To view the list of test scores, click here.

Upcoming Evaluations

Holding a WAE – Information for Clubs

	Guidelines (rev Feb 2023)
	Assistants Needed
	Equipment List (rev Feb 2023)
	Application to Hold a WAE (rev April 2019)
	Entry Form (rev March 2023)
	WAE scoresheet
	Evaluator WAE Summary-For WAE EVALUATOR (rev Feb 2023)
	Sample WAE announcement flier (Feb 2023)
	Sample WAE Entry Confirmation (Feb 2023)
	There is a $3.00 DPCA fee per dog tested.  An electronic payment to the DPCA for $3.00 per dog evaluated must be submitted through the DPCA website by you, the Host Coordinator. Click here to submit payment.  Be sure to state the date of the WAE on the payment form.

To schedule a WAE, a DPCA Chapter Club or doberman group appoints a WAE coordinator. The coordinator picks a date and arranges for an evaluator. A current list of evaluators is available on this page. The coordinator completes the fill-in application then sends the application to the DPCA 2nd Vice President at DPCASecondVicePresident@dpca.org for approval. The coordinator will be notified if approved and the application will be forwarded to the WAE Secretary via email to DPCAWAESecretary@dpca.org.

Here is what you will need:

– Current list of approved WAE evaluators (available on this page)

– Application to sponsor a WAE (also available for download on this page)

– WAE Guidelines (also available for download on this page)

Please read the WAE Guide, which provides an overview and may help with planning. The application is a fill-in form, so it will be easier for host clubs to complete and return via e-mail. You can download the latest version of Adobe Reader at http://get.adobe.com/reader/?promoid=BUIGO

Criteria for approving an application:

– Incomplete applications will not be approved.

– WAEs scheduled for the same date must be a minimum distance of 200 miles from each other.

– Applications may be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to the requested date.

After the 2nd VP receives a completed application, he/she will send a Letter of Approval and forward the application to the WAE Secretary. The WAE Secretary will then contact the coordinator and provide additional information or documents needed to successfully host the event. Information about the scheduled WAE shall be published on the ‘Upcoming Evals’ tab.

EVALUATORS:

The WAE Secretary shall maintain the list of approved evaluators.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

Please be advised that you MUST use the most current documents that are provided to you via dpca.org, the DPCA 2nd VP or the WAE Secretary. Please delete any WAE documents you may have used in the past.

Information for Handlers

	Handling your Doberman through the WAE (Feb 2023)
	Handbook for Handlers (Feb 2023)
	ROM Application It is the responsibility of the owner of the Doberman to submit all pertinent paper work to the ROM Secretary in order for a Doberman to be certified as a Register Of Merit. In order for your Doberman to qualify for this prestigious title, he or she must be an AKC Champion of Record, have earned an acceptable performance title and have passed the Working Aptitude Evaluation. The owner needs to fill out the ROM Application and forward a copy of the AKC Championship certificate along with a copy of any allowed performance titles the dog has earned and a copy of the Working Aptitude Certificate to the ROM Secretary before the yearly August 1 deadline. When received and confirmed by the ROM Secretary, a letter will be issued to the owner. If you do not receive that letter within a reasonable period of time, please contact the ROM Secretary to see if there is a problem with the paper work. Only an AKC championship qualifies the dog for this title. Canadian, Mexican, and International championships do not qualify. A list of acceptable performance titles is available on the ROM Titles tab.

Applying for a Register of Merit

If your Doberman is an AKC conformation champion of record, has a ROM-qualifying performance title (listed below), and has a Working Aptitude Certificate (WAC), it is entitled to the DPCA’s Register of Merit (ROM) award.

On the DPCA website, in the WAE/ROM section, the left-hand menu includes a selection entitled “Application: ROM” which can be filled out online to submit your documentation to the ROM Secretary.

You will need to know the dates those three achievements were earned and upload file copies of their certificates, so it’s best to gather that information in advance prior to filling out the form.

Only ROM-qualifying performance titles will be shown on the ROM certificate, and any titles earned at a later date will not be shown. Also, please double check the contact information you’re providing the ROM Secretary in case any processing issues arise.

Approved ROM applications which are received prior to August 1st in any given year will have their certificate and engraved medallion award presented at that year’s National Convention Annual Meeting. After August 1st, they will be listed for the following year’s National.

And congratulations on your dog qualifying for one of the most important titles a Doberman can earn! Its name will be permanently added to the historical list, found on the DPCA website, of all ROM Dobermans.

Performance Titles Qualifying for a ROM

In order to earn the title of ROM, a Doberman must attain its AKC Championship, pass the DPCA Working Aptitude Evaluation (WAE) and must have a qualifying working title.  The definition of a qualifying performance title follows:

A performance title is an activity that requires a demonstration of trainability and teamwork, which includes obedience, tracking, protective, and/or other forms of functionality demonstrating the utility of the Doberman as related to its origins of the breed.

