Virtual Rally is Officially Permanent !

Wow interesting! I wonder if our trainer could handle Phoebe? I already told her I suck at it and she said she'd be willing to physically show her in rally when we can but I had not heard of the virtual one at that time.
 
Wow interesting! I wonder if our trainer could handle Phoebe? I already told her I suck at it and she said she'd be willing to physically show her in rally when we can but I had not heard of the virtual one at that time.
Oh give it a shot yourself! What do you have to lose with virtual? 😁 It's a great bonding experience and let's you work and show off your teamwork. But yes, a non-owner can title in B I believe, which Rally Virtual is all B.


Hmmm…..
Do it! It's a lot of fun. My advice is to pull out individual signs and work on them one at a time. Then start doing 3 at a time. Then a small course. Then you are ready for running the full course. Dogs can really burn out running a course over and over.

The K9 Rally app has all the signs, description on how to execute and a link to a YouTube video to see how to perform the sign. Super helpful! You can hand write the signs or just buy them from makers. I went that route since I knew I wanted to practice at home.
 
Hmm....not sure how I feel about this. Part of me feels like the competition ringside is all part of it. Doing it virtually seems to take something way.
 
Hmm....not sure how I feel about this. Part of me feels like the competition ringside is all part of it. Doing it virtually seems to take something way.
If it gets more people into getting out there with their dogs and doing something together? People can do a leg virtually and then go ringside. People can title and then go ringside. Or maybe their dog or they are too anxious but this allows them to work towards something together? Maybe this takes some pressure off and gets new folks into the sport? I see only positives and one negative; and that negative doesn't affect the person and their own dog wanting to compete at trial to earn placements. They can still do that.

Clubs can host their own trials, yes? Clubs can hire nice lenient judges. Club members train in the trial location all the time. Club members can practice in the trial location the night before. Pick the perfect spot to crate. Have a perfectly quiet trial location etc. Or it could be the opposite of all of that and be at a huge event. There aren't any rules or special titles to showcase that though. Judging at trials is done in person live so performance mistakes can be missed as judges are human and writing as fast as they can, I've seen it myself at trials. While virtual is recorded...so the judge can and does watch your video over and over as many times to catch your mistakes. Can someone do the virtual over and over until it's perfect? Sure, they aren't doing themselves any favors though and I imagine it's not happening as much as some people think. A lot of people simply do not have the space to set a course at home so they have to rent club space or attend a class or set up in a public space. Setting a course, then walking it with no dog takes me 30+ minutes. Then run the course and then tear down, all within a hour. Ive run a course and been in the middle of it and the neighbor decides to start mowing. Or the neighbor dog runs over and barks 10 ft away. Ive also run at 7 in the morning, it's windy and 40 degrees. My point is, each has it's pros and cons. They both could be perfect conditions, or not! Only you will know that though and it's between you and your dog how much more proofing or training you may need to actually do. A Q is a Q in the end.

Ive read plenty of comments of people trying to gatekeep the sport and then turn around and complain there aren't enough people. Fortunately, I've heard FAR more in favor of it. I know my friends who are trainers are ecstatic as they can encourage and get their clients to jump right into it and run a course in class after a 6 week session.

In the FB rally groups, they don't allow discussion of what is easier or harder as to not take away from those that have worked hard with their dog, whether it be virtual or in a trial. It doesn't affect you or your own dogs performance, so why worry. If people don't like virtual and feels it lessens it, then don't do virtual. 🙂 The more people that do more with their dog and accomplish things, the better! :thumbsup:
 
LOL, I agree with everyone here. @GennyB I'm one of those. Asha is reactive and I've been working on that for 2 years. I got a Rally Novice at my little club through virtual and I'm pretty sure she couldn't have done so well in a formal ring. If I had her focus, yes. If not, no. Would totally depend on the day, her mood, the dogs or people who might be staring at her. For sure you are right. I'm surprised AKC doesn't put a V on the title to let the world know it was not done in a show ring situation. Because it definitely takes a different type of dog to be able to handle the public scene. My videos were all done in a class situation with other dogs & people at a public park, so not in my back yard alone - but still, not the same as a ring.

@Rits I agree with you as well. I have pushed through this to up Ashas behavior and obedience. It's good for us and my teacher wants to see us do it, even though it's not really our thing. We CAN do it and I know it's good to push through things even when it's not exactly what you want to be doing. I was doing it to keep Asha in a public setting, other dogs & people, and when other people are training on the signs, I'd go over to the side and train the BH pattern. So I used the class to our advantage and will continue to do so. Not sure I'll push for the next levels, but it IS really good discipline for both of us!
 
