Why Rally

Years ago I poo-poo'd the idea of rally, but I really believe it is an excellent intro to communicating/developing a language with your dog.

Susan R., an accomplished trainer, breeder, and owner of WSSs.

I thought I'd give a novice's insight as to the value of Rally. 

Compared to many of the other activities - - conformation, obedience, agility, tracking, HT - - Rally seems to have a more forgiving on-ramp for someone new.  The difficulty levels may be non-linear.  Entry is easy but finishing a "Rally Excellent" is a genuine accomplishment.

By giving the novice handler a forgiving on-ramp, Rally gets dog & handler into the ring and in a "competition" without the looming prospect of an automatic and discouraging NQ waiting at the finish, as would be the case with some of the other activities. 

In RN and RA, you get used to working with your dog in front of people and under a type of competitive pressure.  You get through the feeling of complete amnesia that you can get the moment you step into the ring in a real, non-practice situation. 

Rally gives you a chance to learn focus and timing in a competitive situation, which I guess is communication, since you have to give a command when the dog is ready for it.

There's also the matter of practice, since nothing gets you into the back yard for some work around the orange cones faster than thinking about an upcoming event you've signed up for. 

As for the HT crossover, I'll sometimes take 2 of my Rally cones to the field near the house.  We stand at one cone.  I flip the dummy toward the other, which is all of six feet away.  Then I tell Larsen  to fetch.  The cones are there for nothing.  But I think Larsen thinks "I know how to do this" since it is just another cone-type exercise.  He is able to fetch the dummy without getting distracted by what is going on in the big field.  

Those of you who breed WSSs may find families asking for suggestions of what to do with the little dog.  Rally is a wonderful entry point for a kid who wants to do something with his or her new dog.