If there ever was a dog sport that I would recommend newbies get into, it would be rally obedience. To begin with, it is a sport, that once you have some guidance and direction, can be easily practiced and trained at home for very little cost. Pylons can be purchased from the dollar store, signs can be printed easily on a home printer, and signs can be placed into page protectors to keep them fresh. It is a very welcoming sport, if you choose to go the route of competition, with amazing judges and wonderful competitors. I should also note, that this sport is also very welcoming and open to those who have dogs with physical disabilities, and handlers with challenges as well. If you choose it for fun, like many do, it is a sport that will absolutely enhance your obedience skills, handling skills, and off leash reliability. It is fantastic mind work for dogs and handlers alike, and is a great way to release excess energy while practicing.
We hold Rally Obedience Classes at times throughout the year, including Intro Classes and Rally Refresher Classes. Our Intro Classes are there to teach you all the basics of the sport, novice runs and intro to proper heeling, however, dogs need to have an understanding of basic obedience (on leash; sit, down, stay, come) to attend. Our rally refresher classes build upon the novice work, and introduce advanced and excellent exercises and courses, along with rally games.
Any breed can excel at this sport if you put the right foundation work in. Of course, we see a lot of herding breeds do very well, just like in agility, but there are an abundance of others who can hold their own. Below you will see one of our terriers at her very first trial, from this passed weekend, in a Novice Run of CARO (Canadian Association of Rally Obedience). Warning: you may need ear plugs, as her enthusiasm leaked out of her mouth throughout her runs. But happy, enthusiastic dogs are what they look for in this sport, and she sure was happy.
Below is information on our Rally Obedience Intro Class. If you are interested in trying out this fun and inclusive sport, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Rally-Obedience Skillz
Open to all dogs that have some basic knowledge of training, for puppies and dogs 16 weeks and up. This is the perfect introductory class to the wonderful world of Rally Obedience. This is a super fun sport that can be done for fun or competition. It is very welcoming to all breeds/mixes and abilities. You will learn the important foundational skills for Rally Obedience, how to engage your dog, Novice Signs (CARO) and how to run simple Novice courses. Rally is a simple and cost effective dog sport and can be practiced anywhere.
Puppies MUST have their vaccinations completed.
Equipment required: 6 foot leash, collar or harness.
Prerequisite: Knowledge of simple obedience commands (sit, down, stay)
$195.00 plus HST for 4 x 1 hour sessions
We are a welcoming and “tool friendly” facility, and even though our aim for rally is to work on flat buckle collars only (which is the requirement to compete in CARO), we are absolutely ok if you need to have your dog on a head halter, prong collar, harness, e-collar or whatever tool makes the initial training with your dog easier.
Happy training!
Smart Dogs Canine Training Milton 