I'm surprised AKC doesn't put a V on the title to let the world know it was not done in a show ring situation.
The only issue with that is you couldn't earn two legs at a trial and then say... there are no more local trials so you go home and do another leg or vice versa. I imagine AKC doesn't want to fully shut off people from attending club trials. If they ever changed it, I'd still do it and wouldn't feel any less of my accomplishment despite the designation to try and deem it so. Just as a 70 Q is still a Q, we don't put scores next to titles. 🙂

My videos were all done in a class situation with other dogs & people at a public park, so not in my back yard alone - but still, not the same as a ring.
I think you would be surprised, not all trials are all that different from what you just described with the park setting @Ravenbird 😉 I always go over to watch OB or Rally when they are being held at the same location as AKC confo shows and it makes me feel a little more at ease. The more I watch and see the locations and how... Quiet and laid back they are? I think Wow! Tucked into a little room away from distractions. Small clubs even more so. One of our clubs is only large enough for the ring, so no spectators. Just you, your dog, and the judge.

I won't deny its a different experience but there's no differentiating any of the setup. People don't go up to you and ask if you trialed at a small location or at a larger event... those that want the challenge will put themselves up to it.

I just need to practice in public more myself to get over my own dang nerves!! Lol that'll be the bane of me, my nerves. Social anxiety is fantastic at crippling oneself and most wouldn't understand unless they had it themselves. It's an invisible disability. Doing the CGC was HUGE for us and I think I needed to recharge my batteries for weeks after that. One day we will get there. 🙂

I have pushed through this to up Ashas behavior and obedience. It's good for us and my teacher wants to see us do it, even though it's not really our thing. We CAN do it and I know it's good to push through things even when it's not exactly what you want to be doing. I was doing it to keep Asha in a public setting, other dogs & people
Im so glad to hear virtual Rally has helped you and Asha! I think stories like yours and mine are one of the many examples of the positives!
 
If anyone is wanting to buy a full set of signs, here are the two small businesses I know that have great feedback on their quality. The Etsy link one also sells a set of only Novice signs if you just wanna get your toes wet. Picture Perfect (Facebook link) is about to have a sale in January.


I bought mine last year from the Etsy link (although I believe a little cheaper at the time) and they are wonderful quality! Came with so much more than I expected; all the virtual courses all levels, a ton of practice courses all levels, a book of all the signs and how to do them, a ring of flash cards of the signs and how to do them, laminated numbers to mark your signs . They have been a wonderful set to use!
 
I got a Rally Novice at my little club through virtual and I'm pretty sure she couldn't have done so well in a formal ring.
That's exactly what I mean. I would worry that it would take some of the value from the title. It is much easier to go for from the comfort of your own home with little distraction. I just feel like working through the various challenges brings more merit.to the whole thing.
 
not all trials are all that different from what you just described with the park setting
Maybe so, but Asha's problem has to do with familiarity, so going to the same park every Sunday for months, with just a few other places thrown in to give them a variety, the people & dogs are familiar with some new ones joining us here & there. I probably didn't send nervousness down the leash, because I was amongst friends & familiars too - I can get a little self-conscious under pressure too. I'm all for the virtual, but I do think more highly of dogs that can perform under the pressure of public ring environment. The two Rally classes that I watched Reckless do a couple of years before I got Asha were seriously like a 3 ring circus. One was indoors with 2 rings - both busy at all times, all the dogs in crates under that roof - the other was outdoors on grass with 3 rings, again all busy at all times. My hat's off to those guys for sure @GennyB.

As it is, I am more than happy to have virtual trials, for more than one reason: There is not one single trial I can attend without at least one or two motel nights to make it work. So it takes 3 days and $ for motels, gas & eating out plus the entry. When you have 2 or 3 legs for every title that would make it almost impossible to achieve on my budget. If you can't trial, you lose interest in training because you don't have a goal.
 
It is much easier to go for from the comfort of your own home with little distraction.
Well, that was not the case at all in my backyard lol. Plenty of distractions! Just different distractions like lawn mowers, rude barking dogs, neighborhood girls from next door running and screaming, birds dive-bombing from overhead, loud wind, cold weather, hot weather etc. Every day was something different. You could say the same for some of these local trials - easier from the comfort of "home" at a place you have trained at before with little distraction. Or someone could have trialed in the middle of a pavilion in a giant ring with crowds. I'm not one to sit there and judge that it was easier for one person over the next and that they devalue the title because they trialed differently. Going to agree to disagree here that it is easier one way or another. Many factors come into play and both ways could be argued for or against. The end result is the same.
 
I too am not sure how I feel about it....having had a reactive boy years ago, and achieving his RAE in two years at big shows with lots of distractions; made me especially proud as a team. I do understand virtual helping get more folks involved with dog sports, because it can be VERY intimidating...but that is another hurdle that I learned from...showing along side people who had far more experience than me, and learning to accept that, and build my own confidence.
 
I too am not sure how I feel about it....having had a reactive boy years ago, and achieving his RAE in two years at big shows with lots of distractions; made me especially proud as a team. I do understand virtual helping get more folks involved with dog sports, because it can be VERY intimidating...but that is another hurdle that I learned from...showing along side people who had far more experience than me, and learning to accept that, and build my own confidence.
No one will take that away from you or steal from you! That is your memory and accomplishment to keep, share and be proud of! We should all be supporting each other and our own personal accomplishments.

