Rally Obedience Resources

by Joan Armstrong

The PURPOSE of Rally Style Obedience

By Bud Kramer, the inventor of Rally Obedience

"The purpose of the Rally-O concept is to create an Obedience program that emphasizes fun and excitement for the dog, handler and spectator, by providing a more "natural" approach to the performance, and that more closely mimics the approach taken in training that is followed by many, if not most, trainers. The ability to work as a team in this way during the performance is believed to provide an atmosphere for greater fun and enjoyment for dog and handler."

B>AKC Rally Page

http://www.akc.org/events/rally/index.cfm

AKC Rally has three levels: Novice, Advanced, and Excellent. Novice is all on-leash, Advanced and Excellent are off-leash. Novice Rally is a friendly place for a team to start their obedience careers. From the AKC Rally Regulations:

quot; Unlimited communication from the handler to the dog is to be encouraged and not penalized. Unless otherwise specified in these Regulations, handlers are permitted to talk, praise, encourage, clap their hands, pat their legs, or use any verbal means of encouragement. Multiple commands and/or signals using one or both arms and hands are allowed; the handler's arms need not be maintained in any particular position at any time. The handler may not touch the dog or make physical corrections. At any time during the performance, loud or harsh commands or intimidating signals will be penalized."

B>UKC Rally Page

http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/RulesIndex?OpenView&group=DE (scroll down)

B>Internet Rally Discussion Group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Rally-obed/
The "Files" section has many useful files including full-size, color, downloadable signs.

B>Internet Rally Course Design Discussion Group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Rally-Course-Design/