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Does anyone do Rally Obedience with their dogs?

Tosa

Well-Known Member
Rally obedience is great for big dogs. They are loving to please and very calm. I did flyball with Tosa for a six months and she did very well, but now we started canicrossing so i won't be so regular with flyball. Problem with bigger dogs in flyball is turn, as they need to put all four legs on the box and it that's really hard :D
 

QY10

Well-Known Member
I do both Barn Hunt and Rally Obedience with Thalia, my staffy. She loves both of them and is a very quick learner.

Thalia and I do private lessons as she is dog aggressive and even with a muzzle would be too distracted in a group setting. So, that means our lessons are when they are convenient for us. Also, the trainer is incredible... He specializes in taking dogs/handlers to being best in show and high trial winners.

I try to practice Rally with Angus, but he's not very motivated and he's very slooooow. So, I just work on simple obedience with Angus right now because he was never formally trained anyways.
 

ruby55

Well-Known Member
We went to one competition so far; NQ'd. Not surprising; Ruby was sick with diarrhea (I didn't find out until we got there), and I was already awake for 18 hours, thanks to my work schedule.
We went to a match last weekend, no points, but it was within walking distance of the house. We would have qualified. She's getting better. But without that bait(food), & the fact that she has arthritic hocks, she takes her time sitting & getting up. We have to do everything else perfectly, & she still doesn't have a tight heel. We'll keep working on it.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Rally obedience is great for big dogs. They are loving to please and very calm. I did flyball with Tosa for a six months and she did very well, but now we started canicrossing so i won't be so regular with flyball. Problem with bigger dogs in flyball is turn, as they need to put all four legs on the box and it that's really hard :D

wow flyball with a big dog...now that's interesting!

I do both Barn Hunt and Rally Obedience with Thalia, my staffy. She loves both of them and is a very quick learner.

Thalia and I do private lessons as she is dog aggressive and even with a muzzle would be too distracted in a group setting. So, that means our lessons are when they are convenient for us. Also, the trainer is incredible... He specializes in taking dogs/handlers to being best in show and high trial winners.

I try to practice Rally with Angus, but he's not very motivated and he's very slooooow. So, I just work on simple obedience with Angus right now because he was never formally trained anyways.

How do you think she'll do for the real thing?

We went to one competition so far; NQ'd. Not surprising; Ruby was sick with diarrhea (I didn't find out until we got there), and I was already awake for 18 hours, thanks to my work schedule.
We went to a match last weekend, no points, but it was within walking distance of the house. We would have qualified. She's getting better. But without that bait(food), & the fact that she has arthritic hocks, she takes her time sitting & getting up. We have to do everything else perfectly, & she still doesn't have a tight heel. We'll keep working on it.

Oh poor Ruby. A tight heel is not easy to achieve. I hope you guys are having fun! I'm still not doing anything rally because I can't find a place that will let me do drop ins. I was going to do agility, but Hector hurt his back, so no agility ever I don't think - too scary to even risk it at this point.
 

QY10

Well-Known Member
For Rally, I am confident that she will do well. We still have a ways to go just with tightening up our moves and working on "watch me". We yet to introduce many distractions other than joggers and people walking their dogs, which we have no control over.

Our trainer said that she has a lot of potential and that it's basically up to me to decide how much work I want to put into her and Rally.

I try to practice with her 3x a day at 15-30 minutes each practice. We meet with our trainer every 2-3 weeks depending on our schedule.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

KMD

Well-Known Member
I am doing Rally O training with my DDB (and my Staffy) - so long as you have a good steady heel, just practice at home with some traffic cones and signs. I printed mine out and laminated them and use cloths pegs to attach them to the cones.

What my girl really loves though is Agility and Jumping. Since she's still only 12 months old, I set the bars down to 300mm (low) so that she has to lengthen her stride to get over them but doesn't land with a jolt. Tunnel is great, dog walk fine but we aren't doing scramble or seesaw until she is 18 months or maybe 2 years old. I'm pretty cautious with her.

