Rally A to Z
What is Rally?
Rally is a team sport consisting of you and your dog.
Working as a team, you will proceed through a course with signs that indicate specific exercises and commands to be performed.
Communication, both verbal and non-verbal, is paramount.
Rally A to Z Training classes are a stress-free, fun way to train for precision.
Preview Rally A2Z Training Classes
Rally A2Z Training
Learn to Dance with Your Dog!
"Watching a well-performed Rally Trial is like watching professional dancers. You and your dog are in sync - graceful, confident, moving as one."
-Brenda Cronk, CPCFT, Rally Trainer
Why Take Rally A2Z Training Classes?
- Have FUN training your dog
- New, stress-free way to train
- No more "begging" your dog to perform
- Make your rally courses look like a dance instead of obedience
- Teach precise movement
- Achieve high scores
See Rally A2Z Training Classes
Upcoming Rally Events
ASCA Rally Events ~ AKC Rally Events
Rally A to Z - Training for Competition
5 Rally Levels for Competition
Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Excellent, & Master
For Novice through Advanced, handler may talk, clap hands, and/or pat legs to encourage dog.
- Novice: 10-15 signs, on leash
- Intermediate: 12-17 signs, on leash, no jumps
- Advanced: 12-17 signs, off-leash, one jump
- Excellent & Master: 15-20 signs, off-leash, 1-2 jumps, handlers not allowed to pat their legs or clap their hands
The signs used in Rally competitions are explained on the AKC resource page.
See ASCA Rally Signs Names and Descriptions.
Example Rally Course Video
Brenda and Piper
View AKC Rally Novice Course Sample 1
Learn Rally from a Master!
Brenda Cronk with Piper
View Brenda's Rally Playlists on Vimeo!
About Brenda Cronk (Rally Competitor and Trainer) - Owner of Tip Top Dogs
Hi! My name is Brenda Cronk and I have been involved in dog training since I was 11 years old and trained my Cocker Spaniel, Roxie, in 4-H. Dogs have been a huge part of my life since then.
When my sensitive Miniature American Shepherd, Bandit, was about 10 months old, I realized I needed a new way of training for him. Although my training had evolved with each dog over the years, after 30 years I completely changed how I train. It was a big learning curve for me, but so worth it to see my boy find joy in training and trialing.
He went from stressing down in a trial situation to being able to score a 99 in rally – and being the first dog back in the ring after we were evacuated from the steel building during a tornado warning with the hail still pounding down on the roof. We do not live in an area with tornados, so he had never before heard the siren. He was able to take it in stride and stay calm and focused as we sat waiting in the crowded building where everyone from the show had been sent to. Just a few months earlier this would have stressed him out to the point he would not have been able to work at all.
Once we were allowed to go back to the rally building, we only had a few minutes to warm up before going in the ring.
I was shocked that when we did our usual set up routine that he was showing no signs of stress! He did the course as close to perfect as he ever had. Making everything fun and positive for him had completely changed both of our attitudes! I was no longer concerned with what other people thought or if we had a qualifying run, and he was just happy to be out there playing our game. With all the pressure taken off, we were just living in the moment and having a great time together.
At the time, I didn’t know that the beginning of his amazing transformation was also going to be the end of his story. I lost Bandit at 3 years old to a medical condition, but not before he showed me that I was on the right track with my “new” training.
When I lost Bandit, Piper was less than a year old. She had foundations as a young puppy that Bandit didn’t and was excelling at training. I began using props for a few more behaviors and having a great time with her. She began doing Cyber Rally-O courses and was always scoring above 100. She loved her body awareness exercises! Since there were no trials going on at the time, she also began doing Virtual AKC titles for Rally while getting her ring experience in Agility.
A few years ago, a wild, high drive, working line Border Collie named Stormy came into my life. Oh, how I love a blank slate! I had learned so much more from Piper, but I knew there was still more I could do to make training as easy as possible for both me and my dogs. Stormy needed a lot of movement and loved to run, so she began her Agility and Herding foundations for her first year before beginning Rally. This gave me the time to come up with a solid plan of how I wanted her to learn Rally.
By this time, I knew I didn’t want to just teach the signs like I had for the last 30+ years. I wanted something different. I wanted precision and enthusiasm. I wanted her to know exactly what was expected of her and how to move her body to get it without me using hand signals to guide her. I wanted more!
I was also working towards my CPCFT. I had always enjoyed body awareness exercises with Piper, but I was seeing more ways to teach my dogs to consciously use their bodies. I was coming up with a plan, and realized that everything she needed to know for rally could be taught with body awareness and props first, and then when I added in the signs and doing courses, she would have all the skills needed.
RallyA2Z was born!
I love training dogs and helping owners get the best results they can while making sure that both members of the team are having fun!
You can see a few videos of me working my dogs on my websites TipTopDogsFitness.com and RallyA2Z.com. You can also follow my Facebook, YouTube, or Vimeo pages to see more videos. Additionally, all of my online dog training classes include several videos in each course.
Check-out the Rally A2Z Training Program
I would love the opportunity to teach you and your dogs using fun, useful exercises that will improve their health and help them excel in competitions.