Section XII. Miscellaneous A. Bowls for Off-Set Figure 8 Yesterday, at a trial, they used toys instead of bowls of food. Is that allowed? Yes, that is allowed. Consider that not all dogs are "food motivated," but some are driven for toys instead. It wouldn't be fair to ONLY use something that tempts some of the dogs. I like having the option. Actually, I'm using Rubbermaid containers. The "Pedigree" stainless steel bowls I have fit a 14 oz. Rubbermaid container perfectly. I would suggest you take the bowl with you and try different brands and styles. The shallow ones work well, but I really like how this works out. B. Cones Could someone please let me know what the most recent thinking of the AKC is in regards to the height of cones. Our club is going to end up buying some and I would prefer to get the correct size the first time. Thanks! There is no height requirement or limit for the cones at this time. I purchased 28" tall paper cones (similar to plastic covered paper plates) on-line, and have been very happy with them for inside events. Not sturdy enough for outside. Where did you get the paper Cones? I’ve used these cones successfully outside. On grass I use a couple landscape staples to keep them from blowing over. On concrete you can use Ziploc bags filled with sand placed in the little trough thingy. They actually sell a metal weight for these cones but I didn't think they were cost effective. I have the shorter, very lightweight, plastic cones which blew around easily. I discovered by experimenting that on cement, if you place the cone/sign over a full soda can it will stay in place! In grass, I use a short aluminum tent peg, the hook looped over one of the bands of plastic. An alternative would be to punch or cut an appropriate size hole in the base flange. We plan to get the medium size heavy cones within the next year... and those need high wind to move them. I found cones at Lowe’s Home Improvement. They had two sizes, both under $6 per cone, but the best value was the cone that was about $5.83 and is even taller than the large cones that come with the Rally-O set, except the bottom base portion is black instead of orange (the rest of the cone is orange). They are heavy and stable, and the great part was, you could buy one at a time if you were on a budget, and build your set as you could afford it, using the small soccer cones to fill out your set until you got enough of the big ones to do a full course. Naturally, this price isn’t cheap when you are talking 18 cones or so, but the cones sold with the Rally-O set aren’t cheap either and you have to pay shipping! Just a thought. I got my cones from Flaghouse in Hasbrouck Heights NJ. (Mentioned in Bud's Book)(800)793-7900. they are 15", Med. weight and come in really great colors. They have holes on all 4 corners at the base so that they can be stacked in the ground if necessary. $2.50 each. They are perfect and indestructible. Thought I would share with you what I have done for Rally sign holders and numbers. After much trial and error with various ideas, I decided to settle on those little soccer cones, after 60 mile an hour straight line winds went through my agility field early one morning and one of the few things still where I left them (unbelievably!!) were those little soccer cones! I am talking about the cheap ones you buy at Wal-Mart, btw. I decided that if they were THAT stable, completely unanchored in that kind of wind, I just had to find a way to use them for my Rally signs. Here's what you do: These cones have slats in them running vertically. Select one 'vane' and cut it off about a half inch from the top of the cone, and about 3-4 inches from the bottom of the cone. That leaves a space that will allow you to insert your Rally sign, propped against the top of the cone and with that bottom tab showing outside the sign. Takes just a few seconds to make, too. Now, take some 2-3" automotive numbers that peel and stick in the color of your choice and apply the appropriate number sequence to that tab. Presto! Weather resistance numbering right on the cone in a contrasting color (mine are bright blue), easily displayed right below the obstacle directions. Cheap and easy! I made 24 in less than an hour and they are easy to store, can be used indoors and out, no anchors needed! Now all you need are the large cones to use for the figure eight and spirals and the bowels for distraction, with your signs and cones and you are ready to Rally on in style! If you want to get really flashy with it, you could glue velcro tabs to the top of each cone and the back of each sign to attach the signs even more securely, but I haven't found that necessary as of this time! C. Signs and Sign Holders To start, I have been using my signs and sign holders mostly indoors, but they have worked outside on a very windy day. For the signs, I just glued the sign to a thicker piece of paper and had it laminated at the local print shop. Total for paper and lamination - $45.00. For the holders, I bought one 10ft piece of 6 inch PVC and cut it into 4 inch sections just like in the rally book. All this was relatively cheap and easy. For the last couple of years I have worked seasonally for a Sign Shop that does Convention business. The coroplast was only about $15.00 per 4X8 foot sheet. The signs were laminated by the sign shop, which makes them sticky backed to install