Section-Directors at Large

Directors at Large

Two candidates

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All names are shown in alphabetical order and not in order of any preference.

Al Govednik

I feel as we have accomplished quite a lot over the last 2 years. Thanks to everyone's support, I wear many hats, in our dog community so to speak. I feel as if I have been helping move us in a better position both in America and abroad, and I would like the opportunity to continue with the work I have started. I am again seeking all of your support for the office of Executive Board member at Large. I'll try to summarize everything I have worked on during this passed term.

As mentioned above, I am involved in numerous areas within our working dog community. In many cases I have found relationships developed in one area, lead to new opportunities for all of us. I write that because I feel one of my duties is to help provide as many opportunities for our members and their dogs as possible. When I mention opportunities, I am not strictly writing about competition. I will elaborate on some of the opportunities that have come to us in the last few years below.

I believe I helped to develop a better working relationship with DVG America, and persuaded them to join the AWDF. We had to do some work with our AWDF Bylaws, to make it possible to include the DVG, but we worked through that. The latest addition is the Cane Corso club. By working with particularly the DVG, we are basically sharing resources. These include contacts on the international level as well as here at home.

The AWDF took 4th place in the FCI IPO championship. It was an honor to be asked by our team to accompany them onto the stadium field during the championship parade and closing ceremonies. I mention the AWDF team, because even though these people representing America did not all have GSD's, they all were USA members. Actually USA members by far have been the predominate group representing the AWDF at all FCI events. As a note, while in Italy, I was asked to give a interview for an Italian television network. In the interview, I described how hard our organization works towards the preservation of the working dog in America, and explained to our Italian friends, that we are the people, ie the largest organization in America, that represents the working dog.

Over the last 2 years, I have attended 4 FCI working commission meetings, and I was able to sit in, and voice opinions on numerous topics, including the IPOV, the FH2 start, Mondioring, removal of the stick hits, and the promotion of all working dog sport programs in Europe as well as those of our fellow AWDF member clubs. We have developed a good relationship with the FCI working commission in that we are active with trading ideas' rules etc. Case in point, the FCI working commission was looking for some ideas to create a international championship event manual. With the USA's permission, I provided the FCI working commission a copy of our national events manual. We were given a copy of the finished FCI working commission manual, and there were several parts of the USA's manual, that they were able to adopt into their own program. We also have shared judges, and helper programs as well. As an organization, we are in a good position regarding rule changes, updates etc. This was not always the case in the past.

One area that I felt we needed to do better with, was getting more of our membership involved with the international working dog movement. While it's important that we do well on the competition field, we have made ourselves an asset for the FCI working commission. Several of our members are now getting an opportunity to work with the FCI working commission.

During the last 2 years, we were able to get 5 USA judges, FCI recognized, through the working commission. We also received an invitation to send more judges to the FCI judges meetings in the future.

America now has two internationally recognized Mondioring judges. I believe both were USA members.

At the working commission meeting in Torino, Italy, I provided a list of 10 AWDF member club helpers that were to be added to an international helper list. Please note 8 of these 10 helpers are USA members/helpers

We are also now involved with the FCI Rescue commission, and have made contact with the IRO, as well as the SV with regards to Search and Rescue. The RH (S&R) program is the same program is that SV judge Walter Hoffmann worked with our USA judges twice in the past. Several USA members have expressed interest in working with these organizations, so again we are opening doors for fellow USA members.

I believe a real highlight of this last term was developing our own working dog program. Gary Patterson, Lyle Roetemeyer, Mark Przybylski, Ann Marie Chaffin, Bill Webber & myself all worked together to make this a reality. As a note, the FCI working commission was quite impressed with our collective work.

A big area of concern is what I call the anti working dog legislation's that seem to be popping up all over our country. Our AWDF legislative committee has been active in doing everything in our power to make sure our working dogs are safe from poorly drafted legislation. As part of my commitment to this, I am an executive director of the American Working Dog Association ( ADOA)

In September of 2007, I had the opportunity to present the out going working commission president, and our good friend, Eberhard Strasser, with a retirement gift. This was a special situation for our organization, as well as for myself. Herr Strasser was quite instrumental in our inclusion in many FCI working commission committees and programs. He is truly our friend, and I was quite honored to be allowed to attend this function. The new working commission president, Frans Jansen, has assured me, that our participation in the FCI working commission is essential to the working dog. Mr. Jansen plans to continue to help us, in the same way as Herr Strasser was able to.

Over the last term, I was able to help form 2 new USA clubs in my area, and am proud to say I am part of our 2008 WUSV tracking team.

Listed below are some of the personal things I'm able to do with our membership. I am quite active with my own dogs, and am the training director of my own multi-breed club Machtig Strom Schutzhund Verein. Our club generally holds 3 or 4 trials, plus a few seminars a year. When I say active, I have shown my own USA registered HOT males, Armor vom Govednik, & Hex Aites Bohemia 12 times in the past 2 years, in 3 different regions, including the IPOFH world championship. I have done tracking seminars, helper seminars, RH seminars, and as a teaching judge, I am able to work with novice judges. I spend almost every day working with GSD's or GSD people in one way or another. All of these things offers me a a unique position because it gives me an opportunity to visit with people from all over the country regarding the USA. I feel as if I am given a certain amount of respect from my fellow USA members, because I really am quite active in our community.

In closing I hope to have earned all of your support for this upcoming term, and continue to explore new opportunties for our members.


Nathaniel Roque, Ph.D
32808 Crown Valley Rd., Acton, Ca. 93510
661.269.2539. workingdogs@att.net


During my 15 years of involvement in the United Schutzhund Clubs of America, I have titled eight (8) dogs at all levels of the sport including Handler Owner Trained from Bh to SchH 3 , FH and FH 2, entering and competing in more than eighty (80) trials with various dogs at the Club, Regional and National Championships. I have be fortunate to have earned USA SchH III Club Membership, all four USA Sports Medals (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Masters)

I have been active at both the local and national level for the United Schutzhund Clubs of America, holding several positions including, Vice President, Regional Director, Assistant to the DOJ, Training Director for Southwest Working Dog Association and a officer in three additional local clubs, I am a United Schutzhund Clubs of America and American Working Malinois Performance Judge as well as the current United Schutzhund Clubs of America Helper Program Director and a Teaching Helper.

I am currently serving in the position of an Executive Board Member at Large and would be honored to continue in that position. If reelected I will continue to work for the membership in the best interest of the organization and the working German Shepherd Dog in the United States of America. I have stated my position many times in the past at meetings as well as in articles published in our magazine, I believe that USA is a service business serving the GSD and our membership and as such needs to be efficient, fair and sensitive to all of our members needs.

Thank you for supporting me in the past and I hope that you will again support me in this election by allowing me to serve another term as a Executive Board Member at Large.