With the Desire to Facilitate Area Clubs to Offer Educational Opportunities to Prospective

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SHCA Education Program:
Area Club’s Ringside Observation

With the desire to facilitate area clubs to offer educational opportunities to prospective judges of the Siberian Husky, the SHCA h as prepared the following program. It is intended to meet the AKC Ringside Observation requirements for judges applying for additional breeds, as well as those applying to judge Siberian Huskies as a single breed.

This program is designed as a guide for use at a local club’s Specialty Show (or other show with a large Siberian Husky entry), and requires minimal facilities and planning arrangements. The program offers study of the Standard and ringside mentoring during judging. By utilizing SHCA’s CD-ROM of the Siberian Husky as a do-at-home study guide (as well as a continuing reference), the local club does not need to find presenters, obtain slides and script, find a facility, etc. The local Club will need to find aproved ringside mentors to be available during the show. Over the years, as the SHCA National has moved across the country, SHCA has identified a number of members who have served as SHCA Mentors. So, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find people to serve as mentors.

This package provides some “sample” documents to use as guides in producing the required items needed for this program.

The program requires the following:

Publicizing the event
Securing Mentors (For AKC judges’ approval, mentors should be selected from the SHCA approved list of mentors. It is preferrable to have one mentor to each pair of attendees. It is also preferrable if attendees could speak with more than one mentor). Please make sure they are aware of their responsibilities.
Making arrangements with SHCA to have CD-ROMs sent
Receiving reservations, and sending CDs, schedules, bios to the attendees in advance of the mentoring event
Making arrangements for a mentor section at the show (with the correct chair configuration, etc.).
Making certain that AKC’s Ringside Observation Forms are available for use
Overseeing the event
Providing Certificates for the attendees, as well as having them complete evaluations
Reporting attendance, and evaluations back to SHCA Education Chairman, and returning $5/per attendee to cover the cost of the SHCA CD-ROM

Description of the Program: This is a document that may be used in conjunction with the registration form to describe the program offered.

!st paragraph: Discuss the Club, as well as the show at which and the judges under which this program will be offered..

2nd paragraph: Give location, dates, etc., for the show and mentoring.

Due to normally large entries and distinguishedjudging panels, specialties always prompt much interest among the dog community. This year, in response to this interest, as well as AKC’s requirements for Ringside Observation, we are offering a Judges’ Education Program comprised of Siberian Husky Club of America’s self-study materials and ringside mentoring.

The program we are offering requires pre-registration, and includes the following:

Upon registering, a copy of the SHCA CD-ROM on the Siberian Husky will be sent to each registrant for viewing PRIOR to the Specialty. We encourage everyone to make note of any questions you might have about the Siberian and bring them to the Specialty. (The CD is yours to keep and to refer to later.)
Each registrant will be sent a copy of the Judging Schedule

Each registrant will receive a catalog at the specialty
Seating for registrants will available in a special ringside area
Ringside mentoring will be provided during those classes of sufficient size, most likely: BBE Bitch, Open Bitch, BBE Dog, Open Dog, and BoB competition by experienced mentors selected from the SHCA/AKC approved mentors’ list. Questions from those attending will be encouraged, and you will be given the opportunity to meet with different mentors.
Although official mentoring is available during the larger classes, registrants are welcome to join us for any of our other activities. (We will send a copy of our Premium List enabling you to make reservations for other events.)

Because this is the first time we are offering this program, we are not certain of the response we might receive and we will be limited in the number of individuals we can accommodate. So priority will be given to those actively working toward AKC approval to judge Siberian Huskies in the order reservations are received.

Please use the attached form to register. If you have any questions, please contact: contact person’s information

We hope you can join us!

Registration Form: This is a document that may be used by potential attendees to register. Please note that the price listed below should cover the cost of the CD-ROM and a copy of the show catalog. We also provided the mentors with a complimentary lunch.

CLUB NAME

Presents

Judges’ Self-Study and Ringside Observation

Date

Location

Please enroll me in this program: send me a copy of SHCA’s self-paced CD-ROM on the Siberian Husky, and reserve a catalog for me as well as a place for the ringside mentoring. I understand that spaceislimited, and will be assigned as received but with priority to those who are currently AKC Judges approved to judge Siberian Huskies and those ACTIVELY pursuing AKC approval to Judge Siberian Huskies. Complete one registration form per person. Cost is $10.00 per person.

