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Want to learn more about Rally Obedience? Trying to find resources and information on training and trials? Looking for some inspiration? Or are you just curious,and want to know how an inexperienced trainer and her Chinese Crested dog, Katherine, managed to become #1 Rally Dog in Canada? (I still have a hard time believing this happened, but if we can do it, so can you!)

While we are definitely not professional trainers, we hope that a little of what we have learned during Katherine's Rally career can help you, too. Whether you are new to Rally, or an experienced competitor, please feel free to browse our website for tips and info (and feel free to make suggestions) This website includes Rally Resources that detail some of the information we wish we had had when we first started trialing, as well as Katherine's story (on the "about us" page).

Check out our "Dog Treats" section, too - this includes some handy forms and checklists for everyone with a dog, from emergency backup sheets to travel checklists.

Have a great time training and trialing, & enjoy the site!

We started this website to help share our experiences and give back to the canine (and human) communities. My husband and I are just ordinary pet owners (or at least we started out that way, not so long ago). We are certainly not professional trainers, and Chinese Cresteds are definitely not a breed that is known for success in dog sports such as Obedience or Rally. (Cresteds usually prefer other 'sporting events', such as the "Snuggling on the Couch" Olympics.)

Katherine was also initially an anxious, fearful dog. She is also obviously not a traditional "working breed" dog, and was being trained by a complete novice. All of this combined together meant that she would probably not have been voted "most likely to succeed in Rally". However, that's what makes her story all the more remarkable.

When we started on this journey, all we wanted was to give our dog a better life. We had no grand dreams of success, and certainly no idea that Katherine could ever become the #1 All Breed Rally Obedience Dog in Canada. If you would have suggested this to me a couple of years ago, I would probably have started laughing. At that point my biggest Rally-related aspiration was that Katherine would be able to finish her RE!

However, here we are today, and Katherine has achieved more than we would have ever dreamed was possible. When we were told that Katherine was actually #1, I was stunned. However, one of my first resolutions was that we use this achievement as an opportunity to give back to the community, by encouraging other teams of dogs and people to participate in Rally.

Working with Katherine has been an act of faith, and has taught me a great deal about the power of perserverance, patience, tenacity, and consistency (along with the value of dog treats). Along the way, I have met some astounding and wonderful people - judges, ring stewards, fellow competitors, and trainers, to name just a few - who took the time to talk to me, provide me me with pointers, offer constructive criticism, and give us some encouragement, too. Many people went out of their way to be supportive and helpful to an obvious newbie (me!) with an unusual dog that is seldom seen competing in Rally or Obedience.

In addition, we would like to thank Sue Coghlan, at Canuck Dogs (www.Canuckdogs.com), for setting up their innovative Rally Obedience ranking system. Sue and her dedicated team made it possible for Rally competitors to track the Rally rankings. Our thanks to the Sue and the Canuck Dogs team! Our thanks also go to Pat Pentland, Katherine's breeder, for providing us with this very special family member.

As I have said before, no one makes it to this level without the support of others. Setting up this website is another way to thank them for all their support, and to help pass it along to other Rally Obedience teams. Somewhere out there is the next #1 All Breed Rally Obedience Team - and maybe it's you.