There are many terms and abbreviations used regarding the German Shepherd Dog. For many new people involved with the breed this can be confusing and overwhelming. I have compiled a list of common terms that you may come across along with a short explanation for each. You may come across these items on pedigrees, online, in articles/books or while speaking to others. Since the list became quite long I broke it up into parts.
Schutzhund and Breeding related terms and abbreviations:
USCA – United Schutzhund Clubs of America – the largest SchH organization in this country. USCA is also a GSD breed club that is patterned after the SV.
SV – Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde - The German Shepherd Dog club of Germany
WUSV – World Union of German Shepherd Dog clubs
AWDF - American Working Dog Federation
IRO - International Rescue Dog Organization
DVG - DVG America - All breed SchH National SchH Organization
GSSCC - German Shepherd SchH Club of Canada
SchH – Schutzhund which you can read about in my past four part article on German Shepherds and Schutzhund. If you are in the Akron area and wish to learn more about SchH, you can visit the USCA website to find clubs and trials near you.
IPO or VPG - These are basically other terms used for SchH.
BH – Basic obedience and temperament test that is required before a dog may move onto the SchH titles.
AD – 12 mile endurance test. The AD is a requirement before you can do the breed survery or koerung (Kkl)
Kkl or KKL – This is the koerung or breed survey. Kkl1 is given to dogs that are considered recommended for breeding. Kkl2 is given to dogs that are considered suitable for breeding. If you are in the Akron area (or any other location) and want to find a breeder who follows these guidelines you can visit the USCA Breeder Directory page.
HGH – German style herding title.
WH – Watch Dog title earned at a SchH trial.
OB1, 2, 3 – These are titles earned at a SchH trial. This is the obedience phase of SchH only.
TR1, 2, 3 – These are titles earned at a SchH trial. This is the tracking phase of SchH only.
FH – An advanced tracking title earned at a SchH trial.
FH2 – An even more advanced tracking title earned at a SchH trial.
RH – These are Search and Rescue type titles that can be earned at a SchH trial.
SchHA – this is a title that consists of the obedience and protection phase of a SchH1 trial. There is no tracking for this title.
STP - Article indication titles earned at a SchH trial.
SAR – This is an abbreviation for Search and Rescue.
K9 – this is usually a term used to describe a police dog. Example - K9 Oz. It can also be used to describe a SAR dog.
VA – This is a German show rating of Vorzüglich Auslese which means “Excellent Select”. The VA rating is only awarded at the annual Sieger show for each country.
V – This is the German show rating of Vorzüglich which means “Excellent”. You may also see this when discussing a SchH title to describe the score of 286 or better.
SG – This is the German show rating of Sehr Gut which means “Very Good”. Again you may also see this to describe a SchH title score of 270-285.
G – This is the German show rating of Gut which means “Good”. This is the lowest rating a dog must receive to still be considered for breeding. Again you may also see this to describe a SchH title score of 240-269.
‘a’ stamp – This is the German hip and elbow certification.
‘a’ normal – the highest rating given. Means that the hips or elbows are “normal”.
‘a’ fast normal – means that the hips or elbows are “almost normal”. This rating is still approved for breeding.
‘a’ noch zugelassen – means that the hips or elbows are “still permissible”. This rating is still approved for breeding.
ZW – This is the Breed Value System (for hips) set in place by the SV. Watch for a future article explaining the ZW system in more detail.
Coming Soon – What does it all mean? Part 2
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