Obedience and Rally

Obedience

A judge sets a fixed pattern of exercises and scores how precisely the team performs them. Novice covers heeling on and off lead, a stand for examination, a recall and group stays. Open adds retrieves, jumps and work at a distance from the handler. Utility adds scent discrimination, directed jumping and hand signals with no spoken commands.

Every team starts a class with 200 points and loses points for errors. A qualifying score, called a leg, takes 170 points or more, with more than half the available points earned on every single exercise. Three legs under at least two different judges finish a title.

Class	Title
Novice	CD, Companion Dog
Open	CDX, Companion Dog Excellent
Utility	UD, Utility Dog

Teams that keep qualifying in Open and Utility on the same day work toward UDX, and beyond that the Obedience Trial Champion title, OTCH.

Rally

Rally puts a course of numbered signs in the ring, each one an exercise to perform on that spot. The team moves at its own pace, and the handler may talk, clap and encourage the dog all the way round. That freedom is the main thing that separates Rally from Obedience.

Teams start at 100 points and need 70 to qualify. Three qualifying scores earn most titles.

Level	Title	How the dog works
Novice	RN	On lead
Intermediate	RI	Off lead
Advanced	RA	Off lead, with a jump
Excellent	RE	Off lead, more demanding signs
Master	RM	Ten qualifying scores required

Teams that qualify in Advanced and Excellent on the same day build toward the Rally Champion title, RACH.