OHCA AWARDS - 2026 Info Coming Soon!

 OHCA is now accepting applications for 2026 OHCA awards. 

Awards will be presented at the Dinner on DATE TBD,  held in conjunction with the OHCA National Specialty & Companion Events at Purina Farms, Gray Summit MO.

If you receive an award but are not in attendance at the Dinner, you will be recognized at the Dinner and your award will be mailed to your address of record after the event. 

The online link to apply for an award is: https://form.jotform.com/231948309995170 . 

You may also apply for an award by sending an email to secretary@otterhound.org. If you choose to email an application, please be sure to include all information necessary to confirm your eligibility for the award. This may include the list below or similar: 

1) Name of Owner(s) (including the owner of record who is an OHCA member in good standing) 2) Otterhound’s Registered Name/AKC Registration No. 

3) Titles Earned Along with Accompanying Dates Earned
4) Total Number of Lifetime Points Accumulated (if applicable) 

5) Number of Points Accumulated in This Calendar Year (if applicable) 

• For Top Stud Dog/Brood Bitch, The Olivia Award, and The Martha Thompson Obedience Award, the eligibility period is January 1 through December 31, 2025. 
• For all other awards, you may apply if your hound meets the eligibility criteria. The eligibility period does not end December 31, 2025. Awards Applications that are received by August 15 will be awarded at this year’s Awards Dinner once eligibility is confirmed. 
• Criteria for Otterhound Hall of Fame also includes: Won a BEST IN SHOW Owner Handled at a member or licensed AKC all-breed competition. 

 Applications for consideration of these awards must be received by the OHCA Club Secretary by August 1, 2026.

• Unless otherwise noted all titles are AKC and any titles that AKC shall add in the future will then be included with points, if applicable, awarded accordingly, based on the point schedule listed below.
  
• Unless otherwise noted at least one recipient owner or co-owner must be a member in good standing with the Otterhound Club of America, Inc. at the time the title or award is achieved.
  
• Unless otherwise noted all Otterhounds receiving these awards, as well as the Martha Thompson and Versatility Awards, must be owned or co-owned by at least one OHCA member in good standing with the Otterhound Club of America, Inc. at the time the award is achieved. 

 1) At least one owner or co-owner must be a member of The Otterhound Club of America, Inc. 

2) If the Otterhound is a dam, it must have produced five (5) AKC Champions. If the Otterhound is a sire, it must have produced eight (8) AKC Champions. 

3) The Otterhound may be deceased or living. There are no time limitations.
4)  Application must be made to the Secretary, or the person who the Club names, at least twenty one (21) days in advance of the awards meeting, 

 1) The sire must have fifteen (15) AKC Champions from at least three (3) different bitches. 

2) The dam must have ten (10) AKC Champions from two (2) sires. 

Points awarded for each offspring may only be awarded for one category in that year, so choose the higher, except for OFA

1) 10 points for each AKC Champion. 

2) 10 points for each AKC Tracking Dog Excellent title or VST title. 

3) 5 points for each AKC Tracking Dog title.
4) 5 points for each OFA hips number offspring (may include in addition to points for titles listed above). 

 To be eligible for the OTTERHOUND CLUB OF AMERICA, INC. Hall of Fame, your hound must have:

• Won a BEST IN SHOW at a member or licensed AKC all-breed competition. 
• Won a BEST IN SHOW Owner Handled at a member or licensed AKC all-breed competition 
• Won a HIGH IN TRIAL at a member or licensed AKC all-breed competition. 
• Achieved their UTILITY DOG title. 
• Achieved their TRACKING DOG EXCELLENT title. 
• Achieved an EXCELLENT level AGILITY title (if PREFERRED two EXCELLENT level titles or one MASTER level). 
• Achieved their VARIABLE SURFACE TRACKING title. 
• Been deemed a "hero dog" in the opinion of the OHCA Board of Directors 
• Otherwise thought to be eligible for entry in the Hall of Fame in the opinion of the OHCA Board of Directors. 

    The purpose of these awards is to encourage people to get out and do things with their Otterhounds. All eligible Otterhounds must be owned or co-owned by a member in good standing in the Otterhound Club of America. These awards will be presented by the Otterhound Club of America as club recognition for AKC titles earned, and other organizations' sponsored events. Versatility Awards became effective September 2005, with new changes to the program in March 2026. Please submit Dogs Call Name, Registered Name, Registration Number & application to otterhoundversatility@gmail.com  

Checklists for Versatile Family Otterhound and Versatile Otterhound can be found here.

THE VERSATILE FAMILY OTTERHOUND

  Your path to success and ways to make titles work together and build on each other:

Virtual Home Manners Puppy (VHMP) & STAR Puppy (STR):

When you sign your puppy up for STAR Puppy classes at your local training club you will be working on puppy basics. The skills you learn in the group setting are practiced at home as well. While you're working on your skills at home you can record them and send in for evaluation from a canine good citizen evaluator to earn the Virtual Home Manners Puppy. These two skill sets mirror each other and work together without being exactly the same. 

