TRIALLING OBEDIENCE & RALLY

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Queanbeyan and District Dog Training Club holds an Obedience and Rally trial each July.  Information can be found on the Trial Notice page and advertised in the May edition of the DogsNSW magazine.

Your First Trial

After reaching Companion (CCD) or Rally Novice level of training you now decide that you are ready to enter your first obedience and/or rally trial - but are you?

Before entering a trial it is important that you are certain that your dog will continue to happily work with you and basically, that they are 'bomb proof'. Many activities happen at a trial that may distract your dog.

For example, dogs competing in adjacent rings could be sent for retrieval of their dumbbell and your dog could see this as an opportunity for a game.  As a final check, you will need to be confident that he will work without your continual assistance such as feeding, guiding, talking etc

At Companion class (CCD/Novice) level or higher, your dog may be trained well enough to participate.

Ask your Instructor for an informal assessment. Put your dog through on assessment day to see if you get a qualifying score. Train your dog in different places with distractions. Talk to handlers who trial. Go to trials to see what happens, offer to steward in the CCD ring – it will give you inside information on how the dogs are assessed. READ THE RULE BOOK! And ask your instructor or other triallers if you don't understand something.

The CCD competition format and exercises are the same as the Club’s CCD class assessment.

What you need to do to enter the Club trial:

• Be a financial member of DogsNSW (or, if you live in another State, with its Canine Association, e.g. Dogs ACT for people who live in Canberra).
  
  Your dog may be registered either on the Main Register (dogs purchased with papers from a registered breeder) or the Associate Register (dogs that have no formal papers).  You and your dog will each get a unique number which you will use for entering trials. Your qualifying certificates will have the same information, so that when you have the required passes at a level, you can then apply for the appropriate title for your dog (eg Jasper CCD).
  
  
• Trials are advertised either in State Journals (eg Dogs NSW) or on the body's website (eg Dogs ACT). They are also advertised on the ACT Obedience and Rally Facebook page and on the websites of the clubs holding trials (in the ACT, ACT Companion Dog Club, Belconnen Dog Obedience Club, ACT German Shepherd Club and Tuggeranong Dog Training Club).
  
  
• The trial advertisement  (or Schedule) tells you the date, place and time of trial, the classes being offered, who is judging and the fee for entering.
  
  
• You then need to enter your dog either on line via Ozentries, Show Manager or Easy Dog Entries depending on or before the closing date.
  
  
• What you should do on the day of your first trial is a whole new story. When you do decide to enter your first trial talk to your instructor/other triallers about how to prepare for, and what to do on, that day.

If you want to have a look at dogs doing formal obedience trialling where they can gain obedience titles, come along to our Trial, or volunteer to help out.

Volunteering/Assisting at the Trial

Anyone who is available on the day and would like to help out stewarding, in our shop or putting up / pulling down rings – we’re always grateful for volunteers!

If you are interested and willing to help out by stewarding at our trial, ask one of our instructors or committee members who to speak to.

Stewarding is rewarding and provides you with insights into how other people work an interact with their dogs. You will also pick up useful ideas for the training of your dog.  Please read the Stewarding Guidelines (PDF, 140KB) for information on what is involved in stewarding.