Agility, Obedience, Rally?

Most horse people do very well in obedience and rally. They understand the discipline of proper training plus most have great timing.

Rally is obedience that is done much like agility. Think of each station as an obstacle. The exercise denoted on the sign is performed. The dog/ handler team is judged on how well the exercise is performed. The course is also timed. Time is used as a tie breaker. In rally you may give many commands, encouragement,praise and hand signals without losing points in especially in the beginning classes. You can repeat a station for a deduction in most cases. You will get dinged for tight leash, excess leash guiding, etc. You are not allowed to touch the dog, obstacle or take food into the ring. Rally is a blast and there is great dog/handler interaction.

Competition obedience is much more formal. Think of it as doggy dressage. It is a very technical sport when compared to other dog sports. It does require more precise training then rally or agility for both the dog and the owner then other sports. a poorly trained owner can make a well trained dog look bad. Likewise a handler with good handling skills can make an average trained dog look good.

Of the three sports, obedience is the most challenging for many people to train for. Much of the training goes against the natural ability of many dogs. However that doesn't mean that it cannot be done. I've found that I like the challenges of training for competition obedience better then rally or agility. This type of training tests my mind and has made me a much better trainer in all venues that I compete in. Plus obedience is the foundation for most dog sports. I've found that people who do obedience also do well in rally and and agility.

One of the better books for "newbies" in obedience and rally is "It's a Dog Not a Toaster Finding Your Fun in Competitive Obedience by Diana Kerew-Shaw. This is not a training book but a get to know the sports book. Going to a couple of trials will help with your knowledge also. There are also some really good videos on youtube.

4Her4Life compared them pretty well. To see what's at a trial for either, look it up on youtube.

Here's an example of AKC novice obedience http://youtu.be/Bp8WvYxr9jo

And AKC novice rally http://youtu.be/FZPgPpOwJo8

The difference is that in rally, you follow the signs, and in obedience you listen for the judge to yell what to do next. Rally was designed as a stepping stone into the more formal obedience, since it's easier and less intimidating, but lots of people do it just because it's more fun than obedience.

For either, it would be good to take classes to learn what do to exactly. I've heard from people that too much formal obedience can actually hurt agility training, if you're not teaching agility at the same time. Dogs that have had years of obedience before starting agility can be velcroed to you and always try to stay on your left, when in agility you need them to work away and be comfortable on your right. So, obedience is really great for teaching skills like focus, attention, and self control (all important for agility), but make sure at the same time, you're also teaching your dog agility foundation skills.

Classes are your friend to learn about both, and I would find a local trial or fun match and go watch.

Obedience is based on precise execution of commands, the judge tells you to do EVERYTHING (turn left, about turn, halt, forward, etc). It rewards precision more than anything.

Rally is more casual. There is a course set up with various signs. The handler works through them at their own pace, using as much praise/encouragement as they would like.

The exercises & rules for Obedience & Rally Obedience are available on the AKC & ASCA websites.

AKC: http://www.akc.org/pdfs/events/GOCET1.pdf

http://images.akc.org/pdf/rulebooks/RO2999.pdf

http://images.akc.org/pdf/rulebooks/RO2999.pdf

ASCA: http://www.asca.org/linkclick.aspx?fileticket=oCw%...

http://www.asca.org/linkclick.aspx?fileticket=bOyY...

http://www.asca.org/linkclick.aspx?fileticket=u1ut...

Go to an Obedience/Rally Trial & watch.

http://classic.akc.org/events/rally/getting_starte... this is a place about rally

http://www.perfectpaws.com/whytr.html this is for Obedience.

I hope this helped, My friend recommended this.

You can go to your local library and find books on it. =D

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