Top Dog Web Designs’ Fast CAT System: Davis Dog Training Club Made the Right Choice
by Valarie Gulyash Club Secretary
As a new client, our club recently experienced an insightful demonstration of Top Dog Web Designs’ Fast CAT trial management system, led by Bruce Dill and his dedicated support staff. We evaluated every other product we could find, and none match the capabilities of Top Dog’s system for our AKC Fast CAT trials. We chose Top Dog for its ability to streamline processes, ensure AKC compliance, and enhance the experience for clubs, trial secretaries, and exhibitors—especially through its innovative feature allowing entrants to select their own start times, saving trial secretaries significant effort. Below is my perspective as a first-time user, highlighting the system’s key features and why it confirms we made the right choice for Fast CAT trials.
The pre-trial phase is made effortless with Top Dog’s intuitive platform. Entries are managed online via our own trial website TopDog created for us for free, https://ddtc.tdwdogs.com. Payments are processed securely through PayPal, requiring no account, credit cards accepted, and entries are finalized only upon payment receipt. For mail-in entries, the Trial Secretary inputs checks using admin access, ensuring all entries are tracked. Clubs submit premiums 30 days prior to entry opening for online publication, including links to the entry portal and PawPulse, Top Dog’s real-time trial app. While premium creation software is in development, the current process is efficient. Top Dog provides specialized training for one secretary per club, and I recommend having a backup observe to ensure continuity.
Exhibitors benefit from a user-friendly suite of tools that make participation straightforward. Entries are submitted through the online portal, with dog details, PayPal payments, and entrants pick their own start times eliminating the need for secretaries to assign times and then emailing all of the entrants when they run. Confirmation emails deliver essential links and trial information, and exhibitors can track entry status or request changes, such as updating dog details. PawPulse, TopDog's free app, allows exhibitors to notify stewards of absences or delays. Run times and results are posted immediately, with an option to request reviews for potential errors. Exhibitors can volunteer for priority slots directly through the platform. Refund requests for waitlist non-advances or bitches in season are submitted via the website and processed by TopDog for us.
Once entries close, Top Dog significantly reduces the trial secretary’s workload. Scribe Sheets for recording times are generated in printable or digital formats as spreadsheets, with digital versions featuring error-checking logic to ensure accurate timing. The TopDog System automatically marks all entered dogs as “Checked-in” with a status of “Y” upon arrival, reflecting the assumption that most dogs are present and ready to participate. Per AKC regulations, all dogs must undergo a physical inspection by the Inspection Committee to ensure they are free from lameness or other conditions that would make running unsafe. If a dog fails this inspection (e.g., due to lameness or being in season), the Trial Secretary updates the “Checked-in” status to “N” before results are uploaded. The system’s built-in scripts prompt the Trial Secretary to either enter a run time for dogs marked “Y” or change the status to “N” if no time is recorded, ensuring accurate records for dogs that do not run and maintaining AKC compliance.
Top Dog handles critical administrative tasks to ease the secretary’s burden. Exhibitor change requests are submitted online and processed by TopDog. Waitlist management is also handled by TopDog with automatic notifications, eliminating manual intervention. Refunds, including pre-trial requests, are managed by TopDog for us too. Exhibitors’ self-selected start times speed up the run process, saving secretaries significant time and effort.
Communication is simplified with exportable contact data. Email lists can be downloaded in CSV format for bulk communications, and mailing addresses are available for sending ribbons, reducing manual effort. During the trial, Top Dog ensures smooth operations with real-time support via telephone—even on weekends—a feature that stood out to me as a new user. Secretaries need only a laptop or tablet and a printer, while stewards use phones or tablets for PawPulse. The app auto-checks dogs in, allows exhibitors to manage delays, and lets stewards mark completed runs. Volunteers receive priority slots, and the system generates result reports and optional ribbon labels with exhibitor and dog details.
Post-trial, Top Dog simplifies reporting and financial reconciliation. A report detailing $3.50 per-entry AKC fees is prepared for review, and a financial summary, such as the example below, streamlines closeout:
Gross Receipts: $11,525.00
Refunds: -$250.00
Convenience Fees: -$1,359.95
PayPal Fees: -$529.00
PayPal Convenience Fees: -$25.48
Mail-ins (24 @ $2.95): -$70.80
Total Due: $9,289.77
Secretaries review and approve with provided wording, minimizing effort.
Financially, Top Dog charges a $2.95 convenience fee per entry, with PayPal adding a $0.459 transaction fee plus standard fees. Clubs can choose to pass these to exhibitors or cover them, with club-incurred fees deducted from the final payment. Checks are issued on the 3rd of each month, with early fund requests possible pending approval.
Davis Dog Training Club made the right choice with Top Dog Web Designs for its unmatched ability to simplify Fast CAT trial management. Bruce Dill and his team have crafted a patent-pending system that automates change requests, waitlists, refunds, and run programs while offering exhibitors powerful tools like PawPulse and the ability to select their own start times, significantly reducing the secretary’s workload. The weekend support and intuitive design make it ideal for newcomers, ensuring a professional, stress-free trial experience. Compared to other platforms, Top Dog’s automation and integration are unparalleled, confirming it as the best choice for clubs aiming to deliver seamless Fast CAT trials.