American Kennel Club (AKC):
Due to most pedigrees being AKC registered, the titles that appear on most pedigrees are only the AKC titles. This can be misleading as some dogs have also achieved numerous accomplishments with the United Kennel Club (UKC), Bird Dog Challenge (BDC), or other sanctioning organizations.
AKC registration does not mean you have a quality hunting dog. AKC purebred dog is just that, a dog that is certified to be a pure bred dog. This can be misleading because some pure bred dogs possess more skills than the next. To demonstrate that point, the example of show champion labrador retrievers and field champion labrador retrievers can be discussed. In the lifetime of AKC Hunt Tests and the show ring, there has been less than 50 dogs that have been able to achieve a champion show title and receive its Master Hunter title. This is due to the fact that the show dogs are bred for show and hunting dogs are bred for hunting. Each are AKC purebred, while the traits of these dogs differ greatly. AKC does a great job at tracking pedigrees, but it should not be counted on for more than that.
AKC events are a good way to prove a dogs ability that may not be evident through the pedigree. The hunting dog events are one of two types, hunt tests or field trials. These tests represent different levels and types of dogs in their accredidation and it is important to distinguish the differences.
AKC Hunt Tests: AKC hunt tests are represented on dog pedigrees with as a Junior Hunter (JH), Senior Hunter (SH), or Master Hunter (MH). It is important to note that hunt tests are not competitions between dogs. The tests are conducted in a way that re-creates more normal hunting conditions. For example, retriever hunt tests are run with marks usually under 100 yards. Hunt tests are judged against an agreed upon standard for the breed and the level of the test. This means you are not competing against other dogs at the event but rather against the AKC standard for the particular breed. To obtain a title, the dog must pass the junior test four times, the senior test five times, and the master test six times. This means that if a dog has one or more of the titles, it has represented its abilities to numerous judges through several tests, assuring the dog is worthy of the title. AKC does not conduct an upland test for retriever breed dogs, the retrieving trait is the only aspect tested and awarded titles.
AKC Field Trials are represented on dog pedigrees as Field Champion (FC), Amateur Field Champion (AFC), National Field Champion (NFC), and National Amateur Field Champion (NAFC). Field trials are competitions between dogs where the dog is awarded points for first thru fifth place. Because the judges need to be able to seperate the dogs from first thru fifth place, the retriever field trial tests are conducted in non-hunting scenarios. For instance, retriever field trials may have several marks to retrieve, some of which are 300 yards or more. The extremes of the test are necessary in order to differentiate between several dogs in an event. Again, AKC does not have an upland test for retriever breed dogs. Retrieving breed dogs are only judged on how well they mark and retrieve downed birds.
I recently found a post on a retriever forum describing how field trials are different than hunt tests. One particpated commented as follows: "No one would disagree that the Field Trial Champions are the rock stars of dogdom. But I always thought the hunting test movement was started because AKC field trials were getting to be more and more removed from its hunting origins.
That started happening because only 3 or 4 dogs can get points even if there were 50 dogs entered in an event. Thus... because you obviously are going to have more than 4 excellent dogs at the event, the judges kept demanding more and more precision until the tests no longer resembled anything a hunter would recognize. Hunt Test judges, as far as I know, are not under that sort of artificial pressure to eliminate dogs.
I like the idea that if the dog does the work, he goes home a winner. I hate it that at a Field Trial event, a dog with a slightly longer hunt than another might get dropped. Maybe wind conditions changed, certainly the light changes as the day goes on. Running competitively in FT would be fabulous, but it's just that razor's edge thing that would make me crazy."
Further information regarding hunt test and field trial rules, locations, and schedules can be found at the AKC Events webpage.