on any surface you want, and they are also laminated at the same time while going through the machine. I had mine made about 12 inches by 15 inches, so us "old folks" can read them while heeling up to them. They have been very well received. Sign shops vary widely in price, you might try shopping around them for a decent price. How do I purchase a set? You can purchase laminated signs from Bud Kramer, or you can buy his signs and take them to a sign shop to have them laminated. Someone wrote asking about duplicate signs. Page 1 of the Descriptions document says "Judges may use duplicates of signs in designing their courses." I have found I like to have extras of ALL the turns - right, left, 270, about turn, U turn, 90 pivot, 180 pivot. Then I can just draw any course and plug in the turns where they're needed. I put all my signs in a binder with dividers. I split up the signs according to direction - all the "keep going in one direction signs" are in one section. That's all the halts, the 360 turns, the call dog fronts, etc. Anything that after completion keeps you continuing in the same direction. Then I group all the rights together (right, 90 pivot, 270 left), all the lefts, all the about turns, all the U turns. Then I have a section for figure 8/offset/spirals, that's where I will add serpentine. Is that TMI (too much information?!?) That makes sense, for sorting the signs. I'm in the process of reorganizing my gear, and am putting the sign numbers on the backs of the signs... one color for "all levels" , another for those that how up in advanced, and a third for those that show up in excellent.... I have, however, put the changes of pace in with the figure *, spiral, etc. Good idea and I'll definitely be printing out some more. As for sorting them - what works for me is just to put them in numerical order. I have a separate list of the exercises by sign number. When I design a course, I put down the number of the exercise sign in two columns - in numerical sequence and then in order of use on a course. I quickly pull out the signs by sequence and then just rearrange them for use on the course. May sound complicated but it works for me. I took the heaviest 4" PVC pipe and cut it in 6" sections then cut a slit about 2/3 of the way down to slip the sign in. I haven't done it yet but you can also paint numbers on the pieces of PVC pipe and have a sign holder and number in one. Even cheaper I heard of someone taking wire clothes hangers apart, making them into a U shape to stab into the ground and holding the signs on with clothes pins. I've taken 12 gauge straight wire approx. 18" long. Air stapled one clothespin along the top of the wire upside down that will hold the sign and on the other side of the wire and clothespin, I've hot glued another clothespin to the stapled clothespin right side up to hold the number. (for outside use. we only practice outside) I got some 3" PVC connectors and had slits cut in them at an angle for the signs, then put the stick-on numbers on the front. They were relatively inexpensive (less than $1 each), and the connectors are heavier than the actual PVC pipe. For outdoors, I got some mid-weight wire, and cut and made some "U" shaped pieces that I stick into the ground on either side of the connector where the sign slips in. Question: For a rally class in an AKC show, do you have to have a particular type of holder? Will our "invented" ones do? thanks AKC's intention (as I understand it), at this time, is to leave as many avenues open for creativity as possible. There are no rules regarding sign holders, height of signs, color or design. We are free to make it interesting -- just like the sport! I bought the short wire fencing that is used for edging your flowers and took it apart -- taped laminated numbers at the top edge and clothes -pinned ( the snap kind) laminated signs below the numbers -- then just pushed them into the ground. For outside, I use the "H" shaped wire sign holders that you step on to sink into the ground. My signs are laminated onto "coroplast," which is corrugated plastic -- like corrugated cardboard, so it fits over the wires and is very sturdy in the strongest winds. No signs ever get knocked down with these, they are light weight and store easily. Wire sign holders are available from sign shops, and probably other places. They cost from $1.00 to $2.00 each. I would very much like to see these. Any chance of taking some close-up pics and posting them to the files? Does the same sign holder hold your numbers? Are your numbers on coroplast too or do you have the sign holders permanently numbered? They're the same wire sign holders that stick into the ground that some people use for garage sales, and politicians use for campaign signs. I don't have a camera or scanner, so I can't send a photo. The numbers I have are on coroplast too, which have wires glued into them so they attach to the top of the signs. I like this better than having to arrange numbered cones consecutively, but that's just my preference. I got some large PVC connectors and had slots cut in them at an angle. They work very well inside, and for outside, I made some long wire "U"s to stake them down. The connectors are heavier than normal PVC pipe. I made some make-shift sign holders to bring to my training club. I bought some $0.97 hard, 1 inch, three ring binders at Walmart. I then used