Rally

CHANGES TO RALLY REGULATIONS – Effective 1st January 2024

The Kennel Club has approved the following changes to the regulations for Rally.

Conduct at Kennel Club licensed events and on social media

The Kennel Club Board and the Disciplinary Committee have endorsed the introduction of further regulatory support to help ensure all those taking part in or attending licensed events behave in a responsible and a respectful manner.

It is the responsibility of all participants to uphold the core values of courtesy and respect surrounding canine activities. Alongside this, those same values ought to be in play on social media in the context of comments and opinions being expressed about participants at Kennel Club licensed events. This new measure introduces a system for issuing yellow and red cards in response to unacceptable behaviour at Kennel Club licensed events and on social media (in the context of licensed events).

The issue of a yellow card in response to unacceptable conduct will indicate that should there be a further incident and / or repetition of a complaint on a similar issue, then the yellow card will escalate to a red card status.

A red card status will result in an automatic fixed period of 60/90 days for refusal of entry and attending Kennel Club licensed events – and such period will be aligned with any relevant competition or event season.

Crufts 2024 Rally Inter-Regional Team Manager sought

Are you someone who would like to become a Crufts Inter-Regional Team Manager for Rally?

The Kennel Club is calling for anyone interested in becoming a Rally Inter-Regional Team Manager to get in touch.

The Inter-regional Rally event took place for the first time in 2017 and is a competition between teams from Scotland, Northern Ireland, North, Midlands, Wales, South East and East Anglia, South and South West. The current Team Managers were appointed for a three-year term which comes to an end after Crufts 2023.

CHANGES TO RALLY REGULATIONS

The Kennel Club has approved the following changes to the regulations for rally.

The following regulation has been added to provide clarity for event organisers around the permission needed to hold special events.

Additional accredited trainers for rally needed for judges’ training programme

The Kennel Club is calling for anyone interested in becoming a rally accredited trainer for the judges’ training programme to get in touch.

This judges’ training programme has been developed over a period of time and follows the requirements already in place for those involved in judging other canine activities. It underlines The Kennel Club’s commitment to maintaining and improving the standard of judges and judging at official Kennel Club licensed events and, in so doing, ensures the quality of dogs and the value of awards they receive at these events.

ADDITIONAL ACCREDITED TRAINERS FOR RALLY NEEDED FOR JUDGES’ TRAINING PROGRAMME

The Kennel Club is calling for anyone interested in becoming a Rally Accredited Trainer for the judges’ training programme to get in touch.

This judges’ training programme has been developed over a period of time and follows the requirements already in place for those involved in judging other canine activities. It underlines the Kennel Club’s commitment to maintaining and improving the standard of judges and judging at official Kennel Club licensed events and, in so doing, ensures the quality of dogs and the value of awards they receive at these events.

As part of the training programme, the Kennel Club has a number of Accredited Trainers for each discipline, who are responsible for delivering each seminar and conducting the examination. All of the Accredited Trainers are established judges of long standing and have attended training and assessment sessions prior to their appointment in order to prove their own knowledge and competence in delivering the seminar syllabus. There is a good geographical spread of trainers to ensure that each area of the country is covered to minimise distances for those attending seminars.

The Kennel Club is now inviting applications from interested parties who would like to be considered for the position of Rally Accredited Trainer. Any candidates interested in applying need to meet the following criteria:

Three or more years of regular judging experience
Be eligible to judge Level 6
Good presentation and teaching skills are essential
Have attended and passed the exam for the Rally Regulations and Judging Procedure seminar and attended the Practical Seminar
A willingness to travel to deliver seminars

Those interested should send their applications to the Working Dog Activities team via email to rally@thekennelclub.org.uk by Friday 18 February.

Assessments for all applicants will take place once applications have been reviewed. More information will be sent to those who apply.

CHANGES TO RALLY REGULATIONS

The Kennel Club has approved the following changes to the regulations for rally.

The below regulation has been amended to ensure clarity around what is expected when a competition is cancelled.

KENNEL CLUB SPECIMEN SCHEDULES REVISED FOR 2022

Although events continue to be subject to change due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, updated versions of the specimen schedules for breed shows, agility, obedience, working trials, Bloodhound trials, heelwork to music and rally can now be downloaded from the Kennel Club website, in order to assist societies with planning.

Organisers of Kennel Club licensed events are reminded that all competition schedules must conform to the current specimen schedules, and that no changes may be made to a show/trial schedule once issued, except with the permission of the Kennel Club.

CRUFTS 2022 – ENTRIES CLOSING SOON

Exhibitors are reminded that online entries for Crufts 2022 close on Monday 24 January, for dogs which have qualified for the show. Those exhibitors who prefer to send their entry by post must have done so by Monday 10 January (postmark).

The Working and Pastoral groups will be shown on Thursday 10 March; Terriers and Hounds on Friday 11; Utility and Toys on Saturday 12; and Gundogs on Sunday 13.

Best in Show will be judged on Sunday evening by Stuart Plane, breeder of the well-known Stuane Scottish Terriers.

Three breeds will be creating history at the 2022 show. Hungarian Pumis will have their own classes for the first time, Smooth Faced Pyrenean Sheepdogs will make their debut in the Imported Breed Register classes, and Harriers will be making their first appearance in the Crufts breed ring since 1898.

The Obedience Championships for dogs are on Saturday, with bitches on Sunday. In Agility, the Small and Medium Championships are on the Thursday, with the Intermediate and Large Championships on the Sunday.

FIRST EVER RALLY WARRANT TITLE GOES TO BORDER COLLIE

A four-year-old Border Collie, Littlethorn Leaf RW, belonging to Denise Platts of Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire is the first ever dog to be awarded the new Rally Warrant (RW) title. She qualified for the award at the Ditton Dog Training Club.

This title was introduced by The Kennel Club at the start of 2021 in a move designed to encourage new competitors into the rally discipline, as well as to give confidence to existing competitors to work at every rally level.