WHAT IS RALLY?

Rally is a fast moving and motivational sport for both the dog and handler, in the style of Obedience.

Similar to rally car driving there are a set of clues that need to be fulfilled. However in dog rally, the clues are signs that are set out in a course that dog and handler follow and at each sign an action has to be performed. Extra commands and praise are allowed all the way round the course ensuring both dog and handler have a great time.

There are different classes that increase in difficulty as they progress. Titles are on offer such as Rally Novice (RN) where three passes have to be gained for the title before progressing to the next class, the Rally Novice class is performed on the lead. The next level which is the Rally Advanced (RA) the signs show an increase of difficulty and a small jump is included but again praise and encouragement is allowed all the way through the course. Once three passes have been gained for this title then the team can move on to the Rally Excellent (RE) however if a team does not feel ready to move on they can still compete by staying in the rally advanced class. For the RE title five passes are required and then the big class looms, the Master class (RM).  In this class, a Rally-O Champion can be made up. However the team now need seven passes to gain the RM title and a further ten to gain the much coveted title of Rally Champion. Again if a team feels they would prefer to stay in Excellent for a while longer then provision is there to allow them to do so.

Plus there is a title called RAE. In this, a team has to pass both RA and RE on the same day on five difference occasions.

So you can see there is a lot of fun just waiting to be had.

There is an official rule book that explains all the signs and all the requirements needed to successfully compete through the classes.  These can be found on our links page.