Club Kit - Holding a DPCA WAE

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HOLDING A DPCA WORKING APTITUDE EVALUATION

Contact the ROM Coordinator. You will be sent the current list of approved DPCA evaluators and samples of the forms you will need to have printed.

Set a date. This will have to be worked out with the DPCA 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 events 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 scheduled for after judging.

Secure the site. The site for a Working Aptitude Evaluation needs to be a large open space as free from distracting sights, sounds and odors as possible. Approximately 5-10 acres would be minimal. 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 included in this kit or that you receive from the ROM Coordinator. Contact the evaluator directly. 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 the evaluation session? How big an entry is anticipated? Thirty dogs per day is a realistic number to evaluate although this can be affected by the efficiency of the club and by weather conditions. Also discuss travel arrangements, lodging, manner of reimbursement.

Prepare publicity items. There are some suggestions for publicizing an evaluation included in this kit. 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 as well as inform. It is important to have the right person for your contact person 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 to the DPCA. Major expenses will be travel expenses for your evaluator, your printing and mailing. 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 AKC or ILP numbers and are 18 months of age or older qualify and entries.

Prepare the necessary forms. The current official forms will be sent to you by the ROM Coordinator when you arrange to hold your evaluation. You will also have to prepare your entry flyers, confirmation and directions, etc. These will have to be printed up to cover your anticipated entry.

Secure the necessary equipment. A detailed list is included with this kit. 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 krimps, the site, so flat and smooth, yields no stones to weigh down the plastic footing, and the ex-pen, borrowed from a pug breeder, is only three feet high; and it is usually a Sunday so stores are closed or don't open till 10:00 and with your big entry you have to get started by 8:00!! Check with your evaluator if you have 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 kit. 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 evaluators instructions must be followed exactly so that every dog has the same experience.

Distribute flyers and posters. A sample flyer is included with this kit. Encourage people who do not seem to 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 data sheets. These are either part of the flyer or mailed separately. It is important that the data sheet (a form from the ROM Coordinator) 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 these forms 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.

Receive entries, data sheets. Arrange a time schedule. Plan on about ten minutes per dog, and give each entry an approximate time for their dog's evaluation. This schedule is a guide and it should be clear to your owners that they should be there well ahead of their given time so that they can be come 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 Obedience 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.

Send out confirmations, schedules, directions.

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. 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 (paper bag lunches, McDonald's buffet, etc.) parking areas, signs.

The day of the evaluation. Club members need to be supportive of the people who are having their own 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.

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 Doberman.

EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR THE WORKING APTITUDE EVALUATION

___ Two vans to be used as blinds for hidden clatterer and decoy.

___ Aluminum soda or beer can, half-filled with pea gravel, and taped shut.

___ A .22 caliber athletic starter pistol or revolver with loud (black powder) blank ammunition. Test fire well ahead of evaluation date. You will need three shots per entry. A back-up pistol is advised.

___ Some form of ear protection for the shooter.

___ Man's black, spring-loaded, pop-open umbrella. A back-up is advisable as wind, product defects, and aggressive dogs take their toll.

___ Silicone spray to keep the umbrella opening smoothly.

___ Two folding lawn chairs for hidden clatterer and umbrella holder.

___ A 4 foot wide, 16 foot long strip of heavy duty polyethylene material, either black or dark green. Garden mulching plastic or large trash bags, taped with dark tape, works almost as well. Make sure your strip measures the full 4' by 16' as anything smaller is a disadvantage for the dog and handler.

___ Dark stones, weights, or short stakes to stabilize the polyethylene. Avoid scrounging at the site the morning of the evaluation.

___ Standard 8 panel exercise pen, 4 feet high. When extended flat on the ground it will measure 4' by 16'.

___ Several 3 foot long switches or sticks for the use of the decoy. Thin tomato stakes; cut to 3', work well.

___ Agitation or protection sleeve to be worn by the decoy. Schutzhund clubs, protection and security training schools and police canine units may be willing to lend a sleeve.

___ Sloppy raincoat and wide-brimmed hat to be worn by decoy.

___ Wide leather collar and 1" wide, six foot lead suitable for protection work. The collar must be adjustable so that it will fit snugly around the neck to the dog cannot slip out. A second set is a definite advantage, especially with a large entry. Collar (collars) must be able to fit from a small bitch to a large male.

___ A 50 foot tape measure for getting exact distances for each exercise.

___ 15 or more tent stakes (wooden stakes, 14" long and sharpened at one end) and a mallet or sledge hammer. These are used as markers and must be plainly visible when in the ground. Rocks and bricks work if you are using a paved parking lot.

___ A watch with a sweep second hand to be used by the evaluator for those exercises with time limits.

ASSISTANTS NEEDED FOR THE WORKING APTITUDE EVALUATION

The Expeditor- Makes sure that there is always a dog ready for the evaluator. This means that all forms are COMPLETE, the collar is properly fitted, and the correct score sheet is in the hands of the evaluator. Also makes reassuring small talk with waiting owners.

Neutral Stranger - Absolutely MUST be a stranger to the dog being evaluated. Speaks to the handler and ignores the dog.

Friendly Stranger - MUST be a stranger to dog. Makes friendly overtures to dog.

Hidden Clatterer - Sits behind a van and makes clattering sound with soda can on signal.

Shooter - Keeps the pistol loaded and fires on signal.

Umbrella Holder - Good reflexes and depth perception essential. Sits in chair and releases umbrella at proper time. It is best if this person remains the same throughout the evaluation session as it takes practice to get the timing down just right.

Decoy - This person MUST remain the same throughout the evaluation session. This person learns a specific routine and does it exactly the same way for each dog. Must be able to make loud groan and present a convincing threat to the dog. Experienced agitators must give up what is known about "working a dog" and just test according to evaluator's instructions.

The evaluator will give specific instructions to the assistants on the day of the evaluation session.