AKC rally titles in order, RACH points and title tracker
AKC rally starts at RN and ends at the RACH, with RAE, RM and RC along the way, and every one of them is counted in Qs or points you can add up yourself. Below is each title in order with what it takes, a free helper that turns one trial day’s scores into RACH points, and what it takes to get into Rally Nationals. Add each run with its score after the trial, and the tracker’s rally titles and RACH card stay current.
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What are the AKC rally titles in order?
The AKC rally titles in order are RN, RI, RA, RE, RAE, RM, RC and then the RACH, and every rally Q is a score of 70 or more out of 100. RI is optional: after RN your dog can go to Intermediate or straight to Advanced. RC sits outside the ladder, because any dog can enter the Choice class.
| Order | Title | Class | What it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RN, Rally Novice | Novice A or B, on leash | Qs at 3 trials |
| 2 | RI, Rally Intermediate (optional) | Intermediate, on leash, no jumps | Qs at 3 trials. Open to dogs with the RN and without the RA |
| 3 | RA, Rally Advanced | Advanced A or B, off leash, one jump | Qs at 3 trials |
| 4 | RE, Rally Excellent | Excellent A or B, off leash, jumps twice | Qs at 3 trials |
| 5 | RAE, Rally Advanced Excellent | Advanced B and Excellent B | After the RE, a Q in both classes at the same trial, at 10 trials. Repeats as RAE2, RAE3 and up |
| 6 | RM, Rally Master | Master, off leash, one jump, open once your dog has its RE | Qs at 10 trials under at least 2 different judges. RM2 at 20 Qs, RM3 at 30 |
| 7 | RC, Rally Choice | Choice, off leash, no jumps, open to every dog | Qs at 10 trials under at least 2 different judges. RC2 at 20 Qs, RC3 at 30 |
| 8 | RACH, Rally Champion | Advanced B, Excellent B and Master | After the RE, 300 points with at least 150 from Master, plus 20 triple Qs. RACH2 at 600 points and 40 triple Qs |
The titles and numbers come from the AKC Rally Regulations, Chapter 3 (class titles) and Chapter 4 (the RACH). The A classes are for newer handlers and dogs, and once your dog finishes a title from an A class it can stay in that A class for 60 more days before moving to B. There’s one more letter set above all of these: RNC, which goes to the dog that wins the Championship class at the Rally National Championship.
The rally row on our AKC title tracker page lists this ladder next to every other AKC sport, and the rally jump heights are on the dog jump height chart.
How do you earn the RAE title?
You earn the RAE by qualifying in Advanced B and Excellent B at the same trial, at 10 separate trials, and only Qs earned after your dog finished its RE count toward it. AKC and handlers call that same-trial pair a double Q. Each further set of 10 adds a number, so the 20th double Q is the RAE2 and the 30th is the RAE3.
Clubs that limit entries have to offer an RAE class in the premium list, which enters your dog in Advanced B and Excellent B together so you don’t get into one and miss the other. A triple Q day (more on that below) always contains an Advanced B and Excellent B pair, so it moves your RAE forward too.
What is the RC (Rally Choice) title?
The RC is a 10-Q title from the Choice class, earned at 10 trials under at least 2 different judges, and any dog can enter Choice, at any stage, for as long as you like. The course is built from Master, Excellent and Advanced signs, done off leash with no jumps, so it suits a dog who has retired from jumping. There are no retries: a sign done wrong on the first attempt costs 10 points and you move on. RC2 comes at 20 Choice Qs and RC3 at 30.
What are the requirements for a RACH?
A RACH needs 20 triple Qs and 300 points, with at least 150 of those points from Master, all earned after your dog has its RE. Here are the three requirements on their own:
- 20 triple Qs, each at a different trial.
- 300 RACH points in total.
- At least 150 of those points from Master.
A triple Q means your dog qualified in all three classes, Advanced B, Excellent B and Master, at one trial on one day. It’s not the double Q you need for the RAE, which only counts Advanced B and Excellent B. Points work separately from Qs: every score of 91 or better in any of the three classes earns points, so a great Master run still counts on a day the Advanced B run didn’t qualify.
Worked example. Say your dog qualifies in all three classes at every trial with steady scores: 96 in Advanced B (6 points), 97 in Excellent B (7 points) and 95 in Master (6 points). That’s 19 points a trial.
| After | Total points | Master points | Triple Qs | RACH? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 trials | 304 (300 done) | 96 | 16 | Not yet |
| 20 trials | 380 | 120 | 20 (done) | Not yet |
| 25 trials | 475 | 150 (done) | 25 | Yes |
The total points were done at trial 16 and the triple Qs at trial 20, but the Master minimum decided it. At 6 Master points a trial it takes 25 trials to reach 150. If the same dog scored 98 in Master (8 points), it would have 160 Master points by trial 20 and finish the RACH there, on the 20th triple Q.
How are RACH points calculated?
RACH points are worked out per run: a score of 91 to 94 earns 5 points, 95 or 96 earns 6, 97 earns 7, 98 earns 8, 99 earns 9 and a perfect 100 earns 10. A run below 91 earns nothing, even when it’s a Q. The schedule is the same in Advanced B, Excellent B and Master (Rally Regulations, Chapter 4, Section 3), so the best a single trial day can do is 30 points, with 10 of them from Master.
| Score | 91 to 94 | 95 to 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RACH points | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
RACH points from one trial day
Free to use. No account needed.