some heavy duty pre-glued velcro (and heavy duty elastic (cording would work) for a strap. I inverted the three ring binder and used the velcroed strap to hold it up and to keep it from collapsing ( in an A-frame shape). Since I put all my signs in clear pockets, all I have to do is put them in the three ring binders! I haven't figured out how to attach the numbers to the sign holders yet. Oh! I see what they look like! Did you try Velcro dots? Since you use the plastic sheet protectors, you could put one dot on the number and one on the plastic sheet protector and you can switch them around easily when you need to. My sign holders are 3 feet high, and I much prefer them to the low wire holders. I use paper signs in sheet protectors with cardboard behind it. That keeps it stiff enough they don't blow in the wind. The poles are the step-in kind (used for electric fencing) then I attached a seed packet holder that has an adjustable clip at both top and bottom. They work great even in a pretty stiff breeze. I am able to use the step-in poles because all the shows I go to are outdoors. A few yrs ago I bought a display rack, for lack of a better term, consisting of a bunch of 14-in-square wire grids that fit into round plastic thingies to form boxes with corners in various configurations. The idea was to use it to hold magazines in front of the window in my office. I clothespin or clamp them together at the top, also clamping the sign on the front, and they stand in inverted V fashion nicely on their own, indoors or out. There aren't quite enough of them, so for the other signs I used ring placement markers from a defunct dog club. They're sheet metal, bent to an inverted V also. All these things are 12 to 14 inches tall. The grids & clamps/clothespins fit into the tote bag with the signs; the ring markers do at least stack. For the Fig 8/Serpentine/Offset 8/Spiral exercises, I was able to obtain tall (abt 42 inches), cylindrical, orange traffic pylons. They are not cones, they're better. They are not easy to store or schlep, but they live outside with no apparent objection, and they do not move on their own. I also have some others, equally awkward, that a friend and I made out of 4" PVC pipe set into a hard rubber base; wood would do, too. If it is really windy, small sandbags can be dropped down inside to weight them at ground level. They're about 3 ft tall. I like the tall pylons. No one trips over them! Of course, anyone who has started Rally with these things is going to be a stranger in a strange land when they encounter little tiny cones! Signs for exercises involving pylons are just velcro'ed on or stood against the base. My signs are 12 X 15, and the exhibitors love them. The larger signs allow handlers to read them while further away and prepare mentally prior to reaching the sign. Also, us older folk with not so good vision need the help! I also use paper traffic cones as sign holders, and they are 28 inches high, and the exhibitors love them too. I think it makes them easier to read, and the signs low to the ground seem to have more reflected glare from lighting than the higher ones that are not so angled. I love that we're free to be "creative" with this, and our Club uses tomato cages upside down. I cut one wire off and use the other two to secure the sign. works great, and you could use them right side up outside and stick them into the ground. The best part is, they only cost from 75 cents to $1.49 each, so a set of 22 (maximum of 20 stations in Excellent, plus 2 for start and finish) would only be $17 to $33. I have also found sign holders like Bud's at the Dollar Tree Dollar Store in Florida ($1.00 each). Now that the elections are almost here, everyone should plan to help the politicians "clean up" after they win or lose! Those wire signs that stick into the ground with the political candidate's names -- GREAT for Rally, and they're free after the election when they have to be disposed of anyway! Can someone say "Free Rally sign holders"? We had been talking about having the numbers separate for easy renumbering of nested courses. I think that's important as well. If the sign holders are the ones numbered, often that means that you would have to basically break down almost the whole course and rebuild it. The J & J numbers are nice, because they have a little plastic lip that clips onto the sign itself and they're easy to move. Anyone else have a system for numbering that works well? Spokane DTC has a member who surprised the whole club by making holders. They appear to be Scotties sitting up. There's a slit in the top of the paws and there are separate pieces of wood with slots in the bottom. The separate pieces of wood are numbered and slide into the slots. This works beautifully for changing the numbers on a course. BTW, the numbered pieces have those little black paper clips/clamps screwed on them so all we have to do is slip the signs into the clips. I just had an idea. You know the pvc connectors that Bud's book shows for making sign holders. What if you used those but made a tall backboard that would slip into the slots in the base and the signs could be clipped to the backboard. The numbers could be on the top of the backboard and the signs would be clipped below that. So it would be easy to change the numbers around. All it would take is either 1/4" plywood, or some of that corrugated