There are a ton of titles, abbreviations, and they change all the time. I have compiled a comprehensive list of all the titles you will see on my website, and then some!
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| BH | Begleithund – companion dog temperament and obedience test; gateway to IGP/IPO/SchH. |
| BH-VT | Updated BH that includes a traffic/neutrality portion (Verkehrsteil). |
| AD | Ausdauerprüfung – endurance test (20 km / 12.5 miles at a trot plus basic obedience). |
| SchH 1/2/3 | Schutzhund levels 1–3 (tracking, obedience, protection). Older name, still seen on older pedigrees. |
| SchHA | Limited Schutzhund title similar to SchH1 but without tracking. |
| VPG 1/2/3 | Vielseitigkeitsprüfung für Gebrauchshunde – three-phase working trials (tracking, obedience, protection). Predecessor to IPO/IGP. |
| IPO 1/2/3 | Internationale Prüfungsordnung – international protection-dog sport, replaced SchH/VPG in many countries; now mostly replaced by IGP. |
| IGP-V | Entry-level IGP title with reduced requirements. |
| IGP 1/2/3 | Modern FCI working-dog sport; three phases: tracking, obedience, protection at increasing difficulty. |
| IGP-FH | Advanced IGP tracking title combining two difficult tracks on one or two days. |
| FH 1/2 | Fährtenhund – advanced tracking titles under older rules; very long and aged tracks. |
| IFH-V / IFH-1 / IFH-2 | Modern FCI tracking titles (Internationale Fährtenhund); different difficulty levels. |
| FPr 1/2/3 | Tracking-only titles using the IGP tracking phase. |
| UPr 1/2/3 | Obedience-only titles using the IGP obedience phase. |
| SPr 1/2/3 | Protection-only titles using the IGP protection phase (Schutzdienstprüfung). |
| GPr 1/2/3 | Combined general-practice titles based on IGP-style rules (used by some clubs). |
| StPr 1/2/3 | Stöberprüfung – scent-search tests for objects in a defined area. |
| StÖPr 1/2/3 | Higher-level open-area searching titles (article search). |
| TR 1/2/3 | Tracking titles under some national organizations, often FCI-recognized. |
| ZVV 1/2/3 | Czech working titles similar to IPO/IGP tracking, obedience, and protection; often seen on Czech- and Slovak-line GSDs. |
| HGH | Herdengebrauchshund – herding utility dog test (traditional German tending-style herding). |
| PH | Polizeihund – police dog qualification in some European countries. |
| ZH | Zollhund – customs dog designation. |
| DH | Diensthund – service or duty dog (military, security, service). |
| BIH | Blindenhund – guide dog for the blind. |
| WH | Wachhund – watchdog test in some SV-style organizations. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| VA | Vorzüglich Auslese – “Excellent Select”; the highest rating at the German Sieger Show (very few dogs). |
| V | Vorzüglich – “Excellent”; top regular show rating for adults with required working titles. |
| SG | Sehr Gut – “Very Good”; highest rating possible for dogs under 2 years of age. |
| G | Gut – “Good” rating. |
| A | Ausreichend – “Sufficient”. |
| M | Mangelhaft – “Faulty”. |
| U | Ungenügend – “Unsatisfactory”; not recommended. |
| VP / VV | Vielversprechend – “Very Promising” puppy/young class rating. |
| P | Versprechend – “Promising” puppy rating. |
| LP | “Less promising” rating in puppy classes. |
| NP | “Not promising” rating in puppy classes. |
| Sieger | “Champion” or “winner” – top male at the Sieger Show. |
| Siegerin | Top female at the Sieger Show. |
| BSZS | Bundessieger-Zuchtschau – German national Sieger conformation show. |
| BSP | Bundessieger-Prüfung – German national IGP championship. |
| LGA | Landesgruppen-Ausscheidung – regional qualifier for BSP/BSZS within an SV region. |
| BLH | Bundesleistungshüten – national herding (tending) championship. |
| ZB | Zuchtbewertung – official show/breed rating entry. |
| Zuchtschau | Conformation (breed) show. |
| H | Hündin – female/bitch. |
| R | Rüde – male dog. |
| JKL | Jugendklasse – youth class (roughly 12–18 months). |
| JHKL | Junghundklasse – young dog class (roughly 18–24 months). |
| Disq | Disqualifiziert – disqualified. |
| TSB | Triebveranlagung, Selbstsicherheit, Belastbarkeit – drive, self-confidence, stress tolerance; used for courage test evaluations. |
| T1–T4 | Specific codes showing why a dog failed the TSB/courage test (e.g., insufficient courage, no out, lack of control). |
| v / v. / vom / von | “of / from” – part of German kennel names (e.g., “vom Haus …”). |
