Try a new dog sport!

Sometimes in the dog world, a sport becomes so enticing to us that we can’t help but want to share it with you!

Like when we started offering Treibball classes at AZ Dog Sports.  (And the success has kept them going!)

Now is one of those times.  Rally Free and Carting are two dog sports that are new classes offered at AZ Dog Sports.  In case you aren’t familiar with them, we thought we would share a bit about each.  If you are looking for something new and fun to try with your dog, check these out!

RallyFree Dog Class

• Definition: As defined on the rallyfree.com website, Rally Free is defined as, “a unique sport combining trick behaviors of Canine Musical Freestyle with the format of Rally-Obedience.”
• Rally vs RallyFree: For anyone who has tried one of our Rally classes, you know that Rally is a great way to uplevel your dog’s obedience while building your skills as a cohesive team. Rally is all about working together with your dog…teamwork.  A Rally course consists of a series of 12-18 signs that you and your dog navigate through in a certain order.  You guide your dog, stopping at each pre-set sign and giving her a command to follow.
• RallyFree follows the same protocol, except that at each stopping point the commands are more “free”. For instance, instead of asking your dog to “sit”, you might be asking him to “weave” in and out of your legs, or jump through a hoop you make with your arms.  You might even be asking him to perform a small dance step you and he concocted!  And unlike Rally, in RallyFree the dog will have to work on both sides of you.  Also, RallyFree uses mostly voice commands with minimal to no signals.  It is meant to be fun for the dog and handler. Another big difference is instead of losing points you build points as you go thru the course. But you are still working together as a team.

In a sense, RallyFree is just as it sounds…Rally Obedience with the fun of Freestyle training methods!

Carting Dog Class

• Definition: Wikipedia describes Carting as “a dog sport or activity in which a dog (usually a large breed) pulls a dogcart filled with supplies, such as farm goods, camping equipment, groceries or firewood, but sometimes pulling people.”
• Carting Breeds: Carting, also sometimes called “Drafting”; can be done by most all dogs, but usually works well for the larger working dog breeds. Breeds such as the St. Bernard, Bernese Mountain Dog, Mastiff, Husky or Newfie. But at the Bernese Mountain Dog Carting Trial last January, the hit of the trial was a Parson Russell Terrier getting her Novice Draft Dog Title. She pulled 20 pounds in her cart for a half mile!  And Ken Neubauer’s Flat-coated Retrievers have distinguished themselves in multiple carting trials. So it is not limited to the known draft dogs.
• Getting started: A good obedience base is needed to start in a Carting class. While it certainly helps if you have some performance events experience, as dogs who are used to performing a task amidst a lot of distractions, dogs and handlers who are relatively new to the competition world can succeed at Carting.

Carting is a great way to exercise your dog while mentally stimulating him and getting a task done for you all at the same time!

Call us to get in on the fun!  602-237-6775