Dumb Rally question

3 point maximum

That would be a one pointer in most cases.  There is a lot of lee way compared to traditional obedience scoring.  A three point would be more of sitting considerably out ( 18 inches or so and/or crooked).  Missed front entirely could be a 10 pointer for not completing the station.  I once lost 10 points for moving off immediately following a "sit walk around the dog".
10 pointers are usually for stations done incorrectly (previous example) or poorly executed re-tries.  Missing a station completely is usually an NQ.  The 3 points can come into play on retries depending on how those are executed.  Crooked sits may actually be over looked.  I scored in the 90s one trial and I would have been surprised to break 80 based on crooked sits alone.  The precision is recognized in the placements but the lack of precision is not punished so severely ( as obedience scoring).

Thanks, guys.  I've been off the board for a few days b/c I was at a two-day event.  First day I over-did the walking-down (nerves!) and walked around the dog after we stopped.  OOps, lost 10pts for that.  The next day was better - not perfect, but considering the raining conditions, I'm pleased to say we got First Place with a 97.  Unfortunately, I was there by myself and didn't have anyone to critique my performance to tell me what I did wrong.  I am still not sure what we did to lose the 3 pts.  Oh well, we move on to finish the title the first week of August. 

Sounds like you're off to a great start!  You can usually ask to see your score sheet if you want to know where you got dinged on points.  (hindsight - don't ya love it)

I wish I had known that!!  [>:]  It was my first Rally and I'm training on my own, so I didn't know what was PC and what wasn't. 
The person who won the first day walked out of the ring at the finish and promptly spit a treat into her dog's mouth... I thought you weren't supposed to bring food onto the field... But I didn't dare say a thing because maybe I saw it wrong and her dog was perfect anyway.  Would have been with or without the treat. 
Anyway, it was fun.  I would not have expected to place with a score of 97, let alone take First, but I guess that's how the days go sometimes.  Thankfully we're pretty brisk, so doubtful anyone would beat us for a tie in the future! []

You're absolutely not allowed to bring treats in the ring.  Its against the rules and that person is pretty lucky they didn't get disqualified.