I currently:Am approved by the AKC to judge Siberian Huskies

(check allAm approved by the AKC to judge the following breeds:
that apply)______

Have provisional status with the AKC for the following breeds:
______

Am in the process of submitting my paperwork for the Siberian Huskies

Am in the process of submitting my paperwork for the following breeds:
______

Other, please explain: ______

Name

Address

City______State______Zipcode

Phone

E-Mail Address

Return this form and your check made payable to your club’s name for $10.00 per person (which includes a copy of the SHCA CD-ROM of the Siberian Husky, mentoring, and a catalog to pick up at the Show) To: contact

Reservations must be received by Date

Attendee Acknowledgment: Send this letter and a copy of the Mentor Biographies with the CD-ROM to all reservations.

Dear Friend,

We are delighted that you have signed up for our program of Judges’ Education Self-Study and Ringside Mentoring at our upcoming Specialty Show! We hope you will find it a worthwhile experience!

Enclosed, you will find a copy of the SHCA CD-ROM on the Siberian Husky to be viewed PRIOR to the Specialty. We encourage you to make note of any questions you might have about the Siberian and bring them to the Specialty for discussion with your mentors. The CD is yours to keep and to refer to later. Please follow the directions on the CD label to run it.

When it is available, you will be sent a copy of the Judging Schedule. Although official mentoring is available only during the larger classes on day, date, you are welcome to join us for any of our other activities (a copy of our Premium List is enclosed so you can be aware of our other events). Ringside mentoring will be provided in a special seating area during those classes of sufficient size. You will be assigned experienced mentors—judges and long time Siberian fanciers, as approved by SHCA/AKC. Please feel free to ask your mentors any questions you have about our Breed. Here is your tentative mentor assignment:

Bred-By-Exhibitor Dogs: Mentor Name
Open Dogs: Mentor Name
Bred-By-Exhibitor Bitches: Mentor Name
Open Bitches: Mentor Name
Best of Breed Competition: Mentor Name

For your reference, we are including in this packet, a short biography of the mentors, along with their contact information in case you have later questions.

When you arrive, please give your name to the Club member staffing the Catalog table to receive your reserved catalog.

When you arrive, please ask someone to find me. I hope you enjoy learning about the Siberian Husky!

Sincerely,

Organizer’s name

Mentor Biographies and Contact Information: To help those attending know their mentors, provide them with mentor biographies. This will also give the attendees contact information for their mentors should they have questions after the program. These may be sent with the CD-ROM

The Club thanks members and friends for helping us in this educational activity by volunteering to serve as Mentors. For your reference, we have compiled short biographies of those individuals who routinely volunteer their time as moderators, presenters, judges, and mentors for our Education activities, and who are on the SHCA/AKC approved list of mentors. We thank them for their work and dedication in helping to support this program.

Picture of mentor
Name
Address
Phone
E-Mail / A summary of the mentor’s participation in the breed, and his or her accomplishments.
Picture of mentor
Name
Address
Phone
E-Mail / A summary of the mentor’s participation in the breed, and his or her accomplishments.
Picture of mentor
Name
Address
Phone
E-Mail / A summary of the mentor’s participation in the breed, and his or her accomplishments.

Mentor Solicitation Letter: Send this letter, following Mentor Acceptance, and the Mentor Guidelines to those you wish to serve as mentors.

Date

Name

Address

City, State ZIP

Dear: Name,

As a past attendee at the______show, we hope that you are planning on joining us again this year. We are also offering a panel of judges that we hope will be of interest to all exhibitors.

At each of our previous specialties, the Club has been approached by those individuals wishing to be approved to judge Siberians, who are in search of ringside observation or other educational opportunities. And, we have tried to accommodate these requests by asking some members and friends to mentor these people informally. This year we have decided to try to fill this need for judges’ education in a different way. We are offering a program of self-study (using some SHCA’s Judges’ Education materials) and limited ringside mentoring.

Based on the number of participants, we are trying to schedule some short mentoring sessions during the largest classes (BBE, Open, and BOB) at our Specialty. As a friend of the Club and an SHCA-approved Judges’ Education Mentor, we hope that you would agree to participate as a mentor. It is our plan to limit the number of attendees, and to ask our volunteer mentors for a½-hour to one-hour mentoring commitment during the Specialty. Traditionally, the large classes at our Specialty (BBE, Open, and BOB) have entries of between 12 and 25 dogs. Of course, we ask that you do not have a dog in the ring while you are mentoring, so we would work with your schedule. And, we would offer you lunch on Saturday in thanks for your participation.

If you are willing to volunteer a bit of your time, please complete and return the enclosed form in the envelope provided.

We look forward to seeing you. Thank you, in advance, for your participation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. You will find a copy of the flyer enclosed.

Sincerely,

Organizer’s name

Mentor Acceptance: Use this form to obtain acceptance from those mentors who have agreed to participate.

