Obedience Rally O

Rally O: Why Compete?

By Kathy Conway, Obedience

Rep, GRCA

Rally 0 - Why compete:

"Rally 0 is the new obedience sport that promotes positive relationships between dogs and owner based on trust and respect". This is the definition from the Canadian Association of Rally

Obedience. I decided to try Rally 0 with my obedience dogs that seemed to stress

out when they went to trials. My dogs as many of you may know are used as

obedience demo dogs, when I teach dog obedience classes and pet therapy dogs at the Seniors lodges where I work. They know their stuff but I have two bitches that seem to get very stressed in obedience trials. I have figured out that it is because you can’t talk to them during the trials. In Rally you are encouraged to talk to your dogs while they perform the exercises. This has helped my bitch, Doobee immensely. She has completed her Rally Novice title and has one leg on her Rally Intermediate with a High in Class. (This was even off leash) Along the way

we have done Pre-Novice, which is achance to get in the obedience ring with out off leash heeling. Rally is the prefect thing to do with young dogs just

starting their obedience careers, and older dogs looking for new challenges. Novice handlers that have found obedience to be too formal for their liking may enjoy Rally. Rally can build

confidence in shy dogs while they gain ring experience. I encourage any

obedience students to watch Rally 0 and try it. It’s a fun sport. When I first started Rally my dog always did better than I did because I couldn’t read the patterns very well. If you are interested in Rally I recommend getting the rule book and practising the

exercises. In Rally you have a walk thru with out your dog, which allows you to

ask the judge if you have problems. Since starting Rally about a year ago, I find myself during my training sessions going from Rally exercises to Obedience to add variety. I believe dogs are like people enjoy doing different things and not always the same ones in exactly the

same order. Rally does not require expensive equipment like agility, cones or markers are all that is required. I use chairs in my training building but even ice cream pails would work. You do several types of turns including turning into your dog. They also are required to

learn to finish left and right. I hope that Doobee will be more confident in the obedience ring since her success in Rally. I will keep you up to date.