Titles may be earned under various organizations and in various disciplines, the most familiar to most people being the American Kennel Club (AKC) Obedience and Breed titles.
Titles are abbreviated and put either in front ("prefix title") or after ("suffix title") the dog's registered name. In general, a prefix title denotes a Breed or Obedience/Performance championship while a suffix title denotes an Obedience/Performance title.
Example: CH OTCH Steve's Rising Star, AXJ - This dog is a Breed Champion (CH), an Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) and has earned an Excellent Agility Jumper (AXJ) title.
Below is a list of some of the more common titles. For complete listings of AKC titles, go to:
AKC Prefix titles: http://www.akc.org/events/titles.cfm
AKC Suffix titles: http://www.akc.org/events/titles.cfm?page=2
Many performance titles are also offered by the United Kennel Club (UKC).
| Abbreviation | Name | Discipline |
|---|---|---|
| OTCH | Obedience Trial Champion | Obedience |
| NOC | National Obedience Champion | Obedience |
| BN | Beginner Novice (Optional Title) | Obedience |
| CD | Companion Dog | Obedience |
| GN | Graduate Novice (Optional Title) | Obedience |
| CDX | Companion Dog Excellent | Obedience |
| GO | Graduate Open (Optional Title) | Obedience |
| UD | Utility Dog | Obedience |
| UDX | Utility Dog Excellent | Obedience |
| RN | Rally Novice | Rally |
| RA | Rally Advanced | Rally |
| RE | Rally Excellent | Rally |
| RAE | Rally Advanced Excellent | Rally |
| NFC | National Field Champion | Field Trial |
| AFC | Amateur Field Trial Champion | Field Trial |
| FC | Field Champion | Field Trial |
| JH | Junior Hunter | Field Trial |
| MH | Master Hunter | Field Trial |
| MACH | Master Agility Champion | Agility |
| NAC | National Agility Champion | Agility |
| NA | Novice Agility | Agility |
| NAJ | Novice Agility Jumper | Agility |
| OA | Open Agility | Agility |
| AX | Agility Excellent | Agility |
| AXJ | Excellent Agility Jumper | Agility |
| HC | Herding Champion | Herding |
| HT | Herding Tested | Herding |
| HS | Herding Started | Herding |
| HX | Herding Excellent | Herding |
| BH | Begleithund (Traffic-sure Companion Dog) | Schutzhund (Working Dog Sport) |
| SchH 1 | Schutzhund 1 | Schutzhund |
| SchH 2 | Schutzhund 2 | Schutzhund |
| SchH 3 | Schutzhund 3 | Schutzhund |
| FH | Tracking Dog | Schutzhund |