UK Rally

What is Rally?

Dog and handler team navigate a course with numbered signs indicating different exercises to perform such as, Sit Down Sit, Staight figure 8, Send over Jump, Recall over Jump, Left Turn. Teams navigate the course at a brisk continuous performance without direction from the judge. Handlers are encouraged to talk to their dogs during the performance.

All dogs, purebred, mixed breed and dogs with disabilities are encouraged to participate.

The aim of the UK APDT is to encourage all dog owners to take part in this new sport with a view to registering and competing for Rally titles and awards.

If you have any queries please contact the Rally team on: apdt.uk.rally@hotmail.com

Latest Rally News

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/4561

Rally Important Announcement

We are pleased to report that the Kennel Club are taking over the discipline of Rally from 1st October 2012. Thank you to everyone who has taken part in any way, helping to promote this sport. We wish everyone enjoyment and success for the future.

Rally Team Carole, Stewart, Marie, Stella.

A few years ago the APDT, UK committee investigated the relatively new sport of Rally-O that was becoming more and more popular in America, and realised that this sport would be just as popular in the UK. It is aimed, primarily, at pet dog owners who want to train - and possibly compete - with their dogs, but in something a little less formal than Competition Obedience.

We drew up rules and regulations, held seminars and workshops, trained judges and we held our first Rally Trial at the APDT, UK Activity Weekend two years ago.

The sport has proved very popular and is being taught in training classes by APDT, UK members and non-members throughout the country. We have licensed several trials, and more are planned. All of which is great news.

However, we are a training Association first and foremost and not a registration/competition association. From the start we knew that if this sport was to really take off we would need someone to look after registrations and keep track of qualifications/awards in numbers that were beyond our resources. The obvious step was to talk to the Kennel Club, as one of their areas of expertise is the registering and tracking of dogs taking part in competitions. I am pleased to say that the Kennel Club's General Committee have agreed that they would like to be involved.

Until now we have asked that dogs taking part in APDT, UK Rally Trials are registered with us. When the Kennel Club take over they will, of course, need the dogs to be registered with them - either on the Breed Register (pedigree) or the Activity Register (for non-pedigree dogs who take part in various sports). We have decided that, as from 5 October 2011, we will no longer register dogs, ourselves, but will accept their Kennel Club registrations. Dogs that are only registered with APDT, UK will eventually (by the end of the transition) need to register with the Kennel Club. We are currently checking which owners this will affect, and will be contacting them before the transition starts so they understand what they will need to do to register their dog on the Activity Register. In this way the transition should be a smooth one and their APDT, UK Rally achievements will not be lost. Owners of dogs who are only registered with APDT, UK need take no action at present. Dogs new to Rally competition will be directed to the Kennel Club for registration.

My thanks to the group who have steered APDT, UK Rally to it's present position – both for their work over the last few years, and their ongoing work with the Kennel Club. I would also like to thank everyone who has hosted Trials, Seminars and Workshops for handlers and judges – we could not have got to this point without you. I hope those of you who are teaching/competing in Rally continue to do enjoy doing so, and look forward to it becoming even more well known and popular in the future.

If you have any questions about the new arrangements for Registration, or any other questions about Rally, please e-mail: apdt.uk.rally@hotmail.com

All Rally signs and information can now be found on: Kennel Club Rally

Rally Qualifications Levels 1 and 2

Will handlers please ensure that Rally Record Books are completely up to date. The KC are going to be asking for either, the books themselves or photocopies. Handlers without these books will be able to download/buy them from the KC within the next few days.

Rally signs and holders can be bought from http://ariciadogtraining.co.uk/rallyframes.htm

The total cost of the frame (this includes velcro which holds the sign in place) is £10.

The feet are drilled in order to take a light weight metal tent peg for use outdoors on grass.

A4 laminated signs with velcro attached to connect with the frame are £1 each.