LEARNING ONE PAW AT A TIME
As classes and practices become available, we will add them to this page. Please contact us with any questions.
Rally-O Class
Salvation Army 6PM -7:30PM
701 E 1st Street
Cumberland, MD
This sport is open to purebred and mixed breed dogs alike; it is recommended that your dog can walk on leash and is comfortable being around other dogs. This class is a seven week long course. Note: If you do not receive an email from us, we did not get your application. Rabies Required.
RALLY NOVICE . $50
RALLY NOVICE II . $60
Prepare for our local show in August!
Handling Class
Salvation Army
701 E 1st Street
Cumberland, MD
​Are you interested in learning how to show a dog? Your dog will need basic obedience skills and they do not need to be a purebred dog; you can learn with any dog! If you are interested and do not own a dog (or one suitable for the class), please use our contact form and we can help find you a dog to learn with! Rabies Required. $5.00 per dog
Prepare for our local show in August!
Fast CAT Practice
Bel Air Upper Ball Field
Weekends 10AM
Cresaptown, MD
Fast CAT is a great entry-level sport to teach you the ropes of dog events! It is non-competitive; your dog's only rival is themselves! We meet in Bel Air to expose dogs to the "bunny" (or lure) that they learn to chase! The area is fenced in for your dog's safety. Please sign-up into our classes ahead of time, thank you. No fee, this practice/introductory course is FREE! Rabies Required.
Prepare for our local competition in June!
AKC S.T.A.R Puppy
ADDRESS
Cumberland, MD
AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy is an exciting program designed to get dog owners and their puppies off to a good start. It is an excellent first in-person training class for puppies. This class is a great pre-course to Canine Good Citizen. At this time, we are looking to gauge local interest in an AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy Class - please hit the button below if this something you might be interested in now or in the future, thank you!
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Please let us know if there is a class and/or practice you would like to see offered, thank you.
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WHAT IS: RALLY-O?
What is rally? Rally, or rally-o, is a dog sport/activity for you and your dog to learn given cues and how to apply them in a step-by-step obstacle course. Pictured above: rally student, Susan and Kalypso (left) and our instructor, Marcy Hardinger and Myra (right).
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What skills does my dog need to know before I start?
Rally has levels of experience, from novice to master. A new student will start in the novice class. When you begin in rally, it is recommended that your dog be comfortable in a group setting with other dogs. It is possible to do rally with a reactive or nervous dog, if they are manageable in a public setting. You are your dog's advocate and will know best if this is something your dog can handle. If you do not think your dog will be able to handle a public setting, it is recommended to join an obedience/puppy-class first.
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Every instructor is different, as is their class schedule and itinerary. In our rally class, you can begin to learn novice signs with few cues known. When we refer to cues, we are meaning terms such as "sit", "down", "heel", etc. If your dog can "sit" or "down" on cue, they can begin to learn rally! This is not a class where you are expected to have a masterfully trained dog –– it is to learn and improve together!
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What skills will my dog and I learn in class together?
Our instructor has put together a week-to-week itinerary to help you and your dog learn the necessary cues for novice-level signs. Each sign is different and you are learning along with your dog to help communicate the sign you see to apply the cue to your dog's actions. An additional bonus with rally is that you can practice the signs at home, on your mobile-phone and/or with printed signs.
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What does a rally sign and/or course look like?
Below, we have attached several examples of novice-level signs you will learn. The first sign is a Fast Pace; when you approach this sign with your dog, you walk faster than your normal pace as you navigate the course, until the next sign appears.
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The second sign is a right-turn, where you and your dog will take a turn as directed.
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The last example represents weaves through a cone, directing you which side of the cone to enter on and how to keep your dog in a heel while walking through the given cones (represented as orange-red circles).
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By applying known-cues and behaviors your dog may already know, such as walking close to you in a heel position, you can learn these signs one-by-one until it is time to combine them in a course. A course will have a start and finish, with multiple signs like the examples below that you must follow one at a time.
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The best part of rally is that you can stay in your preferred difficulty level as long as you like. You and your dog can keep practicing and mastering the novice-level signs at home and/or competing in an official setting, moving up only when you feel comfortable doing so. It is about what you and your dog enjoy doing!
