A lot of dog owners feel daunted by the rules and complicated moves necessary to compete in many dog sports.
Julie Flanery (CPDT-KA), created Rally Freestyle Elements (Rally-FrEe) to help handlers practice the foundation behaviors they need to be more successful at Canine Musical Freestyle and to challenge those who have already excelled in Rally-Obedience. What Flanery is finding, however, is that for many, Rally-FrEe is their first introduction to the world of dog sports.
What is Rally and Canine Freestyle?
If you are not familiar with these two dog sports, here is a quick recap.
Rally Obedience is a sport where dogs and their owners have to complete “stations” of obedience behaviors. Novice level is done on leash, advanced and excellent levels are off leash and include jumps. Common moves include sit, down, stays, back up, and turns.
Canine Freestyle is what you may think of as “dancing with your dog.” Dog and handler move through a series of elements choreographed to music. They have the freedom to pretty much do anything they want (as long as it’s safe).
So…What is Rally FrEe?
In a “nutshell” it is a mix of the two sports described above.
Unlike other dog sports, Rally-FrEe gives you the course 10 days in advance, allows for 4 “free choice” behaviors, encourages dress-up and music, offers non-titling classes for practice (with treats!), and even has special divisions that allow blind or deaf dogs to compete by allowing them to remain on leash past the novice level. Oh, and did I mention you can compete in the comfort of your own backyard via video submissions?
“What I and I think others enjoy about Rally-FrEe versus Rally Obedience is the unique sign behaviors, which are the foundation skills for Freestyle, much like the Rally-O signs are the foundation for competition obedience,” explains Flanery. “Signs include spins, or circling the handler, or passing through the handlers legs and variations of these foundation skills.” She also believes people like having the freedom of choosing 4 behaviors to showcase their dog’s talent, and that you get the courses in advanced, so you can focus and prepare. It also helps those of us who have a hard time memorizing courses on the fly.
For those who are planning or already compete in Canine Musical Freestyle, Flanery explains Rally-FrEe may help refine their moves. “In Freestyle, it is very easy to want to skip the foundation and work on the more complex trick behaviors. Doing so can really hurt the freestyler as they move up in the classes.” She says, “They realize the foundation they skipped is what would allow them to create more complex and appealing routines to the judges.”
Linda and Gibbs (Lab) Novice run
If you are still feeling a bit daunted, remember you can compete in non-titling classes with treats until you feel ready to compete in the titling events. This is great for dogs that may be nervous or reactive in a crowded setting – I know I wish I could do this for competition obedience!
Ready to Rally-FrEe? Rally Freestyle Elements is the governing body that maintains the rules, helps hosts to put on events and conveys title certificates. You can go to http://www.rallyfree.com for more information on training and event schedule. Now grab your dog and some treats, and start practicing those tricks!
About the Author
Based in Wilsonville, Ore., animal lover Kristina N. Lotz is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) and works as a full time trainer. She is the founder of, A Fairytail House, a unique all-positive all-sport dog training facility that helps rescue dogs in her area and provides free seminars and training classes for the community. In her spare time, she trains and competes in herding, agility, obedience, rally, and conformation with her Shetland Sheepdogs. She smartly married a Veterinary Technician, who helps keep the fur kids happy and healthy, and provides a quick resource for articles.
