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  1. #1
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Beginner Rally-O Classes - OUCH!

    We started a novice rally-o class yesterday. Wow they really shoudl call this "novice rally for advanced students". Crazyness. Penn can do short heels (short distance) and we worked on sit/down in heel. We worked on front and go to right/left as well. it hought we were in good shape to start in novice class. Apparently not this class.

    It's like novice rally-o for those that KNOW all the commands down pat already. silliness. rather than work on any one command/sign and teach us how to train that, she seems to EXPECT we know all of that and just needs to put it together with teh signs. I get we were supposed to have basic obedience classes doen but you don't do front and heel right/heel left and stands in basic obedience.

    At the end of class 1 she had a 10+ station course to do.

    Two of the dogs are advanced and seem to have done competitive obedience so no issues tere. Another is doing decent. Penny is the class dunce as we are not ready for that. And another student had to LURE their dog thru the entire course as they were so lost.

    I will continue the class but try to mind what is going on and do what is appropriate for penny and I (and not practice bad behaviour just becuase the class thinks we should).

    Homework is goign to be intense.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Scoutpout's Avatar
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    thats a shame, where i trained, Novice covered signs 1 - 40 (i think?), each hour long class did have a short (10 or less) sign course at the end, but it was the signs we already had been taught. the majority of the class was the signs being taught that lesson (say 4 or 5 a class), with instruction on proper completion of the sign, demo-ing the sign with a trained dog, then group practice of that sign for 5 minutes or so, then on to the next sign for the class. Plus, there was a lesson plan book you got at the end of lesson 1, that covered all the lessons (8 weeks, now its compressed into 7 weeks), and what was covered in each lesson, with the signs and what to do at each sign all in the back. If you took both novice and advanced rally classes, you essentially got all the rally signs, and how to do them, plus the written lesson plan book for them all.

    When the class was on the floor all working on a sign, the instructor and assistants would come through and give pointers to the different teams.

    Maybe take the instructor aside before next class and ask if you're supposed to know the signs already before the class?

  3. #3
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
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    When we teach rally it's usually to a group that have worked on more than basic obedience and have practiced things like heel, foose, transitional stays, on your feet etc. HOWEVER!!!! every class still needs to learn how to do the signs and what the judges will be looking for and how you will be marked. Because there are more advanced students in the class than you, maybe the instructor is just skipping some of the instruction because they already know it - which isn't right...I would speak to her. If someone is confused about anything, we are right on it to help out!!! Rally is supposed to be fun and we make it that way.

    My only advice would be to KEEP TRAINING THE BASICS. Ask for copies of the signs so that you can practice at home. Anything you don't know, or haven't trained, speak to the trainer and ask for some help. You will probably have to train more at home to reinforce the correct behaviors. I would work on basic sit, down, transitional stay on your feet, and a good "lets go sit" which is my command for the dog to jump from a down to a sit. I would work at these commands with dog in heel (left side) and dog in foose (right side). I would also train these commands out of sight - just to further proof. Leave the dog in one room and give commands from another room. Have someone watch the dog to make sure that the commands are being followed.

    The benefit to beginner rally is the leash. The more advanced you get, you will learn a lot of tricks and "rule bending" that seasoned participants may reveal (secret signals that won't lose you marks).

    If you need ANY help, just post and I'd be happy to give any pointers or assistance I can, and I'm sure lots of other people will chime in with help and advice.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    i have compete in novice rally-o with Rocky (he has CARO novice tittle and two legs of CKC novice). so because of that I had worked beyond what you learn in basic obedience. I have taken TONS of basic obedience, we do NOT work on front, stand, heel to right or heel to left. The only reason I wasn't totally lost is because I had done this before. no first time to rally person can manage a class like this!

    My previous classes with other trainers trained the signed. a few signs eaxch class then THOSE signs in small courses.

    This class litteraly had in the first day's full course
    - 270 right
    - 270 left
    - u turn right
    - u turn left (ok wording probably off here)
    - sit
    - sit down
    - sit down sit
    - weaves (the cones)

    Most of these she did NOT show us most of those other than sit. and told us the down to heel the dog can't sit then heel but we didn't really "work" on that.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    Unfortunately, many Rally O instructors are pretty novice themselves and don't really know *HOW* to teach. I too saw the "deer in the headlight" look on most of the handlers' faces last summer in my pup's first Rally class. In a perfect world, my idea of a Beginning Rally class is to teach the basics (rules/ regs), and do 3-4 station exercises those first few weeks. That is exactly what I've suggested as an upcoming class w/ our kennel club this winter. We need to keep it simple,start w/ the ABC's-- and build the team confidence. Sad to say but my pup who was only 4.5 mos old at the beginning of the first class was far more advanced than everyone else, and that was only because I've titled several generations now.
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  6. #6
    Best Friend Retriever xracer4844's Avatar
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    Which ones do you need help on?

  7. #7
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    The class is being held by a group that does obedience and conformation stuff. Penny is the ONLY fixed dog and mix dog. The others are potential breeding pups I think (or waiting for maturity to fix). So - I went in knowing this coudl be an "interesting" class.

    You have everyoen from newbies (me though at least I have done rally-o) and the other couple (they have a 1 year old rare breed and no experience in rally).Then you have a 3 year old mal that MUST compete in obedience. The other two have clearly done obedience (more competitive style) though one is more ahead of the other.

    My previous rally-o classes have been wonderful so this was new to me. A bit of a shocker.

  8. #8
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xracer4844 View Post
    Which ones do you need help on?
    thanks ok the one thing I am having a very hard time wtih is stand. I have worked a bit on this in the past and the only "way" i found was to use the touch but that doesn't work as they move "foward". plus it wasn't very good anyway. I saw a technique online last night where you bring the treat under their mouth and neck but she wasn't getting that one LOL.

    Some things take a long time with Penny. the sit in heel took so so so long. so much work. Thank GOD I did this before class started (for other reasons I had to train it). her "go to heel and sit" is not proofed but getting there.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    Do you have a stand in Rally Nov in Canada? We don't here until Advanced. We do have a Stand for Exam in Nov Obedience though, so it's good to start that early.
    I always use a sweeping lure w/ my right hand starting from dog's nose, sweeping outward. I touch the loin area to stabilize the stand, w/ my left hand. Say Stay.
    I'm just now starting Stand Stay w/ Kanzi (8 mos) since we've gone from Rally to Obedience (combo Beginner thru Nov Obed) class.
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    IntCH WindyCanyon's Kanzi BN CDX RE JH (5 yrs)
    IntCH WindyCanyon ItsOnlyMoneyHoneycrisp BN RN CC (16mos)
    IntCH WindyCanyon's Pippin BN RI CC (2.5 yrs)
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  10. #10
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by windycanyon View Post
    Do you have a stand in Rally Nov in Canada? We don't here until Advanced. We do have a Stand for Exam in Nov Obedience though, so it's good to start that early.
    I always use a sweeping lure w/ my right hand starting from dog's nose, sweeping outward. I touch the loin area to stabilize the stand, w/ my left hand. Say Stay.
    I'm just now starting Stand Stay w/ Kanzi (8 mos) since we've gone from Rally to Obedience (combo Beginner thru Nov Obed) class.
    Well now good question. it's one of the first warm up things she made us do at the beginning of classes, stand. weird. weird weird.

    it's not in our homework so i may let that one go a bit an concnetrate on the rest. I will try it when I have extra time. i may just work on heeling and turns for now. and maybe the down to sit as she has trouble with down to sit.

 



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