plastic (altho the clips might not stay on too long), or maybe legal size clipboards with the clips taken off. That's more work, tho. However, it would be possible to affix the numbers to the back portion of the clip on the clipboard and then use the clip for the signs. What one club near us used was wire wreath holders. The signs were placed in the plastic page protectors, and hung from the top hook. The numbers were clipped to, and hung from, the bottom crossbar. To leave the holder where it is and move the number, all you have to do is unclip it. They used the black squeeze clips used to hold many sheets of paper together. I have tabs of Velcro (tm) on both signs and numbers, so can change them easily... and can attach numbers to signs before laying out the course. The numbers don't fall off or move on the signs... I've been using this system for more than a year, and most of the year the whole kit and caboodle lives in the van. D. General Questions 1. Do the signs need to be in color or can they be black and white? AKC has decided that the signs can be any color, but the symbols and verbiage must be identical, so they can be easily recognized. Some of the signs are in the process of being "cleaned up" or adjusted and should be on the web site soon. 2. Do the signs need to be a certain size, min or max? Minimum is 8.5 X 11, Maximum is 12 X 15 inches. Anything between is fine too. 3. Is any company selling a good set of signs on coroplast or other tough, durable material? Once the signs are fixed on the web site, you should be able to get any sign shop to produce them from that site on coroplast. (Love that stuff, very convenient.) 4. Does anyone know where to get cones for numbering other than ORANGE? (Don't want to mix with the agility set by accident) No, but a search engine will find TONS of sources for you -- that's how I found paper cones. 5. Will the Rally classes be required at an obedience trial or is it optional for a club to have them when hosting their regular trial? No, Rally will NOT be required, but if offering Rally, the Club MUST offer all Obedience Classes too. 6. If these classes are called the "Rally" classes what do we call the other classes? Standard, regular, etc.? Obedience. However, I tend to refer to it as "Traditional" Obedience. 7. Will clubs currently sanctioned in OB need to do anything to add on Rally to their next regularly scheduled trial, like a Plan A or B sanctioned match? Not that I'm aware of. Any Club already offering Obedience knows how to put on a trial. Rally will be a separate event with it's own number, but linked to Obedience. 8. When will newly forming clubs need to add Rally into their Plan A & B sanctioned matches? Don't think that would be required, just smart. 9. Will currently licensed AKC obedience judges automatically be grandfathered in to be licensed to judge Rally or will they need to take step to be sure they can officially judge these classes? Not all Judges are interested in Judging Rally. I believe they will have to apply to Judge Rally, which is just fine with me. If they want to Judge it, they should have to ask for it, not have it "thrust" upon them. I am very new to Rally and am teaching/learning at the same time, most of my students are pet people and I thought rally might inspire some of them to try competition. I want to teach it as accurately as possible. I feel that my CD dog and I could be competitive at all levels of rally, if we understand the concepts correctly. I understood return to heel to be return and stand in heel. Will a rally judge ever end an exercise? Or is it up to the handler to move from sign to sign? If this is the case, how do you know what a judge considers a return? Pause may not be enough for some and a full return may be too much for others. I figure for the most part each station should flow into the next, but in class I help my students end an exercise and tell them to move on. Any suggestions on how to teach the whole ring? I can teach each concept fine, but putting it together as a flowing course is very new to me. Once the handler starts the course, the Judge may not help, offer advice or assistance, or in any way communicate with the handler, except in the event that the team needs to be excused. That could happen if the dog soils the ring or is unmanageable. During the walk through, the handler can ask as many questions as they want, and the Judge should demonstrate the performance of each exercise in detail so there should be no misconceptions about what is expected. As far as handlers stopping versus pausing, there will be some Obedience folk entered who will opt to do more precise performance of the exercises, and that's fine. I've never had a problem with an exhibitor stopping at the end of an exercise, getting the dog focused, and then proceeding to the next station. That's just good handling -- and time is ONLY used in case of a tie, but you need to get a high score for that to come into play in any event. Rally is all about the score, and the time only breaks ties. Rushing because of timing won't help the score, and as the team becomes more proficient they work faster without even trying. You are correct that one exercise should flow into the next. The idea is to be careful of exercises that should not be paired, because it would be unfair to the exhibitor -- like a jump with a moving down