small brag- anyone tried rally?

[Bo Peep]

This morning we had our usual obedience lesson and since my teacher is also a rally judge, she said "Let's see if he's got any potential". I told her I had never even seen a rally trial or whatever they call them. So she told me that instead of making a turn, we would do a circle and then left on a circle. "Does he know back?" Yea, I think so, I said as my usual answer.

Well, she had to pretty much tell me 270 to the fence (remember I'm blond) or 360 right , towards the squirrel. And when we finished she said that we did an excellent job and was wiping a tear from her eye. She said she had never seen a team catch on so fast. I'm so proud of my boy. I don't know if we will pursue this but we both really enjoyed ourselves and it was fun to "mix it up" a bit.

[OurBoys]

Good job, Usher and Dianne!! I say go for it!

[Northof49]

Rally Obedience is a blast, and I know you will have a lot of fun with it. It creates different challenges than traditional obedience, which is great. A lot of people think it is an easy/ lazy form of obedience training/trialling, but it most definitely is not, and of course, those are the people that won't try it!!!!

 

I competed in CKC obedience for years until my Borders all retired, and there are definitely skills you and your dog need in Rally Obedience that you don't need in traditional obedience. In some ways Rally O can be more challenging, as it is not a sequence of exercises strung together in the same format trial after trial. You are constantly moving, heeling, pivoting ets which means the dogs really have to pay attention to your verbal and body cues.

[KrisK]

I've only done Rally at weekend dog camps. Jazz HATES obedience of any kind but he loves Rally. It's so upbeat and fun and Northof49 is right - a lot of skills are required. I have yet to see any dog that didn't enjoy Rally!

[jdarling]

A lot of people think it is an easy/ lazy form of obedience training/trialling...

 

Interesting. I don't normally browse this section, but I came here specifically to find out the difference between regular obedience, and Rally-O. Last night, I went to dinner at a friend's house, and there was a gal there that owns Aussies. She shows in conformation and was chattering about the "versatility" title thing and how she was not happy because one of the organizations (either the AKC or ASCA) is allowing a rally title to be part of the versatility award, and she feels rally is a substandard version of obedience. I just tried looking up the versatility requirements with both AKC and ASCA, and I can't find either.

 

In any event, the conversation eventually led to how I think ASCA needs to offer more in the way of stockdog courses because the course they currently use is what some breeders are measuring their dogs working ability on, which is silly because basically all you need to be able to do is walk sheep around an arena, up against a fenceline. You could do it with a Chihuahua.

 

So what are the major differences between obedience and rally? Are you allowed to correct your dog during a rally run? Do you not need to be as precise as in standard obedience?

 

Jodi

[KrisK]

There are a number of differences: Rally courses are individually prepared by the judge - regular obedience has a set pattern of exercises which every trial will have. Rally encourages positive interaction between the dog and handler. In fact you would lose major points or be excused if you correct your dog. Rally is a timed event and the more precise you are, the faster you can complete the course and get a better score. In the advanced Rally courses, there are weave poles, jumps, broad jumps etc. so it isn't easier. The basic Rally is done on leash but after that, it's all off leash and I think one of the levels actually requires the dog to be on course on your right side not left as in traditional obedience. Those are just a few things of the top of my head - I'm sure others who have competed will have a lot more. For info on Rally, you can check

http://www.canadianrallyo.ca/

So, I think the gal that was saying it was inferior - hasn't tried it - jmo

[haleigh]

Joy knows all the skills for rally very very well, so she'll be starting in competition in about six months. 6 months because Joy is NOT good around other dogs while training (she lunges and snaps, out of pure excitement, actually) so I need some time to get her focused around other dogs. It's a blast! It's pretty much lax obedience. You don't have to be in a porper proper proper heel, and you can holf the leash anyway you want, as long as it's slack.

[Root Beer]

I did quite a bit of Rally until I got into Freestyle and Speedy decided that Rally wasn't interesting enough for him and thought it sporting to add his own exercises to the courses!!

 

I did both APDT and AKC (sorry, guys) and actually did enjoy both venues. Speedy got his RL1 and RL1X (Level 1 and Level 1 Championship), as well as his RL2 (Level 2) in APDT. He also made the Top 20 in National Rankings at his level twice. In AKC he got his RN and RA (Rally Novice and Rally Advanced). All that in addition to countless NQ's in APDT Rally!

 

So, I've done some Rally. I really enjoyed it, and Speedy did, too.

 

So what are the major differences between obedience and rally? Are you allowed to correct your dog during a rally run? Do you not need to be as precise as in standard obedience?

 

Traditional Obedience and Rally are quite different.

• - In Rally, you follow signs through a course that determines what exercises you do
  - In Rally you can talk to your dog any time you want
  - In APDT Rally, you can reward your dog with food or petting at the end of certain exercises (AKC is no food at all)
  - In Rally, the judge designs a course (kind of like agility in that way) and sets it out and does not speak to you during your run
  - In Rally, you don't do every exercise in every course
  - In AKC Rally, you can lure your dog through the course (an NQ in APDT Rally)
  - In Rally, there is more leeway as far as precision goes - heel position need not be "correct" as long as your dog is walking next to you on a loose leash on your left. A crooked sit might not hurt your score at all, if it's slight, and will only hurt your score a little if it's seriously crooked.
   
  In other areas of Rally, lack of precision can cause an automatic NQ (in APDT). "Luring" will NQ you in APDT. If the dog breaks a down as you walk around, it's an automatic NQ. If your dog runs by a jump, it's an automatic NQ. If the dog runs around a pylon, it's an automatic NQ. Been there. Done all of that - many, many times!! AKC is more lenient in that regard.
   
