Your dog responds well to commands at home and in public, but how would he respond in a farm environment? There’s an easy way to find out: Sign him up for a Farm Dog Certified test.
Open to all breeds of dogs, this test involves your dog performing a series of 12 exercises that are typical for a farm environment such as being in close proximity to livestock (who are always penned to avoid any altercations); jumping and staying on hay/straw bales; walking on unusual terrain; and jumping over logs. There is no herding involved. Instead, the goal is to assess his aptitude as a working farm dog by exhibiting self-control, confidence and trust with you or his handler.
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Get Started
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To prepare for this test, familiarize yourself with the 12 required elements found in the Farm Dog Certified (FDC) Test Regulations.
Then, find a test coming up in your area by searching our Event Calendar.
Regulations and General Info for the Farm Dog Certified Test:
- Article: Is Your Dog “Farm Dog Certified”?
- Changes to Non-AKC Events Policy
- Frequently Asked Questions
- New Farm Dog Certified Test Announced!
- Farm Dog Certified Test Guide
- Farm Dog Certified Test Regulations
- FDC Brochure PDF
Find Upcoming Tests or Approved Judges:
- Search Upcoming FDC Tests – [select: “Farm Dog Certification” then “All Future Events” then click on “each state” OR click box for “All States“, then hit “Search“]
- Search Judges Directory – [select: “Farm Dog Certification then choose your state(s) or if you are unsure don’t select any and it will pull all, then hit “Submit“]
Farm Dog Certified Test Forms:
- FDC Event Application – for Non-Herding Clubs (fillable PDF)
- FDC Event Application – for Herding Clubs
- FDC Test Result Form
- FDC Title Application (fillable PDF)
- FDC Purebred Alternate Listing App (fillable PDF)
- FDC Canine Partners Dog Listing App (fillable PDF)
- FDC Test Evaluation Form
- Application to Judge FDC
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Eligibility
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This test is open to all breeds. Your dog must be at least 9 months of age and have an AKC number via one of the following
- AKC Registration Number – This number is provided to a dog owner via a registration certificate received from the previous owner, or via a puppy registration paper given to the new owner by the breeder.
- Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) – If a dog is purebred but an AKC Registration Number is not possible, owners can apply for PAL number.
- AKC Canine Partners Number – This number is given to either mixed breed dogs or a purebred.
- Foundation Stock Service®(FSS) Number – This number is used for breeds whose status is currently in the foundational stage of being recorded into our registry and requires a copy of the dog’s pedigree.
- Find An Event +
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Embed Our Video
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How to Add the FDC Video to Your Club’s Website
Follow these 4 steps:
- On the above video, click on the share button in the top right corner:
- Click on the embed button to copy the code:
- Paste copied iframe code into the html code of your website page
- Republish your website page; the video will now be displayed
- On the above video, click on the share button in the top right corner:
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Resources
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- How to Post Your Premium List
- Herding/FDC Regulations
- Judges’ Directory – [select: “Farm Dog Certification then choose your state(s) or if you are unsure don’t select any and it will pull all, then hit “Submit“]
- Farm Dog Certified Contact Info:
- Farm Dog Certified Test Event Applications or Results – call 919-816-3908 or performance_events@akc.org
- Farm Dog Title Requests – call 919-816-3821 or performance_events@akc.org
- Farm Dog Judges – call 919-816-3904 or performancejudges@akc.org
