Advanced Rally Challenges – Second Edition
It's All About The Journey...
ADVANCED RALLY CHALLENGES
Second Edition
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!!!
Last time I mentioned to you that the Rally signs will be on your right, except for a sign where you will turn to the right or left or you’ll do a 180. In this case, these signs will be placed DIRECTLY in front you on the path you are walking.
Below is a very accurate diagram of the placement of signs for a course. You will see that the COD (Change of Direction) signs are directly in your walking path (arrows). You will also see that the signs you learned in the F&F January 2021 issue are continuous signs (you will continue to walk in the same direction after performing the sign) in this course.
These signs are placed on your right in this course.
There is a text box with the 6 sign numbers used in this course. This is the order of the signs for this course. This list not only helps you or your trainer to easily pull these signs to lay out a course, but it also lets the handler, who will run the course, know the order of signs.
Let’s go over these new signs on this course. I’ll also give you the AKC Descriptions of the signs I introduced to you in the F&F January issue. First of all, a right turn is exactly that. A left turn is exactly that. A 270 left is a hard way to make a right turn and an About Turn Right is an about turn to your right. Here are descriptions, videos and notes to help you understand these signs better.
#1 – SIGN #5. RIGHT TURN. Description: 90° turn to the right.
Perform as a 90 degree turn to the right as in traditional obedience. Make sure you acknowledge this sign on a course. Don’t take a short cut to the following sign because you can NQ if the judge thinks you did not perform or attempt to perform this sign.
#2 ‐ SIGN #3. HALT – SIT. Description: While heeling, the handler halts and the dog sits in heel position. (Stationary).
Make sure your dog is sitting before you continue. The team then moves forward with the dog in heel position.
#3 ‐ SIGN #10. 270° LEFT TURN. Description: While heeling, the dog and handler make a tight 270° turn to the left.
While heeling, the team makes a 270 degree turn to the handler’s left. 270‐degree turns are performed as a tight circle, but not around the exercise sign. Keep dog in heel position. Dogs tend to forge in this exercise. If your dog interferes with your freedom of motion, you will be penalized.
#4 ‐ SIGN #4. HALT – SIT – DOWN. Description: While heeling, the handler halts and the dog sits in heel position. The dog must then down, in heel position. (Stationary)
After sitting, the handler then commands and/or signals the dog to down, followed by the command to heel forward from the down position. Make sure your dog is still down before you continue.
#6. SIGN #6. LEFT TURN. Description: 90° turn to the left.
Perform as a 90 degree turn to the left as in traditional obedience. Make sure you acknowledge this sign. If you cut it too short, the judge may think you missed this sign and that is an NQ.
#7. SIGN #7. ABOUT TURN – RIGHT. Description: 180° turn to the right.
While heeling, the team makes a 180 about turn to the handler’s right. Keep dog in heel position. Dogs tend to lag in this exercise.
Can you believe it?? You can do a few signs, and you can also lay out a course with signs you can print out. Here is the link for printing out signs. You can slip them inside a plastic sheet protector and just put them on the ground, with maybe a rock to hold them, or a cone.
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
Next issue, I will explain about the Start and Finish Signs used on all courses. In some of the future issues, I will also help you to understand about the “Call Front” signs. There are several Call Front exercises in all classes of Rally. It’s good to get them down right from the start!
I want to share a video of how to get your dog to want to focus and work with you on your left side. I use this video I made for my Beginning classes.