MENTOR ACCEPTANCE

 Yes, I will participate as a mentor at the where/when

Remember that AKC’s Ringside Observation Criteria state that “Mentors will not be permitted to participate on days they are exhibiting except at National or Regional Specialties where formal ringside mentoring is organized by the host club.”

I will be available to mentor during the following class(es). (This means that I will not have an exhibit in the[se] class[es])—please check all that apply:

Bred-By-Exhibitor Dogs

Open Dogs

Bred-By-Exhibitor Bitches

Open Bitches

Best of Breed Competition

We will create a schedule based on your availability.

We will be creating a list of mentors, complete with contact information and short biographies. So, please provide your contact information and a short bio, and attach a photo.

Name

Address

City______State______Zipcode

Phone

E-Mail Address

Biography:

Mentor Guidelines: Provide a copy of this document to anyone who will be considering serving as a mentor.

What is expected of a Ringside Mentor?

Although we often say that the job of a Ringside Mentor is NOT to offer his or her opinion, that is not a completely true statement. Dog showing is the essence of offering opinions. What we mean when we discourage the offering of personal opinions is the following:

Refrain from offering opinions about individuals, personalities, kennels, specific dogs, etc.
Never offer a comment that is contrary to what appears in the Standard
Whenever necessary, reply to questions using the Standard

However, we know that not all questions can be answered by quoting the Standard, and you may be asked to offer your opinion.

How to answer questions:

Cite the appropriate section of the Standard
Allow for distortion due to angle of vision (e.g., unless you are at ninety degrees to the dog, there will be a distortion in measurements)
Allow that you cannot get your hands on the dog in question (e.g., you cannot really tell where the dog’s chest falls due to coat)
Apply the Standard section to the dog, itself, drawing conclusions based on the Standard
When additional comment is needed/requested, then offer your opinion that is shaped by:
Our collective belief that a fault that interferes with the dog’s ability to do his job is worse than one seemingly more arbitrary
Our collective belief that a single, enormous fault is worse than a number of smaller ones

(e.g., if asked which is less-desirable, a weak topline or round eyes; or if asked what “slightly longer” means, as the Standard does not address these) These types of questions are good ones for discussion with your mentees.

Try to phrase your comments in a positive way (e.g., instead of saying that a dog has too little leg, say that it could use more leg, etc.)

In some cases, your mentees might be somewhat reticent to ask questions. So, here are some ideas to help prompt for discussion:

Ask if there is a dog in the group that catches the eye of the mentee and why?
Pick a section of the Standard that you find particularly important, and discuss how the dogs you see meet that section
If there is a particularly outstanding example in the ring, bring it to the mentee’s attention and discuss why
Conversely, although one doesn’t like to dwell on faults, if there is a glaring problem with a dog, mention it
If there is a particularly good comparison you can make between two dogs, do so (e.g., comparing shoulder angulation, etc.)
Use the opportunity to discuss some of the subtleties of our Breed and Standard (e.g., coat length, what “slightly longer” means, etc.)
Select one item from the Standard and discuss how each dog in the lineup fits that point.

What do you think about the proportion of this dog?

The Standard states that “the length of leg from elbow to ground should be slightly longer than the distance from the elbow to the top of withers.” It appears from this perspective that this dog’s leg is about equal in length to the dog’s depth of body. So, based on the Standard, this dog does not show the proportion called for, and needs a bit more leg.

When asked how you would place the class, provide opinion, but base comments on Standard.

Mentor Thanks and Schedule: Provide a copy of this document to anyone who has agreed to serving as a mentor.

Dear ______,

Thank you, again, for agreeing to serve as a mentor at the upcoming show. We have ###people registered to participate. And, knowing dog people, there could be others who might show up at the last minute—we will try to accommodate these late comers. We are pleased that there is interest in our Breed, and happy that these duties will not overburden our mentors.

Include any special agreements here, such as lunch, etc.

Our registrants are: list them, and give a brief description of their experience. They have received the SHCA’s CD-ROM on the Siberian and should have reviewed it prior to the Specialty. I have encouraged them to note any questions they might have on our breed. They have also been sent your photos and short biographies, as well as this tentative mentoring schedule:

Bred-By-Exhibitor Dogs: Mentor’s Name
Open Dogs: Mentor’s Name
Bred-By-Exhibitor Bitches: Mentor’s Name
Open Bitches: Mentor’s Name
Best of Breed Competition: Mentor’s Name

There will be an area at ringside set aside for mentoring, so please check with me to make sure you know where to report at the start of your scheduled class.

Although you are all well aware of how to be a mentor, I am enclosing for your reference, a document about mentoring that we put together for SHCA Education—you are probably quite familiar with it.