A lot of dogs have these letters after their names. Some of them have so many letters that it looks like alphabet soup. I decided to do some research one day when my Mom wasn't home to find out exactly what all those letters stood for. It turns out that they stand for titles that the dog has obtained through competing successfully in things like Obedience, Agility, Schutzhund, and other dog activities. I made some lists so that I wouldn't forget what all the letters stood for.
The Canine Good Citizen test is a test that tests a dog's manners and ability to deal appropriately with everyday situations like other people and other dogs. The test is comprised of 10 individual tests and all individual tests must be passed in order to pass the test.
This is the first level of title that a dog can get in obedience. The dog must be able to heel on and off leash, come, stand for examination, sit/stay, and down/stay. A qualifying score is 170/200 points and the title is awarded after 3 qualifying scores from 3 different judges.
This is the second level of title for obedience. The dog has to be able to do everything that is required for a CD and, in addition, there are also jumping and retrieving exercises. At this level, handlers leave after placing their dogs into the sit/stay and the down/stay. As with the CD, a qualifying score is 170/200 points and the title is awarded after 3 qualifying scores from 3 different judges.
This is the third level of title for obedience. The dog has to be able to do everything required for a CDX and, in addition, scent discrimination and directed retrieving, and directed jumping are added. As with the CDX, a qualifying score is 170/200 points and the title is awarded after 3 qualifying scores from 3 different judges.
This title is obtained by additional competition at the Open and Utility levels and amassing enough first and second places to earn a total of 100 points.