Have You Tried Rally?
By Kate Huggins The Kennel Club’s description of Rally is: Rally challenges a dog and handler to work as a team to successfully negotiate a course by following signs and completing set exercises. Handlers are encouraged to talk to and provide touch rewards to their dogs during these exercises. There are three levels of competition with two classes at each level and top dogs achieve the Kennel Club recognised title of ‘Excellent’. Rally has its roots in Obedience and competitors only need a basic level of pet obedience to start practicing for Rally. If you are interested in training sessions or would like further information please take a look at the Kennel Club website http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/4561 or contact the Canine Activities Team at [email protected] or 0844 463 3980 ext 330. I’ve recently been attending Rally classes with Kiko and Tokaloshi, my two brindle Japanese Akita Inus at Positive Pooches in Halifax, West Yorkshire to find out more about it. We had a great time training for Rally and Kiko in particular found it more fun than the regular obedience competitions that we do. What is a Rally Competition? This is the end objective at which the training is aimed at. In a Rally competition the dog and handler have to negotiate a course. They are awarded marks for each station that they complete in the course. The number of points awarded for each exercise depend on if the dogs attention remains on the handler and the accuracy of the exercise. When you have completed the course these marks are added up. If you have obtained the required number of marks you gain a ‘qualifier’. When you have the required number of qualifying marks at a particular level you then achieve your Rally title and can then move up to the next level. In addition to this there are prizes awarded to the best marks at that level on the day. What is a Rally Course? A full course will consist of 15 or more stations. At each station there will be a sign with an instruction on it, you and your dog just have to perform the exercise shown on the sign before moving onto the next station. Sounds easy doesn’t it? The Rally exercises vary in difficulty from a simple right or left turn or a sit at heel to more complex exercises such as the serpentine where you and your dog are required to weave through a series of cones and the spiral where you spiral left or right around the cones. If you ?????????????????????????e????????????????????????????I????????????????????????????M????????????e??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????M????????????e????????????)???????????%??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q???????I????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)???????????%????????????????????????????Q???I?????????????????????????????????- ??????????????????????????????????????????((