Skip to main content
Cluster · Nov 7–8, 2026

West Michigan Harvest Cluster

2 clubs, 2 events at Kalamazoo Co Fairgrounds in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

The weekend.

2Clubs
2Events
2Days

Nov 7–8, 2026, Kalamazoo Co Fairgrounds, Kalamazoo, Michigan. This page lists the performance events (Rally and Obedience). Breed judging (conformation) isn’t listed; the premium list has the full schedule, entry fees and closing date.

Clubs and events.

The sports.

Rally

Rally — short for Rally Obedience, sometimes called Rally-O — is a sign-based obedience sport. The judge designs a numbered course of 10 to 20 stations laid out around the ring, and each sign tells the team what to do at that spot: a 270-degree right turn, a halt and call-front, a moving down, a pivot in heel position. The handler walks the course alone before the class to memorize the order. Then the dog comes in, the judge says "Forward," and the team flows from sign to sign without stopping for judge-called exercises. A team starts at 100 and the judge subtracts. A qualifying run is 70 or better; time only breaks ties. In AKC, qualifying runs at three trials earn the Novice through Excellent titles; Master and Choice take ten, under at least two judges.

Obedience

Obedience is the oldest formal dog sport in the United States. A team starts a class with 200 points and the judge subtracts. Crooked sit: deduction. Lagging on the heel: deduction. Wide turn, slow response, extra command, broken stay: deduction. To qualify — to earn one of the three "legs" required for a title — the team needs a final score of 170 or better and more than 50% of the available points on every individual exercise. Three legs at three trials earn the title. The math is rigid, and the rigidity is the appeal: every team, regardless of breed or handler experience, is judged against the same precise standard.

Other clusters.