Canine Good Citizen (CGC), Trick Dog Novice (TKN) & Virtual Home Manners Adult (VHMA):

Canine Good Citizen teaches good manners to dogs and responsible dog ownership to their owners. You can find a local training club to take classes with your dog and test your new skill set. Once you earn you CGC the skills you learned count towards half of your TKN requirements. Your TKN requirements can be singed off on by your CGC instructor or reviewed virtually by a CGC evaluator. While you are on your way to earning these two new titles make sure to video you practicing your new skills so you can work towards your VHMA. Much like VHMP works with STAR Puppy, CGC works with VHMA.

Coursing titles can work with Fit Dog requirements. As well as your daily walks!

Amanda Barnes is evaluating Trick Dog & Virtual Home Manners free of charge to our club members. Send inquires to ALBarnes1023@gmail.com

All title applications can be easily uploaded via the AKC title portal.

https://www.apps.akc.org/title-application-portal/

The following links provide information and title requirements

STAR PUPPY

https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/akc-star-puppy/

VIRTUAL HOME MANNERS 

https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/akc-family-dog-program/virtual-home-manners/

CANINE GOOD CITIZEN

https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/ 

THERAPY DOG

 https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/akc-therapy-dog-program/

TRICK DOG

https://www.akc.org/sports/trick-dog/

FIT DOG

https://www.akc.org/sports/akc-family-dog-program/akc-fit-dog/

FETCH

https://www.akc.org/fetch/

COURSING

https://www.akc.org/sports/coursing/

VIRTUAL PROGRAM

https://www.akc.org/sports/akc-virtual-programs/

DOCK DIVING

https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/dock-diving/

https://northamericadivingdogs.com/

BARN HUNT

https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/barn-hunt/

https://barnhunt.com/index.html

AKC titles by sport

https://www.akc.org/sports/titles-and-abbreviations/titles-by-sport/

Titles earned from the CKC that are comparable to AKC titles will now be up for consideration. https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/canadian-titles/

_________________________________

VERSATILE OTTERHOUND  

Versatile Otterhound I  - 7 stars from at least 4 categories

Versatile Otterhound - 10 stars from at least 5 categories 2 stars must come from the BLUE Scent Discrimination category

Versatile Otterhound III - 20 stars from at least 6 categories4 stars must come from the BLUE Scent Discrimination category.

AKC titles by sport

https://www.akc.org/sports/titles-and-abbreviations/titles-by-sport/

Titles earned from the CKC that are comparable to AKC titles will now be up for consideration. https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/canadian-titles/ 

This trophy is in the memory of Ottertail’s Olivia UDX TDX and honors the Otterhound who is owned or co-owned by a member of good standing of the Otterhound Club of America who most exemplifies the overall working hound. The trophy will be awarded each year at the OHCA Annual Awards Banquet subsequent to the year earned. The honoree will get a commemoration trophy and the actual trophy will remain in the custody of the Otterhound Club of America. This trophy need not be awarded each year if there are no applicants that meet the criteria outlined below. Points chart can be found at link here.  

   • Dogs who are crossed-trained and certified in more than one SAR area may count points in

each area certified.

   • Points are not cumulative within a category.

   • Points are earned each calendar year of January 1 to December 31

   • Applicants must have points from at least two categories and a lifetime total of at least five

points

   • Applicant must earn at least one new point in the calendar year applying, though lifetime

points are counted in total.

   • Titles with numerical achievement (i.e. UDX 1, UXD 2 MACH 1, MACH2) are considered

separate titles. Though no more points are awarded for the OLIVIA., these titles count for a

current year.

   • In case of a tie the applicant with the most new points earned in the calendar year is the

winner.

   • Only AKC titles are recognized with the exception of the humanitarian/ Working category.

   • The OHCA Secretary must receive an application for The Olivia no later than August 1 after

the close of the calendar year.

 Points chart can be found at link here.

• Points will be based on the period January to January. 
• Points will be earned at American Kennel Club or Canadian Kennel Club events. 
• Dogs which have a higher title cannot drop down and receive points for a lesser title of a different organization (i.e. AKC CDX dog cannot receive points for a CKC CD title) 
• Dogs which attain more than one title in a calendar year of a different level may combine the points (i.e. In March receive a CD and September of the same year a CDX) Dogs which attain more than one title of the same level may use the highest points earned out of anyone title (ie. Received AKC CD and CKC CD in same year...can use the best score of the two...cannot be added together). 
• Scores will be based upon an average of the first three qualifying scores for the title earned. 

If for some reason the first one or two legs toward a title were earned in the previous calendar year(s) the scores would be brought forward to be averaged in the calendar year the title was earned. In the case of UDX, the scores for the first ten qualifying shows will be averaged together for a mean final score, and the points will be awarded in the year of the tenth qualifying score.

  An Otterhound who achieves CHIC certification through OFA. CHIC Health testing requirements are:

• OFA hip certification 
• OFA elbow certification 
• Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia 
• OFA DNA bank