Annual Training Achievement Award (ATAA)

This is an annual award and point tabulation for the German Shepherd Dog sires and dams whose purebred progeny earn titles (and points) through performance events including, but not limited to, herding, obedience, tracking, agility and Schutzhund.

This award showcases the breeder who strives to produce working progeny capable of doing the many tasks a working German Shepherd Dog can do and who helps maintain the versatility of our breed and its heritage.

The purpose of the Annual Training Achievement award is multifactorial:

• To give breeders more incentives to encourage their puppy purchasers to train and show their dogs.
• To provide incentive to owners of German Shepherd Dogs to exhibit in Performance Trials and Tests and thereby help honor their dog’s sire and/or dam.
• To stimulate more exhibitors to show their dogs in breed and performance events so that there will be more multi-titled German Shepherd Dogs.
• To provide the union of or “bridge the gap” between breed exhibitors and performance competitors to common goals.
• To demonstrate to the public the usefulness and versatility of the German Shepherd Dog breed and show that they can compete successfully in all types of competitions.

The ATAA Guidelines are as follows:

1. In order for a progeny to qualify to earn points for their sire and/or dam, they must have no disqualifying faults. To this end they will need to have been awarded a placement ribbon in a breed conformation class at an AKC or SV breed show, or submit a letter from an AKC judge licensed to judge German Shepherd Dogs that the dog is free of any disqualifying faults (spayed/neutered dogs may qualify). No one can attest to dogs that they own or have bred. In addition all dogs examined for the program must be at least 6 months of age.
2. Points for titles for the sire or dam will not accumulate unless the owner of the sire and/or dam is a member of the GSDCA. Points will not be awarded retroactively.  Only the breeder who submits the request for progeny points for their sire or dam needs to be the GSDCA member.  The owners of the progeny also do not need to be GSDCA members, although that is encouraged.  This is a voluntary program and it is the breeder who choses whether or not to participate in this program and its awards.
3. The awards year runs from January 1 to December 31 of each year. Submissions for the award year are to be submitted between January 1 and April 1 of the following year.  Breeders (the owner of the sire and/or dam) need to submit the following:

            a:  A completely filled out ATAA program report form for each progeny

            b:  A copy of all the title certificates being requested to be tabulated for points (which they must acquire from the progeny’s owners), or a copy of the page in the AKC awards or GSDCA Review where the title is published. 

            c:  Proof (as above) that the dog has no disqualifying faults if the progeny is being submitted for inclusion in the program for the first time.

Effective 2018 the titles being allowed for submission include all the AKC titles, all the SV titles, all the GSDCA titles, SAR/Law Enforcement titles and AKC recognized titles (such as barn hunt and dock diving).   On the GSDCA website you will find the current list of titles allowed along with their point allocations.  The list may change as new titles or titling venues are added. 

At the end of the submission period each year the points earned by the progeny for each sire and dam are tabulated, and an annual list of the Top 10 Sires and Dams is created. The #1 sire and dam each year will receive an award plaque.  The Top 10 will receive frameable certificates of achievement.  In addition annually the results will be published in the October issue of the German Shepherd Dog Review with 3 tabulations:

1. The Top 10 sires/dams for the year and their point accumulation for that year with the names of their owner(s).
2.  The Top 25 active sires/dams overall and their point totals with the names of their owner(s).  After 3 years of inactivity they are moved to the inactive list.
3.  The Top 25 all time sires/dams and their point totals with the names of their owner(s).

This is a great program to showcase the versatility and achievements of our German Shepherd Dogs.  I welcome all new participants to the program and am always available to answer any questions you may have.  Please submit all required forms and documentation to:

Cynthia Binder DVM
GSDCA ATAA Chair

5487 La Cumbre Rd, Somis, Ca 93066

Binderhaus@aol.com

See/download/print the Current Point Schedule.

See/download/print the ATAA Progeny Reporting Form.

See/download/print the Judge’s Attestation Form (you do not need to use this form, it is just a suggestion, but it may make it easier for your judge to use it.

Click here to see the current ATAA winners.