immediately after. There should be a smooth transition between the exercises, but the handler is on their own to complete the whole course. You might try verbal praise for the HANDLER as a marker for the completion of an exercise. A "good!" or "nice!" just as the handler ends an exercise will give them the information they need, and they'll learn to flow from station to station on their own. E. Scheduling Rally Rings From a Judging point of view: It has worked best for me to start Rally Novice at between 9-10 AM. (We started at 11 one time and my poor stewards were starving by the time we were able to break!) Obedience rings start with Utility and Open, which means the Rally Novice exhibitors are ALL available first thing, usually the largest entry. A lot aren't ready to enter Obedience yet and are there just for Rally. This class usually has very few if any conflicts. Break for lunch or if the entry isn't real large, continue into Advanced (up to the judge). I will hold the class completion until ALL exhibitors have had a chance to run. I haven't run into too many conflicts but will wait and even schedule someone at the end, if need be. The only problem would be having to change jump heights for a conflict. Not a biggy. I also prefer to have the Rally going on in the same area (room) and at the same time, as Obedience. Call me old fashioned but I like being able to introduce a new dog to a trial situation beginning with Rally and being in the room with Obedience at the same time :-) What a unique training experience! I did judge it outdoors once, away from the other Obedience rings and it just isn't quite the same nor does it draw the crowd as well. Just my two cents from the other side of the clipboard. :-) Rally On! Some more hints: Have your judge send you the courses being used at least 2 weeks in advance. This way you can have time to make copies for exhibitors, put the signs in order & ready to set up, even setup the course way beforehand. This works very well :-) Don't you worry that some folks in the Club might have time to "practice" your course before the event? I have always done my own copying, and kept the bill for the Club. Heavens "No". I don't worry about them practicing the course. I send the course outlines to one person, usually the person who hired me to judge, the Rally Person :-) Look at all the practice we get for Novice thru Utility of the same patterns, still doesn't help the ones who may think they can "bend the rules"! They don't put them out for public scrutiny until the day of the show. Both times I've done this with very large entries, 50-60, I never had the feeling that anyone had already practiced or even saw the course till that day. I actually have my own copy machine & do mine in color. I use my color posters for hanging near the ring and let them do the black copies for the exhibitors. I like colors! I designed the course so if someone wants to follow my poster & set the numbers up ahead of time, saves me that much time. If I hadn't sent the posters of courses, that would be different, then I'd have to do it myself. We've learned over the last 2 years what the easiest ways are to cut the setup time between classes and still allow walkthru time. This is what works for me. I also make sure that my Advanced course will be setup with the same ring entrance and a lot of the similar sign usage for quicker setup between classes What do you mean by color posters? You mean you do the course map in color for yourself? Yes, I admit it! :-) Since I have a color copier, my course posters, 81/2x 11 are in color! Hey, it's pretty to look at VBG! Then I make a smaller, half page of the course which also lists the numbers with each exercise underneath. That's the one they copy for handouts. Does this answer your question? What I didn't say before is: I always check in advance as to WHO will supply the equipment. So far, all the clubs I've judged for are very anxious to see Rally and supply the equipment for me. IF, they don't have equipment, then , Yes, I go earlier and supply, & setup my own. All the clubs I've seen Rally at out here in the midwest, Co., Ks, S.D. , etc. have been right on top of things with all the equipment :-) I'd like to say THANK YOU to all those clubs for being on top of things! What a great sport! I was contemplating having my own set of signs so I could have the first course of the day all organized in order. Then the steward or someone could start right away on putting the clubs signs in order for the second course. And then mine set could be set up for the third course while the walk thru was going on. Makes sense to me :-) However, If all 3 courses are set going in the same general direction, the Advanced and Excellent just need to make a few changes for those stations conducive to only those levels. One set of signs is all that would be needed in that case. F. Leash Question Is there any specification for the leash you use for Rally Level 1? As in a 6 ft leash or what? I entered at Oshkosh non-regular class of rally and realized I only have the short braided training leashes. I have another leash related question... having read all I can find about Rally-O I see nothing about how you are to carry your arms or hands like in regular obedience. Are we finally going to be allowed to walk and move naturally? What I recall seeing at the Rally Demo in Louisville last