The Golden Retriever Club of America

GRCA BREED EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Send completed applications to:
Barbara Branstad, Secretary, GRCA
6720 NCR 15
Ft. Collins , CO 80524

PURPOSE: The purpose of the GRCA Breed Education Committee (BEC) shall be to develop educational programs and materials that:

Recognize the Golden Retriever as primarily a hunting dog and encourage owners, breeders and judges to select Golden Retrievers that possess the appearance, soundness, temperament, natural abilities and personality reflected in the breed standard.
Educate breeders and owners in the care and enjoyment of their Golden Retrievers.

DESCRIPTION: The BEC shall consist of a BEC Chair, four subcommittees (Members' Education, Field Education, Breeders' Education, and Judges' Education) and a Technical Support Group. Each subcommittee will have its own chair to lead the subcommittee and to coordinate the subcommittee work with the Technical Support Group and the BEC Chair. The Technical Support Group will consist of an unspecified number of people with a variety of writing, electronic and audio/visual expertise to advise and assist in the production of programs and materials designed by any of the four subcommittees. Upon approval of the final product by the initiating subcommittee, a prototype will be reviewed for overall BEC uniformity by the BEC Chair and the chairs of the three other subcommittees and, when approved by them, submitted to the Board of Directors for final approval and funding. After approval by the Board of Directors of said material, a copyright will be registered by the Board in the name of the Golden Retriever Club of America, Inc. Each subcommittee chair and the Technical Support Group chair may request assistance from temporary consultants of their choice, without seeking Board approval, unless non-budgeted funding is required.

The Board of Directors shall publish, in the Golden Retriever News, the requirements for each position within the BEC, along with an application form. The Board will review the applications received and make appointments based on the qualifications of the volunteers. After an initial two-year/three-year set of appointments, all committee members shall be appointed to staggered two-year terms.

GRCA Board of Directors

Breed Education Committee Chair

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           Member Ed             Field Ed             Breeder Ed        Judges Ed
            Subcommittee    Subcommittee    Subcommittee   Subcommittee
            |_____________|____________|_____________|
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Technical Support Group

BREED EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR

Description: To ensure the consistency of the overall message, the BEC Chair will be an ex officio member of all subcommittees and will advise and assist as needed, but will not vote within a subcommittee except to break a tie.

Responsibilities: The BEC Chair shall:

Oversee the work of the four subcommittees and the Technical Support Group.
Coordinate the work of the subcommittees with the Board of Directors, via the Board's Liaison to the BEC.
Approve routine, budgeted expenditures for payment by the Treasurer up to a specified amount.
Submit in detail to the Board for approval any anticipated or unanticipated program and project expenses exceeding the budget.
Maintain Committee Records.
Provide successor with all records and materials.

Qualifications: The BEC Chair shall

Be an organized, effective leader with good interpersonal skills.
Have documented involvement with Golden Retrievers for at least twelve years, as a breeder and participant in conformation and field activities.
Have been a GRCA member for at least twelve years.

Special Projects: The Chair will assemble and maintain a bibliography and list of reference sources, with input from the four subcommittees and any other sources.

SUBCOMMITTEES:

1. MEMBERS' EDUCATION

Purpose: The purpose of the Members' Education Subcommittee shall be to educate GRCA members in all facets of the Golden Retriever in an effort to enhance their knowledge and appreciation of the breed's abilities, temperament, conformation, history and care.

Description: The Subcommittee shall consist of five people –a chair, a person with field training experience, and three additional members –all chosen at large and all Board appointed. At least one of the five shall be from each of the GRCA regions. The Subcommittee shall develop project ideas for Board approval, and design and produce audio/visual programs, articles and brochures as approved by the Board.

Chair Responsibilities: The Members' Education Subcommittee Chair shall:

Oversee the work of the subcommittee and coordinate work with the Technical Support Group.
Coordinate with the BEC Chair.
Maintain subcommittee records.
Provide successor with all records and materials.

Qualifications:

The subcommittee chairperson shall be an organized, effective leader with good interpersonal skills and at least twelve years of documented experience in the breed, and have been a GRCA member for at least eight years.
The subcommittee members, as a group, shall reflect a variety of interests, knowledge and experience.
The subcommittee member chosen at large with field training experience shall have owned, trained and handled a Golden Retriever to a WCX or SH or higher title.

Typical topics/projects: Articles, brochures and audio/visual programs on a variety of topics, such as, but not limited to:

Selecting a puppy
Nutrition, housing, health care
Temperament and behavior
Grooming
Showing
Obedience
Tracking
Agility
Encouraging participation by juniors
Responsible dog ownership
Beginning field training
Rescue
The breed's heritage as a hunting dog
Breed history
Club policies, programs, code of ethics

2. FIELD EDUCATION

Purpose: The purpose of the Field Education Subcommittee shall be to enhance all members' appreciation of the breed's purpose as primarily a hunting dog, to inspire them to participate in field events with their dogs, and to educate those interested in beginning or advancing their field training knowledge and experience.

