What qualities make a good Rally Dog?
This was the first time I actually saw Rally in action. I was really impressed! I thought it looked like a lot of fun and it looked like both the dogs and the owners enjoyed what they were doing. I'd like to give Rally a try, but I'm not sure which dog would make a good Rally dog. Asterisk is very energetic, so agility is really turning out to be a good activity for her. Wendel is very people focused, so I'm working toward Dog Therapy with him. So what qualities make a good Rally dog? Asterisk is still very puppy (she'll be two in little over a week) and is very energetic. Wendel is very me-oriented, but he is very stubborn and a bit bull-headed. Do you think Rally could help curb Wendel's bull-headedness and help Asterisk's energy? |
|
|
| I love Rally!!! I was able to get Pearl's Advanced Rally Title at 13 years old...and Heart is beginning her 1st leg in Excellent next weekend! The best part is in Novice and Advanced you can talk to your dog, snap your fingers, pat your leg.. it is light and fun and, IMO not as serious as Obedience. Pearl has gotten 'silly' in the ring, while on a down..but we still Q'd~~~Heart has wandered around the ring, but calling her back and finishing..still Qing~~~ So it is not so structured as the other sports. Harry is a crazy boy, and he is doing great!!! ( I am sure Judi will post her experiences.) Pearl was older and she was able to compete and title...and Heart is more calm, but very flighty..and, as long as I can keep her head with me emotionally, we do great!!! So either can do it!!!  |
| I love that you stewarded - it is a good way to learn a LOT about an activity! I'm sure you saw all types of dogs and all types of performances. Some dogs are spot on and totally "into" their human, others are pokey and get lured around and it's kind of painful to watch... Personally, I like to use rally as a way to bond with the dog and develop good teamwork. I did rally with my Simon basset 1st. He was too old to do agility when i got him, and rally was a lot of fun for all of us. Then I started Chewie showing in it when Simon was starting excellent, so for a few shows I had them both - Simon in excellent and Chewie in novice. Chewie started going to classes with me as a pup at 4 months - that's when he came to my house. LeAnne actually took him in the 1st 10 week obedience class, then he just was my demo dog for another year before we did rally. He got his RN at 18 months and an intact male, so age really didn't matter - more the bond with the human and how you work together. From the start we really worked on paying attention to each other, and it has paid off in every single sport we do. We totally trust and enjoy each other.  Now I'm getting ready to compete with Riley, our 4 yr old rat terrier. He needs a job! He had a beginner obedience class, and has popped in and out of evenings at my classes periodically just to get out and be the demo dog. I have taken him as an actual student (one I'm NOT also the instructor!) for the last month, and he has improved dramatically. He is just blossoming with all the attention. He's a quiet dog, and now he prances and struts his stuff while working our courses in class. It is so cool! I didn't really intend to do this so quick. I had him with one evening when I was working the dane I'm training in conformation, and decided to stay as a drop-in for the rally class that follows. No one there knew Riley - only Chewie and Simon. They were surprised I had this little guy. They talked me into doing his PAL registration and entering.  So another rally dog is born!And my real goal is to use it as a team-building experience, as we also are just starting agility foundation work too. We have our 1st trial at our local KC show over memorial weekend. I've also been brushing up Chewie's skills, as we are entering RAE at our Twin Cities OES Club's specialty show in June. If you can swing it, I would do it with both of them. It won't be wasted time! Several people in the class we are dropping in to are just starting as new handlers, and they are also doing rally as a 1st step (after basic obedience) for many things with their dogs. It also helps the human get used to being in the ring, getting judged and getting over any "nerves" |
Didn't find exactly what you're looking for? Search again here:
Custom Search
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|