Working Dog Titles
The German Shepherd dog titles on this page are used by dog clubs and show ring organizations to assign categories and ratings to the German shepherd and to reward German shepherd owners, breeders, and their dogs.
Working Titles
Schutzhund Bark and Hold
AD: Aus Dauerprufing – Endurance Test
BH: Basic Companion Dog – Traffic Sureness
B or BH Begleithunde: The preliminary and prerequisite test for a dog going on to get his/her Schutzhund titles. A combination temperament and obedience test. B and BH are used interchangeably.
BIH: Blind Leader Dog
BpDH1 2: Railroad Police Dog
BPDH I, II – Bannpolizeidiensthund I or II: Railroad Police Service Dog I or II
Bundeslestunggssieger: German National Working Dog Champion awarded at the Bundessiegerprufung.
CD: Companion Dog – The first of five working qualifications, each of increasing difficulty, awarded to dogs gaining a certain percentage of total marks at working trials.
CDX: CD Excellent
DH: Service Dog
DH: Dienshund – Service Dog
DPH: Service Police Dog
FH: Fahrtenhund – Tracking qualification.
FH1: Advanced Tracking
FH2: Superior Tracking Qualification
Gebrauchshundklasse: Working Dog Class – The only class available for animals over two in Germany.
GrH – Grenzen Hund: Border Patrol Dog
HC: Herding Champion
HGH: Herdengebrauchshund, Herding Dog – A qualification of dogs working with flocks.
HT: Herding Tested
Huntesieger: Herding Dog Champion at the German Herding Dog Championships
INT Internationale Prufungsklasse: International Training Degree
IPO1: International Novice Schutzhund Trail Qualification
IPO2: International Intermediate Schutzhund
IPO3: International Masters Level Schutzhund
Kr.H. krigshund: War Dog
LwH Lawinen Hund: Avalanche Dog
M.H. militar hund: Military Dog
PH Polizehund: Police Dog
PFP I, II – Polizeifaehrtenhund I, II: Police Tracking Dog I or II
PSP I, II – Polizeischutzhundprufung I, II: Police Protection Dog I or II
SchH1: Novice Schutzhund – Qualification in tracking, obedience, and protection.
SchH2: Intermediate Schutzhund – Qualification in tracking, obedience, and protection.
SchH3: Masters Level of Schutzhund – Qualification in tracking, obedience, and protection.
SchHA: A Limited SchH Title – Similar to SchH1 but without the tracking portion.
S.H. sanitats hund: Red Cross Dog
TD: Tracking Dog – Qualification title for nose work.
UD: Utility Dog – Working Qualification
WH: Watch Dog
ZH: Zollhund – Dog trained to work with customs police.
Conformation Titles
ZB-Zuchtbewertung: Confirmation Show Rating followed by:
VA – Vorzuglich Auslese: Excellent Select – the highest attainable award by a German show dog and granted only at the annual Sieger Show.
V – Vorzuglich: Excellent
SG – Sehr Gut: Very Good – An official German show grade and the highest obtainable by dogs under two.
G – Gut: Good
A – Austreichend: Sufficient
M – Mangelhaft: Faulty
U – Ungenugend: Insufficient
Juguendklasse-ruden: Youth class for males of twelve to eighteen months at German shows.
Sieger or Siegerin: Title given to the top Male and Female at the German National Show.
Weltsieger: World Sieger title awarded to the top dog at the FCI All Breed Show.
Europasieger: Conformation winner at the European All Breed Show.
Bundeszuchtsieger: Conformation winner at the German National All Breed Show.
Dog Titles and Definitions
AKC: American Kennel Club
Angulations: The angles at which bones of the shoulder and upper arm meet at the shoulder joint, and those of the upper and lower thigh meet at the knee joint.
Bloodline: Animals sharing a specific family relationship over several generations.
CGC: The dog has a Canine Good Citizen Certificate
CKC: Canadian Kennel Club
Cow Hocked: The dog stands and moves with the point of hock turned inwards.
Croup: The pelvis together with the covering of muscle and coat.
Dew Claws: Additional toes on the inside of the leg above the foot and making no contact with the ground. Many puppies are born without them on the rear legs.
Entire: Male dogs being intact.
High Withered: When the area where the neck runs into the back is definite, long and well filled in with muscle over the vertebrae between the shoulder blades, and slopes into the back, rather than being on the same horizontal with it (flat-withered).
Inbreeding: Deliberate mating together of close relatives.
KK1: Korklasse – Survey Breed
KKLI: Korklasse I – Breed surveyed recommended to breeding, Koer Class rating which states that the dog has been breed surveyed and found to be breeding quality.
KKLII: Korklasse II – Breed surveyed suitable for breeding.
Korung: German breed survey to select animals for breeding – Class 1 animals recommended, Class 2 animals suitable.
Lbz – Lebenszeit: Lifetime Rating
Monorchid: A dog possessing one testicle.
OFA: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (Hip Certification in the U.S.)
OVC: Ontario Veterinary College (Hip Certification in Canada)
Penn HIP: Developed at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). The procedure measures hip joint laxity; it does not grade a passing or failing score. Loose hips are more prone to developing a degenerative joint disease. (See OVC, OFA, “a stamp”).
Sable: A gray, brown, or fawn foundation color with black shaded guard hairs (Wolf-like colorings).
SV: Schaferhund Verein – GSD Society of West Germany.
SV Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde: (German Shepherd Dog Club) The original GSD breed club and breed registry, based in Germany.
TC: Temperament Certified
TSB Triebveranlagung: Fighting Drive
TT: Temperament Tested
Washed Out: Marked palling of color and pigment in nose and nail.
ZW Zuchtwert: ZW Value, Zuchtwert Evaluation – A Breed Value Assessment, a number assigned that gives an indication of the genotype of the dog for breeding purposes.
German Hip Ratings
“a” – Zuerkannt: Certified hips that fell within the following three categories:
- “a” – 1 Normal – Certified Normal Hips
- “a” – 2 Fast Normal – Certified Near Normal Hips
- “a” – 3 Noch Zugelassen – Certified Still Permissible Hips
Learn about Canine Hip Dysplasia here.
