USA or WDA? Breed Dynamics In The US - Page 1

The dynamics of the breed are once again changing in the US. This country is once again at a crossroads with the German Shepherd Dog. Recent events that will have a profound impact on the GSD community have occurred. What does the immediate future hold for us? Your thoughts and impressions could help form the future.

Here's some recent background:

The WDA changed leadership last year after a very successful and popular leadership through the Spreitler and Petersen era. The club popularity was spurred by the JA and the organization filled with GSD enthusiasts at all levels. The annual North American Sieger Show became the premier event. After the 2011 NASS the WDA leadership changed. It returned to much of what was before Danny Spreitler became President. Participation in the 2012 NUSC and NASS was down substantially. Rules for the NASS were changed to limit participation and manipulate results through legislation and on the spot interpretation. The fallout over the way the NASS was run is well documented on the internet. No need to discuss the details here. The question here is what does the future hold for the WDA given past performance of the previous year?

USA suffered from the exclusionary amendment commonly referred to as the 'JA'. Both organizations quickly responded with ways around the unpopular amendment to mitigate the impact. USA recently held an election where the top positions changed across the board. The newly elected President and Vice President ran a campaign according to what's posted on the USA site on the working side of the breed. The question becomes will USA be a schutzhund organization as it's Mission Statement leans towards or will it be a breed organization?

Early indicators are positive. Good reports coming in about the new officials. The new board came out swinging with an announcement to invite two SV judges to judge the 2013 USA sieger show. This was one of a two part scenario needed for the breed side of the organization. Bring in another SV judge where the results are internationally recognized and modify the JA so we can enter the show. The first punch was effective. THe GSD community was a bit dazed by it's effect but the final blow was not delivered. USA was unable to act on the modified JA amendment. As a result the obstacles to participate are all still in place.

One may ask; How important is the JA at this time? Good question. Realistically the restrictions of the JA have been circumvented by both organizations with the exception of the scorebook issue that exists in the WDA. Realistically if nothing changes,, the JA at this point in time only affects the few WDA members that want to trial at a USA trial. Why bother changing things at all?

Here's why. Although the JA has been mitigated. The impact of the JA has not. The complex rules created by the JA are still in place. The membership restrictions are still in place. The USA services such as registration that were removed to accommodate the JA are no longer required. The revenues generated by those services to the organization are still lost. What will be the outcome?

Will both organizations need to follow their SV brother's example and expand? We see the expansion with the inclusion of the longcoats? What about agility? My Sept. SV magazine has as many pages covering agility as it does the sieger show. Will the organizations need to expand to broaden membership?

What direction do you see?

I was not permitted to continue as a member of UScA without leaving WDA.  The arguement seemed to be that as WDA was closely allied with GSDCA and as that group did not respect the SV standard, it was an undesirable liason.
To enter the UScA Sieger show and get around the JA, I actually had to join the GSDCA and use my membership in it to enter the show.
Does that make any sense to anyone? It may only affect a few and with the recent WDA Sieger show goings on it may not even affect as many as before but if it doesn't make sense, why is keeping it so important?
david

http://www.angelplace.net/usca/USCA&WDA.htm

i have a question , why is there 2 seiger shows no other country has 2 and i feel there should only be one, my vote is for USA to  have the SS , i like that they seem closer to  working side, than WDA.

Dog1:

             You say the JA hurt USCA, our Nationals fielded 60 entries your Fielded 18 ?  The USCA does not exist only by the good graces of a parent orginization example GSDCA-WDA With out your affiilation with the GSDCA you can,t get SV judges. I believe UScA is stronger now then before. Truley the JA effected very few people if you consider the % effected. 

After checking both entries it looks to me the UScA Seiger show fileded more entries then NASS.  Why can,t UScA be both a Schutzhund orginization and a breed orginization ? UScA is the only orginiztion who has a nationals for the gsd while also hoisting a all breed national competition. Does the GSDCA-WDA?   

I was a member of both for years and dropped both during all of that nonsense.  I am going to join USA again, I feel better supporting an organization that is not connected with the GSDCA or the AKC.  I was waiting to see the fall out and how things would change.  Being a working line guy and not into SL dogs at the moment I prefer USA.  I suppose if I was campaigning and showing my German SL dog or my 1/2 German 1/2 American SL dog at AKC events I'd go with the GSDCA and WDA.  But that will never happen for me.  

I'm am A showline Breeder here in the US as many have I dropped both USCA and WDA  I joined USCA again in Aug for many reason was on the fence with WDA they pushed me over the edge. I will not Support another WDA event and The bite work was a joke!!  I started handling in Working class this at USCA we got suffent but do to wrong training by me and my Helper. So at WDA we had a No -out But if I had walked grab my dog when he barely outed I would have passed. It cost a fortune to travel to these shows I think I SS here would be plenty,  I had WDA refund and pulled 3 of my dogs because of all there BS.

I believe that I personally am impacted negatively by the JA. I am fascinated with the working aspect of the GSD and the people that I admire for the working end are UScA members. I do not like the hostility often exhibited by UScA members towards West German conformation lines when it is undeserved. This hostility makes me wonder why UScA would want to be involved in breed shows even though I think they should. I often wonder if a majority of the members would prefer the organization to belong to RSV 2000. The involvement of the UScA as a breed organization has the possibility of alienating non GSD member groups who believe the organization should be the UNITED SCHUTZHUND CLUBS of AMERICA. I also wish to be involved to a lesser extent to showing GSD's and do not want to be limited to the organizations that I can participate with. I do not have a spouse that can belong to the other organization to circumvent the JA and I do not want to be forced to join the GSDCA in order to show dogs in UScA shows.I currently belong to neither organization but I do belong to a non GSD organization and club in order to work and trial my dogs. I wish that my limited knowledge and love for the breed could benefit both organizations as well as my sense of fair play. I like the idea of two organizations to serve as a check and balance against the other. I find reasons to be with both organizations but I may try to wait out the JA and the current WDA administration. I do believe the JA strengthened the hand of the GSDCA over the WDA and the JA did strengthen the GSDCA at a time when it was fizzling out.

There was a good atmosphere in the WDA during the Spreitler and Petersen administrations that encouraged camaraderie and mutual respect between kennels that in the past kept themselves at a distance one from another. Danny also tried to bring this cooperation between the two organizations. I hope there are enough good members left who can re take the organization.

Markobytes,

I have one of those West German showlines and have yet to be negatively impacted or experience hostility for it.  I have played at every level within UScA (show and trial) and have appreciated a positive reception, opened doors, and graciousness from top leadership through individual members.  My experience with WDA's members was also the same.

Rank and file members in both organizations are with very few exceptions similar and care about the same things.  While UScA certainly has its "warts," the overall quality and integrity of it's events, judges program, and adherence to it's own bylaws sets it apart.  And, while we are all beholden to the SV and WUSV, owing one's very survival to "permission" from the GSDCA to exist completes the "choice" from my perspective.  

The majority of members in the AKC and GSDCA disdain our existence in supporting through schutzhund/IPO the preservation of our working breeds. 

In totality, this is NOT an allegiance or structure I personally wish to be beholden to...  BTW, I fully respect anyone who chooses otherwise.

Respectfully,

Kevin Nance