Obedience and working disciplines
A course of signs, like a slalom of instructions. At each sign you do the exercise printed on it, and unlike classic Obedience, you can talk to your dog the whole way round.
About the discipline
Rally Obedience, or rally-o for short, is the friendlier side of competitive obedience. Numbered signs are set out around the ring, each with an exercise on it: sit, 270-degree turn, slow pace, down from motion.
The team works the signs in number order, at its own pace. You can talk to your dog, cheer it on and repeat a command. In classic Obedience every one of those would cost you points.
That's why people call it the best way into obedience sports. It asks for real discipline, but it lets beginner nerves slide: fluff a cue and you just give it again.
How it works in practice
Frequently asked questions
It's more forgiving. Each exercise on its own is simpler, but you have to string them into a smooth course you've memorised beforehand. The big difference is that you can talk to your dog from the first sign to the last.
Yes, we'd even recommend it. When you can talk and encourage all the way round, a dog that drifts off easily finds it much easier to stay with you.
You get a penalty, but you carry on. Going off course is the most common beginner mistake, and it's usually the handler forgetting the order rather than the dog.
From the same category
Tracking, obedience and protection, worked with the same dog on the same day.
Obedience, jumps and protection, worked on a field dressed up to a theme.
The Belgian ring school: obedience, jumps and protection.
French ring sport: obedience, jumps and protection, with the palisade as its calling card.
This page is informational. We work in mantrailing, search and rescue and preparation for the TSAC and BH exams - but if you want an honest opinion on what would suit your dog, write to us anytime.