 |
|
 |
The Santa Clara Dog Training Clup holds an obedience trial in January each year. Our 2010 Obedience trial will be held January 17, 2010 at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The show will be part of the Mission Bell Cluster Trial January 16-17, 2010.
Rally Trials (formerly called Rally Obedience Trials) are a NEW competition sport for dogs and handlers that is sweeping the nation. Much like a car rally, dogs and handlers enter a ring and follow the "road" signs at their own pace through a course of designated stations (10 - 20 depending on the level). Rally, the newest AKC companion event, drew 104,700 entries in 2006.
Rally was created to promote a positive relationship between dog and owner. Animation and enthusiasm throughout the performance is encouraged. The emphasis is on fun and excitement for the dog and handler, and the spectator, by providing a more “natural” approach to the performance. Some have described Rally Trials as a combination of Agility Trials and Obedience Trials. Each dog+owner team is judged on the execution of a single, continuous performance of numbered exercises on a course, uninterrupted by orders from the judge.
Many of the exercises are derived from “doodles” people use when training for Obedience. There are no ½ point deductions at Rally Trials. Only those errors that normally would be assessed as full point deductions in Obedience are scored. Perfect heel position is not required but you must maintain a loose leash at all times. Harsh verbal or leash corrections are not tolerated. And the best part… you can talk to your dog throughout the performance!
Who Can Do Rally
Anybody! Rally was designed with the average pet dog owner in mind, as a way to introduce them into the world of dog sports and for people to just have fun with their dogs. Whether you’ve just completed your CGC or are looking for something else to do, or you want to hone up on your obedience skills, Rally has something to offer you and your companion.
Rally is a wonderful sport for dogs and handlers who experience “ring stress”, or for whatever reasons, would not be successful in traditional obedience. The Novice level is all on leash, you are allowed to use multiple hand and verbal cues, and you can talk to and encourage your dog throughout the performance. This makes it a great place to work through both of your ring nerves and to have some success in the ring.
Rally also makes a great entry-level class for both obedience, agility and freestyle. But don’t be fooled! Rally is not as easy as it looks. You must work closely as a team, as you negotiate the course, heeling from sign to sign, performing one of the many different exercises, some quite complex (there are 50 different exercises to chose from).
Rally Titles
Rally is an AKC titling event. The titles offered at each level are Rally Novice (RN), Rally Advanced (RA), and Rally Excellent (RE). Each one is earned by earning three qualifying scores (legs) at three obedience trials.
The advanced title Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE) is earned by qualifying ten times in both Advanced B and Excellent B at the same trial, and is numbered to reflect how many times it has been earned (after the 20th leg, title will be RAE2, after the 30th, it will be RAE3, etc.).