THE CLUE IS THE STOP SIGN IN RALLY COMPETITION
Some confusion is experienced by students of Rally Competition on how to execute the exercises that are very similar and yet have very different requirements. These confusing exercises appear in Rally Novice competition, so it is good to polish up our understanding of them from the start of our training.
Exercises 15 and 16 call for the dog to do a front with a sit in front of the handler, then to either finish left or right and come to a halt at the handlers side just as a traditional finish looks in obedience competition. However, these same finishes are done in exercises 13 and 14 , but the dog is now required to do the finish and the team continues on without a halt at the handler’s side. As both of these exercises can be incorporated into the same course, how can we distinguish between the proper execution of these exercises when walking the course first, then handling our dog in the actual competition? The AKC has thankfully given us some great clues in their stop signs. See below;
The signs for exercises 15 and 16 have stop sign to indicate that the dog is to halt at the end of the exercise. The dog and handler must pause briefly prior to continuing on. Exercises 13 and 14 below, do not have that stop sign and the team continues on as soon as the dog as executed the finish.
As you practice your Rally exercises keep in focus the stop sign to assist you in knowing whether halt or not at the end of executing the station. You must put a noticeable pause in your handling or you will not be properly performing the exercise and will NQ!
Rally becomes a titling class in January.
Being in the Midwest, I am celebrating New Years Eve in