Take a Go at Rally-O

Click here to read the complete article
142 – September, 2022

By William Given

It has been nearly twenty years since the American Kennel Club adopted the sport of Rally, and participation is still growing annually. Originally billed as a bridge from the Canine Good Citizen program to Obedience, Rally has certainly become the canine sport of preference for many owners. The reason may be that it provides the right challenge as the team advances from Novice to Advanced Excellent.

You can think of Rally as a team sport. The handler pilots their partner along a course of 10 to 20 different signs. Each sign provides instructions for the completion of a specific exercise.

AKC Rally is all about teamwork. You and your dog navigate a course together, side-by-side, at your own pace. You move him through a course with signs where he performs different exercises. The courses are designed by the Rally judge (10-20 signs per course, depending on the class level) that include various turns and commands such as sit, down, stay, etc.

At first glance, Rally and especially Novice Rally, looks deceptively simple. It can be, but it is not always. Those vexing little one-point deductions add up, and they can add up quickly. A one-point deduction can be the difference between achieving a qualifying score and an NQ. A one-point deduction can also be the difference between first and second place and even finishing out of the ribbons.

If your Rally partner has mastered the basics such as sit, down, stay, and can walk nicely on a loose lead, you two are off to a great start. Rally provides the handler with a great deal of latitude that does not exist in obedience competition. Before you enter your first event, take some time to get familiar with the Rally regulations. Do not just skim through them, read the rules thoroughly. What you do not know can come back to haunt you.

 Click here to read the complete article
142 – September, 2022

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=240034

Posted by AnthonyA on Aug 14 2022. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.