| V1, V2, V3… | Placement within the “Excellent” group (V1 = first, V2 = second, etc.). |
| SG1, SG2… | Placement within the “Very Good” group. |
| VDH | Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen – German Kennel Club. |
| WUSV | Weltunion der Schäferhundvereine – World Union of German Shepherd Dog clubs. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| Kkl | Körklasse – breed-survey class under the SV. |
| Kkl 1 | “Breed Survey Class 1” – especially recommended for breeding. |
| Kkl 2 | “Breed Survey Class 2” – suitable for breeding. |
| Körung / Kör | SV breed survey (evaluation of structure, temperament and working ability for breeding). |
| BST / ABST | Breed Suitability Test / Advanced Breed Suitability Test used by some clubs before Körung. |
| LBST | Lifetime Breed Suitability Test. |
| Lebenszeit / Lbz | Breed surveyed for life – lifetime Körung (often written as “Kkl1 lbz”). |
| GZ | Gebrauchshundzucht – working/utility dog breeding; both parents titled. |
| LZ | Leistungszucht – performance breeding; working titles in parents and grandparents. |
| KLZ | Kör- und Leistungszucht – parents Kör-surveyed and grandparents titled. |
| KZ | Körzucht – both parents Kör-surveyed. |
| EZ | Einfache Zucht – only one parent has a working title. |
| NZB | Nachzuchtbewertung – offspring evaluation/progeny test. |
| ZTP / ZTPr | Zuchttauglichkeitsprüfung – breed suitability test (used in several breeds, occasionally listed for GSDs). |
| Ztgl | Zuchttauglich – suitable for breeding; passed the ZTP. |
| ZW | Zuchtwert – The ZW score is a number used by German Shepherd breeders in Germany (the SV system) to measure the genetic risk of hip dysplasia. When you take two breeding partners and divide the number by 2 the outcome has to be 100 or less. Example: a stud dog with a ZW number of 95 can only breed females that are 105 or lower. (95+105)/2=100 = average hips
These numbers are based on the certification ratings of the individual dogs in the pedigrees and all related ancestors back to the start of hips being x rayed and the results. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| a-stamp / A-stamp | SV hip certification marking a passing hip result. |
| a-Normal (a1) | Normal hips – best SV hip rating. |
| a-Fast Normal (a2) | Near-normal hips – still considered good. |
| a-Noch Zugelassen (a3) | Hips “still acceptable” – mild changes allowed for breeding. |
| HD | Hüftgelenkdysplasie – hip dysplasia or hip status in general. |
| ED | Ellbogendysplasie – elbow dysplasia / elbow status. |
| CHD | Canine hip dysplasia (general medical abbreviation). |
| OFA | Orthopedic Foundation for Animals – North American hip/elbow registry (grades: Excellent, Good, Fair, etc.). |
| OVC | Ontario Veterinary College hip registry (Canada; Pass/Fail style). |
| PennHIP | Hip-laxity assessment method that reports a distraction index rather than a pass/fail grade. |
| CHIC | Canine Health Information Center – indicates a dog has recommended health tests on record. |
| DM | Degenerative Myelopathy; pedigrees may list DM genotype. |
| N/N | Clear/normal for a given genetic disease (no copies of the mutation). |
| N/DM | Carrier for DM (one copy). |
| DM/DM | At-risk genotype for DM (two copies). |
| HD-frei / ED-frei | “Free of hip dysplasia” / “free of elbow dysplasia” in some European systems. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| SV | Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde – original German Shepherd Dog club and registry. |
| VDH | Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen – German Kennel Club (umbrella over SV). |
| FCI | Fédération Cynologique Internationale – international kennel-club federation. |
| WUSV | Weltunion der Schäferhundvereine – World Union of GSD clubs. |
| AKC | American Kennel Club. |
| CKC | Canadian Kennel Club (sometimes Continental Kennel Club; context matters). |
| GSDCA | German Shepherd Dog Club of America. |
| GSDCC | German Shepherd Dog Club of Canada. |
| GSSCC | German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of Canada (IGP/WUSV-style working club). |
| DVG | German working-dog sport organization. |
| DHV | Deutscher Hundesport Verband – German dog-sport federation. |
| AZG | Committee that coordinated Schutzhund rules among German working-dog clubs. |
| WDA | Working Dog Association (former US SV-style organization). |