Description: The subcommittee shall consist of five people –a chair, a person with conformation and field training experience, and three additional members –all chosen at large and all Board appointed. At least one of the five shall be from each of the GRCA regions. The Subcommittee shall develop project ideas for Board approval, and design and produce audio/visual programs, articles and brochures as approved by the Board. Additionally, the Field Education Subcommittee shall act as a resource to the other subcommittees as to how to incorporate the breed's purpose into other educational efforts.

Chair Responsibilities: The Field Education Subcommittee Chair shall:

Oversee the work of the subcommittee and coordinate work with the Technical Support Group.
Coordinate with the BEC Chair.
Maintain subcommittee records.
Provide successor with all records and materials.

Qualifications:

The subcommittee chairperson shall be an organized, effective leader with good interpersonal skills and have twelve years of documented experience in at least WCX, Senior Hunter, or the Qualifying level in field trials, and who is knowledgeable and supportive of all areas and levels of field work from a Working Certificate to a Field Championship.
The subcommittee chairperson shall have been a GRCA member for at least eight years.
The subcommittee members, as a group, shall reflect a full range of different field activity participation (GRCA Working Certificate program, AKC hunt tests, AKC licensed field trials and hunting).
The subcommittee member chosen at large with conformation and field training experience shall have twelve years experience showing in the conformation ring and have owned, trained and handled a Golden Retriever to a WCX or JH title.

Typical topics/projects: Articles, brochures and audio/visual programs on a variety of field training topics, such as, but not limited to:

How to train your puppy for field work.
How to train your Golden to become a Junior Hunter.
How to train for advanced hunt tests.
Hunt tests versus field trials; what's the difference?
How to join a field training group and find grounds for training.
A glossary of field terms.
An overview of the WC/WCX program -- objective, rules, necessary training and equipment.
The breed standard and its relationship to working field dogs.
What "primarily a hunting dog" really means.
Natural instincts versus trained responses.
Articles or other materials comparing the various field events.
Understanding the importance of preserving the Golden Retriever's natural hunting abilities.

3. BREEDERS' EDUCATION

Purpose: The purpose of the Breeders' Education Subcommittee shall be to educate all members in the importance of careful, selective breeding to preserve and enhance the Golden Retriever, as it is described in the AKC approved breed standard, and to educate those members who choose to breed their dogs in all aspects of breeding.

Description: The subcommittee shall consist of five experienced breeders of Golden Retrievers –a chair, a person with breeding and field training experience, and three additional members –all chosen at large and all Board appointed The Subcommittee shall develop project ideas for Board approval, and design and produce audio/visual programs, articles and brochures as approved by the Board. The subcommittee will coordinate with the Health and Genetics Committee on topics relating to these issues.

Chair Responsibilities: The Breeders' Education Subcommittee Chair shall:

Oversee the work of the subcommittee and coordinate work with the Technical Support Group.
Coordinate with the BEC Chair.
Maintain subcommittee records.
Provide successor with all records and materials.

Qualifications:

The subcommittee chair shall be an organized, effective leader with good interpersonal skills and at least twelve years of documented breeding and competing experience.
The subcommittee chair and all subcommittee members shall have been GRCA members for at least twelve years.
The subcommittee chair and all subcommittee members shall be experienced breeders interested in securing for the membership the most up-to-date information available on all aspects of breeding.
The subcommittee chair and the subcommittee members shall each have bred, owned and finished at least four Golden Retriever AKC Champions of Record, except that
The subcommittee member chosen at large with breeding and field training experience shall have bred, owned, trained and handled at least three Golden Retrievers to a WCX or SH or higher title, instead of the above requirement.

Typical topics/projects: Articles, brochures and audio/visual programs on all aspects of breeding, such as, but not limited to:

Reasons for breeding.
Understanding the breed standard.
Structure and movement.
How to evaluate breeding stock.
Health issues and genetic soundness.
The Importance of Genetic Diversity.
DNA and Genetic Testing.
Pros and Cons of Linebreeding, Inbreeding, Outcrossing.
How to select a stud dog.
Handling a natural breeding.
Modern aids for dog breeders (such as, but not limited to, progesterone testing, artificial insemination (AI), transcervical insemination, AI by surgical implant , fresh extended semen, frozen semen, pregnancy verification techniques, fetal monitoring procedures, etc.)
Solving reproductive problems.
Care of the bitch in whelp.
Whelping a litter.
Evaluating and placing puppies.
Relationships with, and responsibilities to, buyers.
Written sales agreements.
Leasing and co-owning.
Managing the stud dog.
Ethics and conduct.

