Welcome to the world of Rally! In this course we will break down and teach the skills for each Novice sign, including halts and sits, fronts, finishes, turns, short heeling segments, and more! During the course, we will discuss the mechanics of teaching these skills, how placement of reward can help with your dog’s accurate performance of obedience skills, and how using props can assist with your dog’s understanding of the positions. By the end of the course, you will have the knowledge to teach all the skills needed for the 40 AKC Rally Novice signs, but don’t get overwhelmed! Many of the signs are very similar and build on each other. We will break down each set of skills into manageable chunks so you and your dog can be successful!
For those of you working through the TEAM program or who want to work on your obedience foundation, Rally is the perfect game to play with your dog, and is especially good if you’re thinking about entering the competition ring for the first time.
The AKC rally skills can be broken down into following categories: short heeling segments, halts, turns, positions (sit, down, stand), fronts, finishes, pace changes, and short stays. Students are not expected to master all of these skills, but will be provided the resources for teaching all of these categories. Each week several skills will be released and students will have the option of working on any skills from the current week or previous weeks.
Get Ready to Rally! is an introductory class. Dogs will be expected to have a basic understanding of sit, down, and heel, but these skills do not need to be refined. Please note that this class will not cover how to execute the specific signs, but will give you and your dog a solid foundation in the skills needed to complete each sign.
RA260 will feature a Teacher’s Assistant in the Bronze study group!
If you’d like to see what Rally is all about, check out a recent show with Strive.
Here is the trailer for this class!
