Working Certificate (WC)
The WC is awarded only to dogs whose owners are AWTA Members in good standing at the time of qualifying work.
Accepted Quarry
The Certificate is issued to dogs that worked in a natural earth to the following quarry: woodchuck/groundhog, fox, raccoon, badger, aggressive opossum, nutria (coypu), armadillo and other quarry found acceptable by the Trustees on review of an application submitted by a member for earthwork done to that quarry.
Accepted Work
This does not include work in a drain or otherwise man-made earth. The dog must enter the earth without assistance or encouragement from other dogs on the ground. If the dog is actively marking a restricted or impeded entrance to an earth, removing a restriction, such as a stone or root, is allowed. However, no further assistance, alteration or enlargement of the entrance to the den is permitted. The dog must enter far enough to be completely out of sight when a person is looking down the hole. The dog must locate the quarry in the earth completely on its own without encouragement (dog or human).
Simple verbal communication from the handler to the dog is allowed. frenzied, or excited verbal encouragement intended to work-up the dog is not allowed. The use of locator collars is not a requirement but it is recommended.
The dog must work alone (only one dog in the earth), must work down to the quarry and cause it to bolt, or draw it from the earth. If the quarry does not bolt or is not drawn, the terrier or dachshund must work in a manner sufficient to allow diggers to locate and dig to the quarry. There is to be no doubt that the dog is/was right up to the quarry while marking or causing the quarry to bolt. A visual positive identification of the quarry is required. The terrier or dachshund must work by the above rules and another AWTA member must witness the dog’s work.
Applying for the WC
A WC application; which includes a written, detailed report of the hunt, bearing the signatures of the owner(s) who were present and at least one (1) witness (who must be a member at the time of work), along with the filing fee ($10.00) must be sent to the Hunting and Working Certificate Secretary. The application must be submitted within one (1) year of the hunt. If the applicant wants an award flask, an additional $10.00 should be included with the application. Permission to publish should be included in the application if the member wants the hunt details to be published in DTE. The application may be sent electronically to the H&WC Secretary but a signed hard copy must also be sent.
Approval of the WC
The H&WC Secretary will send a copy of the report to each of the Trustees for their review and approval. A unanimous approval is required to award the Working Certificate. Reason(s) for disapproval will be sent to the person requesting the evaluation.
Issuing Of The WC
The Certificate will be mailed by the H&WC Secretary upon approval of the Trustees to the applicant. When more than one person owns a dog, the only name(s) that will appear on the Certificate are the owner(s) who were present when the Certificate was earned.
Hunting Certificate (HC)
The HC is awarded only to dogs whose owner(s) are AWTA members in good standing during the entire period of qualifying work.
The purpose of the Hunting Certificate is to recognize that the dog possesses the control, instincts and courage to confront a quarry animal in non-traditional situations. There are parts of the country where traditional below ground earthwork is virtually impossible due to geographic factors. Some traditional dogs of earth-working breeds may be too large for underground work but are regularly used as draw dogs in a team effort.
There is no limit to the number of Hunting Certificates that a dog can earn.
Accepted Quarry
The certificate is issued to dogs used for ABOVE GROUND hunting to such quarry as: woodchuck/groundhog/marmot, fox, raccoon, badger, nutria (coypu), armadillo, rabbit, squirrel, opossum, rat, muskrat, mongoose, feral pig or for flushing and/or retrieving upland birds and other quarry found acceptable by the Trustees on review of an application submitted by a member for hunting above ground done to that quarry. Certificates will be awarded to either a specific quarry or multiple quarries.
Accepted Work
Some examples of acceptable hunting which would qualify are; retrieving waterfowl, treeing/spotting squirrels for the gun, drawing quarry from dens having been located and dug to, locating and killing rats or clearing a barn of raccoons, opossum or other pests. The quarry must be purposefully sought and the object should be to take the game for food or fur, to kill or capture the animals considered to be vermin or to collect animals for scientific study. The dog must locate the quarry for the hunter and make it possible for the hunter to take the game by legal hunting methods. Alternately the dog should be able to take the game by itself where appropriate.
Applying for the HC
HC application includes a written, detailed narrative of the dog’s hunting experience, bearing the signatures of the owner(s) who hunted the dog and at least one (1) witness (an AWTA member or combination of members) who have witnessed the dog hunting on at least six (6) occasions and attest that it is used regularly for hunting. A filing fee ($10.00) must be sent to the Hunting and Working Certificate Secretary. If the applicant wants an award flask, an additional $10.00 should be included with the application. The application must be sent within one (1) year of the end of the hunting season or the end of the six (6) month qualifying period, which ever applies. Permission to publish should be included in the application if the member wants the hunting details to be published in DTE. The application may be sent electronically to the H&WC Secretary but a signed hard copy must also be sent.
Approval of the HC
The H&WC Secretary will send a copy of the application to each of the Trustees for their review and approval. A unanimous approval is required to award the Hunting Certificate. Reason(s) for disapproval will be sent to the person requesting the evaluation.
Issuing of the HC
The Certificate will be mailed by the H&WC Secretary upon approval of the Trustees to the applicant. When more than one person owns a dog, the only name(s) that will appear on the Certificate are the owner(s) who hunted with the dog.
Certificate Class Advanced Award (CCA)
The CCA title is awarded to a dog whose owner(s) are AWTA members in good standing during the entire period of obtaining the passing scores. Note: The starting date for the Award is for passing scores on or after January 1, 2012.
Qualification
The Certificate is issued to dogs that have accumulated five (5) passing scores in the Certificate Class.
Applying for the CCA
A CCA application submitted by the dog owner(s) indicating the trial name, location and date of the trial must be sent to the Trial Secretary for verification. Note: It is the responsibility of the owner(s) to keep track of the qualifying information.
Issuing of the CCA
The Certificate Class Advanced Award will be a special frame with the title engraved that will be appropriate to display the documentation or photo of the dog.
Certificate of Gameness (CG)
The CG is awarded to a dog whose owner(s) are AWTA members in good standing and that qualifies with a score of 100% in an Open Class at an AWTA sanctioned trial.
Scoring
The dog is required to travel a thirty (30) foot earth and reaching the quarry within thirty (30) seconds. This will produce a score of 50%. The dog must then work the quarry, as defined on the Judge’s score sheet, continuously for a full sixty (60) seconds. This will produce a score of 50%. The two combining scores will total the 100% passing score.
Handler Guidelines
The handler may give one command on release and then must stand quietly at the release point throughout the test. Time in the Open Class is started when the dog is released.
Accepted Work
The dog may enter the earth, come out, and reenter providing he does not go all the way to the quarry. The dog is not penalized as long as he reaches the quarry within thirty (30) seconds from time of release. Once the dog reaches the quarry he must not leave it; if he does, he receives no score for working even though he may return to the quarry. If the dog reaches the quarry within thirty (30) seconds and works the quarry continuously for a full minute, he earns the CG.
Issuing of the CG
The dog owner(s) will send the dog’s score sheet along with the $10 Certificate Fee to the AWTA Trial Secretary who will issue and mail the Certificate. A dog owner(s) has thirty (30) days from the day of the trial to become an AWTA member and be eligible for the CG.