What are the ACEF Graduate Institutes? What is the difference between the ACEF Graduate Institutes and the ACEF Judges Institutes?

The Graduate Institutes are the Institutes in which all the individual breeds in an AKC Group are presented. These Institutes are held in conjunction with dog show clusters to make the individual breeds more readily available to the students. Students interested may choose to schedule ringside observations and mentoring.

The ACEF Judges Institutes are the week long Institutes which cover: Anatomy, Movement, Judges Approval Process, Judges Ethics, and Management Guidelines for Judges, Ring Management and Procedures, AKC Rules, Regulations and Guidelines, and more. During the Judges Institutes, dogs may be used to demonstrate Wicket measuring or types of movement.

How long do the ACEF Graduate Institutes last?

The Graduate Institutes last approximately 4 - 5 days depending on the size of the Group. The Breed presentations generally start on a Wednesday or Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. and usually end on a Sunday afternoon by 3:00 p.m.

I want to make my Airline reservations. When is the best day to come in and when can I expect to finish?

Since the Institute starts at 8:00 a.m., it is best to arrive the night before. This would be Tuesday or Wednesday evening for the student registration held at the Host Hotel. Please check on the current registration form for dates and times. You can generally expect to finish on Sunday by 3:00 p.m. Again, check on the current registration form for more specific times.

When should I make reservations at the Host Hotel? Is there a special rate being offered to ACEF Institute students? What if I want a roommate to save expenses?

You should make reservations ASAP at the hotel listed on the Registration Form. There is a special rate offered to ACEF Institute students and that will also be listed on the Registration Form. Listed on the Registration form is the “Block” to ask for to receive the special rate. Most attendees arrive the afternoon or evening before the Institute starts and make their reservations accordingly. If you would like a roommate, to save expenses, you may email Nina Sherrer (nina@k9education.org) who will then create a list of those wanting roommates and forward it to all those concerned. It will be up to you to contact a person on that list and make arrangements for rooming together.

What about transportation from the Airport to the Hotel and from the Hotel to the Show Grounds/ACEF Group Institute classroom?

The Hotels we use generally provide Airport to Hotel transportation. We will let you know if this is not the case at a hotel we use. There usually is also transportation provided from the Hotel to the Show Grounds/ACEF Group Institute classroom.

How much time does each Verbal Breed presentation last? How long do the Hands-On Workshops last?

Each Verbal Breed presentation lasts 1 ½ hour (90 minutes). Most presenters give a verbal presentation with audio-visual (ex. Power Point, slides, videos, etc.). The Hands-On Workshops last 1 hour and (if given with the Verbal Breed presentation) immediately follows the 90-minute presentation.

The ACEF has, prior to 2006, always had both a hands-on workshop and verbal presentation, which lasted a total of 1 ¼ hour. We believe this is extremely important, however with the new AKC requirements, time constraints do not allow us to offer a “hands-on workshop” with the Verbal Presentations for an entire GROUP. Following the new AKC presentation and workshop criteria, 26 breeds would require 169 hours of classroom time! (That’s more than 4 – 40 hour work weeks.)

We considered several options for holding both Verbal Presentations and Hands-On workshops. We felt the most economical way to meet the needs of our students, and to ensure that our students are able to attend any and all the breeds they need, is to have an entire Group at an ACEF Institute. For these reasons, at this time, we will only be offering the Verbal Presentations for each breed at our Graduate Group Institutes.

What if I only miss 15 minutes of a Breed? Will I still receive full credit?

You are required to attend the Verbal Breed presentation in its entirety to receive a component credit from the AKC. Your ACEF Institute Certificate will indicate those breeds that you attended.

I’ve heard that on occasion there are not enough handouts on the individual breeds. What is the ACEF doing to correct this? How can I obtain handouts on a breed if there are not enough?

We inform the National Breed Club presenter of the number of students registered and then ask that they bring several extra handouts on their breed. Some Breed Presenters bring enough, some do not. We do not have control over this aspect. When this occurs, if you do not receive a handout and would like one, the names and addresses of each Breed Presenter is in your class book. You can write to them or to the Parent Club. As an alternative you can also give your name to the Breed Presenter on the day of the presentation.

Informational handouts for a breed are the responsibility of the Breed Presenter and the Parent Club. One thing the ACEF stresses, however, is those students sitting in the classroom when handouts are passed around have priority of receiving them. It is assumed that those students are in that breed presentation for the entire duration. If you come in late and wish a handout, please wait until the presentation is over and ask the presenter.

Can I also observe the breeds and dogs at ringside during the shows?

This is entirely up to each individual student. The ACEF does not schedule observations or in-ring mentoring. If a student/judge is already approved to judge a breed that is being presented, they may certainly leave the classroom during that breed and observe other breeds at the shows. All ACEF Breed Presentations will take place in our assigned classroom. We encourage the Parent Club to have a knowledgeable breed person at ringside during breed judging when their breed is not being presented in the classroom.

What if I can only attend part of the Institute? Can I register for only those days and/or breeds? Will I be able to get a discount because I’m not attending the entire ACEF GROUP Institute?

We’d love to accommodate those wishing to attend only on certain days or attending certain breeds; however, due to the enormous amount of bookkeeping this would entail, we are unable to do so at this time. As in the past at our Group Institutes, your tuition covers the entire Group Institute. If you choose to attend only on certain days or specific breeds that is your choice entirely.

Will I receive a certificate from the parent club for each Breed I attend? Will I also receive a certificate from the ACEF for attending the Advanced Group Institute?

Students will receive one certificate for attending the Advanced Group Institute. This ACEF Certificate will list those breeds attended in their entirety. Some parent clubs do provide their own certificates; however, they are not required to do so with our ACEF Institutes. Students will turn in a signed Attendance form at the end of the Institute attesting to those breeds they did or did not attend in their entirety.

Presently AKC requires a sign up sheet for each breed presentation. This be will passed around the room for signatures of those in attendance and will be forwarded to the AKC as required. Your signature assures the AKC you have attended the entire presentation.

When will the schedule of Breeds being presented be available?

The schedule of breed presentation times will be included in your class book. It will NOT be sent to you prior to the Institute. We will do our best to post the schedule on our web site as soon as we have it completed. The schedule is generally not complete until approximately 2 weeks prior to the Graduate Institute. Even then, there are sometimes last minute changes that are necessary.

When I send in my Registration Form and tuition, will I be contacted further? How will I know I have a spot in the Institute?

If you wish conformation of registration, send a SASE along with your Registration Form. You can assume that you are enrolled, unless you hear from us otherwise. You will not be contacted further however, by checking our web site you should be able to get any information you may need. Most of the information you need is on the top part of your registration form that you should keep.

UPDATED: July 30, 2010 by Nina Marie Sherrer

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