  - Level 1 (APDT) and Novice (AKC) Rally your dog must be on leash at all times
  - Level 2, Level 3 (APDT) and Advanced, Excellent (AKC) dogs must be off leash at all times
  - Rally has some very different of exercises that the dog must be able to do at each level that are not required in Traditional Obedience
  - The only retrieve exercise in Rally is one optional "bonus" exercise at Level 3 in APDT
  - In Rally, retries are allowed on certain exercises for a slight point deduction.
  

I'm sure I'll think of more, but those are some differences that I can think of.

 

As for corrections, in APDT giving your dog a correction is an automatic disqualification. You have to be careful about that, too, because if a judge perceives that you are giving a correction, there is no "appeal" even if you are actually not meaning to correct your dog. So, if you have taught your dog that "AAANT" means that a treat is coming and it's praise to your dog and the judge hears it, you would probably NQ!

 

Not sure about use of corrections in AKC Rally since I don't train with corrections, so it has just never come up for me. I suspect they would permit it as long as the corrections are not harsh - but that's just my guess.

[Root Beer]

Oh, and congrats to Usher!! That was a job well done!

[Bo Peep]

There are a number of differences: Rally courses are individually prepared by the judge - regular obedience has a set pattern of exercises which every trial will have. Rally encourages positive interaction between the dog and handler. In fact you would lose major points or be excused if you correct your dog. Rally is a timed event and the more precise you are, the faster you can complete the course and get a better score. In the advanced Rally courses, there are weave poles, jumps, broad jumps etc. so it isn't easier. The basic Rally is done on leash but after that, it's all off leash and I think one of the levels actually requires the dog to be on course on your right side not left as in traditional obedience. Those are just a few things of the top of my head - I'm sure others who have competed will have a lot more. For info on Rally, you can check

http://www.canadianrallyo.ca/

So, I think the gal that was saying it was inferior - hasn't tried it - jmo

I imagine these are Canadian rules vs US. I'm searching before my next lesson. I want to have him do the regular obedience first and then challenge him with some rally. There isn't too much in my area. I have to take care of my Mom, but she's good for a week-end alone, so I could travel. I wonder if anyone has a link to a U-Tube that actually shows what it's like. Sounds like more fun for the dog. I like to mix things up a bit. Just so he never knows what to expect. LOL-

[haleigh]

rally-o is actually used before obedience, to help condition dogs to traditional obedience. It can be just as hard, but novice is WAY easier...don't count on rally for a challenge, unless you're in advanced!

 

perfect rally score-novice

 

[Root Beer]

rally-o is actually used before obedience, to help condition dogs to traditional obedience. It can be just as hard, but novice is WAY easier...don't count on rally for a challenge, unless you're in advanced!

 

Actually, that will depend a lot on your dog. I've learned not to underestimate the challenges of the lower levels in any sport!

[MickeyDogs]

There are some major differences between traditional obedience and rally.

 

Probably the biggest is that in TO (traditional obedience) you give the command to your dog once and then you must remain silent. No repeating the command (unless you want to be disqualified or lose points) and you can't praise the dog until the exercise is finished. So, for example, for the retrieve on the flat exercise: the dog must 1) sit in heel position and stay as you throw the dumbbell (you may tell the dog to sit and to stay - once). 2) Once the dumbbell is thrown, the judge will tell you to "send your dog" then you can tell your dog to retrieve the dumbbell - once. 3) Your dog must go to the dumbbell, pick it up, come back to you and sit in front of you -all without additional verbal communication from you. 4) The judge will tell you to "take it"- then you can tell the dog to release the dumbbell - once (the dog remains sitting in front). 5) Then the judge tells you to "finish your dog" - you can tell your dog to go to heel position - once. 6) When the dog is back in heel postion he must stay there until the judge says "exercise finished". Only then can you release your dog from the stay, praise your dog and talk to him or touch him. Then you would set the dog up for the next exercise.

 

In Rally you can continuously talk to your dog, encourage your dog and praise your dog while performing. In some venues you can even carry and use treats. In TO you cannot bring treats, toys or other motivators into the ring.

 

TO is much more formal and some think stiff than Rally. It requires more precision from the dog and handler and the scoring is tougher than Rally. In TO fail at one exercise and you fail to earn a leg. No corrections are allowed in TO - in fact, you can be excused from the ring for correcting your dog.

 

There are 3 levels of TO starting at a novice level (1/2 of the exercises done on leash, 1/2 off leash), moving to the open level (all performed off leash) to utility (the most difficult). Each level has different exercises and many of these exercises have been incorporated into Rally.

 

It seems like a lot of Rally has to do with heeling, i.e., about turns, left about turns, spirals, serpentines, etc. with the more advance classes adding jumping and other fun exercises.

 

I personally like both TO & Rally. I started out in obedience and while you have to remain silent most of the time in the ring, you can "say" a lot to your dog through body language, smiles, and eye contact. If trained correctly and positively, TO can be fun for the dog too. My dogs loved it.

 

ETA - congrats!

[Bo Peep]

Thank you so much for the explanation. I ILP'd 2 of my gals in the early 1990's before the controversy. Miss Lacey wasn't registered and Migraine was ABC registered. It was before BC's were introduced into AKC. Miss Lacey got titles in obedience- regular style. I guess she would be called UCD MISS LACEY CDX. CGC or what ever- didn't mean much to me, but we had fun. Didn't find much in the order of stuff for Migraine, but she got her CD with 3 weeks of practice. Fun, anyway. I just like to do anything fun with my dog, since Usher is NOT reproducing, it doesn't mean much to me if he donates a few bucks for me to have fun with not other venues. It's better than double registering which i was told to do. I don't believe in that. So here he sits. And we practice and no where to go, but someday.....crown him champ of something- LOL.

I just keep trying to keep him a happy dog, busy and having fun. No harm to anyone.