar thing still eliminates the dog from passing. 

OJP- Open Jumpers Preferred

Same rules as Open Jumpers but with 4" lower on jump heights.

OF- Open FAST (Fifteen And Send Time)

Second level of fast, tougher on time and now points need to get to 55! The send bonus distance is almost double that of novice!

There are 15 obstacles out on the course, each pointed with a different value 1-10 points. There is NO course. You have a designated time to finish the class depending on the height of the dog. You must get 55 points which are accumulated by doing the obstacles out on the course. Once you cross the start the timer begins and every obstacle/jump executed correctly gets points. Drop a bar or miss a contact and you don't get the points, just eat up time. Each course has a"SEND BONUS" which is a combo of two (used a couple of times) or three things( jump and tunnel AND frame) the combos are endless! The kicker is that the SEND bonus has a line around it (designated by tape on the ground) roughly 15 feet from the obstacle combination. The owner and the dog cannot cross the line until the send bonus has been fully attempted. A successful bonus will get 20 points in addition to the points the obstacle has been labeled.  If the buzzer buzzes, when the time is up, points can't be accumulated anymore, and in fact a point is deducted for each second over time and subtracted from your score. To stop the run you must execute the last obstacle which is most likely a jump. This is a blast with panic-y moments and scares, but a GREAT class for young dogs and people who love strategy!

OFP- Open FAST (Fifteen And Send Time)

Open FAST with 4" lower jump heights...

AX- Excellent Agility and AXP - Agility Excellent Preferred

The highest level of agility, the hardest and the most fun! No overtimes, no wrong courses, NO ERRORS!Really long courses with 12weave poles and tricky tricky stuff thrown in. This is where the agility champions hang out, and the dogs ARE AMAZING!

AXJ-- Agility Jumpers Excellent and AJP- Excellent Jumpers Preferred

A Excellent level jumpers course, dogs must be perfect! Weaves are 12 poles. Preferred jumps 4" lower. Dogs going for the agility championship compete in this class.

XF-Excellent FAST and XFP Excellent FAST Preferred

A FAST style course with more distance and 60 points needed. Bonus lines are crazy! 

 

NADAC titles...North American Dog Agility Council

 

TN-N- NADAC Tunnelers Novice

NADAC agility rules NOT AKC anymore. Course is tunnels in a pattern, based on time not on faults! 3 course passes to get the title.

HP-N- NADAC Hoopers Novice

Courses are made of Hoops and there is a strategy to the game. 3 passes for the title.

 

RETRIEVER HUNT TEST STUFF

 

JH- Junior Hunter

Must pass 4 seperate Junior tests. Each test consists of 2 land marks with birds- and two water marks. Nothing to scoff at...a Junior Hunter should probably be called a Started Hunter as they are familar with birds, shotguns going off, line manners, swimming, boats and carrying the bird back to hand.

 

WC- Working Certificate

A single pass on a hunting test conducted by the breed club (ie CCRCA). It is a single on land and two singles in water. A single pass in Junior Hunter counts as a WC...

 

OBEDIENCE and RALLY STUFF

 

CD- Companion Dog

Three seperate passes at a Obedience Trial. Novice requires at least a score of 160 and a 70 % pass on each excercise. Excerises include- heel on lead with stops, pace and direction changes. Figure eight on lead, Heel off lead, stand for examination, recall (leaving the dog on a sit stay and having them come to a front and then heel on command and sit and down stays for a few minutes each.

RN- Rally Novice

Rally is similar to Obedience but the handler can talk to the dog during the trial and redo excercises if there is a failure. A RN requires three seperate passes at a trial.

RE- Rally Excellent

The second level of Rally requires tougher excercises and is conducted off lead. Rally is a lot of fun and slightly less competitive than Obedience.

 

BREED CLUB ONLY TITLES

 

HOF- Hall of Fame

A high honor in the breed. Requiring for CCRS...a JH, CD and Ch and points accumulated via the kids of the dog requiring a CD and JH and at least 4 Champions. In addition the dog must get points from their own and their puppies' accomplishments. This is a great honor-showing a dog that is accomplished as well as producing puppies that are diverse and accomplished as well.

 

UWC- Upland Working Certificate

A fairly new title for CCR's, which truely shows the natural instinct of the breed.  The dog has to be accustomed to shot, retrieve a upland field bird, then quarter and find three live birds in the field. Though the dog doesn't need to be steady to shot (sit after the bird is flushed and go when it is safe to retrieve) the dog does need to find and retrieve the bird. This was a really fun certificate to get and many dogs never were exposed to such an experience. It was fun to watch them shine!