A

AKC

American Kennel Club

APDT

Association of Pet Dog Trainers

ASCA

Australian Shepherd Club of America

B

Best Mixed Breed

Winning dog or bitch from the Best Mixed Breed Conformation class. This dog or bitch is chosen by the judge as the best representative of the mixed-breed dog standard of all the dogs and bitches entered on that particular day.

Breed Standard

A written description of the ideal specimen for a particular breed of dog. Dogs in the show ring are compared to the standard to judge how closely they conform to it - hence the sport is called Conformation. For mixed-breed dogs, the breed standard is designed to promote a happy, healthy family dog by specifying general soundness and balance as well as excellent temperament and manners.

C

Championship Points

Points awarded to the winning dog and bitch competing in Conformation based on the number of other dogs or bitches competing.

Command

Verbal order given by the handler to the dog. Only one command may be given in an obedience trial. The dog's name may be used once immediately before any verbal command.

Competition Obedience

A dog sport where a handler and dog team work through a series of structured exercises under the direction and scrutiny of a judge. All contestants in a class are required to perform the same exercises in substantially the same way so that the relative quality of the various performances may be compared and scored. The basic objective of obedience trials, however, is to recognize dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places and in the presence of other dogs in a manner that will reflect credit on the sport of obedience.

People earn titles on their dogs from the three levels of classes - Mixed Breed Companion Dog (MB-CD) from the Novice class, Mixed Breed Companion Dog Excellent (MB-CDX) from the Open class, and Mixed Breed Utility Dog (MB-UD) from the Utility class - and through a combination of competing in both the Open and Utility levels to earn Mixed Breed Utility Dog Excellent (MB-UDX) and the prefix Mixed Breed Obedience Trial Champion (MB-OTCH).

Conformation

A dog sport where a dog is examined by a judge for how close it comes to matching (or conforming to) the breed standard for that particular breed of dog. For mixed-breed dogs, this includes general soundness and balance as well as excellent temperment and manners. People can earn the titles on their dogs of Mixed Breed Champion (MB-Ch) and Mixed Breed Grand Champion (MB-GCh) by participating in Conformation events. Anyone working toward a Mixed Breed Championship on their dog must have completed the MB-CD obedience title or MB-RE rally title with their dog before the Mixed Breed Champion title will be awarded.

D

Double Crosstrack

A double crosstrack is created by two people together crossing the original track of a tracking test at right angles. The Mixed Breed Tracking Dog Excellent test specifies that there will be two double crosstracks at two widely separated locations, laid about 1.5 hours after the start of the original track.

E

Exercise

One of about six to seven tasks performed at each level of competition obedience.

L

Leg

A term often used to refer to one qualifying score. In cases where the dog and handler have to qualify in two levels at the same trial (such as for the MB-UDX or MB-RAE titles), the term "leg" refers to receiving qualifying scores from both levels.

Lure Coursing

A dog sport where the dog chases an artificial lure (usually a white plastic bag) in an open field and is judged on its overall ability, speed, endurance, agility, and how well it follows the lure. Most courses are 600 yards long and include at least four turns.

People earn the titles on their dogs of Mixed Breed Junior Courser (MB-JC), Mixed Breed Special Junior Courser (MB-SJC), Mixed Breed Senior Courser (MB-SC), Mixed Breed Master Courser (MB-MC), and the prefixes Mixed Breed Field Champion (MB-FC) and Mixed Breed Dual Champion (MB-DC)

M

MB-CD

See Mixed Breed Companion Dog.

MB-CDX

See Mixed Breed Companion Dog Excellent.

MB-Ch

See Mixed Breed Champion.

MB-CT

See Mixed Breed Champion Tracker.

MB-DC

See Mixed Breed Dual Champion.

MB-FC

See Mixed Breed Field Champion.

MB-GCh

See Mixed Breed Grand Champion.

MB-JC

See Mixed Breed Junior Courser.

MB-MC

See Mixed Breed Master Courser.

MB-OTCH

See Mixed Breed Obedience Trial Champion.

MB-RA

See Mixed Breed Rally Advanced.

MB-RAE

See Mixed Breed Rally Advanced Excellent.

MB-RE

See Mixed Breed Rally Excellent.

MB-RIC

See Mixed Breed Retriever Instinct Certificate.

MB-RN

See Mixed Breed Rally Novice.

MB-SC

See Mixed Breed Senior Courser.

MB-SJC

See Mixed Breed Special Junior Courser.

MB-TD

See Mixed Breed Tracking Dog.

MB-TDX

See Mixed Breed Tracking Dog Excellent.

MB-UD

See Mixed Breed Utility Dog.

MB-UDX

See Mixed Breed Utility Dog Excellent.

MB-V

See Mixed Breed Versatility.

MB-VM

See Mixed Breed Versatility Master.

MB-VST

See Mixed Breed Variable Surface Tracking Dog.

MB-VX

See Mixed Breed Versatility Excellent.

