V rating - in German style shows, offered by the ADRK, USRC and ARV, the judge will give a detailed report of the dog's appearance and rate the dog as to how closely it matches the standard. The V rating is the highest. It stands for excellent representative of the standard.

SG - stands for very good representative of the standard. This is the highest rating generally offered to dogs under the age of two.

G - stands for satisfactory representative of the breed.

NG - stands for not satisfactory and usually indicates a dog with a major fault.

Sieger - the "best in show" kind of title in a German style show. With the additional requirements of having a SchH or IPO degree and a Ztp, BST or Gekort.

Siegerin - the female counterpart.

Jugend Sieger/in -the youth "best in show" for dogs under two. ( no working requirements)

KS, WS, ES, BS, Ö-BS, Swiss KS - these are the major shows of the year, in Europe. Winning any one of these shows is considered significant enough that the dog will carry the letters as a title. The number indicates the year.

Int. CH. - A championship earned in more than one FCI country.

Country CH. - Dogs can obtain championships in many different countries.

CH. - In an American pedigree this can be taken to mean American Champion. The American part is just understood. To obtain the American Champion, the dog must accrue 15 points and also win two "major" shows with a prescribed number of entries.