There isn't a designation on titles when a professional achieved a title on a dog that isn't theirs. I'm curious, how does that make people feel? Should they have a special letter added to the title on the name so everyone knows? Should we have scores posted next to titles so everyone knows it wasn't as impressive compared to the high 200s scorer vs the low 200s? The title itself and how it was earned could be nitpicked to death and what a nasty trend that would be.

In a perfect world, everyone would have to trial with the exact same settings. But that isn't possible or it would kill the sport. AKC saw an opportunity to innovate and thrive. People can still hold their memories and accomplishments on how they achieved their goals, and share their stories of how they got there.

To be honest, it's sort of depressing reading these comments, not the reaction I was expecting. I do get in a way where people are coming from but also try to understand where I am coming from. This was supposed to be a positive thread. I was excited to share something with members here that may have never stepped foot in a ring. That it is achievable and a great goal to go for. To encourage and lift each other up to get out there and train their dogs, build that partnership! As someone who has earned a title, going on two, virtually, it makes me feel like my accomplishment is seen as less than and taking away from others. What a crummy feeling...
 
Like I said earlier, I can see both sides. Internet makes for funny conversation: you think it's going to go one way & it goes the other. (my recent post on conformation). I know how hard I work to make my dog be the dog I want her to be and have failed in several areas due to a really hard attitude on her part. So I'm very grateful for virtual - and I train anyway, even if that had never started due to Covid, I still push. But more fun to test and have a virtual trial. But I also know how hard I would beam if I could do this in trial, but looking at her name in my signature no one but you guys will ever know the difference. Big hugs & LETS GO TRAIN!!!!
 
Like I said earlier, I can see both sides. Internet makes for funny conversation: you think it's going to go one way & it goes the other. (my recent post on conformation). I know how hard I work to make my dog be the dog I want her to be and have failed in several areas due to a really hard attitude on her part. So I'm very grateful for virtual - and I train anyway, even if that had never started due to Covid, I still push. But more fun to test and have a virtual trial. But I also know how hard I would beam if I could do this in trial, but looking at her name in my signature no one but you guys will ever know the difference. Big hugs & LETS GO TRAIN!!!!
Thank you 💜
 
To be honest, it's sort of depressing reading these comments, not the reaction I was expecting. I do get in a way where people are coming from but also try to understand where I am coming from. This was supposed to be a positive thread. I was excited to share something with members here that may have never stepped foot in a ring. That it is achievable and a great goal to go for. To encourage and lift each other up to get out there and train their dogs, build that partnership! As someone who has earned a title, going on two, virtually, it makes me feel like my accomplishment is seen as less than and taking away from others. What a crummy feeling...
I didn't mean to come across as a negative Nancy ;). I am just showing my age...I do agree that virtual creates much more opportunity; I was just reflecting on how I felt with what I achieved in the old days. Dog shows in themselves have changed due to Covid, and many of the clubs still don't hold trials...so the whole thing is different now. Apologize if I came across sounding negative...didn't mean to do that :thumbsup2:
 
@Two Dobes thank you for the heartfelt apology. I'm sorry I got a little emotional about it all. Its hard these days to find trials and even more difficult with all the added costs besides the entry fee. I know the majority of DCF have never competed so I just didn't want to go down that rabbit hole and make people that have piqued their interest suddenly become gunshy. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Dog shows in themselves have changed due to Covid, and many of the clubs still don't hold trials...so the whole thing is different now.

I agree with that. I'm a member of a number of obedience groups rally or formal and it's sad to hear that numbers are down, for one reason or another. Some of the surprising answers are... Those in the game longer not being as accepting to newer folks. Younger gen not having as much time as the older generation did at their age, two incomes are needed in today's times AND trying to raise a family. Where is there time to train, let alone trial. The older crowd either burning out from teaching, retiring, or not teaching period. There just isnt time or demand for obedience anymore, thus lower turn out. Then with the limited time a lot of people agree they simply do not find formal obedience fun, so they stick to rally or agility. I'm glad they added beginner novice (not sure when this was) to try and break the entry into obedience and make it more accessible. I'm just not sure if it's enough.
 
I appreciate virtual since there is so little to compete in around here when we're so remote. We had one UKC show (will be 2 in 2022 because of our new club) and one AKC show or we'd have to travel pretty far and I can't justify that when I work weekends.
With virtual, your dog still has to know it's stuff but you can do it on your own schedule.
 
I think virtual is fantastic! The main reason I love the idea is, the closest club that does any kind of training is 3 - 3 1/2 hrs away. So, it's something we have to learn and train for by ourselves. The video clip is still viewed and evaluated by a Rally Instructor. I like that AKC provides (I think) 5 different courses you can set up, and it's your choice of which 3 courses you use.

@Rits I like the idea of breaking it down and doing just a few signs at a time & slowly adding more.

We haven't done our video yet. There's a few things we need to work on, but Diva is almost ready.

Kind of makes me think of how proud I was of Diva as well as myself when Diva was able to do a full run of 12 weave poles. It took a while to get there, but once she got it... she would shred the line in 3-4 seconds. No interest in agility, I just wanted to see if I could train her to do them.
 

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