SHOW & WORKING TITLES

What are all those letters in the dog's names??

AKC (American Kennel Club) Titles 

• CGC - Canine Good Citizen-  dogs must pass a series of manners and temperament challenges. 
• CH - Champion- this applies to those dogs who have earned their AKC conformation (breed) championship.
• GCH - Grand Champion-  another level beyond Champion in the breed ring.
• BN - Beginner Novice - like a starter level for obedience competition, this can be a good intro for dog and handler
• CD - Companion Dog- Novice title in traditional obedience.
• PCD- Preferred Companion Dog- same exercises as Novice, but with the omission of Group stays
• CDX, UD, UDX - more & more advanced obedience titles, utilizing hand signals, scent work & retrieving- amazing to watch! (Also see PCDX, etc for the Preferred titling track)
• OTCh/POC - Obedience Trial Champion- the highest level of accomplishment in Obedience- no Malamute has ever done this!
• TD - Tracking Dog- this involves a demanding training schedule from the start- the dog has to follow the long track (across a field) of a person, usually a stranger to him, that has a few right-angle turns in it, and the track is a few hours old. The dog has to follow along the scent trail left by the person, making the turns, and at the end of the track, indicate that they've found the item dropped by the person. NOT easy, but I know several Malamutes who've done it
• TDX - Tracking Dog Excellent- Even harder! The track is older, there are a couple fresher trails made by other people across it, and it usually crosses at least one road! There is more than one article to indicate along the track as well.
• VST - Variable Surface Tracker- This is TOUGH! The track is aged, has cross tracks, and literally goes across many surfaces- through buildings, water, grass, concrete, whatever....Wow!
• RN - Rally Novice- first level title in AKC Rally obedience- a very fun and interesting form of obedience
• RI, RA, RE, RAE, RM- Rally Intermediate, Rally Advanced, Rally Excellent, Rally Advanced Excellent, Rally Master- these are successively higher Rally titles- growing more demanding and difficult as they go on!!
• NAP - Novice Agility Preferred- this is Standard agility, (jumps, tunnels, A-Frame, dog walk, etc) but the Preferred height gives the dogs a 4" lower jump height and an extra 5 seconds in Standard Course Time-very beneficial for older and younger dogs, I think.
• NJP - Novice Jumpers with Weaves Preferred- the Preferred division of Jumpers- a faster course than Standard, as the only obstacles on the course are jumps, tunnels, and weave poles- tons of fun!!
• NA, NAJ - Novice Agility and Novice Jumpers- these titles are for the Regular division
• OA, OAJ - Open Agility, Open Jumpers (Regular division), or OAP, OJP (preferred) the next step past Novice!
• AX, AXJ, MX, MXJ - Agility Excellent, Agility Excellent Jumpers, Master Excellent, Master Excellent Jumpers (Regular division)- or AXP, AJP, MXP, MJP these are very advanced agility titles!! 
• MACH /PACH- Master Agility Champion  and Preferred Agility Champion- championship levels of achievement in agility- requiring speed, accuracy, consistency, and perfect performances- A small number of Malamutes have earned this title
• AKC Trick DOG! TKN is Novice level: 10 tricks or skills.  TKI is Intermediate-  10 MORE tricks/skills. and TKA- advanced, 5 more difficult skills.

There are more!  For more information and complete descriptions, please visit the AKC website.  Similar titles can also be earned through United Kennel Club and in Canada, through the Canadian Kennel Club

AMCA (Alaskan Malamute Club of America) Titles 

• WTD - Working Team Dog- dogs must sled a minimum of 40 miles- at a minimum of 10 miles per trip. (This can also be done by way of races, in which the distance requirements vary by condition or speed)
• WPD - Working Pack Dog- dogs meet the same mileage requirements, but this time out hiking and carrying their own packs of essentials weighing at least 30% of their own body weight.
• WWPD - Working Weight Pull Dog- this is a 4-leg title- each leg requiring the dog pull, in competition, certain requirements of weight - varies by the weight of the dog and the surface and type of cart or sled carrying the weight.
• WWPDX - Working Weight Pull Dog Excellent- a 5-leg title, requiring the dog pull much higher weights! 
• ROM - Register of Merit- awarded in the US by the Alaskan Malamute Club of America to stud dogs who have sired 8 champion puppies, or to brood bitches who have produced 5 champions.
• ROM-OB - This ROM is awarded to males who have sired 5 Obedience titled offspring, or to the dams who have produced 4 Obedience titled offspring.
• SAM -  Serviceable Alaskan Malamute
  
• VAM- Versatile Alaskan Malamute  see the AMCA website for the overall qualifications for these- they demand proven temperament and working aptitude with trainability.

There are more!  For more information and complete desciptions, please visit the AMCA website

Other types of "letters" you may see

• BIS - Best in Show
  
• BISS - Best in Specialty Show- specialties are shows for one breed only- so the dog awarded best of breed at a Specialty is also considered Best In Specialty Show- many specialites are held "in conjunction" with all-breed shows. In this case, the classes for that breed are considered a Specialty show, and most these get many more entries than that breed would usually have at any other all-breed show. This is why any wins at a Specialty are a big deal- the winners had to win over a whole lot of other dogs!
  
• BPISS - Best Puppy in Specialty Show- this is only offered occasionally!
  
• TT- Temperament Tested- the American Temperament Test Society has developed a very specialized testing program, where dogs show their stability and reactions to various occurences- this is a step beyond CGC!
  

All of these are "bragging rights"- and rightly so- but not official titles. 

There are also a myriad of agility titles available through CPE, USDAA, NADAC, DOCNA, and also multiple types of titles can be earned through ASCA!  If you compete in multiple venues, your dog can have many more title letters than letters in their names!!