Page 138 - ShowSight - December 2019

Breed Education Third in a Series: It Starts With You BY CELESTE M. GONZALEZ continued
“MAINTAINING CONSISTENCY OF PRESENTATION
HELPS THE ATTENDEES KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND KEEPS THE HANDS-ON RUNNING SMOOTHLY.”
When thinking about where to conduct the hands-on portion of the breed seminar, consideration can be given to the meeting room itself if it is of ample size for the breeds involved and the facility management allows dogs and grooming tables/ramps in the room. If they do, planning for floor care and protection should be discussed. Plan on having cleaning supplies available for non- carpeted floors plus mats, or cover flooring, e.g. self-adhering poly sheeting flooring protection, and mats for carpeted floors, plus cleaning supplies. If another area is to be used for the hands-on, ensure that the flooring has adequate traction so that the handlers and example dogs can gain trac- tion while gaiting and stacking, as well as good footing for the learners. Dirt surface or rough surfaced concrete would generally not need mats, but that is up to your group whether to use them or not.
Think about how large the hands-on area should be given the breed(s) that will be utilizing the space, as well as how the boundaries of the space will be marked off (ring stanchions and accordion gates, tape on floor, rope and stanchions, etc.), as well as avoiding encroachment by grooming set-ups into that space. When sizing the hand-on area, project the largest number of dogs that may be available (usually a maxi- mum of eight) and how those dogs would line up against one side of the boundary as well as on the diagonal. The example dogs must fit with necessary room between each dog so that safety is maintained, as well as ensuring ease of the dog’s handler to set up the dog in profile and/or front-on for some breeds. If it is a table or ramp breed, plan on having at least four tables or four ramps so that four dogs at a time can be examined by the attendees. I learned, the hard way that seminar coordinators need to inform hands-on presenters of how a hands-on should be run. Some presenters are new to it, and others just need a lesson in con- trolling a group that wants to just get their hands on the dogs. Prepare clear instruc- tions well ahead of your seminar time period
as to what time each group of example dogs will be needed, of how the hands-on dogs will be placed within the ring/boundary for initial impression, for individual examina- tion, and for evaluation of gait both com- ing and going, and from the side, where the attendees will be standing during the indi- vidual examination, during the coming and going gaiting and during the evaluation of side gait. Explore where the hands-on han- dlers will keep the example dogs in lead-up to the hands-on. Is there crating space set aside for them? Maintaining consistency of presentation helps the attendees know what to expect and keeps the hands-on running smoothly.
PLANNING: ADMINISTRATIVE FORMS AND DOCUMENTS
The next thing to think about is the mountain of forms that will be needed for your group’s seminar(s). You will need to calculate how many you need of each type of form for each breed represented in the seminars. The most up-to-date forms can be found at the bottom of the AKC web page at https://www.akc.org/clubs-delegates/clubs/ resources/seminars/ then to General Infor- mation for Conformation, then to Reports and Guides and click on each of the four links located thereunder. Each link opens to a PDF version of the forms that need to be used for seminars and hands-on work- shops as well as the introduction. Familiar- ize yourself with what is required of you, the seminar coordinator, to send to the AKC at the completion of the seminar(s). Please find out if each seminar presenter will be bring- ing their own Certificates of Attendance from the parent breed club. Some parent clubs do this as a matter of course.
You will need the following forms for each breed:
• Seminar & Hands-on Workshop Report (one per breed)
• Seminar Attendee Form (accommo- dates 16 people to sign in per sheet) • Hands-On Workshop Breed Evalu-
ation Form, if applicable (one for each person attending a hands-on
per breed), (# of breeds offered X # of
people attending each breed)
• Judges Breed Study Group—Partici-
pant’s Evaluation (one for each person attending a seminar, per breed, (# of breeds offered X # of people attending each breed)
• Judges Breed Study Group—Breed Expert’s Evaluation (one per breed to be completed by presenter)
The following form is specific to the seminar coordinator:
• Judges Breed Study Group—Coordi- nator’s Evaluation (one for the entire set of seminars if multiple seminars given in a continuous time period, or 1 per breed if the seminar is given as a one-time (e.g., one per month, at a national/regional specialty)
If your group provides Certificates of Attendance, ensure that the breeds that each learner attends is represented on the Certificate of Attendance, including the date of the presentation and the name(s) of the presenter(s). Your signature, as coor- dinator, will attest that the information is correct. Plan on how you will produce those certificates for learners who attend one or multiple seminars.
PLANNING: ADMINISTRATIVE SUP- PLIES AND EQUIPMENT
Now that you’ve thought about the required forms and their logistics for use, think about the myriad items that may or will be needed during the seminar(s).
The following list will help you get started:
• Cardboard/plastic filing box(es) with tops
• Filefolders
• Index cards and rubber bands (to
identify each exhibit in the hands-on: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H). These disap- pear, so plan on having a fresh set for each breed.
• Pens
• Wide tip magic marker/felt tip marker
(to make last minute signs, make armbands, etc.) >
136 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019