HOLDING A DPCA WORKING APTITUDE EVALUATION

Contact the ROM Coordinator. Application to hold a WAE must be made at least thirty (30) days prior to the event. WAEs must be held at least 200 miles apart or there is a 30 (thirty) day minimum time between events.

Set a date. This will have to be worked out with the evaluator you select and with the availability of the site you plan to use. Since this is an outdoor event, stay away from the months of particularly unpleasant weather. It is valuable to check with the dog event calendar in your area to be sure that your date does not conflict with or might possibly work in conjunction with other scheduled events. Evaluations have been held on the same weekend as local shows with Dobermans entered in the show and schedule for after judging.

Secure the site. The site for the WAE needs to be a large open space as free from distracting sights, sounds and odors as possible. Approximately 5-10 acres is desirable but not mandatory. There must also be ample space for parking and facilities that provide shelter and bathrooms for those who will be spending the day. Spaces that have been used successfully have included fields adjacent to homes of club members, parking areas with a motor home serving as a base, camp grounds in off-season, and grounds previously used for shows and matches. The terrain must be firm enough to drive on.

Secure an evaluator. Select one from the list of current approved DPCA evaluators that is available on the DPCA website or from the ROM Coordinator. Contact the evaluator directly. Ask the evaluator for the maximum number of dogs that he or she will do. There is a mandatory limit of twenty-five (2) at the National. Discuss the date and how long he/she will be needed. Will there be a talk, either formal or informal, about the program the night before or after the evaluation? How big an entry is anticipated? Also discuss travel arrangements, lodging, and manner of reimbursement.

Prepare publicity items. There are a lot of pet owners who will support your entry if you can make them aware of the program. You will have to educate a well as inform. It is important to have the right person for your contact person to handle questions about the program.

Decide on your entry fee. What you make in fees will need to cover all expenses plus $2.00 per dog to be sent by the evaluator to the DPCA. Major expenses will be travel expenses for your evaluator, your printing and mailing costs. Most clubs require pre-entry; however, if the evaluator agrees and there is time, most clubs also will take walk-up entries the day of the evaluation as long as the dog qualifies as an entry and the data sheet can be COMPLETELY filled out. Dobermans that have an AKC (with no Z designation in the number) or ILP number, are at least 18 months of age, and are of an accepted DPCA color are eligible. The dog does not have to be intact.

Prepare the necessary forms. The current official forms are available from the DPCA website t or can be sent to you by the ROM Coordinator as part of the packet you will received with your approval to hold a WAE. You will also have to prepare your entry flyers, confirmation and directions. These will have to be printed up to cover your anticipated entry.

Secure the necessary equipment. A detailed list is included in this packet. Plan on obtaining correct equipment early. Beware of waiting until the last minute to collect it just because it sounds easy or because someone assures you they have it and will bring it the day of the evaluation. That promised spring-loaded umbrella will arrive with three broken ribs and no spring; the pistol will shoot only crimps; the site, so flat and smooth, will yield no stones to weight down the plastic footing, and the ex-pen, borrowed from a pug breeder, will be only three feet high; and it is usually a Sunday so stores are closed or don’t open until 10:00 A.M. and with your big entry you have to get started by 8:00 A.M.! Check with your evaluator if you have any questions about the equipment. The evaluator cannot run a single dog through if you have not provided ALL of the CORRECT equipment.

Line up assistants. A detailed list of assistants that will be needed the day of the evaluation is included in this packet. It is important that all assistants be strangers to the dog being evaluated. Since club members will be having their own dogs evaluated, there will have to be some shifting around of some jobs. Interested friends can be pressed into service as most of the jobs do not require any special abilities and the evaluator will give very specific directions for each position. The evaluator’s instructions must be followed exactly so that every dog has the same experience.

Distribute flyers and posters. A sample flyer is included with this packet. Encourage people who do not seem too ready to enter their dog to come and watch. If you and the evaluator are willing to take walk-up entries, encourage people to bring their dog and AKC or ILP number with them, just in case.

Attention to the Data Sheet. This sheet is either part of the flyer or mailed separately. It is important that the Data Sheet be filled out COMPLETELY before the dog is evaluated. The dog must be 18 months of age. The person responsible for receiving and checking the completeness of this form needs to be thorough in work habits and a stickler for detail. Special care must be taken if entries are received the day of the evaluation. People are rushed and anxious and are likely to be careless in filling out the form.

Score Sheets. There are two Score Sheets for each entry. The evaluator will sign one that he/she will keep at the end of the evaluation. The evaluator will forward all Score Sheets along with all Data Sheets to the DPCA ROM Coordinator. The other Score Sheet, which will remain unsigned by the evaluator, is to be given to the handler of the dog. Arrange with your evaluator who will fill out the second Score Sheet…either the evaluator or someone who is working the desk.

Receive entries, Data Sheet. Arrange a time schedule. Plan on approximately 10 minutes per dog, and give each handler an approximate time for their dog’s evaluation. This schedule is a guide only and it should be clear to your handlers that they should be there well ahead of their give time so that they can become familiar with the evaluation procedure and be ready if things move faster than expected. Priority should be given to dogs with AKC Championships and/or performance titles. Bitches in season on the day of the evaluation must be kept well away from the immediate test site (and the assistants) and will be evaluated after all other dogs have been done. While priority in acceptance of entries goes Champions with performance titles, or Champions or performance titles, the dogs do not have to be tested in that order.

Send out confirmations, schedules and directions to the test site.

Confirm travel arrangements with the evaluator. Talk over any problems you are having procuring equipment, assistants, etc.

Make a final check on equipment and condition of site. Both vans need to be in running order. Store the rest of the equipment in one of the vans. All equipment must be at the site when the evaluator arrives in the morning. There should also be some helpers there to assist in the setting up of the evaluation exercises. The site must be clear of all trash, broken glass, moveable objects, etc. If it is a meadow or field, the grass must be short enough for easy movement and clear visibility of the markers. An area should be set aside for people to exercise their dogs before they are evaluated. The area used for the evaluation must remain free of distractions. Check shelter and bathroom facilities, arrangements made for coffee, cold drinks, lunch, parking areas and signs.

The day of the evaluation. Club members need to be supportive of the people who are having their dogs evaluated. Most are anxious and some a bit nervous. Although the evaluator will take over the day of the evaluation, club members can do a lot to make the day a positive experience by being friendly and kind to all. Any lengthy discussion with the evaluator must wait until there is a definite break in the evaluation schedule. Every effort should be made to have things run as smoothly as possible. If the weather is rainy things must move quickly to get the dogs evaluated between showers, if possible.

The real goal of the day is to have people get to know their dog and their breed better. Once the first dog has gone through and all is working, you can really appreciate the program and the Dobermans.

At the end of the WAE, all paperwork (Data Sheet, signed Score Sheet, copies of titles) will be turned over to the evaluator. A check, made payable to the DPCA, for $2.00 per dog tested will also be given to the evaluator. That check will be included with the paperwork when the evaluator sends the paperwork to the ROM Coordinator. No certificates will be issued until the check is received. Individual certificates will be withheld if there is incomplete information. If the handler does not give the evaluator copies of the title(s), the certificate will issued without those titles showing.

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