| USA / USCA | United Schutzhund Clubs of America (now commonly “USCA”). |
| UKC | United Kennel Club (US registry). |
| SZ | Prefix for SV registration numbers (e.g., SZ 1234567). |
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| SC | Stock Coat – normal double coat (short/standard). Often implied, not written. |
| SSC | Short Stock Coat – used by some registries to distinguish from LSC. |
| LSC | Long Stock Coat – long hair with undercoat; official FCI variety. |
| LC / LH / LSH | Long Coat / Long Hair / Long Stock Hair – older or informal labels for long-coated dogs. |
| SC/LC | Stock Coat / Long Coat – seen in some Sieger-style catalogues. |
| sable, blk, b/t, b&r, b&c, bi | Informal shorthand: sable, black, black and tan, black and red, black and cream, bi-color, etc. (not standardized). |
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| CH | Champion – AKC or CKC conformation champion. |
| GCH | Grand Champion (higher conformation title). |
| GCHB / GCHS / GCHG / GCHP | Grand Champion Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum. |
| GV | Grand Victor – best male at the GSD national specialty (US or Canada). |
| GVX / GVx | Grand Victrix – best female at the national specialty. |
| SEL / Select | Select dog/bitch – chosen group of top dogs at national specialties. |
| SEL EX | Select Excellent – especially outstanding Select-level dog. |
| BIS | Best in Show. |
| BISS | Best in Specialty Show (breed specialty). |
| BOB | Best of Breed. |
| BOS | Best of Opposite Sex. |
| WD / WB | Winners Dog / Winners Bitch – class winners who earn points toward championship. |
| SD / SB | Select Dog / Select Bitch at national specialties. |
| AOE | Award of Excellence – “total dog” title (conformation + performance + health requirements). |
| ROM | Register of Merit – sire or dam that has produced a required number of titled offspring. |
| ROMC / ROM-C / ROM/C | Register of Merit (Canada) or combined US/Canada versions. |
| PAM | Performance Award of Merit – high-level versatility/performance award. |
| TC | Temperament Certificate – formal temperament test (GSD-only program). |
| TT | Temperament Tested – older general temperament-test notation (e.g., ATTS). |
| HIC / HIT | Herding Instinct Certificate / Herding Instinct Tested. |
| CHIC | Canine Health Information Center number – indicates recommended health checks recorded for that dog. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CD | Companion Dog. |
| CDX | Companion Dog Excellent. |
| UD | Utility Dog. |
| UDX | Utility Dog Excellent. |
| OTCH | Obedience Trial Champion. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning |
|---|---|
| RN | Rally Novice. |
| RA | Rally Advanced. |
| RE | Rally Excellent. |
| RAE | Rally Advanced Excellent. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning |
|---|---|
| TD | Tracking Dog. |
| TDX | Tracking Dog Excellent. |
| VST | Variable Surface Tracking. |
| CT | Champion Tracker (earned by completing TD, TDX, and VST). |
| Abbrev. | Meaning |
|---|---|
| HT | Herding Tested. |
| PT | Pre-Trial Tested. |
| HSAs / HIAs / HXAs | Herding Started / Intermediate / Advanced, Course A on sheep. Similar codes exist for other livestock and courses. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning |
|---|---|
| NA / OA / AX / MX | Novice / Open / Excellent / Master Agility (standard). |
| NAJ / OAJ / AXJ / MXJ | Novice / Open / Excellent / Master Agility Jumpers. |
| NF / OF / XF / MXF | Novice / Open / Excellent / Master FAST. |
| MACH / PACH | Master Agility Champion / Preferred Master Agility Champion. |
| Abbrev. | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CGC / CGCA / CGCU | Canine Good Citizen (basic / advanced / urban). |
| ATT | AKC Temperament Test. |
| TKN / TKI / TKA / TKE | Trick Dog titles: Novice / Intermediate / Advanced / Elite. |
| BCAT / DCAT / FCAT | Fast CAT coursing titles (timed 100-yard dash). |
| Abbrev. | Meaning / Notes |
|---|---|
| GSD | German Shepherd Dog. |
| Züchter | Breeder. |
| Besitzer (B) | Owner. |
| Hündin (H) | Female dog. |
| Rüde (R) | Male dog. |
| HOT | Handler–Owner–Trained (same person does all three roles). |
| TSB ausgeprägt / vorhanden / nicht genügend / ng | Courage ratings in trial reports: pronounced / present / not sufficient. |
| USA / UScA | United Schutzhund Clubs of America (working-dog organization). |