Sit. Down. Stay. Come. Heel. This June 29th-July 1st, some of the best-behaved and most highly-trained dogs in the nation will meet at The Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio, to compete in the AKC National Obedience Championship® and the AKC Rally National Championship®.
Obedience trials demonstrate a dog’s ability to follow specified routines in heeling, jumping and retrieving as directed by the handler. All contestants in a class are required to perform the same exercises in essentially the same way, so that the relative quality of the various performances may be scored.
National Obedience participants will be competing against the top obedience dogs in the country, who were invited based on the number of Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) points earned throughout the year or placements at AKC Obedience regional qualifying events. The goal of each competitor is to become the next National Obedience Champion at this prestigious American Kennel Club® event.
New this year, AKC will present the “Soaring Eagle Award” in memory of former AKC AVP of Companion Events, Patricia R. Krause. At the NOC, at the end of the first day’s competition, the top 50‐ranked dogs move on to the second day of competition. The “Soaring Eagle Award” will be bestowed upon the 51st‐ranked dog at the end of the day‐one competition, to recognize their efforts and to remind them to never give up; and to always KEEP SOARING; just as Pat would have encouraged.
AKC Rally® combines elements of Obedience and Agility. The dog and handler move through a course of numbered exercises, all while the handler is communicating with and praising the dog. Rally demonstrates a sense of teamwork and provides an excellent introduction to AKC Companion Events for new dogs and handlers. AKC Rally® promotes a fun and enjoyable atmosphere for dogs at all levels of competition.
Rally competitors will strive to be named the top dog in their class at the 5th annual AKC Rally® National Championship. The goal of each competitor in the RAE class is to be crowned the new National Rally Champion.
“Participants have been working hard all year for a chance to compete in these fun events that test important skills and communication between dog and handler,” said Pamela Manaton, Director of Obedience, Rally and Tracking for the American Kennel Club. “We are excited to find out who will be crowned the next AKC Obedience® National Champion and AKC Rally® National Champion.”
Both Championship events (all-days) will be live-streamed on AKC.TV starting June 29th at 8 AM EDT. AKC.TV is viewable on any smartphone, computer, or tablet, and also on Roku and Apple TV.
These events are sponsored in part by Eukuanuba™ and J and J Dog Supplies.
To learn more about these events, please visit https://www.akc.org/sports/.