After an initial round of coffee, bagels and puppy snuggling, Jess Maurer started the presentation with an in depth look at the UKC standard for Chinooks, focusing especially on points related to structure and workability. Then, she explained that the evaluation tool participants were about to see had been developed by Bill Burrell over the last 40 years, and has been used extensively to evaluate litters of Chinooks and other working dogs with great success. Participants then were taken through the evaluation process using real puppies! Experienced puppy holders Karen Hinchy and Kim Kramer demonstrated the various techniques and contortions (for the holders, not the puppies!) that allow the evaluator to get an objective look at how each puppy is “put together”, then participants were able to try their hands at it, literally. Some of the puppies were more cooperative than others, but everyone had a great time and learned a lot about what to look for in a strong, efficient sled dog.