Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America

AKC Titles

Versatility

Agility

NA - Novice Agility
NAJ - Novice Agility Jumper
NAP - Novice Agility Preferred
NJP - Novice Jumpers With Weaves Preferred
OA - Open Agility
OAJ - Open Agility Jumper
OAP - Open Agility Preferred
OJP - Open Jumpers With Weaves Preferred
AX - Agility Excellent
AXJ - Excellent Agility Jumper
AXP - Agility Excellent Preferred
AJP - Excellent Agility Jumpers With Weaves Preferred

Agility is a sport in which a dog, under the guidance of a handler, runs through an obstacle course full speed, while having to perform accurately and safely on A-Frames, Dog Walks, See-Saws and a wide variety of jumps and tunnels. Each run is timed and scored with the goal of completing the course with the highest score possible. To acquire an agility title, a dog must earn three (3) qualifying scores per class level under at least two different judges.

Conformation

CH - Champion

Dog shows (conformation events) are intended to evaluate breeding stock. Judges examine the dogs and place them in accordance to how close each dog compares with the judge's mental image of the "perfect" dog as described in the breed's official standard. These standards include qualifications for structure, temperament and movement. In short, they describe the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred. Most show dogs are competing for points toward their championship. To become an official AKC champion of record, a dog must earn a total of 15 points, which would include 2 major wins under 2 different judges.

Obedience

CD - Companion Dog
CDX - Companion Dog Excellent
UD - Utility Dog
UDX - Utility Dog Excellent
OTCH - Obedience Trial Champion

Obedience training is the foundation upon which all canine activities are based, whether conformation, agility, tracking, search and rescue, service dogs, fieldwork, etc. When AKC Obedience competition began, the concept behind obedience training was to develop a very close working relationship between human beings and dogs, while demonstrating the usefulness and enthusiasm of dogs.

Obedience Trials test a dog's ability to perform a prescribed set of exercises on which it is scored. Dogs and handlers compete against a standard of perfection, rather than against each other. To earn a qualifying score (leg), the team must score more than 50% of the possible points in each exercise, and earn a total score of at least 170 out of a possible 200 points. An obedience title is earned with 3 qualifying scores (legs).

Novice: The first level, Novice, results in your dog earning a Companion Dog (CD) title. The title actually describes what is expected of your dog: demonstrating the skills required of a good canine companion. The dog will have to heel both on and off leash at different speeds, come when called, stay (still and quietly!) with a group of other dogs when told, and stand for a simple physical exam.

Open: The second level, Open, results in your dog earning a Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title. He must do many of the same exercises as in Novice, but off-leash and for longer periods. Additionally, there are jumping and retrieving tasks.

Utility: The final level results in a Utility Dog (UD) title. These are the cream of the crop. In addition to more difficult exercises, the dog also must perform scent discrimination tasks.

OTCH and UDX: The best of the best can go on for more titles. Utility Dogs that place in Open B or Utility B classes earn points toward an Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) title. Utility Dogs that continue to compete and earn legs in both Open B and Utility B at 10 shows receive the title Utility Dog Excellent (UDX).

Tracking

TD - Tracking Dog
TDX - Tracking Dog Excellent
VST - Variable Surface Tracker
CT - Champion Tracker

AKC tracking events are the competition form of canine search and rescue. These Tracking events provide training for dogs and their handlers to meet some human needs for tracking and finding lost humans or other animals, as well as, demonstrating the extremely high level of scent capability that dogs possess. The AKC's Tracking Tests allow dogs to demonstrate their natural ability to recognize and follow human scent.

Tracking Dog (TD) - A dog earns a TD by following a track 440 to 500 yards long with three to five changes of direction. The track is laid by a human tracklayer and is "aged" 30 minutes to two hours before the dog begins scenting. The goal is to use the scented track to locate an article left at the end of the trail by the tracklayer. The owner follows the dog on a long leash and can encourage the dog during the tracking test.

Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) - The TDX is earned by following an "older" track (three to five hours) that is also longer (800 to 1,000 yard) and has five to seven directional changes with the additional challenge of human cross tracks.

Variable Surface Tracking (VST) - In the real world, dogs track through urban settings, as well as through wilderness. A VST dog has demonstrated this ability by following a three- to five-hour-old track that may take him down a street, through a building and other areas devoid of vegetation.

Versatility

VCD1 - Versatile Companion Dog 1

The American Kennel Club will permit the use of the letters following the name of each registered dog that completes titles as follows:
Versatile Companion Dog 1 (VCD1) - CD, NA or NAP, NAJ or NJP, and TD
Versatile Companion Dog 2 (VCD2) - CDX, OA or OAP, OAJ or OJP, and TD
Versatile Companion Dog 3 (VCD3) - UD, AX or AXP, AXJ or AJP, and TDX
Versatile Companion Dog 4 (VCD4) - UDX, MX or MXP, MXJ or MXP, and VST

CD, CDX, UD and UDX are obedience titles
NA, NAP, OA, OAP, AX, AXP, MX and MXP are standard agility titles
NAJ, NJP, OAJ, OJP, AXJ, AJP, MXJ, and MXP are jumpers with weaves agility titles
TD, TDX and VST are tracking titles