MBDC of CA

Mixed Breed Dog Club of California

MBDCA

Mixed Breed Dog Clubs of America

Mixed Breed Champion

The title earned from conformation events after receiving 30 points. It is abbreviated "MB-Ch" when placed before the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Champion Tracker

The title earned when a dog earns all three of the tracking titles: MB-TD, MB-TDX, and MB-VST. The title is abbreviated "MB-CT" when placed before the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Companion Dog

The title earned from the Novice level of competition obedience after achieving three qualifying scores. It is abbreviated "MB-CD" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Companion Dog Excellent

The title earned from the Open level of competition obedience after achieving three qualifying scores. It is abbreviated "MB-CDX" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Dual Champion

The title awarded to a dog that has earned both the MB-FC and MB-Ch titles. The title is abbreviated "MB-DC" when placed before the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Field Champion

The lure coursing title earned when a dog which has earned 15 lure coursing championship points including two first placements with three points or more and at least one point in competition with a dog of a similar size. The title is abbreviated "MB-FC" when placed before the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Grand Champion

The title earned from conformation events after receiving 10 Best Mixed Breed awards. It is abbreviated "MB-GCh" when placed before the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Junior Courser

The title earned when a dog running alone completes two lure coursing runs with enthusiasm and without interruption and is certified by two different judges. The title is abbreviated "MB-JC" when placed after the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Master Courser

The title earned when a dog running with at least one other dog earns qualifying scores in 25 different lure coursing tests. The title is abbreviated "MB-MC" when placed after the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Obedience Trial Champion

The title earned by achieving 100 points from both the Open and Utility levels of competition obedience. Points are based on the score earned, and only qualifying scores count. It is abbreviated "MB-OTCH" when placed before the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Rally Advanced

The title earned from the Rally Advanced level of Rally after achieving three qualifying scores. It is abbreviated "MB-RA" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Rally Advanced Excellent

The title earned by receiving qualifying scores in both the Advanced and Excellent levels of Rally at ten separate trials. It is abbreviated "MB-RAE" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Rally Excellent

The title earned from the Rally Excellent level of Rally after achieving three qualifying scores. It is abbreviated "MB-RE" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Rally Novice

The title earned from the Rally Novice level of Rally after achieving three qualifying scores. It is abbreviated "MB-RN" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Retriever Instinct Certificate

The title awarded to a dog that has passed the retriever instinct test. The title is abbreviated "MB-RIC" when placed after the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Senior Courser

The title earned when a dog running with at least one other dog earns qualifying scores in four different lure coursing tests. The title is abbreviated "MB-SC" when placed after the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Special Junior Courser

The same as the lure coursing title Mixed Breed Junior Courser but for dogs who by reason of handicap cannot complete the standard course. The course is only 300 yards long and includes two turns, rather than the standard 600 yards and four turns. The title is abbreviated "MB-SJC" when placed after the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Tracking Dog

The title earned when a dog passes one tracking test at the Tracking Dog level. The track is 440 to 500 yards long, includes three to five turns, and is aged 30 minutes to 2 hours. The dog must locate one leather article along the track. The title is abbreviated "MB-TD" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Tracking Dog Excellent

The title earned when a dog passes one tracking test at the Tracking Dog Excellent level. The track is 800 to 1000 yards long, includes five to seven turns, two double crosstracks, and is aged 3 to 5 hours. The dog must locate four dissimilar articles along the track and cross at least two obstacles such as a stream or fence. The title is abbreviated "MB-TDX" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Utility Dog

The title earned from the Utility level of competition obedience after achieving three qualifying scores. It is abbreviated "MB-UD" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Utility Dog Excellent

The title earned by receiving qualifying scores in both the Open and Utility levels of competition obedience at ten separate trials. It is abbreviated "MB-UDX" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Variable Surface Tracking Dog

The title earned when a dog passes one tracking test at the Variable Surface Tracking level. The track is 600 to 800 yards long, is laid on at least three different surfaces (including areas devoid of vegetation), includes four to eight turns, and is aged 3 to 5 hours. The dog must locate four dissimilar articles along the track and the track will be laid next to buildings and other such structures. The title is abbreviated "MB-VST" when placed after the dog's name and is often referred to by the abbreviation.

Mixed Breed Versatility

The title awarded when a dog earns five points from at least three of the 12 different categories of versatility activities. The title is abbreviated "MB-V" when placed after the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Versatility Excellent

The title awarded when a dog earns 10 points from at least five of the 12 different categories of versatility activities. All versatility points are cumulative, so points earned towards the Mixed Breed Versatility title also count toward the Mixed Breed Versatility Excellent title. The title is abbreviated "MB-VX" when placed after the dog's name.

Mixed Breed Versatility Master

The title awarded when a dog earns 20 points from at least seven of the 12 different categories of versatility activities. All versatility points are cumulative, so points earned towards the Mixed Breed Versatility or Mixed Breed Versatility Excellent titles also count toward the Mixed Breed Versatility Master title. The title is abbreviated "MB-VM" when placed after the dog's name.

