Rally dog is an exciting dog sport that was first recognised in South Africa in 2020. In a rally dog test, the handler and dog team navigate a course of 12 to 20 ‘test cards’ in consecutive order with the dog at heel position. At each card, the team is required to execute a coordinated exercise printed on that card.
How it works
The team is judged on how accurately they perform each exercise. In total, there are 90 cards from which judges can choose, depending on the class level and judges’ discretion. The coordinated exercises range from reasonably simple exercises (for example, about turn, left turn, right turn) to more complicated ones such as spin apart, recall over a jump to heel or slalom (weaving through cones with the dog at heel). The handler may be required to heel backwards with their dog or perform a send-away exercise to cones.
Given the many options of test cards available to rally dog judges, the handler is always given time to walk the course before competing. This gives a handler an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the exercises before navigating the course with their dog.
Perfect timing
Rally dog is a timed sport, with teams ranking on both accuracy and time taken to complete the whole course. There are clearly marked start and end test cards on every course. The ring steward starts a stopwatch once the team moves past the start marker and notes the end time once the team reaches the end card. Each course also has a maximum cut-off time (usually four minutes) in which the team must complete all the test cards.
While competing, the handler may not use treats or toys to lure their dog. There are five official classes of rally dog: novice, advanced, excellent, master and grand master. Some shows may hold fun or senior classes too. In fun classes, the dog must work on lead, and the handler may use toy or treat rewards. Senior classes are for dogs over the age of eight years and for dogs of any age that have disabilities. In the senior class, no jumps may be used.
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By: Sanjo Rose
