Guest Article

Rallying Forward!
In the Rally world we are now starting to think about Crufts 2018. It may seem a long way away at the moment, however teams will need to be selected in the next few weeks, so they can fit in the required amount of rehearsals needed for the Crufts competition.
For the purposes of the Inter-Regional Rally Competition at Crufts, the UK is divided into seven regions and each has a Team Manager. These are; Midlands led by Julia Bodsworth, North led by Julie Barrett, Northern Ireland & Isle of Man led by Rachel Cooper, Scotland led by Elaine Miller, South East & East Anglia led by Susan Coulstock, South & South West led by Jenny Butters and Wales led by Margaret Booth.
The teams must be comprised of a mixture of breeds and crossbreeds, with limits on the selection of too many of any one breed, to maintain the Rally ethos of our sport being suitable and welcoming to all breeds. Handlers should also be aware that their dogs must be capable of working one level higher than their eligible one, should they need to move up for any reason.
Each region will run their selection process slightly differently, but if you are thinking of applying you should contact the relevant Team Manager in the first instance, who will give you an application form and will be able to provide you with further details. To find the information you need, search online for the Rally sites, look on Facebook at the Rally forums or log onto The Kennel Club website, where all the information is listed in the Rally section.
Good luck to all those trying out for selection!
The KC Rally Working Party has been working on a major review of all regulations, exercises and scoring over the last few months, as we have now been operating as a Kennel Club discipline for five years. There have a been a number of changes and new initiatives proposed, in light of the review, which have now been published on the Rally forums and The Kennel Club website for your perusal and feedback. The consultation process is now open, closing at the end of April 2018, and we would very much appreciate your thoughts and constructive opinions on the suggested changes. I will be going into more detail about the changes and proposals in future articles.

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I hope you will see we, as a Working Party, have listened to feedback given and have used that, combined with our own thoughts and experiences, to try to progress Rally and continue its’ development over the coming years.
Please direct your comments and suggestions to myself or RWP colleagues via the contact details found on the forums or the KC website, or feel free to speak to us at competitions.
Keep Rallying and enjoying being with your dogs.


Claire Coughlan-Khan