Canadian Association of Rally Obedience

Association Canadienne De Rallye Obéissance

News

Course Design Updates

Judges, thank you for your continued care in designing courses! Here is a summary of our latest course design updates.

Effective October 3, 2026

  • Directional arrows are optional for all levels and classes. Cone exercises continue to include directional arrows.
  • Following the success of the Small Ring Pilot Project, smaller rings are now welcome for rally trials, with a minimum ring size of 900 square feet.

In effect since September 5, 2026

  • Judges submit all course maps for the trial as a single PDF to the Course Approvers.

In effect since August 7, 2026

  • Course maps include a minimum of 8 feet from the ring boundary before the START station, after the FINISH station, before Team 2’s first station, and after Team 1’s last station.

Download a fresh Course Design Checklist every time
To make sure you are working from the most up-to-date requirements, please download a new copy of the Course Design Checklist each time you design courses. You’ll find it on our website under Host/Judges > Judges Forms/Software.

Questions about these updates, the course design software, or course design in general? Contact the CARO Board at board@canadianrallyo.ca.

📣 New Course Approval Process

Starting October 1, 2026, CARO is introducing a new Course Approval Process.

  • Judge’s may now request a preferred Course Approver and an alternate, simply by naming them in the body of your email. It is an option not a requirement too select a specific approver. Please choose a different Course Approver than the one you used most recently, to avoid having the same approved twice in a row.
  • Submit all your course maps for a trial as a single PDF to courseapprovals@canadianrallyo.ca — at least 3 weeks before an in-person trial, or by the specific deadline for Virtual Trials.

Please review The Course Approval Process for full details.

Our current course approvers are:

  • Jeanne Shaw
  • Debby DaCosta
  • Julia Schwark

We hope giving you a say in who reviews your courses makes the process feel more collaborative, while there are guardrails in place keep things fair for our Course Approvers as well.

If you have any question, please reach out to the Board.

Thank you for all the work you put into designing great courses for our competitors.

Upcoming Judge Clinics

Whether you’re a seasoned judge looking to meet continuing education requirements or a judge candidate working towards certification, CARO has two online clinics coming up.

Sunday, September 27
12:00–14:00 (PT) – Working Judges Clinic (Join the Meeting)
14:30–16:30 (PT) – Rally Judges Clinic (Join the Meeting)

Saturday, November 7
11:30am–1:30 (PT) – Rally Judges Clinic (Join the Meeting)

All three clinics will be presented by the wonderful and knowledgeable Julia Schwark.

These clinics are a great opportunity to expand your knowledge, ask questions, and connect with others in the Rally community.

🌟 Remember, in order to maintain certification, all judges mustattend a clinic for each class they are certified in at least once every two years.

💌 If you’re in need of a clinic, reach out to your Regional Director to arrange for future clinics.

❓ Not sure which clinics you need to maintain your judging certificate?
Contact the Judges Program at judgesprogram@canadianrallyo.ca or the Board and we’ll help you out.

CARO Elections 2026 – Call for Nominations

The Canadian Association of Rally Obedience is seeking nominations for the following positions.  Professional Members over the age of 18 are eligible to hold a position on the Executive or Board of Directors.

Executive:

 

Regional Directors *:

  • West   (BC & Yukon)
  • Prairies  (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba & NWT )  **
  • Ontario East (All postal codes beginning with K)
  • Ontario West ( All postal codes beginning with letters (L, M, N & P)

* The Regions have been reorganized to create a greater balance of representation by membership numbers.
** This position will be for a one-year term to balance the electoral process across the BOD.

 

All regular and professional members in good standing and with voting privileges are eligible to nominate and/or vote.

The purpose of this letter is to ascertain whether you are interested in running for a position or nominating a fellow member.

Nominated individuals must have time to fulfill their duties should they be elected which includes participating in email discussions AND attending monthly Zoom board meetings. A description of criteria and duties for each position is included.

 

Two nomination forms are included.
Form A: Acceptance of Nomination – If you are interested in a position, are a professional member of the Association, and have someone to nominate you (or someone to second your own nomination).

Form B: Nomination – Alternatively, you may nominate another person. They must be a professional member of the Association and must accept your nomination.

 

Please send completed nomination forms and nominee CV to Nancy Wightman at elections@canadianrallyo.ca.
Please clearly indicate “CARO Election Nomination” in the subject line.

Deadline for nomination forms is September 19, 2026

Full letter including position description and nomination forms

_______________________________________________

L’Association canadienne d’obéissance en rallye (CARO) sollicite des candidatures pour SIX (6) postes indiqués en rouge ci-dessous. Les membres professionnels âgés de plus de 18 ans sont admissibles à occuper un poste au sein de l’Exécutif ou du Conseil d’administration.

Tous les membres réguliers et professionnels en règle et ayant le droit de vote peuvent proposer une candidature et/ou voter.

Cette lettre a pour but de déterminer si vous êtes intéressé(e) à vous présenter à un poste ou à proposer la candidature d’un autre membre.

Les personnes proposées doivent être disponibles pour remplir leurs fonctions si elles sont élues, ce qui inclut la participation aux discussions par courriel ET la présence aux réunions mensuelles du conseil via Zoom. Une description des critères et des responsabilités pour chaque poste est jointe.

Deux formulaires de mise en candidature sont inclus :

Formulaire A : Acceptation de la mise en candidature – à utiliser si vous êtes intéressé(e) par un poste, êtes membre professionnel de l’Association et avez quelqu’un pour vous proposer (ou pour appuyer votre propre candidature).

Formulaire B : Mise en candidature – vous pouvez également proposer la candidature d’une autre personne. Celle-ci doit être membre professionnel(le) de l’Association et accepter votre proposition.

Veuillez envoyer les formulaires complétés ainsi que le CV du ou de la candidate à Nancy Wightman à l’adresse suivante : elections@canadianrallyo.ca
Veuillez clairement indiquer « CARO Election Nomination » dans l’objet du courriel.

La date limite pour soumettre les formulaires est le 15 juin 2025.

Lettre complète incluant les descriptions de postes et les formulaires de mise en candidature

🎉 Welcome, Brenda!

We’re delighted to welcome Brenda Oliver to the Data Entry role, effective August 8th! We received applications from several outstanding candidates, and Brenda stood out for her strong background in data management and deep familiarity with both CARO Rally and Working.

If you have a data-entry question, please give her a warm welcome — and a little patience as she settles in!

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