Our dams and sires used in our program dogs hold titles. The majority of have been titled by the AKC or UKC in some form. A title says the dog was intelligent and adaptable, and good natured. Titles are important to dog breeders for several reasons. They can indicate a dog’s achievements in various activities such as conformation shows, obedience trials, agility competitions, and field trials. These titles can demonstrate the dog’s abilities, temperament, and adherence to breed standards. .  It is something tangible. It shows capabilities in the dog that have been judged by someone other than the breeder. Without something like that, it’s just word and the opinion of the breeder. A breeder who actively does something formal/judged with their dogs’ gains knowledge from it and makes their word and opinion that much more valuable. For example, in the case of Labrador Retrievers and field trials, a title in this area can demonstrate the dog’s skills in hunting and retrieving, which are important traits for the breed. Titles can be an important factor in evaluating the quality and capabilities of a dog within a specific breed.

       If you want to breed healthy puppies with good temperaments, you need to start with the best parents you can find. Dogs should be trained and have sound temperaments. It takes about 2-3 years to title a dog, so dogs being bred won’t be too young if they are titled. It also shows they are capable of working. Breeding dogs should be as close to breed standard as possible, taking line differences into account. Training and titling dogs is serious business and is expensive.  A titled dog is showing that this dog is proven in the field, is a team player, biddable, trainable, intelligent, and driven.  Quick Trigger Kennels demonstrates over and over again that excellence in their dams and sires by showing the track record of titling their dogs in AKC and or UKC.  We carefully and thoughtfully select each dam and sire to be bred to each other based on their qualities. 

EXPLANATION OF TITLES IN DOG’S PEDIGREES

• AKC Field Trial Titles The Field Championship titles appear before the name. They are AKC’s competitive Field work titles-simulating hunting. Similar to the Hunt Tests but usually much further distances and more demanding tests. Titles appearing before a dog’s name FC – Field Champion AFC – Amateur Field Champion NAFC – National Amateur Field Champion NFC – National Field Champion
• A letter preceding the title indicates the place of origin if a foreign title i.e. CFC – Canadian Field Champion.
• These titles are awarded to the retrievers winning a required number of points in competitions against the best field dogs of the entire retriever breeds. These titles are difficult and expensive to attain and indicate the dogs are of superior intelligence, athletic ability, and have a very high desire to retrieve.
• FC = Field Champion, can be handled by either a professional trainer or an amateur handler. A total of 10 points is needed to earn this title.
• AFC=Amateur Field Champion. The amateur refers to the status of the person handling the dog. A total of 15 points plus a win are required to earn this title.
• Points are awarded for placements. At least one win is required and then the accumulation of enough points for the title.
• NFC = National Field Champion, only 1 dog per year earns this title – a sort of Super bowl playoff between top dogs of the year.
• NAFC=National Amateur Field Champion. Only 1 dog per year earns this title and is handled by a person with an amateur status (not a professional that received money for training).
• *** or QAA = Qualified All-Age. This is not a title but indicates a dog has earned either a 1st or 2nd place in the Qualifying event and is now capable of running the FC or AFC events.
• DERBY= division for dogs under 2 years of age. Points are accumulated and a derby dog of the year is noted with the highest points. Generally those with 10 or more points will make the annual Derby list.
• The Letter “C” before any of the following titles indicate that the titles were earned in the Canadian Kennel Club sponsored events rather than AKC. For Example CNFC is Canadian National Field Champion. This is not the official CKC manner of Titles it is the Americanized version.
• Field Trial titles are the highest competitive AKC test for a hunting retrieving dog. They simulate difficult hunting situations often at long distances requiring excellent marking, trainability and drive from the dog. Dogs retrieve multiple land/water marks at the higher levels and are handled with whistle commands to retrieve birds that the dog has not seen fall (blinds). Points are awarded for placements and the dog needs at least one win and enough points to title. Points are assigned for placements. Only the best dogs title. There are different divisions for amateur handlers, young dogs and an Open division which is open to all, including professional trainers. Each year a National test is held for the Amateur and Open divisions for qualified dogs. The winner of that test is essentially the American retrieving dog of the year. All Field trial titles appear before the dogs official AKC name.
• FC=Field Champion to earn this title a dog needs at least 10 point with at least one win in the Open division. 5 points are awarded for a 1st place, 3 for second, 1 for third and 1/2 point for 4th place. This test can be run by either an amateur handler or a professional and the division is called the “Open”.
• AKC Titles appearing after a dog’s name JH – Junior Hunter SH – Senior Hunter MH – Master Hunter These titles indicate that the retriever has passed a required series of retrieving and hunting exercises in a field situation at AKC regulation meets. Real hunting situations are closely simulated. Although not competitive, the dogs are tested thoroughly on land and water and must do blind retrieves responding to hand signals. Briefly the Hunt test titles appear after the name of the dog. These are titles given to a dog for achieving a standard of simulated hunting performance. Any dog that meets the required level in a Hunt Test will earn a ribbon as opposed to only 1 dog in the Field Championships taking a 1st place. Hunt test titles do not differentiate whether a professional or amateur handler runs the dog.
• Ever since the first AKC retriever hunting tests were held in 1985, the focus has been on how well your dog retrieves birds under all types of conditions. You don’t compete against other handlers and dogs; each dog is assessed based on his own merit (as opposed to competing in a Field Trial where a winner is chosen). There are three hunt test levels – Junior, Senior, Master, and titles can be earned at each level. Judges score dogs on their natural ability to mark and remember a fall, on their hunting style, perseverance or courage. They are also scored on learned abilities such as steadiness, control, response and delivery.
• The American Kennel Club started their own Hunting Test program, awarding Junior Hunter, Senior Hunter, and Master Hunter titles. Hunt tests are not limited to one winner, such as in a field trial. Dogs are not judged against other dogs in the trial, but rather against a standard test. If there are 20 dogs entered into a Master Hunter test and they all pass the test, then they all pass the test! However, it’s a rare occasion when more than half the dogs pass a test.
• According to the AKC, Dogs are judged in three divisions: Junior, Senior, and Master. The Junior dog is judged only on marked retrieves, no blinds and the dog need not be steady, but may be held. This is generally the beginning level for most people. Senior is the next step and here the dog in addition to marked retrieves must also be able to deal with relatively easy blind retrieves, honoring another dog’s retrieve, and be steady. Master is the top level and here the dog is required to retrieve difficult marking situations such as three or more birds down prior to being sent to retrieve and be able to honor another dog’s retrieve. The dog in general must exhibit those qualities which must be expected in a truly finished and experienced hunting retriever.
  All test levels should be designed to simulate, as nearly as possible, true hunting situations and natural hazards, obstacles, numerous decoys. Hunting equipment and implements should be used to help with this effort. While at the same time the judges must keep in mind that in a hunting “test,” we are testing dogs, not “hunting.” This is quite important as everything that happens while hunting does not necessarily make for a good Hunting Test. Hunting tests shall be open to dogs six months of age or over in all eligible breeds.
• Make no mistake about it, even a Junior Hunter title is an achievement. Most Junior Hunters would be the best dog in the kennel for a group of dedicated waterfowl or upland bird hunters. If the dog has been well started at home before he goes to the trainer, it normally takes 2-3 months of professional training to develop a pup into a Junior Hunter.
  A Junior Hunter has:

