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How AKC Dog Show Rankings Work: GCH, NOHS, Breed and All-Breed

You finished the championship - now what are people talking about when they say "number one Grand Champion" or "top ten Owner-Handled"? Here is how each dog show ranking is counted, in plain English, and which calculator on this site helps with each one.

A gleaming trophy in front of a rising glowing bar chart with three show dogs looking up

Four rankings, four ways of counting

A gleaming trophy in front of a rising glowing bar chart with three show dogs looking up

Championship titles are earned once and kept for life. Rankings are different: they compare dogs against each other, usually over one year, and each ranking counts something different. AKC publishes two rankings itself (Grand Championship points and the National Owner-Handled Series), and dog show magazines publish two more (Breed and All-Breed, by dogs defeated).

Grand Championship ranking

AKC ranks dogs by the grand championship points they earn from Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex and Select wins - even after they finish the GCH.

Owner-Handled (NOHS) ranking

AKC ranks owner-handled dogs by NOHS points from Best of Breed, Group and Best in Show placements in the Series, September to September.

Breed and All-Breed rankings

Magazine rankings that count the dogs your dog defeated: Best of Breed for Breed points, plus Groups and Best in Show for All-Breed points.

Which numbers can I work out here?

The exact rank of your dog against every other dog is published by AKC (for GCH and NOHS) and by the magazines (Breed and All-Breed). AKCcalc.com does not have their results data, so it counts your own dog's numbers for you to compare. Source: AKC Grand Champion ranking and About the AKC NOHS.

Common questions

Is a ranking the same as a title?

No. A title is earned once and kept for life. A ranking compares dogs against each other, usually over one year, and starts over each ranking year.

Which rankings does AKC publish?

AKC publishes the Grand Championship Points ranking and the National Owner-Handled Series ranking. Breed and All-Breed rankings by dogs defeated come from dog show magazines such as The Canine Chronicle.

Can AKCcalc.com tell me my dog's rank?

No - the rank needs every dog's results, which AKC and the magazines hold. AKCcalc.com counts your own dog's points so you can compare them with the published lists.

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