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| Summer 2007 Newsletter |
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| Getting Started in Rally Obedience |
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| An Intro to Rally Obedience from Interviews with Eileen Jaffe and "Oz" and Jaci & Mary Reck and "Tally" by CCO Columnist Larry Myers |
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| History of Rally Obedience
Rally Obedience was the brainchild of Bud Kramer. He was the creator of the American Agility programme. An active participant in formal Obedience, he had seen the drop in the number of participants. By using the free-flowing nature of agility, mixed with a relative freedom in the selection of exercises and uninterrupted with directions from the judge, he hoped to create a new exciting canine sport. In a Front & Finish article he talked about the Rally-O concept, �I expressed the hope that Rally would become an Obedience program that emphasized fun and excitement for the dog and handler by providing a more "natural" approach to the performance.� Rally has grown from that initial desire to bring more people into obedience trials to a sport that is titled by four organizations in North America. With the entry of the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) in 2007, Rally can be trialed with the American Kennel Club (AKC), the Canadian Association of Rally Obedience (CARO), and the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT). CARO and APDT allow all dogs, purebreds and mixed breeds, to compete. |
| "Tally" and Jaci practising their skills |
| Description of a Rally Course
Subtle differences separate the courses of the four organizations. A time limit is used in the CARO and APDT courses, while the CKC and AKC keep time only to be used as a tie breaker. AKC and CKC runs are scored out of 100 points, while CARO and APDT score out of a possible 200 points. But in each case only a maximum of 30 points may be �lost� in order to qualify. All organizations have the dog perform on leash at the Novice level, and then off leash in the Advanced and Excellent levels. A series of stations is arranged in a ring and the dog/handler team move from one to the next completing the task(s) outlined on that station�s sign. The proficiency that the team performs that task is evaluated by the judge. The tasks at the stations are designed from the fundamentals of dog obedience. Thus, in order to complete a Rally course, a dog must be well grounded in Sit, Down, Heel, Finishes (Side and Around), Recall and Stand. Thus, a Rally course is made up of all of the exercises to be found in formal Obedience, the difference being that there are no breaks between exercises (they flow together), and the judge is not involved (except to score the run). |
| Participants
In order to get a better idea of what is involved with participating in Rally Obedience the CCO interviewed some of the people that are out succeeding with their Canaan Dogs. Eileen Jaffe and Oz have reached the highest level of AKC Rally. They have completed their RAE level. This is a combination title that is achieved by successfully completing both an Excellent level trial and Advance level trial on the same day. This achievement must be done 10 times to receive the RAE designation. Eileen�s first love was traditional obedience, and even thought this hybrid of obedience/agility was pretty silly at first. But she was asked to judge a non-regular class of Rally at a local trial and decided there was some merit to it. Oz worked well with the positive interaction, talking and the use of hands and the upper body, that he was able to receive from Eileen, and this allowed him to concentrate on their runs. He qualified for each level in the minimum 3 trials, and only had a couple of NQs on the way to the RAE title. Eileen readily admits to �handler error�. Mary and Jaci Reck have worked together to get to within one trial of the Advance title. Jaci is handling Tally as a Junior Handler. Her time spent with Tally in the Conformation ring would seem to have helped develop the bond they are now demonstrating. |
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| "Mr Oz" |
| Getting Started
To get started in Rally, early socialization and training is the best bet. Getting your Canaan comfortable working with their handler in public will make them more attentive to following directions. Mary suggests that the skills required for a Canine Good Citizen (Neighbour) are a good start. Eileen suggests training should entail lots of treats and praise (this is fun after all). Short sessions and shaping behaviours in small increments will yield better results. Another thought is to find some sanction matches at the local kennel club. This can be a good gauge as to the level of both handler and Canaan. As training progresses, raising the level of distractions can help both members of the team handle performing at trials. The great thing about Rally is that it is built around the fundamentals of canine obedience, which means all of the stations can be practised during a regular walk. |
| Advice to the Newcomer
�Just do it. Give it a try. There are many beginners out there, and even if your dog (or you!) freezes up, there will be others who are in the same boat. I have found Rally participants, especially in the beginning levels, to be less competitive than in some other rings. People seem more supportive of one another, and often encourage the success of other teams.� Mary, Jaci and Tally �My advice is to use lots of treats and praise and positive motivation (but then I would do that with any breed). Be patient, consistent (very important), make it all fun and keep from being too repetitive and boring, use short sessions for training, and shape behaviors in tiny pieces rather than trying to get a whole behavior at one time, especially with any exercise that turns out to be a problem. All dogs seem to have some things they learn quickly and easily, and then others that are difficult to figure out, so work slowly on those hard exercises, breaking them up into little pieces and rewarding for the slightest movement in the correct direction. Also, read the rules and the station descriptions, and don�t go to a trial without a copy of the descriptions in your bag!� Eileen and Oz |
| Just Go For it! We have had a lot of fun trialing our Canaans Maccabee and Cybelle in Rally on both sides of the border. The people we have met at trials are friendly and everyone seems to cheer for each other. With the goal being to receive a qualifying ribbon, the scores are an after thought. Even if you don�t want to go for titles, the skills that come from training can only bring positive results and build a better bond with your paraih pooch. Training for Rally, in conjunction with the Canine Good Neighbour (Citizen), will help develop a Canaan Dog that is a credit to the breed. |
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| Larry and Cybelle having a blast demonstrating the advanced level |