RALLY (Agilty and Obedience but even more fun!)
We have never done rally, but it sounds like a lot of fun! A lot of Malamute people do it with their dogs and say it's more fun than regular
agility. It's not that physically hard, and emphasizes building a strong relationship with your dog in a positive way.
Rally comes in many forms and is offered by several venues but most operate along the same general principles. You follow through a course with numbered signs that indicate different obsticles/events you and your dog perform. As you advanced through the program, the behaviors will become more difficult and increase in number. Some typical signs you might see are heeling, making turns, walking in a figure eight pattern, and sit, down and stand. As you move up there are even some agility behaviors that involve agility jumps.
Rally is different from “traditional" competitive obedience because the emphasis on fun and your interaction with your dog. You cannot reward your dog with treats, toys or other items during the course, but you can talk to your dog and encourage him.. Another nice thing about Rally is that all dogs can compete, including mixes - they don't have to be purebred. All ages of dogs and people are encouraged as well. Many venues even allow accommodations for dogs and people with disabilities, because it's a fairly low impact sport. You and your dog don’t need to be in excellent shape physically to compete - if you can walk...or roll a wheelchair, you can rally..
Rally is a fun way to sharpen your dog's obedience skills and to practice high-stakes behaviors, like recall and stay, in a supportive environment. It doesn't requie expensive equipment or fancy gear to participate. You only need your dog, a collar, leash, and some treats. Some competitors use a clicker and that's ok too. Your dog will be more focused on you after training in Rally, and that's always a good thing.
If you find you enjoy Rally and want to take the plunge into competition, Rally can be good option for the first-time, intimidated competitor. Rally trials are friendly events where there is a real sense of camaraderie among competitors. One of the best things is that if you screw up something, you can even retry exercises and still qualify. Teams (you and your dog) can stay in any level as long as they like until they feel comfortable moving up.
So where do you start? Take a Rally class. Many obedience venues now offer it along with Agility.
To find out where you can take classes in Rally and maybe even enter a competition, you can contact one of these:
- World Cynosport Rally
- American Kennel Club
- United Kennel Club
- Australian Shepherd Club of America
- C-WAGS
- Canadian Association of Rally Obedience
Rally-FrEe for dogs
Just when we thought that was all, a new type of Rally has recently emerged called Rally-FrEe, which differs from traditional Rally in that it involves more tricks and adds musical freestyle elements into the courses. Canine Musical Freestyle involves complex moves with your dog that resemble “dance" routines and often are paired with music. It can really get the creative juices flowing as you come up with dance-type routines you do with your dog. You may eventually find yourself getting the freestyle bug and moving more into that sport as well! Many people do a mixture of Rally, Agility, Obedience and Freestyle....More information & Helpful links...
A Comparison of AKC vs. UKC Rally (pdf)