Dog Breeds and Titles

According to Grok, the top 5 AKC breeds that attained the highest level UDX title: 1.) Poodle; 2.) Golden Retriever; 3.) German Shepherd Dog; 4.) Labrador Retriever; 5.) Miniature Schnauzer. 

But wait, that isn’t the only type of title. AKC hunting dog title is Master Hunter (MH): 1.) Labrador Retriever; 2.) Golden Retriever; 3.) Standard Poodle; 4.) German Shorthaired Pointer; 5.) Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

One more: Of the AKC dog breeds, by rank, which have the most AKC scent detection work Detective Class title? 1.) 1.) Golden Retriever; 2.) Labrador Retriever; 3.) Poodle; 4.) German Shepherd Dog; 5.) Shetland Sheepdog.

What about the breeds that have been winning the international titles for IPO (now officially known as IGP, Internationale Gebrauchshundprüfung)? 1.) Belgian Malinois; 2.) German Shepherd Dog; 3.) Dutch Shepherd; 4.) Doberman; 5.) Rottweiler. 

While these lists aren’t a test of every dog breed, and its capability, what defines a “winner” is partly dependent upon which breeds are available to compete, what the competitors like and choose to own, and the standards to which the dogs are held to.

Here’s what I can say about all of that. Some breeds are better at some tasks that other breeds. While the top scent detection breed was the Golden Retriever, is that the breed the professionals typically use when doing their life and death work in, say, Iraq? Is a Golden Retriever going to be better than a Bloodhound at trying to find a lost child in the forest? Are the police currently using a lot of Dobermans? 

Breed does matter, and the breed you choose, and the talents of that dog, will influence what the dog is capable of. Clearly, there are some breeds that are proving themselves capable of doing better work than others. Also, clearly, some breeds are probably too rare to show up in these rankings, even if they would be capable of doing high level work.

I see a lot of dogs. Some are easier to train than others. Some retain the lessons quicker and longer, and some take a lot of work to just do the basics. Sometimes an individual dog is a genius, and unfortunately, some dogs aren’t all that capable. My goal is to always maximize the dog in front of me. We aren’t here to get titles or to compete with another dog. However, whatever you bring me is all I have to work with. I can’t make your dog into something it can never be. I’ll never be an NBA star player, but that doesn’t matter to me.

I've seen individual dogs that typically aren't entered into competition that had the abilities to get advanced titles such as the French Bulldog, Bulldog, Cavalier, Yorkshire Terrier, Cane Corso, Dachshund, Shih Tzu, Boxer, Pembroke Corgi, Havanese.

Make the most of your dog's talent. That is the most valuable goal.

Plan accordingly.