The Reading Room • Family Dog Guides
AKC Fetch: Turn Your Dog's Favorite Game Into Titles
If your dog lives for the tennis ball, AKC already built a title program around it. Fetch is a pass/fail retrieving test with four levels — and it's exactly as fun as it sounds.
The setup is simple: the handler throws a ball, bumper, or toy through a field of distractions, cues “fetch it,” and the dog retrieves it back. As levels increase, so do the distance, the distractions, and the complexity — Advanced and Retriever add hand signals and memory retrieves where the bumper is hidden behind a blind.
Each level must be passed twice under two different judges. Dogs must be at least 6 months old with an AKC number. And yes — the dog actually has to bring it back. That's 50% of the test.
Earning this title? Create your free ThePetAdvisor account — log it, track your dog’s progress, and find testing near you.
Requirements
- Fetch Novice (FTN): three single retrieves at 30 feet — one left, one center, one right — through 4 distractions (boxes). The dog must go out, pick up, and return each throw.
- Fetch Intermediate (FTI): four single retrieves at 50 feet through 8 distractions. Greater distance, more distractions, same retrieve-and-return standard.
- Fetch Advanced (FTA): adds hand signals and complexity — the dog must respond to directional cues, not just chase a visible throw.
- Fetch Retriever (FTR): the top level. Includes memory retrieves — a bumper dropped or thrown behind a blind where the dog can't see it — plus signal work.
- Each title requires two passing tests under two different AKC Fetch judges. Dogs must be at least 6 months old with an AKC, PAL, or Canine Partners number.
Test items can be updated by AKC — confirm the current list with your evaluator before test day. Source: AKC official page.
How to earn it
- Step 1: Start with a reliable retrieve at home — throw, fetch, return to hand. If your dog runs off to chew the bumper in the corner, that's your first training project.
- Step 2: Find an AKC Fetch test — they're often held at training clubs and increasingly alongside conformation show clusters. Entry fees run about $20 per test.
- Step 3: Enter and pass the level twice under two different judges.
- Step 4: Apply to AKC for the title. Move up to the next level whenever you're ready.
Find testing near you
Many conformation dog shows offer CGC, Trick Dog, and Fetch testing right on the show grounds — sometimes you can literally walk up ringside, pay the fee, and get evaluated the same day. Check the premium list for any show you’re attending, or ask the show secretary. Training clubs and stand-alone test days run year-round too.
Frequently asked questions
Does my dog have to be a retriever breed?
No — Fetch is open to all breeds. Any dog that will chase and return a toy can play. That said, the return-to-hand is where most non-retrievers need training.
What can I throw — does it have to be a bumper?
A ball, bumper, or toy of the handler's choice. Use whatever your dog retrieves most reliably.
How many times does my dog need to pass each level?
Twice, under two different approved AKC Fetch judges. Then you apply for the title.
What's the difference between Advanced and Retriever?
Both add hand signals and memory work (retrieves the dog can't see thrown). Retriever is the more demanding of the two — check the current judge's guide with your test secretary for exact setups.
Can puppies do Fetch?
Dogs must be at least 6 months old to test. Start training the retrieve as early as you like.
Where are Fetch tests held?
Training clubs, standalone test days, and increasingly at multi-day show clusters — some clusters now advertise Fetch alongside conformation.
Track your dog’s Family Dog journey
Log every title, watch the progress bars fill, and never miss a testing opportunity.