• Reasonable steadiness (doesn’t bolt when a mark is thrown or a bird is shot. The handler may use light restraint, such as a finger under the dog’s collar, while the dog watches marks fall.)
• Force fetch—if the handler calls for a retrieve, the dog retrieves, period, end of story.
• Responds to the whistle.
• Accomplishes two separate marked retrieves on land and two on water.

• A dog must pass four separate hunt tests, or “passes”, before the dog is awarded a Junior Hunter title.
• The big difference between a Junior Hunter “JH” and Senior Hunter “SH” dog is that Senior Hunters must have the ability to “handle”, that is, take hand signals from the handler to be maneuvered into making a blind retrieve, that is, a bird whose location the dog doesn’t know. Teaching a dog to handle can take a long time—a couple of months at least—but it’s integral for the goal of a finished gun dog.
• A Senior Hunter dog must be able to handle double marked retrieves, as well as a single blind retrieve. The dog must also be able to “honor” another dog, i.e., watch another dog do its work without interfering. The handler may use only a light verbal restraint to bring a dog in line. If a dog has a Junior Hunter title, he can earn a Senior Hunter title with four passes. Without a JH title, it takes five passes.
• Once a dog is handling, or taking hand signal casts from a trainer to make a blind retrieve, the difference between Senior Hunter ability and Master Hunter “MH” status is simply one of repetition and mastery. A Master Hunter retriever can make longer, more difficult, and trickier marked retrieves. A Master Hunter is not fooled by diversion birds, memory birds, and other tests devised by the judges. A Master Hunter is a confident, well-trained, finished gun dog.

       The Master Hunter or MH is capable of multiple marked retrieves—doubles, triples, quads. The dog is handled with no restraints, and there are no controlled “breaks” allowed at all. The dog cannot bolt to retrieve before his name is called. The top and final tier is Master Hunter. The judges can throw everything plus the kitchen sink at you. This level has three series and takes an entire weekend to complete. There is a land series, a water series, and a combination series (land and water). You and your four-legged companion have to perform one walk-up, one honor, and several blind retrieves. Generally, there are three marks at each series, but you can sometimes see two marks (albeit quite difficult) at one series. At this level, your dog has to be under exquisite control, have near-perfect manners, show excellent marking ability, exhibit stellar teamwork on blinds, and are, in general, held to the highest standard. A Master Hunter must be able to accomplish a double-blind retrieve either on land or water. In one weekend hunt test, a Master Hunter must pass three separate series of tests to earn one “pass”, and it takes five passes to earn a MH title for dogs that already have a Senior Hunter title, and six passes for those who haven’t passed a Senior Hunter test.  There’s a lot of time and energy devoted to making a Master Hunter dog. Each year’s best Master Hunters are invited to the Master Nationals hunt test by passing 6 Master Hunt tests within a certain time frame that year