Introduction to AKC Rally

 AN INTRODUCTION TO RALLY

If you’re interested in learning about AKC Rally, you may already have a dog that can do the required skills, as long as you, too, can perform the required skills.  😊.

The hardest thing about Rally is for you, the handler, to perform the skill and know how to get your dog to do their part.  If you make a mistake, so does your dog.  Most of the deductions in Rally are caused by the Handler!!! 😮

Are you ready to try some Rally Signs?  When you do a course with signs, the signs will be on your right.  Signs will generally be on the right until you get to a turn sign.  Then that sign will be on the course path (in front of you).  So when you practice them, get used to these signs being placed about a foot in front of you on your right.

 This is Sign #3.  When you arrive at this sign, you will stop and your dog will Sit.  Pretty easy, right?  You need to know what you need to do to get your dog to sit when you stop.  If you haven’t done any “heeling” with your dog, he may not know to sit when you stop.  In that case, you will need to say “sit” as you stop. 

The large “HALT” in the upper left corner of this sign will appear on many other Rally signs.  It Always Means that you will stop and the dog will sit before you do anything else. 

This is Sign #4.  When you arrive at this sign, you will stop and your dog will Sit.  Once your dog has a Solid sit, you will tell your dog to lie down from that sit.  He will face forward on the down at the same spot he sat. If your dog wants to turn to face you on the down, there is one thing you can do that may help him go down and still face forward --  Once he sits, “mark” (click or say “yes) and “reward” (give a treat) him for the sit.  As you’re doing that, slide your left foot forward about 12+ inches to block him from turning in front of you while going down.  Keep your foot there while rewarding him.  Once he has swallowed the treat and looks back at you, tell him “down” and help with your hand directing him if you want.  Hopefully, he will go straight down.  If not, this will be something to work on.

There are 42 Novice signs in Rally.  The skills your dog will perform to do them include a sit, down, come/front (face you in front), stay (while you walk around your dog), finish (go back to heel position on your left side from the front).  There are two finishes in Rally  – one where your dog finishes to the right (from the front he’ll go around behind you) and one where your dog finishes to the left (goes to your left from the front).  The most important skill you dog needs to do is to stay on your left side and walk with you.  That’s called “heel position”.

Here is a link to the 42 AKC Rally Signs.  You can print them out and put them in a sleeve to use them.

http://www.k9rally.com/Documents/2020Sept%20RALLY%20SIGN%20SET-NOVICE.pdf

Current AKC Rally Regulations:  

http://images.akc.org/pdf/AKC1193_ROR001_1217_WEB.pdf   

B
k9rally.com

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