Aug, handlers did hold the leash as in a relaxed obedience hold, not stiff at all. The leashes were not moved as if corrections or guiding was being done. Handlers were able to turn into their dogs (although some still moved in a more formal or straight forward direction) as in a more natural way of moving. I like doing a run turning slightly into my dog as I feel we are more of a team. I am curious to see what is demonstrated at the match this weekend. Remember, training is not supposed to occur, so leashes should not be held tight enough to be guiding or correcting. G. Ring Size The regulations state ring size should be a minimum of 40 x 50 but preferred is 40 x 80. Is there any reason we could not have a larger ring or do we have to stick with this size range? I don't think there is anything that prohibits using a larger ring for Rally, but that would bring up several other issues. One is that most Clubs don't have excessive space. For another thing, the bigger the ring the harder it is for spectators to see what's going on. The bigger the ring, the more the dog loses sight that they ARE in a ring. The bigger the ring, the more time it takes to complete the run, and Rally is based on Judges being able to Judge a dog every two minutes. With some Clubs, we're lucky to get 40 X 50, so I don't think an oversized ring will be an issue. VBG H. What To Wear? I was looking thru the obedience regulations and it says in chapter 1 section 9 that "no visible means of identification (badges, ribbons, club jackets, etc.) may be worn or displayed by anyone exhibiting a dog in the ring" I have bought some denim shirts that have a simple outline drawing of a Havanese head with the word "Havanese" underneath. The design is small, placed on front where a breast pocket would go on a shirt. Does this regulation mean I can't wear these shirts? Sure don't want to mess up by having illegal clothes on. That would be perfectly legal. What would not be legal is that same design with your or your dog's name on it, or your kennel name, or something that would identify *you* or *your dog*. Breed shirts are worn all the time in the ring. A shirt that has your club's or training facility's name or logo on it would not be legal. As an example, I have 2 shirts with essentially the same embroidered Sheltie on it. One is legal, the other is not. Why? One has just the Sheltie - it's legal. The other also has my kennel name embroidered on it - that one is not. So, go ahead and wear your shirt. And, have fun doing it! Now, since the topic is open, what SHOULD we wear for Rally? It's a 'relaxed' sport, and even the Judges can dress down a bit and wear business casual clothing (as a matter of fact, Roger Ayres and Ron Robert's DID dress down for the Rally Seminar, coming in nice pants and short sleeve shirts, no tie.) Great change for them. In Obedience, exhibitors vary widely in what they wear to show. Many choose comfort and stick with training clothes, some choose to look more "professional" so it's understood they take the sport seriously and have respect for the work. I think Rally Exhibitors should be neat and clean, as should the dogs. Clothing should be in good condition and tasteful, and shoes should be neat and NOT sandals. When I show in traditional obedience, I generally wear a pair of tan pants, kind of between dress and casual, a blouse and vest or semi-dressy top, and clean, white shoes. I'm showing a sable Sheltie in Open B and Utility B. With my blue Aussie, I wore black pants and a nice top. When only showing in Rally, I'd like to be a bit more casual - perhaps khaki pants and a sweater - something like that. New, dark jeans would be ok. Rally is a more relaxed sport, so the attire can reflect that. However, I still think exhibitors should be neat - you do want to show some respect to the sport, the club and the judge. Personally, I don't like seeing shorts, t-shirts, etc in the ring. It's ok for agility, but not for obedience, imho. As in obedience, whatever you wear should not flap into the dog's face. All small dog owners may now cheer for the demise of bell-bottoms! (Which are probably not even remembered by some of us...) It's interesting how the rules are different for different sports. In agility, it's perfectly ok to wear the logo and name of your training club (not a training business, though), but in obedience, it isn't. In traditional obedience, you may not steward for, or fraternize with the judge before you show under them. In agility, you can. I hope the rules for Rally will be more like agility than traditional obedience. I know I'd like to be able to enjoy being with the exhibitors that show under me! Speaking of what to wear -- Obedience exhibitors discovered a long time ago that it helps to dress to match your dog -- makes it harder to see mistakes! LOL Not that a good Judge is going to MISS anything (boy, they sure don't miss anything when I'M in the ring) but it looks nice and coordinated too. In Conformation we dress to contrast the dog so the Judge gets a good look at them. Come to think of it, contrast in Rally might be nice to SHOW OFF some of the more impressive exercises! VBG I think we should dress as though we are going to our boss's house for a BBQ. Nice, but comfy and relaxed. If we are relaxed, so are our dogs. My oldest German Shepherd was all upset the first time we showed in the "real" ring. I