How the helper works: it gives each score its points from the table above, adds them up, and shows the Master points on their own line because the RACH needs 150 of those. It calls the day a triple Q when all three scores are 70 or more. One example: 98, 95 and 92 is a triple Q worth 8, 6 and 5, so 19 points, 5 of them from Master.
How many points do you need for RACH 2 and RACH 3?
AKC gives the RACH2 as 600 points and 40 triple Qs and the RACH3 as 900 points and 60 triple Qs, because each number means your dog has met the RACH requirements one more time. Those are running totals from the start, so nothing resets after a RACH, and the requirements met again include the Master minimum as well as the points and triple Qs. AKC’s own RACH rankings count only the points a dog earns after its first RACH (more on the rankings below).
How do you qualify for AKC Rally Nationals?
To qualify for the Championship class at the AKC Rally National Championship, your dog needs its RAE plus three scores of 93 or more in each of Advanced B, Excellent B and Master, all earned in the qualifying period that runs from December 1 to November 30 before the event. Unlike a triple Q, those nine scores don’t have to come from the same trial. AKC’s class criteria for the next event set the same pattern for the other classes:
| RNC class | Title needed by the end of the period | Scores needed in the period |
|---|---|---|
| Novice | RN | 3 Novice scores of 93 or more |
| Intermediate | RI | 3 Intermediate scores of 93 or more |
| Advanced | RA | 3 Advanced scores of 93 or more |
| Excellent | RE | 3 Excellent scores of 93 or more |
| Master | RM | 3 Master scores of 93 or more |
| Championship | RAE | 3 scores of 93 or more in each of Advanced B, Excellent B and Master |
Your dog can enter one class only, and it has to be the highest one it qualifies for. Dogs need to be at least 6 months old with an AKC number, a PAL listing, an AKC Canine Partners number or another number AKC issued (minimum ages for every sport). Scores from AKC’s virtual rally program don’t count toward Nationals. Dates, entries and the premium list go up on the Rally National Championship page.
How do AKC rally breed rankings work?
AKC’s rally rankings list dogs by score in each class, Novice through Choice, both for all dogs and within each breed, and a separate list ranks dogs by RACH points. The class lists include both A and B classes. The RACH list counts only points earned after a dog’s first RACH, so it shows the dogs still adding up points long after the title. AKC posts a mid-year list for January to June and a year-end list, all on its rally rankings page, and All American Dogs (AKC’s listing for mixed breeds) get their own breed list.
What’s the difference between rally and obedience?
In rally you and your dog work through a course of numbered signs at your own brisk pace, and you can talk to your dog the whole way, while in obedience the judge calls each exercise and the scoring is stricter. A rally Q is 70 out of 100. An obedience Q is 170 out of 200, with more than half the points on every single exercise (Obedience Regulations, Chapter 1, Section 15).
| Rally | Obedience | |
|---|---|---|
| Who directs the run | Signs on the course; the judge only starts you | The judge, exercise by exercise |
| Talking to your dog | Allowed throughout. Clapping and patting your leg are allowed up to Advanced | Only the commands each exercise allows; an extra one costs points |
| A Q | 70 out of 100 | 170 out of 200, plus more than half of each exercise |
| First title | RN, Qs at 3 trials | BN or CD, Qs at 3 trials |
AKC calls rally a companion sport to obedience, and the two overlap in a way that matters for entries: a dog with an obedience CD, PCD or any higher obedience title can’t enter the rally A classes. Our AKC obedience page goes through the obedience ladder in full.
Frequently asked questions
How many points do you need for a RACH?+
300 points, with at least 150 from Master, plus 20 triple Qs. Points come from scores of 91 or better in Advanced B, Excellent B and Master after your dog has its RE.
Do RACH points count on a day without a triple Q?+
Yes. Every score of 91 or better in those three classes earns points once your dog has its RE. The triple Q is a separate count of its own.
What score is a Q in AKC rally?+
70 or more out of 100. Every run starts at 100 and the judge takes points off.
Can you skip Rally Intermediate?+
Yes. RI is optional. After the RN your dog can go straight to Advanced, but once it has the RA it can’t enter Intermediate anymore.
Does a triple Q count toward the RAE?+
Yes. A triple Q includes a Q in Advanced B and Excellent B at the same trial, which is exactly what the RAE counts.
Is the RACH points helper official?+
No. It’s an estimate from AKC’s published point table, and your dog’s AKC record is the official count. Dog Title Tracker isn’t affiliated with AKC.
Print the AKC rally title checklist
One page with every AKC rally title in order, what each takes and a box to tick. It prints fine in black and white, so it can go in your training bag or on the fridge.
AKC rally title tracker
Rally is a lot of counting: 10 trials here, 20 triple Qs there, and a Master minimum that’s easy to lose track of. Add each run with its score after the trial and the tracker keeps every rally title current. Turn on the AKC Rally Championship card from Add Tracker under AKC Rally, and it groups your Advanced B, Excellent B and Master runs from the same trial into triple Qs and fills in three meters: points, Master points and triple Qs. It’s an independent tracker, so your dog’s AKC record stays the official one.
3 months free. Full access included. Then $5/month.
Independent tracking note
Dog Title Tracker is an independent tracking tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or officially connected to AKC or any other dog sport organization, registry, club, event provider, or governing body listed on this site.
The tracker is for personal tracking and organization. Users should always verify official points, qualifying scores, titles, awards, eligibility, and records directly with the appropriate organization.