Rally Dog/Handler Attire Questions

 No clue on the attire thing, but I must say how exciting this must be for you and Misha! Good luck and have fun!

I usually wear jeans and a tshirt or sweater and sneakers. No brand names or logos on the clothing. You want to be comfy while in the ring. I show Maze in either a basic harness and a 6ft leash or a buckle collar and 4ft leash. No chokes, prongs, halti's, no pull harnesses, no martingales. Check with the venue you want to compete in about the rule with tags. CARO allows tags as long as they don't get in the way.

In the winter I wear plain, comfortable clothes and shoes that I'm not going to trip in (no heels, a good sole for traction since here it is often icey outside and wet/slippery in the rings).  Lots of the places here are also cold, even when we have indoor trials so I have a jacket I wear when trialing (I've worn it for rally, conformation, SDA, and Schutzhund trials!). 

Kenya's final rally trial, setting up to honor

In the summer I just wear plain clothes.  I've done several trials in flip-flops!

Kenya earning her RA with two first place finishes

Our first trial, I was so nervous!

For novice level I use my trial leash which is a 3/8" x 3' plain leather.  For the higher levels you need a 6' leash to honor.  For that I use a plain black 1" x 6' biothane leash.

Someone else has said that 1" leads will gets looks in AKC Rally trials. My initial plan had been to make Misha a 1" adjustable collar with only an O ring (and an adjuster), an a 1" x 5' lead. The fabric is very dark, with an unnoticeable pattern. I might end up going with a 1/2" black biothane lead (and/or lead/collar set). I'm going to go to some local shows and try to scope out what they use, as well as get advice from the trainer, once we start. I think it kind of depends on where you are and to whom you are showing, but I want all the input I can get, so I can be well-informed and make a decision from there. ETA: I haven't read the rule changes, but the chatter has been that they're getting rid of the honor. Don't know if I'd still need a 6' lead then or not. Curse Chrome and it's one-block-textedness.

In the cooler/colder months, I've worn jeans and a turtleneck sweatshirt and hiking boots.  In warmer months I've worn a nice pair of shorts, a solid colored Tshirt(I don't take the heat real well) and sneakers.

Caleb has worn a martingale collar.  For Novice, I used a 6 foot shoe string width leash (1/4", maybe?).  The narrow width is very easy to slide through my hands to adjust, and the 6 foot length lessens the chances of points off for a tight lead.  Martingale collars are allowed in AKC, but not the all the one collar/lead sets they use in the breed rings.  The leash has to be able to be removed from the collar.  As already mentioned, prongs are not allowed, neither are head collars or training harnesses. 

 

aDorkable

... ETA: I haven't read the rule changes, but the chatter has been that they're getting rid of the honor. Don't know if I'd still need a 6' lead then or not. Curse Chrome and it's one-block-textedness.

You won't need a 6 foot lead after the new regs go into affect.  Which, btw, they changed the date of.  It's now Wed, April 4th.

 I'm starting a class with Luke on Monday night. I'll have to see what they tell us, and get back with some info.

As for collars for the dog, right now he is wearing a double layer leather collar with star studs, and he has a bunch of tags (id, license, dog park tag, microchip, rabies). The other collars I have for him are mostly nylon things with designs, lupine, nothing plain. Should I get him a collar for rally, and if I am going to, what type?

Jeans, t-shirt and good walking shoes for me.  Some handlers wear vest.  I'm still new at rally so I am still learning what works for me.  APDT allows treats in the ring in level I as long as the dog is in a stationary position, the rest of the time the treats must be in the pocket.  I wear jeans with pockets that are easy to keep treats in.

I am also still experimenting with different leashes.  I started with a 6ft leather but found it was too long and I was getting tangled in the extra slack.  Now I have switched over to a 4 ft. and am much happier with the control I have. My everyday leash is a biothane but it would be awkward to use for rally.

I have my everyday collar with tags and then I have the same collar without tags for the day of the event.  APDT does not allow tags but does allow martingale collars.

I don't think food is allowed in the AKC ring, or if it is, it's only in novice. I'll have to double check that (I know I will learn these things in class too, but it's always good to research). I've always prefered 5' lengths, so I will probably start with that, and wiggle around until I find a good length. Misha is never wearing a choke collar unless it's a back-up, and never EVER has worn a prong. I thought the AKC required collars to be flat, but Misha has no martingales either. Harnesses may also be allowed, but I'm not sure, and I probably wouldn't use one for this. I'm getting lots of different responses from different people. EEE. I guess it will depend on where I am and to whom I am showing. There's a UKC trial nearby in April, and I'll look for some local AKC ones. I think this is something that I will just have to feel the waters on. I appreciate all thoughts and comments though, it just seems everywhere and everyone is different!

oranges81

I show Maze in either a basic harness

You are not allowed to show a dog in a harness in AKC.  Also not allowed to wear tags.

aDorkable

What clothing is appropriate for a handler to wear?

I wear dark colored pants/jeans so that, if Cher gets a bit out of position, it might not be as noticable.  If we trial in the winter, I usually wear a sweater or fleece pullover.  Summer trials usually involve me wearing the lightest fabric possible.  If I were showing a light colored dog, I'd be wearing pants that were as close to my dog's color as possible. 

aDorkable

What shoes are appropriate?

I wear comfortable shoes that match whatever I'm wearing.  Last time out, I wore a black pair of VFF's.  They went with the outfit & they're comfortable.

aDorkable

What sort of collar/leash do you use? Leather/biothane/fabric/cloth? What widths?

I think that you've seen Cher's current competition collar.  It's an inch wide, black leather, lined, martingale with "sparklies".  I use a 4 foot long, 3/8" biothane lead.  It's lightweight, & the perfect length to keep me from getting tangled up while were in the ring.  Tags & treats are NOT allowed in the AKC ring.

 

 I just bought Luke a cheap, light 6ft black fabric leash as his rally leash this morning. I'm ridiculously nervous about him not having tags on, especially if we were to go to an outdoor trial.  Would something like this work http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=9X3Y&dir_id=1633&group_id=1930&cat_id=5743&subcat_id=7018

Jen, I was told that NO TAGS meant no tags OR embroidered collars. I am also exceptionally nervous about this rule, but Rally Novice is done on lead (haven't looked into advanced). I think I was kind of scoffed at for being concerned, because why would I be showing Rally if my dog wasn't perfectly trained? Amanda, I hear different things about whether or not to match your dog. Some say do, some say don't. There's not a rule against doing it, but I think there are two different camps on the matter. I'd probably look silly wearing pants that matched Misha though. :p I do remember seeing Cher's fancy Rally collar! I'd forgotten.

aDorkable

Jen, I was told that NO TAGS meant no tags OR embroidered collars...

This actually came up on the Rally list I'm on.  There were a couple of people whos said they had concerns about their dogs being tagless, especially ones that are thunder phobic, and have shown with contact info embroidered on collars with no problem.  What I've done, tho, is clipped Caleb's tags onto our every day leash when we get to the show site (they're on a RubIt clip).  I don't usually switch to our competition lead until soon before we go into the ring.

Have you gotten your dogs microchipped?  I refuse to microchip my dog, but she is tattooed, should she ever get lost without her tags on.

I guess I am among the peeps who would be very concerned if you have a dog you think might bolt and worry about ID tags, why you would feel ready to compete?  If I were you, I'd be doing a TON of show-n-go's, rally run-thru's, and then venture into Matches before entering a competition ring if that honestly frightened me to remove collar tags. 

I know in the case of Tracking, they will allow embroidered contact information on the harness, but I have yet to see someone compete in AKC Rally or Obed with embroidered ID on the collar.