What's In A Name?
In addition to their short, "normal" names (Aerial, Huda, Lexi, Saddiqa), my beagles all have long names with many words and letters. This is very common in purebred dogs as well as other purebred domesticated animals such as racing horses. The "normal" names are what I use every day when interacting with my dogs. This is the name that they recognize as their own and respond to. In the world of purebred dogs this is referred to as the dog's "call name" because this is the name you use when calling your dog, that you expect the dog to respond to. The long, complicated name is the registered name and the various letters before and after the registered name denote titles and honors that they have earned.
The registered name is the official name of the dog, as recorded
by the purebred registry in which the dog is listed. My dogs
are all registered as purebred beagles by the American Kennel Club
(AKC), the United Kennel Club (UKC), and the Canadian Kennel Club
(CKC).
Click here for more information
on the dog registries, clubs, and other organizations.
Click here for information on the dog registries, clubs, and other
organizations that I am
associated with.
Registered Names
When a dog is registered, it must be given a name. Through the long tradition of purebred animal husbandry, the elements of the name can include clues about the breeder or kennel of origin, the sire and/or dam, and sometimes the new owner or kennel as well.
Most if not all breeders choose a "kennel name". This does
not mean that they are a kennel in the traditional sense - it is
just a name that they want associated with the dogs of their
breeding. For example, my "kennel name" is Copper Sky.
The words "Copper Sky" appear in the names of any puppies that I
breed, as well as in the names of the two dogs I bought from other
breeders (Huda and Aerial). Most breeders feel VERY strongly
about using their kennel name in the registered name of any dog
they produce. It is like signing a book they have authored or
a painting they have painted. Registering a dog without using
the breeder's kennel name, assuming the breeder has requested that
his/her kennel name be used, is a form of theft in the dog world as
it steals the breeder's credit. If two breeders are involved,
the kennel name used first might be the senior breeder or the more
important kennel...or it just might sound better. If the new
owner of a dog has a kennel name and the breeder agrees to include
it, the new owner's kennel name is either after the breeder's, or
tacked on at the end of the name. In the US, kennel names are
almost always the first words of a registered name. Other
countries have different conventions.
The other words that appear in a dog's registered name are
usually unique to the dog, but that does not mean they don't still
contain information.
Another common practice is "themed" litters, where the registered
name of each puppy reflects a theme. For example, the stud
dog I hope to use in my next
litter, CH Don't Let Me Down De Br Maiorca (George), came from
a Beatles-themed litter. His brother is Let It Be De Br
Maiorca (Paul). This litter also illustrates a
convention used by the Brazilian breeder of putting the kennel
name, "De Br Maiorca", et the end of the registered name instead of
at the front as is common in the United States. It is also an
example of the common practice of using a call name that is related
to or reflects the registered name. My own beagle, Aerial, has a call
name culled directly from her registered name, Lanbur Copper Sky
Aerial Ace.
Themes can also be as simple as using the same word in the name of
each puppy in a littler. A friend of mine chooses a word,
such as "Good" or "High" and then each puppy is given a name that
starts with her kennel name, followed by the chosen word, and then
a phrase associated with that word (such as "Good To Go" or "High
Fidelity"). Huda's breeder simply starts the unique part of each
name with a letter of the alphabet, in order by litter.
Huda's litter was his "B" litter, so the unique part of her name,
"Bright Future" starts with a B and possibly reflects his hopes for
her, as at the time I was still very much a novice and she and
Aerial and I had to learn the ropes of the dog worl together.
Given her success in conformation and performance and as my sweet
companion, I sincerely hope we have fulfilled the destiny of her
name!
Sometimes the registered name will pay homage to the sire or dam
of the litter by repeating words from the sire or dam's name or by
using a theme inspired by the sire or dam's name.
And sometimes the unique part of the name will simply be a word or
word combination or phrase that is meaningful to the breeder or
owner, or just something the breeder or owner
likes.
I generally let the new puppy owner pick a registered name, so
long as it begins with "Copper Sky" (and my co-breeder's
kennel name, if I have a co-breeder)and so long as it is tasteful
in my subjective opinion. Oftentimes, however, the breeder
picks the registered names for all puppies and the new owner must
simply accept it; the new owner ALWAYS gets to pick the call
name.
A dog can have different registered names in different
registries. For example, all my dogs are registered in the
AKC, UKC, and CKC. Their names in AKC and CKC are identical,
but the UKC allows fewer letters in its registered names so I had
to significantly alter Huda's UKC registered name. In AKC and
CKC she is "Peacock & Eagle Ridge Bright Future At Copper Sky";
in UKC she is "Peacock & Copper Sky Huda". I use her
AKC/CKC name because that was her original name as given to her by
her breeder, whereas the UKC name was only shortened to meet UKC
requirements and does not include all the key elements of
information that the AKC/CKC name does.
Titles
Many dogs have various letter/number combinations before or after their registered name. These denote titles that the dog has achieved. Although titles are not really part of the dog's registered name and are technically optional to include, they should be included out of courtesy when writing down a dog's registered name and they are included with the registered name any subsequent paperwork issued by the regitry that awarded or recognizes the title.
Different registries have different conventions for how titles
are appended to a dog's registered name. Similar titles may
have significantly different requirements or only slight variations
in the rules, depending on the registries involved.
There is some awkwardness in trying to list all the titles on a
specific dog if it has titles from more than one registry.
For the most part, people who compete in different registries
settle on a pattern that makes sense to them and stick with
it.
AKC reserves certain titles for the front of the name and others
for the end. In general, champion-level titles, are used at
the front of the name. This includes conformation champion
titles, but also performance champion titles such as MACH (Master
Agility Champion) or OTCH (Obedience Trial Champion). Titles
showing progress, but not champion-level achievement, in any
discipline are usually appended to the end of the name. This
is not to say that these titles are easier to obtain; many handlers
have no problem putting champion conformation titles on just about
anything they show but have a deathy fear of even a novice
obedience, agility, or novice trial. Other owners can push a
new dog through the highest levels of their favorite performance
discipline but go years with no success in conformation. The
titles on a given dog are very dependent on the dog, the handler,
and the registry. However, holding titles in a variety of
disciplines is always well-respected and demonstrates a general
well-roundedness of discipline and talent on the part of both the
handler and the dog. A common saying in AKC is that a
well-rounded dog should have titles on both sides of its name,
referring to the fact that conformation titles are at the front of
the name while performance titles generally are at the end except
the very few, very difficult to achieve champion-level performance
titles.
As far as I know CKC uses a similar convention although some of the
titles are different. CKC places a comma between each title
whereas AKC simply strings the titles one after the other.
Here are the links for all the abbreviations for all AKC, UKC, and CKC titles.
I have compiled a list of the titles that my own dogs have achieved
with a brief description of each HERE.