was dressed up, not sure she'd EVER seen that before, and nervous so, of course, she was too. About five steps into our on-leash heel, she had the runs, all over the ring, it was awful. I have never been nervous about the ring since, it desensitized me. She tried to humiliate me several more times, but we did finally get a CD, she was 10, and I finished other dogs before her, but we got it. The operative word is "identification." The judge (if knowledgeable enough) can see that you have a Havanese; it is also the one identification other than your entry number that is on the judge's worksheet. "Identification" means something that might give you an advantage--"I belong to Best-Ever Dog Training Club" might in theory cause the judge to overlook something you do because everyone knows that Best-Ever members are really really good. OTOH, I can wear my full clown costume in the ring (and did once), but cannot go in in plain clothes and wear a small badge that says "Clown: Plain-Clothes Division." Go figure. BTW, that information came straight from AKC Rep Roger Ayers. I don't think you'd have a problem. What they seem to want to avoid is people wearing things that identify them as having connections or accomplishments that could influence the judge. If someone shows up with a High In Trial badge on their person, the judge might give them special consideration. If someone shows up with the name of a dog club on display, this too could prejudice the judge. But I have worn a sweater with a Shetland Sheepdog on it in the breed ring, and there was no problem. I have worn my Papillon pins into the agility ring, and no one questioned it. And I even wore my "She Who Must Be Obeyed" sweatshirt into the obedience ring, and all the judge did was laugh. Or maybe she was laughing at my clown of a dog, who always has a good time, but doesn't always get qualifying scores. Re jewelry: if it is noisy/clanky, you may be asked to remove it on the grounds that it could conceivably be used as a second signal to the dog. That would probably be a non-issue in Rally. Interestingly, since we've touched on jewelry, initial necklaces, etc., representing Obedience titles are allowed to be worn in the ring. Mostly those things are pretty subtle and tasteful, but they DO indicate that you've won that title -- most Judges don't even notice the jewelry. I. Excusing Dogs From Competition and Change in Appearance I know it was discussed on the list about 4 reasons for disqualifications but what about excusing dogs from competition and change in appearance? Does Rally play by the same rules as Obedience in this matter? There are only four reasons for disqualifying a dog at an obedience trial: • Blind - without useful vision; • Deaf - without useful hearing; • Changed in appearance by artificial means for cosmetic reasons; • Attacks or attempts to attack a person in the ring. Excusing a dog • A dog that is lame. Lameness is defined as any irregularity of locomotion • A dog that attacks another dog in the ring or that appears dangerous to other dogs in the ring • Taped or bandaged in any way or if it has anything attached to it for medical or corrective purposes (even when removed it cannot be judged) • unfit to compete" any dog that demonstrates sickness • bitch in season No dog will be eligible to compete if it appears to have been dyed or colored in any way or if the coat shows evidence of chalk or powder, or if the dog has anything attached to it for protection or adornment. Such a dog may be judged later if the condition has been corrected and if the judge desires to do so. The following items are found in AKC Obedience Regulations, Chapter 1, Section 16. Disqualification, Ineligibility, Excusal and Change in Appearance of Dogs. That reminds me, I've been wondering what does this mean? I interpret it to me mean dogs like Dobies, Boxers, Danes who have their ears cropped would be disqualified. I know that can't be right. You can replay privately if you wish since its not really a Rally question. If it affects their ability to show in Rally, then it is pertinent. No, cropped ears and docked tails do not fall under this. This would be things like dyeing the dog's coat, surgeries that change the look (like to tip a Shelties ears - yes, I've heard of it being done :-( ), and technically, things like chalk to change color, although it's overlooked in the breed ring. Changed in appearance rule would apply to Rally as well. It's not meant to imply customary changes like docking and cropping. As I understand it, it's more along the lines of "fixing" a genetic problem which might be a disqualification in the breed. Like fixing the dog's bite, or surgery to "fix" an eye problem that's cosmetic, but would not be desirable in Conformation. That rule is to keep folks from cosmetically altering dogs so they would win in spite of the faults or disqualifications, which could then genetically transfer those problems to their offspring. Anyone care to correct me if my information is in error or incomplete? You're right. Breeds whose standard allows the alterations (cropping, docking) are exempt from this ruling. For more information e-mail us Home ~~ History ~~ AKC ~~ UKC ~~ WWKC ~~ APDT ~~ Guidebook ~~ Links Copyright 2003 by Carawind Web Work. No part of this site may be copied or reproduced in any way without the express written consent of Carawind Web Work.