Titles
There
are many organizations that award titles which can be found as part
of the dog's name on pedigrees or other documents. Often this "alphabet
soup" of prefixes and suffixes can be overwhelming.
Here
are some of the more common titles you could find in a German
Shepherd Dog pedigree:
These are the ones found most commonly on "Import" bloodline
dogs, either bred in a foreign country or in the United States. The
SV is the parent club of the breed in Germany and is the organization
responsible for the Breed Standard as recognized by the World Union
of German Shepherd Dog Clubs (WUSV) and the FCI (international umbrella
organization of breed registries). The SV is responsible for all GSD
registrations, sponsors conformation shows, breed surveys, and various
working/performance events specifically for German Shepherd dogs in
Germany. USA is an organization in this country recognized by the
WUSV to oversee working trials, conformation shows and breed surveys
conducted under the rules of the SV. The GSDCA-WDA, offers trials,
shows and surveys under SV rules. The GSDCA is also a member of the
WUSV and is the AKC recognized breed club in this country.
There
is an ever growing number of USA/GSDCA-WDA clubs in North America
that offer a wide variety of shows and trials.
The American Kennel Club is the primary registry
for dogs in this country. It has reciprocity with SV-FCI
so dogs registered in one organization will be recognized by the other.
All GSDs bred in the United States must be registered with the AKC
first in order to be eligible for SV recognition. The AKC is an All-Breed
registry and leaves the responsibility of maintaining the GSD Breed
Standard to its member club, the German Shepherd Dog Club
of America (GSDCA).
Because the AKC maintains the registrations and registry rules must
apply to all of the 200+ breeds registered, the GSDCA cannot make
rules regarding breed surveys, working title requirements, or any
other GSD-specific
registration requirements. The AKC, by policy, does not approve of
bite work. However, for the first time they approved a Schutzhund
demonstration to be held in conjunction with the GSDCA's National
Specialty. The GSDCA
has a sister organization,
There
are hundreds of AKC All-breed clubs offering a wide variety of All-breed
Obedience,
Conformation,
Agility,
Herding
and Tracking
events which any AKC registered German Shepherd Dog
may take part in. There are also some 130 regional German
Shepherd Dog Clubs licensed by the AKC to hold GSD-only events
in conformation, obedience, tracking, herding, agility, where titles
can be earned.
Canadian
Kennel Club
The CKC is the Canadian version of the AKC. This all-breed registry
offers a wide variety of Conformation, Obedience, Agility, Herding
and Tracking events. The German
Shepherd Dog Club of Canada is the Canadian version of the
GSDCA.
Others
There are a number of less common organizations in North America,
each offering titling opportunities and a few being registering bodies,
foremost among them is the ever growing number of Agility groups,
each with similar, but not identical requirements.
