"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
... Roger Caras
More About Trials
The CDOTC does not require members or students to participate in trials but they are a great way to demonstrate what you and your dog have learned and to connect with the Vancouver Island Obedience and Rally Obedience community.
Obedience and Rally Obedience trials provide an opportunity for dogs and their handlers to demonstrate their skills in a formal setting. Different organizations host trials and each of them may have different expectations. If handlers choose to compete in Trials with their dogs, CDOTC prepares students to compete under the rules of the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and the Association of Island Obedience Clubs (AIOC).
Trial Titles (CKC)
Obedience:
Pre-Novice (PCD)
Novice Intermediate (CDI)
Novice (CD)
Open (CDX)
Utility (UD)
Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH)
Master Obedience Trial Champion (MOTCH)
Grand Master Obedience Champion (GMOTCH)
Rally Obedience:
Rally Novice (RN)
Rally Intermediate (RI)
Rally Excellent (RE)
Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE)
Rally Master (RM)
Rally Master Excellent (RME)
Rally Champion (RCH)
Rally Grand Champion (RGCH)
What is the difference between Obedience and Rally Obedience?
Rally Obedience (Rally-O)
In Rally Obedience, dogs and their handlers follow a course that consists of 15-20 stations that are marked by Rally Signs on the course, Each station requires the dog and the handler to perform specific skills.
The skills are related to Obedience movements but dogs do not need to have prior obedience experience to participate in Rally-O. A perfect score on a Rally Course is 100 and a minimum of 50% must be achieved at each station. Rally is also different from Obedience in that handlers can maintain communication with their dogs throughout the course. CDOTC offers all levels of Rally-O from Novice to Master.
Obedience
In Obedience, dogs and their handlers perform a series of obedience skills at the call of the judge. Each level, from Pre-Novice to Utility has a set of skills which increased in difficulty. Dogs are judges against national standard with teams needing to achieve a minimum score of 170 out of a possible 200 with a least 50% on each exercise. Skills begin with the basics of heel, sit, down, stay, front and finish and ultimately lead to sending the dog over various jumps, distinguishing. scent articles and changing positions based on silent signals.
Youtube offers some excellent videos of both Rally-O and Obedience- just make sure that you are looking at the Canadian Kennel Club version- other kennel clubs and organizations have different rules and expectations.