Below is a list of the working titles that meet this definition.

No acceptable titles will qualify using any qualifying legs acquired virtually.  

It is the responsibility of the owner of the Doberman to submit all pertinent paper work to the ROM Secretary in order for a Doberman to be certified as a Register Of Merit. In order for your Doberman to qualify for this prestigious title, he or she must be an AKC Champion of Record, have earned an acceptable performance title and have passed the Working Aptitude Evaluation.

The owner needs to fill out the ROM Application and forward a copy of the AKC Championship certificate along with a copy of any allowed performance titles the dog has earned and a copy of the Working Aptitude Certificate to the ROM Secretary before the yearly August 1 deadline. When received and confirmed by the ROM Secretary, a letter will be issued to the owner. If you do not receive that letter within a reasonable period of time, please contact the ROM Secretary to see if there is a problem with the paper work.

Only an AKC championship qualifies the dog for this title. Canadian, Mexican, and International championships do not qualify. A list of acceptable performance titles is available on the DPCA website.

The purpose of a ROM title is to demonstrate that the dog is:

• Structurally Sound: AKC Championship Title
• Mentally Sound: Pass the DPCA WAE
• Has Working ability: Performance Title

A performance title is an activity that requires a demonstration of trained ability and teamwork, in disciplines that relate to the origin of the breed, which includes:

• Obedience (with an off-leash component)
• Tracking, search and rescue, (scenting work)
• Protection
• Other activities that a protection dog would use in their work (agility, jumping, climbing, uneven surfaces)

* (all versions of the following titles; many will have another letter as a prefix or suffix)

** (all versions of the following titles will have at least a suffix of either N, O, or E)

Register of Merit (ROM) Certified Dobermans

You can view the list of ROM Certified Dobermans here

Suggested Reading on Temperament and Behavior

The following list of books is presented as the “basics” for an understanding of the subject matter of temperament and behavior. Books cannot substitute for observation, thinking, training and actual communicating, however. And this is as it should be when dealing with the phenomenal capability for observing minute changes in body language and gleaning from those changes volumes of meaning that our dogs have. In honor of their fidelity to us despite our frequent miscommunications, should we not also attempt the same?

There are many books already written about dog behavior and, it seems, more being published every day. This list is therefore by no means exhaustive. Nor is it a ringing endorsement of every concept set forth in the books listed.

Schutzhund vs. WAE

I have been asked to briefly explain the difference between the WAE and Schutzhund and their goals.

Both are tests of temperament! However, they differ completely in structure and purpose! The WAE is a basic temperament test that requires no training. Each dog is evaluated at 7 stations, manned by untrained helpers. Schutzhund however, requires extensive training and an experienced helper or “decoy”. Schutzhund tests the dogs working ability and temperament under varying degrees of pressure applied by the “decoy.”

The WAE tests the temperament of a UNTRAINED dog. The “evaluator” scores each dogs reaction at each of the 7 testing stations. No training is required, nor preferred, to properly evaluate the dogs temperament. A trained dogs reaction, to any portion of the test, can be misleading and defeat the purpose of the test! The WAE is designed to give owners and breeders a better understanding of the dogs temperament, but not it’s working ability! A review of the test results will give a good understanding of the strengths and weakness of each dogs temperament. If you don’t test, your guessing! Informed breeding decisions will produce better temperaments in our breed! The WAE is judged by a DPCA evaluator who has completed an apprentice program and has been approved by the DPCA board.

Schutzhund tests the dogs “working ability” and “temperament.” Each phase of Schutzhund requires a trained dog and experienced handler. Team work is required for a successful passing score. Schutzhund is a 3 phase test. Tracking, obedience and protection! The untrained dog cannot and will not pass a Schutzhund test! Tracking requires training the dog to follow a scent on the path of the track layer and locate articles placed on the track. Obedience training is a fundamental or basic requirement at all Schutzhund phases and levels. The entry level (BH) training is comparable to the AKC obedience title “CD”. The higher levels require more extensive training. All phases, tracking, obedience and protection, require a dog under the absolute control of the handler!

Schutzhund is judged by licensed judges that have been approved after an extensive apprenticing program.

Schutzhund requires well trained dogs and experienced handlers at all levels!

The WAE tests temperament only and not “Working” ability! The WAE and Schutzhund normally tests and evaluates the dog away from its home environment. Schutzhund is considered a “Sport” providing competitions all around the world. The WAE is not a sport, it is a DPCA temperament testing program designed by the late “Vic Monteleon” and approved by the DPCA board.

Yours for the Total Doberman,

Ray Carlisle

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