[Penny&Me]

Hi everyone

My local hydrotherapy centre, which also has a canine crèche, agility and obedience classes, has just advertised that they are running Rally-O classes from mid January. I've seen it mentioned a few times on here and have done a general internet search on it and it seems really interesting. Can anyone give me any details of what it's like and what it entails, as the info I've found doesn't seem very specific.
From my understand handlers take their dog around a course with different stations providing different instructions like obedience commands. As you progress through higher levels it starts to introduce a small amount of agility such as jumps and tunnels, have I got this right?
How do you guys find it? Is it worth me signing up to this beginners class and giving it a go to see how we get on?
Penny will be 12 months old by the time the classes start and she has excellent general obedience although her lead work isn't great (I use and halti and she does still pull if we're going to the park!) from what I understand the lower levels are completed with the dog on lead so will it matter if she pulls or should I work on her lead work and walking to heel?

Thanks

 

[TrappersMom]

Absolutely! My experience is in AKC Rally in the US, but there are surely similarities!

Rally is a lot of fun. It incorporates many obedience commands- sit, stay, down, stand, for example- but you can talk to and praise your dog throughout. Rally Novice, the Beginning level in the AKC, is all on lead and I've found the biggest fault is not having a "loose leash," meaning one of us is not working as a team.

Check the UK rules, but I doubt Haltis are allowed. But, if you enroll in the class I imagine you will easily overcome the pulling problems.

I would recommend you enroll in the beginning class. Have fun with Rally!

 

[Penny&Me]

Thanks for the reply.

I think I will give it a go, I'm just waiting to hear back from the centre about prices etc and will probably enroll.

Can it get hugely competitive? I'd like to start it as just a hobby with potential to compete if we get fairly good at it but I don't want to be the only one in the class doing it just for fun if everyone else is mega serious about it!