The Reading Room • Explainers
CH and GCH go before a dog’s name — they’re conformation titles. Everything after the name is a different world: manners, obedience, agility, scent work, dock diving, trick dog, and more. Here’s what they all mean, sport by sport.
Prefix vs. suffix: Prefix titles (CH, GCH, OTCH, MACH, PACH, RACH, CT) go before the name and mark champions of their sport. Suffix titles go after the name. Suffix titles never earn or affect conformation championship points — they’re recorded on the dog’s title record but contribute nothing toward CH or GCH.
Canine Good Citizen (AKC)
- CGC — Canine Good Citizen
- Passed a 10-item manners evaluation: polite greeting, loose-lead walking, recall, staying calm around other dogs and distractions.
- CGCA — Advanced (Community Canine)
- The same skills tested in real-life settings like a busy sidewalk or park.
- CGCU — Urban
- City manners: doorways, crowds, street crossings, ignoring sidewalk food, riding transportation.
Obedience (AKC rulebook)
- CD — Companion Dog
- Qualified three times in Novice: heeling on and off leash, stand for exam, recall, group stays.
- CDX — Companion Dog Excellent
- Qualified three times in Open — all off leash, adds retrieves and jumps.
- UD — Utility Dog
- Qualified three times in Utility: hand signals only, scent discrimination, directed retrieves and jumping.
- UDX — Utility Dog Excellent
- Qualified in Open B and Utility B at the same trial, ten separate trials.
- OM — Obedience Master
- Earned 200 points from high scores in Open B and Utility B (levels OM1–OM9, then OGM).
OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion) is a prefix title — it goes before the name.
Rally (AKC)
- RN / RI / RA / RE — Rally Novice / Intermediate / Advanced / Excellent
- Qualified three times at each level, working through sign stations — Novice on leash, Advanced and up off leash with jumps.
- RAE — Rally Advanced Excellent
- Qualified in Advanced B and Excellent B at the same trial, ten separate trials.
- RM — Rally Master
- Ten qualifying scores in the Master class under at least two judges.
RACH (Rally Champion) is a prefix title.
Agility (AKC)
- NA / OA / AX / MX — Novice / Open / Excellent / Master Agility
- Climbed the standard-course ladder; Master requires ten qualifying runs under at least two judges. (NAJ/OAJ/AXJ/MXJ are the jumpers-with-weaves equivalents.)
- T2B — Time 2 Beat
- Earned 15 qualifying scores plus 100 points in the speed-focused T2B game.
MACH (Master Agility Champion) and PACH (Preferred Agility Champion) are prefix titles — 750 points plus 20 double-qualifying days.
Scent Work (AKC)
- SWN / SWA / SWE / SWM — Scent Work Novice / Advanced / Excellent / Master
- Titled in all four search elements (container, interior, exterior, buried) at each level.
- SWD — Scent Work Detective
- Ten qualifying searches in the Detective class — the top of the scent work ladder.
Tracking (AKC)
- TD — Tracking Dog
- Followed a 440–500 yard human-laid scent trail and found the article at the end.
- TDX — Tracking Dog Excellent
- An 800–1,000 yard track aged 3–5 hours with obstacles, finding four articles.
- VST — Variable Surface Tracker
- A 600–800 yard track across three or more surfaces — grass, asphalt, concrete.
CT (Champion Tracker) is a prefix title — all three tracking titles combined.
Fast CAT & Coursing (AKC)
- BCAT / DCAT / FCAT
- Fast CAT titles at 150, 500, and 1,000 points — points come from a timed 100-yard dash, scaled by the dog’s speed and height.
- CA / CAA / CAX — Coursing Ability / Advanced / Excellent
- Passed the lure-coursing ability test 3, 10, and 25 times.
Dock Diving (NADD — titles recognized by AKC)
- DN / DJ / DS / DM / DE
- Dock Novice through Dock Elite — five qualifying jumps landing in each distance division, from under 10 feet (Novice) to 24+ feet (Elite).
Trick Dog (AKC)
- TKN / TKI / TKA — Trick Dog Novice / Intermediate / Advanced
- Performed 10 tricks at each level, each level building on the last.
- TKP / TKE — Performer / Elite Performer
- A choreographed routine of tricks — Elite adds props and a story told by the handler.
Therapy Dog (AKC)
- THDN / THD / THDA / THDX / THDD
- Novice through Distinguished — 10, 50, 100, 200, and 400 documented volunteer therapy visits with an AKC-recognized organization.
Herding (AKC)
- HS / HI / HX — Herding Started / Intermediate / Excellent
- Qualified three times at each level, working stock through the course.
- FDC — Farm Dog Certified
- Passed a 12-exercise farm-environment test twice under two judges — no herding involved, just self-control and confidence around a working farm.
HC (Herding Champion) is a prefix title.
Barn Hunt (Barn Hunt Association — titles recognized by AKC)
- RATN / RATO / RATS / RATM — Novice / Open / Senior / Master
- Found the rat(s) hidden in tubes among hay bales — climbing and tunneling, timed, more rats and harder tunnels at each level.
- RATCH — Barn Hunt Champion
- Ten additional Master-level qualifying runs after the Master title.
Hunt Tests (AKC)
- JH / SH / MH — Junior / Senior / Master Hunter
- Qualifying scores at 4, 5, and 6 hunt tests — Master Hunter is a finished hunting companion: steady, marks, retrieves to hand.
FC (Field Champion) and AFC (Amateur Field Champion) are prefix titles from field trials.
Temperament (AKC)
- ATT — AKC Temperament Test
- Passed a pass/fail evaluation of 18 items across six categories — social, sound, visual, tactile, movement, and surprise — twice under two evaluators.
Myth: “All those letters after the name mean the dog is a better show dog.”
Reality: Suffix titles measure completely different things — manners, obedience, speed, nose work, hunting ability. They say nothing about conformation. A dog can be a brilliant agility champion and a mediocre show dog, or vice versa. The letters tell you what the dog does, not how it’s built.
Where this fits: the full picture
Championship points → How Dog Show Points Work. 15 points, two majors, three judges. The foundation.
Grand Champion points → How Grand Champion Points Work. 25 points in Best of Breed, then Bronze through Platinum.
Owner-Handled Series → How the National Owner-Handled Series Works. A parallel competition for owner-handlers.
Suffix titles → this article. Everything after the name — every sport, every discipline.
Sources: AKC Titles A–Z, AKC Titles and Abbreviations, NADD, Barn Hunt Association.