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Obedience Titles

from: Kyle Besser

Obedience Titles are awarded through several organizations in the United States. A purebred dog recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) can compete under AKC rules. Dogs not recognized by the AKC can earn titles in the United Kennel Club (UKC), Mixed Breed Dog Club of America (MBDCA), American Mixed Breed Obedience Registry (AMBOR), or Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA). When a dog earns a title, an abbreviation is permanently affixed as either a prefix or suffix to the dog's registered name.

The titles given by various organizations do vary, but most are similar to "CD" (Companion Dog), "CDX" (Companion Dog Excellent), "UD" (Utility Dog), "UDX" (Utility Dog Excellent), and "OTCh" (Obedience Trial Champion).

The following explanation of titles applies to AKC competition, but they also generally to the other organizations as well.

Companion Dog Title From Novice Class

The first obedience title is a CD, or "Companion Dog," which is earned through competition in the Novice obedience class. Handlers who have never earned an obedience title or have never owned a dog with a CD title compete in the Novice A division. Handlers who have earned a CD title in the past or who do not own the dog with whom they are competing participate in the Novice B division.

Novice Class involves 6 exercises: Heeling on leash and a Figure 8, Stand for Exam, Heel Free (off leash), Recall and Group Exercises: a 1-minute sit stay and a 3-minute down stay with handlers across the ring. Competitors must qualify (170 out of 200 points) 3 times under 3 different judges in order to earn the CD title.

Companion Dog Excellent Title From Open Class

The second obedience title is a CDX, or "Companion Dog Excellent," which is earned through competition in the Open obedience class. Competitors are eligible for the Open class after the dog has earned the CD title from the Novice class. The "Open A" division is for competitors who are not AKC judges and have not earned an OTCh title on any dog, and for dogs who have not yet earned the CDX title.. The "Open B" division is for competitors who have earned an OTCh title on any dog, are an AKC judge, and those dogs who already have earned their CDX title.

Open Class involves 7 exercises: Heel Free and a Figure 8 (off leash), a Drop on Recall, Retrieve on Flat, Retrieve over High Jump, Broad Jump, and Group Exercises: a 3-minute sit stay and a 5-minutes down stay with the handler out of sight of the dog. Competitors must qualify (170 out of 200 points) 3 times under 3 different judges in order to earn the CDX title. Dogs with a CDX title may compete in the Open B division indefinitely.

Utility Dog Title From Utility Class

The third obedience title is a UD, or "Utility Dog," which is earned through competition in the Utility obedience class. Competitors enter the Utility Classes after completing their CDX in the Open class. Teams may enter the "Utility A" division if the handler is not an obedience or breed judge, has never earned an OTCh title on any dog, and does not already have a UD title on the dog with whom they are competing. The "Utility B" division is for competitors who have earned an OTCh title on any dog, are an AKC judge, and those dogs who already have earned their UD title. Utility Class involves 6 exercises:

Signal Exercise

The first exercise is called the Signal Exercise. The handler must give a signal (non-verbal) to the dog to "heel" as the judge gives a heeling pattern. At the end of the heeling pattern, the handler will be asked to "stand your dog, leave." The handler walks across the ring. At the judge's signal, the handler gives a signal for the dog to "down," "sit," and "come," followed with "finish."

Scent Discrimination

The second and third exercises are called Scent Discrimination. A dog must retrieve a scented (handler's scent) metal and leather article. These are two separate exercises. The dog must be able to distinguish between the handler's scent and that of a person who has placed 8 other articles in a cluster approximately 20 feet away.

Directed Retrieve

The fourth exercise is the Directed Retrieve. Three gloves are placed approximately 15-20 feet away from the handler and dog. The handler must turn and face the glove that the judge has indicated and send the dog to retrieve it.

The Moving Stand

The fifth exercise is The Moving Stand. The dog must heel with the handler and then is stopped in standing position. The handler must continue moving (10 feet) and turn around to face the dog. The judge "examines" the dog and instructs the handler to "call your dog to heel position."

Directed Jumping

The sixth exercise is Directed Jumping. It is often referred to as "go outs." The dog and handler are centered at one end of the ring. The dog is sent out and required to turn and sit approximately 20 feet beyond the high jump and bar jump. The dog is given a signal and verbal command to jump a high jump. In the second half of the exercise the dog is sent out again and must execute the other jump. It is scored as one exercise.

Competitors must qualify (170 out of 200 points) 3 times under 3 different judges to earn the UD title. Dogs with a UD title may compete in the Utility B division indefinitely.

Utility Dog Excellent

To earn the UDX, or "Utility Dog Excellent" title, a dog and handler team must qualify (earn 170 out of 200 points) in both the Open B and the Utility B class at a single trial, and they must do this a total of ten times.

Obedience Trial Champion (OTCh)

The American Kennel Club (AKC) awards an "Obedience Trial Championship" (OTCh) to the dog and handler team that defeats a large number of other teams in competition. The team must earn a total of 100 points, based on a rating scale distributed by the AKC. In addition, the team must win 3 first place awards, one in an Open B class, one in a Utility B class, and an additional first place win in either Open B or Utility B.