Rany and Bailey on the course

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Interesting thoughts:

 

. . . Rally has proven to be an asset to the growing list of dog sports that are hitting dog-lovers by storm. Rally is a game and a learning tool that both experienced trainers and novice level handlers can enjoy. Reaching a wide variety of trainers at differing levels, it has gained a large following in a short period of time. What is in the future for Rally? Only time will tell, but it appears that it will be a part of the world of dog training for many years to come. From It's All About Rally by Tami Tabone (Front and Finish article, July 2006)

 

 

Rally: It's all about good handling

One of the constant comments that I hear as a judge and as an instructor is "How come I NQ'd or lost points on an exercise?" In the vast majority of cases, it's poor handling. I've seen handlers who don’t know the rules, handlers who perform the wrong exercise or skip an exercise, handlers who have very poor timing of commands or give no commands, handlers who overwhelm the dog with too much information at once, handlers who give contradictory commands, and handlers with poor body language and mistimed cues. All of these are NOT the dog's fault: they are the handler's responsibility.

If I could magically improve one thing for all exhibitors it would be that they read the rules and fully understand them before entering. If I could take every exhibitor and magically improve one thing in their performance, it would be their handling.

So what exactly is good handling?

How does this make one exhibitor better than another?

Rally is more handling intensive then regular obedience, and if instructors and exhibitors think about it, they will see why it has to be this way. In Rally the course path, the exercises and what is expected from the teams change from judge to judge and day to day. Even when showing two days under the same judge over a weekend, the courses will normally be different. With inexperienced dogs, this means the handler needs to take more responsibility to get the best performance out of the dog. Most judges really hate to hit a hardworking good team -10 points because the handler asked for the wrong exercise from the dog but we will still do it. Let's look at one example from a recent trial: the exercise sign was Halt, Turn Right One Step, Call Dog to Heel and the handler and the dog did a 90 degree Pivot Right very nicely. That's 10 points lost even though the dog did exactly what the handler asked.

Frequently exhibitors ask judges how to perform stations on a course. Handlers need to read and learn the signs and the correct performance for them before the day of the trial. It is NOT the judge's responsibility to train exhibitors or to teach the exercises. Every exhibitor, novice or old hand, should have an up-to-date copy of the rulebook and an up-to-date copy of the rally exercise descriptions. These are not expensive and by reading them, exhibitors just might save themselves from making a costly mistake. from The Rally Station by Lyn Kalinoski (Front and Finish article, July 2006)

 

 

Often new exhibitors do poorly because they have not adequately prepared for competition. I hope that Instructors in particular will make sure that their students are

really ready to enter the ring before encouraging them to do so. Knowledge of the rules and confidence in preparation go a long way to provide a positive experience for new handlers, and I can take time to help others with both of those issues. Preparation makes for more success, and nothing is as encouraging as success. In fact, many people leave our sport because they lack success, and certainly no one wants to continue in something where all they experience is failure. from Deb Neufeld, AKC judge

 

 

 

Sometimes I do not think everyone understands that it is all about doing something with our dogs, nothing more and nothing less. If we have built the right kind of relationship with our dogs, then their desire to be with us is going to be what brings them joy. It would not matter if it is agility, or obedience, or rally, chasing a ball around the back yard or lying next to us while we do something else. from Irma Shanahan

 

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What a Team!

Marilyn and Bodie get their Novice Rally title in Savannah by going First place!