N

Non-Qualifying Score

Any score which is not passing. It may be caused by losing too many points overall or on any given exercise, or it may be caused by an action that automatically causes the handler/dog team not to pass (such as the dog eliminating in the ring). See Qualifying Score.

Novice

The first level of competition obedience. The title earned from this level is "Mixed Breed Companion Dog", or "MB-CD".

NQ

See Non-Qualifying Score.

O

Open

The second level of competition obedience. The title earned from this level is "Mixed Breed Companion Dog Excellent", or "MB-CDX".

Q

Qualifying Score

A passing score earned at a trial. In competition obedience, it means the handler/dog team earned more than 50% of the points in each exercise and at least 170 points total (out of 200 points possible) at an obedience trial. In rally, it means the handler/dog team earned at least 70 points total (out of 100 points possible) and did not receive a non-qualifying score for any other reason in the regulations.

R

Rally

A dog sport where a handler and dog team heel through a course of designated stations (10-20, depending on the level) under the scruitiny of a judge. The judge tells the handler to begin and the dog and handler proceed at their own pace through the course. Scoring is not as rigorous as competition obedience. Unlimited communication from the handler to the dog is encouraged and not penalized. Multiple commands and/or signals are allowed, however the handler may not touch the dog or make physical corrections.

People earn titles on their dogs from the three levels of classes - Mixed Breed Rally Novice (MB-RN) from the Rally Novice class, Mixed Breed Rally Advanced (MB-RA) from the Rally Advanced class, and Mixed Breed Rally Excellent (MB-RE) from the Rally Excellent class - and through a combination of competing in both the Advanced and Exlecllent levels to earn Mixed Breed Rally Advanced Excellent (MB-RAE).

Rally Advanced

The second level of Rally. The title earned from this level is "Mixed Breed Rally Advanced", or "MB-RA".

Rally Excellent

The third level of Rally. The title earned from this level is "Mixed Breed Rally Excellent", or "MB-RE".

Rally Novice

The first level of Rally. The title earned from this level is "Mixed Breed Rally Novice", or "MB-RN".

Retriever Instinct

A test designed to evaluate the natural hunting and retrieving abilities of the dog on both land and in the water. The dogs are not expected to have been trained to hunt. The tests are designed to demonstrate these natural abilities of retrievers: marking and memory of falls, intelligence, attention, style, nose, perseverance, desire, retrieving, and trainability.

People earn the title on their dog of Mixed Breed Retriever Instinct Certificate (MB-RIC) after passing the test.

S

Signal

A single, inaudible gesture with one arm and hand only. After a signal is given, the signalling arm and hand must immediately return to a natural position. The dog must not be touched by the handler when given a signal, but the handler may bend the body and knees to bring the hand level with the dog's eyes while giving a signal to a dog in heel position.

Station

One of 10 to 20 signs on a rally course. Each sign includes pictographic arrows and a brief description for the next skill that is to be performed.

T

Title

Award earned by receiving qualifying scores, often three times at a given level of competition and usually under two to three different judges, depending on the sport. Some sports however, such as conformation, have completely different rules for when titles are awarded. The title is often abbreviated to the acronym that is usually added after the dog's name (e.g., "MB-CD" for "Mixed Breed Companion Dog" or "MB-RE" for "Mixed Breed Rally Excellent"), but some titles are placed before a dog's name (such as the "MB-Ch" for "Mixed Breed Champion" in conformation).

Tracking

A dog sport where the dog follows a track laid by a person under a variety of conditions on moderate terrain. The dog also has to find and indicate one or more articles dropped by the person who laid the track. The dog wears a harness for this sport, and the handler must follow at the end of a 20 to 40 foot leash without guiding or excessively restraining the dog.

People earn titles on their dogs from three different levels: Mixed Breed Tracking Dog (MB-TD), Mixed Breed Tracking Dog Excellent (MB-TDX), and Mixed Breed Variable Surface Tracking Dog (MB-VST). A dog that has earned all three titles (MB-TD, MB-TDX, and MB-VST) has the prefix Mixed Breed Champion Tracker (MB-CT) instead.

Trial

An event put on by a local dog club where exhibitors (handers and dogs) may enter to earn legs towards their titles.

U

UKC

United Kennel Club

Utility

The third level of competition obedience. The title earned from this level is "Mixed Breed Utility Dog", or "MB-UD".

V

Versatility

A program wherein the dog earns titles based on other titles it has received in a variety of dog sports as well as other non-titling activities it may take part in (such as therapy dog work). The aim of versatility is to show the dog's ability to perform a variety of activities, rather than just one or two.

Dogs earn the titles Mixed Breed Versatility (MB-V), Mixed Breed Versatility Excellent (MB-VX), and Mixed Breed Versatility Master (MB-VM).