CEBA Comments

This “CEBA Comments” page is a small sampling of statements from participants, volunteers, conformation scribes, temperament evaluators, and conformation panelists. These excerpts are from CEBA articles that were published in our NEMDA Entlebooks.

Note: For additional information and further reading please go to the CEBA Articles.

Participant Comments

“Yes I would recommend the evaluation to others to become a better owner. It helps you get to know your dog, and you can work on areas of your dog’s insecurities. As a dog trainer, I wish more people would do this, it helps me with evaluating dogs I train. It shows the owner they can train per pack or prey. Also with what will trigger their dog. And that they need to be relaxed and pay attention to their dogs’ reaction.” 

“I would definitely recommend this portion to everyone…It makes you give more credit to your dog in so many ways…and it’s an education for the owner.”

Temperament Volunteer Comments

“It was my pleasure to witness first-hand how nice our NEMDA dogs really are! And to see that our dog owners are such good sports! Both people and dogs were patient with the process, respectful of the organizers and other participants, and the owners showed incredible love for their dogs! One of the judges mentioned to me how impressed he was that our dogs were able to co-exist with strangers and each other so peacefully. When the dogs went through CEBA Temperament testing, it was obvious that most all are real “troopers” – rolling with whatever (goofy and unexpected) situation they are presented with. Bells and funny surfaces to walk on? Sure! Strangers in their space? Why not?”

“Volunteering for CEBA was fun in two ways. It was a great chance to see the commonalities of Entles typical response in the variety of situations, and the occasional individual dog’s different response, and it was a chance to mingle with a purpose.”

Conformation Scribe Comments

“When presented with the opportunity to scribe for the judging panel and develop an understanding of the CEBA evaluations I had feelings of excitement and anxiety. I knew that my frame of reference and knowledge base was in puppy and adult health and development. To be able to observe, work and interact with the professionalism of the judges and CEBA team was incredible! I learned an immense amount about structure, movement and temperament differences that I was unable to put to the correct terminology prior to assisting in the CEBA opportunities at Entlefest. The most important thing that I learned is how crucial it is to have our Entles CEBA evaluated to learn our own individual dogs strengths and weaknesses. As with any of us, human or canine, our traits define who we are and help us better understand why we behave the way we do. I am appreciative and thankful. If the opportunity presents itself to you (scribe, observe or participate)…. Take the chance it is well worth it.”

“It was great to see that our dogs constantly fall within the range of the breed standards. Reading K-9 structure books and participating in AKC Shows paled in comparison to having the chance to scribe for a team of conformation judges. The team of judges I was assisting worked especially well together – agreeing on their determinations in all but a couple of instances for which they eventually deferred to the one of them who they considered to be the “expert” in that area. Having them agree made the experience even more educational since there was no doubt in their perceptions of the characteristics. By the last few dogs, I was starting to “see” what they saw. I am so fortunate to have been able to participate, and the experience was truly invaluable!” I would definitely recommend this evaluation to others. This is an especially important tool for breeders and I can see why the Ankörung is such an essential part of the Swiss Club’s breeding program. Having a uniform means of evaluating our dogs will allow us to compare apples to apples. “

Temperament Evaluator Comments

“I have participated in the Doberman WAC and the AKC TT and felt the CEBA Temperament Evaluation was more extensive and required more of the dogs. It was amazing to watch the twelve teams we evaluated work through the exercises with very few problems. No one had a dramatic reaction to anything. There wasn’t a dog I considered unstable. Most sailed through like it was a walk in the park. All had great attitudes and good relationships with their handlers. I enjoyed the exposure to this breed and was impress with the breeders desire to evaluate their breeding stock to see what they are really made of. Their versatile and adaptable personalities certainly make them exceptional family members.” 

“We evaluated twelve teams and found all the dogs to be quite nice. True to the standard the dogs were active, self-assured and loyal. They seemed happy to work and to play. I enjoyed watching the part of the evaluation where the owner hid from the dog behind the tree. It demonstrated the dog’s loyalty, determination and tenacity. Few dogs took a bit longer to find their owners, but they never quit looking for them. That is impressive. There are many breeds of dogs that would not have looked at all. I did see in the Entlebucher a sense of reservation with strangers, as your breed standard noted. As a group, the Entlebuchers seem to stay more focused on their owners and less focused on others, a very nice characteristic of a working dog. Best to listen and focus on your owner and your job. It is clear that the breeders have bred the dogs to the standards of your breed and should be commended for doing so.”

“I’d like to thank you for including me as an evaluator at your 2017 CEBA evaluations in Vancouver. I had a wonderful time. I felt the group of dogs I saw was a fantastic example of the breed from a temperament perspective. The teams I saw were comfortable, and versatile. I saw confident and attentive dogs who were well behaved and were able to excel at each task put before them. The handling was very good and it was clear that the club takes great pride in reaching the full potential and standard of the breed. In addition to performing well, it was clear to me that the teams were having fun and enjoying the event. In the cases where a dog could improve, the handlers were interested in working with them with the focus more on the wellbeing of the dog, rather than the score of the test. If every breed operated in this fashion, the dog world would be better for it.” 

Conformation Panelist Comments

“Since all judges are human, there is always the possibility of individuals interpreting the standards and, thereby, judging differently. So, when you have a variety of people evaluating the dogs it gives the owners/handlers an opportunity to hear a variety of comments about their dog, in particular. They need to know that judges, being people, will see the dogs differently. This comes not only from the backgrounds and breeds of those judges, but also what those judges deem problems or pet peeves they are currently experiencing in their breeds or breeding programs. They (the participants) also need to KNOW and UNDERSTAND what is most important to them in, not only their dog, but in what they want in the future if they consider breeding or buying a new dog.”