RETRIEVE OR “FETCH”

  The AKC Fetch titles were created as an exciting addition to the AKC Family Dog framework, offering a structured outlet for owners to share an interactive game with their companions.  Earning national Fetch titles provides a fantastic balance of both physical conditioning and mental exercise. While many dogs possess a natural drive to chase a toy, advancing through the higher levels of the program transforms a simple game into precision teamwork—requiring us to shape advanced skills such as a clean pick-up, a direct return, and a reliable delivery to hand.“

AKC Fetch is a pass-fail, non-competitive evaluation designed to assess a dog’s natural and trained retrieving abilities across four progressive title levels: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Retriever. 

As teams advance into the higher categories, the technical challenge increases significantly. In the Advanced and Retriever divisions, the dog must respond precisely to handler directional signals and master a complex memory component—locating a retrieving bumper or ball that has been dropped or thrown behind a hidden blind out of the animal’s direct line of sight. 

To achieve any of the four national titles, a dog must successfully pass the evaluation twice under two different approved evaluators. Debi is an AKC-approved Retriever Hunting Test Judge, bringing elite, national field-testing expertise directly to your training sessions.