Collie Club of America Versatility Awards Program
The CCA versatility awards program is designed to recognize Collies which have distinguished themselves in both the breed ring and in AKC recognized performance events. These dogs possess the conformation, temperament, intelligence, and herding and working capabilities which represent the essential characteristics of the breed. The versatility awards are based on a point system which is used to weight each title based on its difficulty.
The CCA will award a certificate signed by the Club President to any Collie, rough or smooth, owned by a CCA member, or member of a CCA member’s immediate family, in good standing with the AKC who has fulfilled the necessary requirements. A dog fulfilling these requirements will be listed in the permanent records of the CCA. The versatility certificates will be awarded by the CCA President at the next annual CCA National Specialty Show.
Applying for a Versatility Award
It is the responsibility of the owner of an eligible dog to apply for either the Versatility Award or the Versatility Excellent Award. The application information should be sent to the chairman of the CCA Versatility and HIC Committee at least six weeks prior to the CCA National Specialty Show to provide adequate time to prepare the awards for presentation.
A new Grand Versatility Award has been added to the CCA Versatility Awards program. The details of this new award are contained in the requirements details document that can be accessed via link below.
CCA Versatility Program Points Table
(A) No points are awarded for the Beginner Novice (BN) or the Preferred Novice (PCD) titles.
(B) No points are awarded for the Rally Novice (RN) or Rally Advanced (RA) titles. No additional points will be awarded for the Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE) title.
(C) No additional points are awarded for the Novice Elite, Advanced Elite, Excellent Elite or Master Elite Odor Search Division Element titles or Division Elite Level titles with the exception of the Scent Work Master Elite (SWME) title which will receive an additional point. Similarly, for the Handler Discrimination Division Elite titles, only the Scent Work Handler Discrimination Master Elite (SHDME) title will receive an extra point.
(D) No additional points are awarded for numbered MACH or PACH titles beyond the first MACH or PACH. No points are awarded for the PAX or T2B agility titles.
(E) No additional points are awarded for earning the Master herding titles (HSM, HIM, HXM).
Versatility Award Requirements
Dog must accumulate 5 points, with at least one point from each of the three categories (conformation, performance and herding).
VA EXAMPLE: A dog with the following accomplishments would earn the following points.
3 point major 2 points in conformation
CDX 2 points in performance – obedience
HT 1 point in herding
TOTAL = 5 points from three categories
Versatility Excellent Award Requirements
Dog must accumulate 10 points, with at least one point from each of the three categories (conformation, performance and herding).
VX EXAMPLE: A dog with the following accomplishments would earn the following points.
CH 4 points in conformation
TD 2 points in performance – tracking
CDX 2 points in performance – obedience
PT 2 points in herding
TOTAL = 10 points from three categories
Grand Versatility Excellent Award Requirements
Dog must accumulate 15 points, with at least two points from each of the three categories (conformation, performance and herding) and the dog must be at least a double champion. It is not required that the two championships be from different categories. For example, a dog that has an Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) and a Master Agility Championship (MACH) would satisfy the double championship requirement.
EXAMPLE 1: A dog with a Conformation and Obedience double championship would need the following additional titles to qualify for a GV:
Conformation CH 4 points in conformation category
Obedience OTCH 6 points in performance category
This dog needs 5 additional points to qualify for a GV. At least 2 of those points must come from the herding category. The other points can come from tracking, scent work and/or agility.
EXAMPLE 2: A dog with an Agility and Obedience double championship would need the following additional titles to qualify for a GV:
Agility MACH 6 points in performance category
Obedience OTCH 6 points in performance category
This dog needs at least 2 points from the conformation category and 2 points from the herding category to qualify for a GV.
EXAMPLE 3: A dog with an Agility and Herding double championship would need the following additional titles to qualify for a GV:
Agility MACH 6 points in performance category
Herding HC 6 points in herding category
This dog needs 3 additional points to qualify for a GV. At least 2 of those points must come from the conformation category. The other point can come from either obedience, tracking or scent work.[Note: The Grand Versatility award (GV) can also be awarded to CCA members with Collies that satisfied the requirements for a GV but their dogs have passed away. These CCA members can apply to have the GV awarded posthumously. That way all of the GV Collies can be appropriately recognized.]
Applying for a Versatility Award
It is the responsibility of the owner of an eligible dog to apply for either the Versatility Award, the Versatility Excellent Award or the Grand Versatility Award. The application information should include the dog’s AKC registered name including all AKC titles and AKC number. Titles will be verified through the AKC website by the CCA Versatility Committee.
The application information should be sent to the chairman of the CCA Versatility and HIC Committee at least 6 weeks prior to the CCA National Specialty Show to provide adequate time to prepare the awards for presentation. If it is likely that the dog will complete the requirements for the award at the national specialty, the application information should still be sent at least six weeks in advance, with an explanatory note about the missing title(s). This will allow for the award to be available for presentation if the requirements are completed before the CCA versatility awards presentation.
Owners applying for a Grand Versatility award for their Collie must apply for the GV and have all qualifying titles completed at least 6 weeks prior to the CCA National Specialty since the GV award recipients will receive a rosette with a streamer listing the dog’s name with all AKC titles.
Application information should be sent to:
Beth Elliott
16375 Roller Coaster Rd.
Colorado Springs, CO 80921
Direct any questions on the CCA Versatility Program to Beth Elliott at trinitycollies@comcast.net or agilitysecretary@comcast.net.
Download the Versatility Award Information Form (updated for 2024) (PDF form)