4. JUDGES' EDUCATION

Purpose: The purpose of the Judges' Education Subcommittee shall be to educate current and aspiring judges in the evaluation of Golden Retrievers in the show ring according to the official AKC breed standard.

Description: The subcommittee shall consist of five people –a chair, a person with both show ring and field training experience and three additional members –all chosen at large and all Board appointed. At least one of the five shall be from each of the GRCA regions. The Subcommittee shall develop project ideas for Board approval, and design and produce audio/visual programs, articles and brochures as approved by the Board.

Chair Responsibilities: The Judges' Education Subcommittee Chair shall:

Oversee the work of the subcommittee and coordinate work with the Technical Support Group.
Act as the Judges' Education Coordinator to AKC, the point of contact for judges' education with AKC and with judges and aspiring judges seeking information.
Assume leadership in arranging for tutors, seminar speakers and materials, and work with the sponsoring club in making the arrangements for GRCA-sponsored seminars.
Coordinate with the BEC Chair.
Maintain subcommittee records.
Provide successor with all records and materials.

Qualifications:

The subcommittee chairperson shall be an organized, effective leader with good interpersonal skills and shall have been a GRCA member for at least twenty years and shall have had at least twenty years of documented experience in showing and breeding Golden Retrievers, having bred at least five litters of Golden Retrievers, and produced at least four AKC Champions of Record from those litters.
It is preferred that the chairperson be an AKC approved judge, but barring that, the chairperson shall have Golden Retriever judging experience minimally at the Sweepstakes level.
Each general subcommittee member (excepting the person defined in the previous bullet) shall have been a GRCA member for at least fifteen years and shall have had at least fifteen years of documented experience in showing and breeding Golden Retrievers, having bred at least five litters of Golden Retrievers and produced at least four AKC Champions of Record from those litters.
Of the three general subcommittee members and the Chair, at least two of these four shall be AKC approved Golden Retriever Breeder/Judges.
At least one of the five on this subcommittee shall have entirely breeder/owner/handled a Golden Retriever to an AKC conformation championship.
The subcommittee member chosen at large who has both show ring and field training experience shall have owned, trained and handled a Golden Retriever to a WCX or SH or higher title and won major points or higher in the show ring, not necessarily with the same dog.

Typical topics/projects:

Audio/visual programs, articles, brochures and seminar handouts which help illuminate and clarify the judging of Golden Retrievers in the conformation ring, according to the AKC approved breed standard.
Incorporate working field demonstrations as educational tools for judges and prospective judges in order to illustrate the relationship of structure and conformation to the work of retriever in the field.
Maintain a list of seminar speakers and tutors, selected by the subcommittee and approved by the Board, for presenting programs to judges and others around the country.
Maintain a list of tutors, selected by the subcommittee and approved by the Board, for providing one-on-one tutoring to judges and aspiring judges.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT GROUP:

Purpose: There is no endeavor more important for the GRCA than the education of club members, breeders and judges, in order to maintain and improve the temperament and genetic health of the breed and to protect the sanctity of the breed standard. It is imperative that the BEC have its own exclusive technical support group to ensure timely production of a wide range of high quality educational materials. Therefore, the purpose of the BEC Technical Support Group shall be to advise and assist in the technical design and production of the written and audio/visual programs and materials developed by the four subcommittees.

Description: The BEC Technical Support Group shall consist of a chair and an unspecified number of persons representing a variety of writing, editing, electronic audio/video and Internet skills. The members of the Technical Support Group shall advise the BEC Chair and Subcommittees, oversee and/or produce, for the specific subcommittee's approval, written and electronic programs and materials as designed by that subcommittee, and coordinate adding any appropriate items to the GRCA web site. Upon approval of the final product by the initiating subcommittee, a prototype will be reviewed for overall BEC uniformity by the BEC Chair and the chairs of the three other subcommittees and, when approved by them, submitted to the Board of Directors for final approval and funding.

Chair Responsibilities: The Chair of the Technical Support Group shall:

Oversee the work of the Group and coordinate work with the chairs of the four subcommittees and the BEC Chair.
Develop and maintain a list of additional sources with technical expertise for temporary assignments.
Maintain records of the Group's work.
Provide successor with all records and materials.

Qualifications:

The Group chairperson shall be an organized, effective leader with good interpersonal skills and be knowledgeable in various electronic and print media, who will maintain a directory of available personnel.
Group members shall be individuals with significant (preferably professional) expertise in writing, editing, and electronic media such as, but not limited to, audio tapes, video tapes, slide shows, graphic art/design, web page design, digital photography, and database design and management.

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The above qualifications represent the requirements deemed necessary for approval by the GRCA Board for the listed positions. Any candidate who cannot meet the requirements in their entirety may submit additional experience and documentation for consideration by the Board.

Sept. 2003 Res. 03-97

Updated via Res. 04-99, Dec. 2004