AKC Field Trial Titles
The Field Championship titles appear before the name. They are AKC's competitive field work titles-simulating hunting. Similar to the Hunt Tests, but dogs work at much further distances and compete against each other instead of the standard.
Titles appearing before a dog's name
FC - Field Champion
AFC - Amateur Field Champion
NAFC - National Amateur Field Champion
NFC - 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 - dog can be handled by either a professional trainer or an amateur handler. A total of 10 points is needed to earn this title with at least one win in the Open division.
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.
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 and 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.
AKC Conformation titles
CH - 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 Labrador DC in AKC for over 30 years.
TC - Triple Champion (Show, Field, & Obedience - CH, FC, OTCH)
OTCH - Obedience Trial Champion
AKC Hunt Tests
Titles appearing after a dog's name:
JH - Junior Hunter
SH - Senior Hunter
MH - Master Hunter
These titles indicate that the retriever has passed a required series of retrieving and hunting exercises in a field situation. Real hunting situations are closely simulated. Although not competitive, the dogs are tested thoroughly on land and water and at Senior and Master levels, must do blind retrieves responding to hand signals. 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 a couple dogs in Field Trials winning/placing. 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, retrieve double marks and blind retrieves on land and water, and handle diversion birds.
MH = Master Hunter - Requires ability to handle multiple shot birds at once as well as all of the Senior Hunter requirements.
Obedience Titles - also after a dogs name
AX - Agility Excellent
MX - Master Agility Excellent
NA - Novice Agility
OA - 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 Titles
HRC 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)
These tests are directly related to hunting the retriever in the field for waterfowl and upland game. In the upper four 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(HRCH) title. These Grand tests are considered the ‘Hunting Retrievers Super-bowl’.
SHR - 2 single marks on land and water
HR - Double marks and blind on both land and water
HRCH - Multiple marks and blinds on land and water
UH - Hunt for and flush two birds in a field, must be steady to shot and honor.
GRHRCH - A 5 series hunt test, tough water and land marks; Only the best survive.
