I've heard of "rally-o", what is it?

Question

I used to compete in Canadian Kennel Club Obedience trials with my old dog. I've recently heard people mentioning "rally-o". What is this? How does it differ from the obedience trails I've experienced, or is it a form of obedience trial at all?

Answer 1

Rally Obedience. Much more fun (IMO) than the standard stuff. You can talk to your dog the entire time, clap your hands, etc...and you follow signs through the course, rather than taking commands from a judge.

Much more reflective of normal dog training than regular obedience. I'll see if I can find a link.

ADD: http://www.rallyobedience.com/

Links to the AKC rules, signs, lists/groups, etc. :)

Answer 2

It is a type of obedience.  You complete a course with your dog, and the course consists of a series of signs that tell you want you need to do at each "station", such as sit, a 270 degree turn, etc.  So there isn't someone telling you what to do, and each course is different at each trial.  

Answer 3

It's kind of like "obedience lite".  

You are allowed to encourage and talk to your dog, but not repeat commands.

You follow a course to a variety of stations, and you do what the sign says. The signs can be found in the AKC regulations, page 150

http://www.akc.org/pdfs/about/board_minu...

CKC holds Rally trials (I'm trialling Sally Anne this weekend), you can get a PEN number for an unregistered purebred,  and there's also CARO (Canadian Association of Rally and Obedience) which accepts all breeds and mixed breeds. http://www.canadianrallyo.ca/