I spend most of my time laughing though, when she gets her sprint on. DDBs at full run are the funnies thing ever.
 

ruby55

Well-Known Member
wow flyball with a big dog...now that's interesting!



How do you think she'll do for the real thing?



Oh poor Ruby. A tight heel is not easy to achieve. I hope you guys are having fun! I'm still not doing anything rally because I can't find a place that will let me do drop ins. I was going to do agility, but Hector hurt his back, so no agility ever I don't think - too scary to even risk it at this point.
Update: We are continuing to work on that heel, and she finally got it. So in January I took her to a 2 day event. She felt the need to mark the field (translate: Pee) on the first day, so NQ. On the second day the judge asked us to go last in our class in case she marked the field again. I didn't feel so bad, since the first dog on the field pooped. :lolbangtable:
We got through the exercises, and got our first leg. I also noticed that she's on guard, watching everyone & everything around us. Like she's protecting us. But damn; that right turn & a call to heel is tight.
 

irina

Well-Known Member
We are working on the heel as well with intermittent success. Does ruby watch you the entire time and does not look away to check things out? If yes, how did you achieve that? That is our problem that is preventing us from going to trial. Congratulations, by the way.
 

ruby55

Well-Known Member
We are working on the heel as well with intermittent success. Does ruby watch you the entire time and does not look away to check things out? If yes, how did you achieve that? That is our problem that is preventing us from going to trial. Congratulations, by the way.
Ruby is ALWAYS on guard, looking around, sniffing the ground, etc. I'm always reminding her to "Look at me". We got the heel quite by accident. I'd been working for weeks on right turns & heel, with Ruby just not understanding what I wanted. One day we were working on right turns, & she got it. I threw my hands up, yelled "YES! GOOD RIGHT!!!" And she totally perked up & started prancing. I just needed to reinforce what I wanted in a big way. Now when I say "heel", or "right", she actually wriggles & dances.
 

ruby55

Well-Known Member
@Irina: Have you attended any rally trials? There are plenty of novice dogs that don't completely focus on their handlers. There's so much going on around them, & they're in a new environment. It's part of the learning curve, IMO. I know it's not a cheap endeavor, but if you can get your dog to at least partly pay attention to you, it might be worth it to take the leap. The judges will frequently give you tips too. They want to see you do well.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
Ruby is ALWAYS on guard, looking around, sniffing the ground, etc. I'm always reminding her to "Look at me". We got the heel quite by accident. I'd been working for weeks on right turns & heel, with Ruby just not understanding what I wanted. One day we were working on right turns, & she got it. I threw my hands up, yelled "YES! GOOD RIGHT!!!" And she totally perked up & started prancing. I just needed to reinforce what I wanted in a big way. Now when I say "heel", or "right", she actually wriggles & dances.

Awesome update. LOL @ the marking..
 

QY10

Well-Known Member
I am starting to work on off-leash stuff with Thalia. It's great.

Thalia has got a pretty good heel. I honestly can't complain.

We work with a harness a lot now days. It has a handle and it's really convenient for ensuring her sits are really straight and in line with my leg. The harness work is a precursor to low-resistance weight pull.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

JamieHalverson

Well-Known Member
I know I'm late to this thread, but we just started Rally after completing level 3 Obedience. I have an Am Staff/Mastiff X and he just never really loved "regular" obedience, and honestly, neither did I. Frankly, I just don't care about perfectly straight sits and getting him to come in one inch closer on a recall.

Rally is much more forgiving and I find it more relevant to the "real" world. If we are out at a fair or parade or a therapy visit, I don't need perfection, I just need reliable. And Rally is fast, lots of motion and distractions and you can talk to your dog the entire time. It's a better fit for us.

Someone else mentioned they have a low drive dog; my dog is not very drivey either. We started K9 Nosework in January and it is phenomenal! He loves it and it has really built his drive and excitement, we start our 3rd round and it is definitely something I hope to compete in.

