--- title: AKC Senior Hunter Test: Levels and Skills | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/akc-senior-hunter/ business: Royal Gun Dogs trainer: Richard Gebhart (professional gun dog trainer since 2002) phone: (530) 341-4496 email: royalgundogs@yahoo.com trains_at: Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, Rio Vista, CA 94571 (Solano County) booking: call or text Richard directly --- - [Home](https://royalgundogs.com/) - [Hunt tests](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/) - AKC Senior Hunter # AKC Senior Hunter Senior Hunter is the second level of the AKC retriever hunting test, written SH after a dog's name. It builds on Junior with more marks, blind retrieves and tighter control, and the title takes qualifying scores at five Senior tests, or four if the dog already holds the Junior Hunter title. Where Junior Hunter checks natural ability, Senior Hunter checks training. The dog now has to show it can take direction from the handler, not only remember where a bird fell. For many owners this is the level where a young gun dog starts to look like a real partner in a duck blind. ## What changes from Junior The jump is control. At Senior, a dog is asked to do more than one retrieve in a test, to run to a bird it did not see fall, and to wait calmly while another dog works. AKC's hunt test pages and the Retriever Hunting Test Rules describe the exact tests, so this page stays general on purpose. In practice, a Senior dog needs these skills: - Marking more than one bird and remembering the order - Taking handler directions on a [blind retrieve](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/blind-retrieve/) to a bird it never saw - Steadiness and [honoring](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/honoring/) while another dog works - Smooth water entries and deliveries ## Pass counts The AKC Regulations and Guidelines for AKC Hunting Tests for Retrievers (amended October 2025) set Senior Hunter at qualifying scores in five Senior tests, or four if the dog already holds the Junior Hunter (JH) title. No title is required before a dog enters a higher level. Older articles give different counts from different years, so check the rulebook linked below before you plan a season around it. Scoring uses the same 1 to 10 scale described on the [Junior Hunter page](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/akc-junior-hunter/), with the minimums stated in the rules. ## Getting a dog ready Senior work rests on [marks and blind retrieves](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/marks-and-blind-retrieves/), plus the manners covered in [honoring, delivery and line manners](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/honoring-delivery-line-manners/). Richard learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti and has worked with field trial retrievers at several levels. Richard runs dogs and assists clients at local weekend AKC retriever hunt tests, and he has run and qualified at an AKC Master National. Read about the [Advanced Waterfowl Program](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/advanced-waterfowl/) and [lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/), and ask about your dog's next step. ## Is Senior the right goal? Plenty of hunters see Senior as the sweet spot: the dog is trained well enough to handle a blind in a flooded field, and the work stays fun. A dog that is comfortable at Senior has a base for the [Master Hunter](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/akc-master-hunter/) level later, if you decide to keep going. ### Sources (3) - American Kennel Club : [images.akc.org/pdf/rulebooks/RHTRET.pdf](https://images.akc.org/pdf/rulebooks/RHTRET.pdf) (checked October 27, 2026) - American Kennel Club : [akc.org/sports/retrievers/hunting-tests/join/](https://www.akc.org/sports/retrievers/hunting-tests/join/) (checked October 27, 2026) - Ducks Unlimited : [ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/retrievers-a-beginners-guide-to-hunt-tests](https://www.ducks.org/hunting/retriever-training/retrievers-a-beginners-guide-to-hunt-tests) (checked October 27, 2026) ### Your trainer Richard Gebhart has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and has run and qualified at an AKC Master National. [Meet Richard](https://royalgundogs.com/richard-gebhart/) ### Keep reading - [AKC Master Hunter](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/akc-master-hunter/) - [AKC Junior Hunter](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/akc-junior-hunter/) - [Marks and blind retrieves explained](https://royalgundogs.com/guides/marks-and-blind-retrieves/) - [Basic Waterfowl Program](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/basic-waterfowl/) - [Hunt test](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/hunt-test/) - [Field trial](https://royalgundogs.com/glossary/field-trial/) ## Questions owners ask [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### How many qualifying scores does Senior Hunter need? Five qualifying scores at Senior tests, or four if the dog already holds the Junior Hunter title, per the AKC retriever hunting test regulations amended October 2025. ### Does a dog need a Junior Hunter title first? No. The AKC rules say no title is required before a dog enters a higher level, though a Junior Hunter title lowers the Senior count from five passes to four. ### What is a blind retrieve? A retrieve to a bird the dog did not see fall, guided by the handler's whistle and hand signals. ### Can a hunting dog skip tests and just hunt? Absolutely. Many owners run tests only as a training goal, and plenty of fine hunting dogs never enter one.