Years of Canine Partners Lead to Rally Heart Dog

"Brew" transitions from the living room to the rally ring.

After starting in agility in 2005, Dawn Peterson of Lancaster, Penn., has branched out into many other dog sports including nosework, Barn Hunt, Fast Cat, disc, obedience and flyball. In early 2017, she took her new puppy, Riddle, to a local performance obedience class that slowly morphed into a rally addiction as they continued. As soon as Dawn entered her first WCRL trial that summer, she was hooked.  

Dawn went on to earn the last “puppy” rally title with Riddle before the class changed to Intro, worked for another Intro title on her deaf Jack Russell named Hocus Pocus, and competed with her third dog, a mixed breed named Poppy, to ARCHEX before Poppy retired in February 2021 at the age of 11½.  

That final WCRL trial for Poppy was also the first trial for Dawn and her heart dog, Hold My Beer aka “Brew,” who joined the family in early November 2019. “From what I remember of Brew’s story, she had been given as a gift to someone who didn’t want a puppy and immediately surrendered her to a shelter,” Dawn said. “She was pulled by a rescue and ended up being fostered in a sport-savvy home. After applying through an Adoptable Performance Dog Facebook group, I tried to be patient as they made their decision for her next home. The day I got the word she would be mine was a VERY good day because Poppy and I also took first place in a nosework trial!” 

Dawn noticed immediately that Brew had a natural aptitude for heel work and trick training. The duo started working on exercises Brew would eventually do in rally trials, focusing on one or two at a time that they can practice in Dawn’s living room. The only time Brew ever sees a rally sign or full course is at a trial venue.  

“Brew is 100 percent self-trained,” Dawn said. “She is also an agility dog, so I don’t spend much time on jump exercises for rally. We keep our sessions short and fun, like it’s just a dance of tricks strung together. Anyone who sees Brew at a trial can see that it’s just a game we play together – she loves to smile, and her plume of a tail never stops wagging!” 

Dawn currently has six dogs. Although she has a small yard that lets her practice the occasional jump or cone exercises, most of her dogs’ training is done right in their living room or on their many geocaching hikes. She only practices specific rally movements once or twice a week, and even then, her sessions only last about 15 minutes.  

“I reward A LOT during our sessions and break things up with other tricks,” Dawn said. “I love spending time on tricks and feel like it’s the key in developing my bond with my dogs.  

“Find what motivates your dog, know that you can never reward too much, and most of all, keep things upbeat and fun for both of you!” she added.