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WHAT IS: FAST CAT?
What is FAST CAT? Fast Cat is a dog sport/activity for your dog to embrace their inner chasing instincts! CAT stands for Coursing Ability Training. Fast CAT does not teach your dog to chase objects inappropriately outside of a practice setting. Many dogs surprise their owners by enjoying this sport, young and old, and even those whom are normally not into a game of fetch or chase. Pictured above is our fenced-in practice area.
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What skills does my dog need to know before I start?
Outside of practice, in an official setting, Fast CAT is a sport which goes by your dog's speed –– and no one else's! Your dog receives points by their speed, racking up those points to meet point minimums for Fast CAT titles. Smaller dogs are given a handicap in an official run that way their small steps are not penalized compared to their larger furry friends.
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It is recommended that your dog be comfortable in a group setting with other dogs. It is possible to do Fast CAT with a reactive or nervous dog, if they are manageable in a public setting. You are your dog's advocate and will know best if this is something your dog can handle. If you do not think your dog will be able to handle a public setting, it is recommended to join an obedience/puppy-class first.
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The primary component of seeing if your dog enjoys Fast CAT is exposure. Your dog may become hooked their first practice or be confused initially (this is very common). Once they learn this is a lure they are permitted to chase, and become used to the faint noise of the machine, many dogs burst into action! Any age of dog can try Fast CAT, as the lure moves at a pace for them, to help entice their running instincts.
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What skills will my dog and I learn in practice together?
Objects such as "flirt-poles" can be used to help your dog understand and communicate to them that the plastic-bag-like lure is an acceptable object they are permitted to chase. While an out-of-shape dog can participate in our practice, it's recommended to make sure your dog is first fit enough before running a full course of 100 yards. Our practice field is roughly 20 yards in each direction, a share smaller than the official course.
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What does a Fast CAT course look like?
Fast CAT courses may have a solid (wire) fence or a deer fence along the track which helps keep your dog focused and contained. Dogs often forget the fence as their focus is primarily on the lure. At our free practice, the field is fenced-in securely that way you can interact with your dog in a safe environment. Do not feel discouraged if your dog doesn't come to you right away after catching the lure, that's the fun of the game!
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Dog clubs, such as the UPVKC, host Fast CAT events across the country, with numerous events local to us. Your dog, when you feel they are ready, will enter an event and run the 100-yard dash to collect points, ribbons and memories.
WHAT IS: CONFORMATION/HANDLING?
What is Conformation and handling? Conformation is what you may know more commonly as a "dog show"; where purebred dogs compete against their standard in a show ring. The art of handling is how to "exhibit" a dog to the best of its ability while also teaching your dog the necessary skills. You do not have to own a show dog to learn how to do handling! You may use your own dog, whether it be for fun, to apply to a show dog down the road or to see if you may like a career in showing dogs.
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What skills does my dog need to know before I start?
Whether purebred or mixed breed, It is recommended that your dog be comfortable in a group setting with other dogs. It is possible to do begin learning with a reactive or nervous dog, if they are manageable in a public setting. An instructor is likely to pet your dog in handling class, to better familiarize them with how a judge examines a dog in a show ring, so it is not advised to bring a dog whom is a danger to themselves or others when put in this situation. You are your dog's advocate and will know best if this is something your dog can handle. If you do not think your dog will be able to handle a public setting, it is recommended to join an obedience/puppy-class first.
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What skills will my dog and I learn in class together?
The goal of our handling class is to introduce you and your dog to the procedures of a ring. As someone unfamiliar with how to show, handling a dog in the ring looks to be a basic act. However, there are actually a lot of tips and tricks to making it look so effortless! Each breed and dog has a different stride, requiring the handler to learn how to move or gait them to the best of their ability. Different breeds are also stacked (or made to stand) in various ways, perhaps due to their body structure or standard. Most importantly, dogs are shown in groups with other dogs, and need to learn how to navigate the ring procedure with you, as their handler.
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What does a handling ring look like?
Our practice area is located indoors with markers to differentiate where the ring would be like at an actual show. We will have a table available for any small dogs, whom are typically shown on a table in an official setting for your judge to oversee.
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