Rally Obedience

What is Rally Obedience?

Rally Obedience is a different type of Obedience Trial. In Traditional Obedience the order of exercises is always the same, and the Judge calls out commands to the handler, such as forward, fast, slow, about turn, halt for example. In Rally Obedience the Judge designs a course and provides the handlers with a map and a walk through time prior to each class. The course will have a series of signs, starting with a "Start" sign, and ending with a "Finish" sign. In between there will be 10 - 20 other signs, depending on the class and on which signs the judge chose.

In Rally Obedience, there is more communication allowed between the handler and the dog, so you can talk to your dog freely and use body language and signals more than in Obedience. However, just as in Traditional Obedience, no food or training aids are allowed.

The Classes

Just as in Traditional Obedience, there are classes in Rally, based on the level. The Classes are Rally Novice, Rally Advanced, and Rally Excellent. A dog must pass 3 times under at least 2 different Judges to earn each title. A dog must earn its Rally Novice before being allowed to compete in Rally Advanced, and must earn its Rally Advanced before being allowed to compete in Rally Excellent. Below is an example of the type of map you might see in a Rally Novice Class.

Rally is scored and each team must earn a minimum of 70 points out of a possible 100. Each station needs to be performed correctly, or deductions of 1 to 10 points can be made, depending on the error. Specific scoring rules can be found in the Rally Obedience Rulebook, which can be ordered from the Canadian Kennel Club