Highly, highly recommend K9 Nosework for large dogs that may not be as athletic or drivey (mine can't do agility due to an injury that didn't heal 100% prior to when I got him). It's also great for reactive or fearful dogs because they do not interact with other dogs AT ALL while working and it really builds confidence in shy/fearful dogs.
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
I know I'm late to this thread, but we just started Rally after completing level 3 Obedience. I have an Am Staff/Mastiff X and he just never really loved "regular" obedience, and honestly, neither did I. Frankly, I just don't care about perfectly straight sits and getting him to come in one inch closer on a recall.

Rally is much more forgiving and I find it more relevant to the "real" world. If we are out at a fair or parade or a therapy visit, I don't need perfection, I just need reliable. And Rally is fast, lots of motion and distractions and you can talk to your dog the entire time. It's a better fit for us.

Someone else mentioned they have a low drive dog; my dog is not very drivey either. We started K9 Nosework in January and it is phenomenal! He loves it and it has really built his drive and excitement, we start our 3rd round and it is definitely something I hope to compete in.

Highly, highly recommend K9 Nosework for large dogs that may not be as athletic or drivey (mine can't do agility due to an injury that didn't heal 100% prior to when I got him). It's also great for reactive or fearful dogs because they do not interact with other dogs AT ALL while working and it really builds confidence in shy/fearful dogs.

This is great. I would love some videos or pictures!
 

Hector

Well-Known Member
I am starting to work on off-leash stuff with Thalia. It's great.

Thalia has got a pretty good heel. I honestly can't complain.

We work with a harness a lot now days. It has a handle and it's really convenient for ensuring her sits are really straight and in line with my leg. The harness work is a precursor to low-resistance weight pull.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thalia has great drive. I can't wait to see her weight pull, how exciting!
 

QY10

Well-Known Member
I know I'm late to this thread, but we just started Rally after completing level 3 Obedience. I have an Am Staff/Mastiff X and he just never really loved "regular" obedience, and honestly, neither did I. Frankly, I just don't care about perfectly straight sits and getting him to come in one inch closer on a recall.

Rally is much more forgiving and I find it more relevant to the "real" world. If we are out at a fair or parade or a therapy visit, I don't need perfection, I just need reliable. And Rally is fast, lots of motion and distractions and you can talk to your dog the entire time. It's a better fit for us.

Someone else mentioned they have a low drive dog; my dog is not very drivey either. We started K9 Nosework in January and it is phenomenal! He loves it and it has really built his drive and excitement, we start our 3rd round and it is definitely something I hope to compete in.

Highly, highly recommend K9 Nosework for large dogs that may not be as athletic or drivey (mine can't do agility due to an injury that didn't heal 100% prior to when I got him). It's also great for reactive or fearful dogs because they do not interact with other dogs AT ALL while working and it really builds confidence in shy/fearful dogs.

I have been wanting to start nosework with my guy, Angus. He sounds like your pup, not much drive and has an injury that hinders him. He's also very shy and cautious.

I think it's time for me to hunker down and get him involved!
 

JamieHalverson

Well-Known Member
I have been wanting to start nosework with my guy, Angus. He sounds like your pup, not much drive and has an injury that hinders him. He's also very shy and cautious.

I think it's time for me to hunker down and get him involved!

It has been great for my dog! we had dogs from a poodle to a GSD to a brittany spaniel in our classes and every single one loves it. But my Yogi has an enthusiasm for nosework that you have to see to believe ;)

The poodle couldn't stick it's head in a box out of fear and the spaniel wouldn't move more than 2 feet away from her owner when we started, now they are like different dogs - excited, enthusiastic, ready to work!

The only video I have is of the very first class of the first session, and Yogi is just learning that good things come in boxes, which is the first step. I'll see if I can post it. I'm hoping the trainer sends videos from one of the later classes soon, it's really great to watch and I would love to see how far he's come!

In this first video you just see the trainer "loading" the box, then moving it around to encourage Yogi to search boxes.
https://youtu.be/LC-4iGuS1f8?list=PLDTKo1ifIj_ZgLcdWS7JyY-EWSBMivDZD

This one is the same class, 2nd run, and the trainer is trying to teach me how to train my dog
https://youtu.be/SDG-sEly1kw?list=PLDTKo1ifIj_ZgLcdWS7JyY-EWSBMivDZD