Entries from August 2007 ↓

I am not a dog breeder and I do not want the responsibility that goes along with it. I am a firm believer in spaying and neutering dogs. Just go to any shelter across the country and you can see why. I am also not a big fan of conformance breeding; just look at an AKC registered Labrador retriever or Border collie to know that breeding for looks is ruining many breeds. However, I will say that I think that the majority of these breeders do try to place their puppies in good homes. I have two JRTCA registered dogs and they are great dogs. Nevertheless, on the other side of this issue, you have people that have no idea what they are doing and just because they have a piece of paper from a breed organization, they think they are going to breed the next champion. I think that many of these people think there is money to be made by breeding, but unfortunately, many of these dogs can be found in shelters.

Responsible Dog Breeding

I recently read on a list I subscribe to that someone was looking for a Border collie as a stud dog even though they say, “I am not a breeder.” They went on to describe how great their dog is, but oh by the way, the dog is a carrier of CEA¹. I just cannot agree with purposely breeding when you know one of the dogs is a carrier of a genetic disease and it is likely that 50% of the offspring will then be carriers. I know that people love their animals and would like another just like it but look at what you are doing to the overall breed.

We have a Labrador retriever with severe allergies and Hip Dysplasia and someone with a liter mate to our dog has bred his dog. His dog has the same problems but he bred the dog anyway because he said she was the best dog he has ever had. We feel the same way about our dog but that does not mean that we would ever breed her. She was spayed six months after we got her, but that is beside the point. Why would someone knowingly do this? I think it is just irresponsible.

Rescue Organizations

Rescue organizations are doing the best they can, but they cannot save them all. I rescued a Border collie last year from a kill shelter in Georgia only 30 minutes before he was due to be put down. I met the Border collie rescue person from that area in the parking lot and she told me how glad she was that I got him because she probably would not have gotten there in time. He was very sick from being heartworm positive and had respiratory and urinary infections. I know that all of these organizations need help and money because I spent well over $600 getting him well again. Please consider donating to a rescue origination in your area because I know that they need the help.

Designer Breeds

I know that designer breeds in flyball are becoming more prevalent all the time. Border/Jacks and Border/Staffies are probably the most desired and most bred. I really do not have a problem with this as long as the dogs from this type of breeding are being used for the purpose in which they were bred. I think in almost all cases these dogs are being utilized on flyball teams even if they may not be fast enough for some teams they usually find their way into good homes. The faster teams out there probably would not be as fast as they are without breeding these dogs. I think history shows that this has been going on for thousands of years. However, with all of this said, I hope that people that have little or no breeding experience stay out of it. On the other side of this issue, I have heard people say that they cannot condone the breeding of a mixed breed dog. I can sympathize with this feeling but at the same time, “skeletal remains indicate that five diverse types of dog existed in the Bronze Age (about 4500 BC) - mastiffs, wolf-type dogs, greyhounds, pointing dogs, and shepherding dogs…².” Therefore, if this is true most dogs can be considered mixed breed.

Larry

Footnotes:

1. For more information on Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), see the American Border Collie Association web site.

2. The History of Dogs

Your dog should be comfortable and completing all lesson 3 steps before proceeding to this lesson.

Chute Training (continued)

1. Continue using the “hit it” command when sending your dog to the chute. You should be well aware of which way your dog is turning at this point and you should now move the ball position to the proper side of the chute. Over a series of short training sessions, you should start to move the ball lower on the chute. You will know when to move to step 2 (below) when your dog is parallel on the chute or is having problems staying on the chute i.e. almost going over the top. If you see your dog having problems staying on the chute, and want to spend more time in this step, go ahead and adjust the chute to the next highest level and continue until you think your dog is ready to move on.

2. Your dog should now know the “hit it” command if you have been diligent in your training in the previous step. In this step, you will want your dog to hit the chute without the ball on it. Raise the chute to its highest position and start sending your dog to the chute with the command ‘hit it.” Make sure that the small chute jump or regular Flyball jump is in front of the chute. Pull the dog off the chute using your motivator in a very fast fluid motion. This exercise should be repeated many, many times over a series of short training sessions. You cannot do this too many times. This is a very important step on the road to a good swimmers turn. Make sure the dog is launching straight off the chute and not the side. If you notice the dog coming off too wide, place gating or another barrier material on the side of the chute to insure a tight turn.

Note: Use self adhesive Velcro for the ball positions on the chute. For a chute supply list and photos see links on the Flyball Training Manual page.

Building Speed over Jumps

Requirements: For this exercise, you need 2 dog holders, a solid fast experienced Flyball dog and handler, and the dog you are training and handler.

Setup: Set up one lane with baby gates on each side of the jumps. Line two dog holders and dogs up behind one set of 4 jumps with the experienced dog in front of the one being trained. The handlers need to be in position at the end of the Flyball lane.

Exercise: Recall the dogs over the jumps releasing them one after the other so that the dog being trained is no more than a jump behind of the other dog. This exercise takes advantage of the dog’s natural urge to chase. Each handler needs to call their dog to them using each dog’s motivator.

Problems: If the training dog does not break off to its own handler, a 5^th person may be needed to assist the handler. Continue this exercise until the dog returns to the handler.

Running Dogs in the other Lane

Requirements: For this exercise you need 2 dog holders, a solid fast experienced Flyball dog and handler, and the dog you are training and handler

Setup: Line the two dog holders and dogs behind two sets of jumps with baby gates between the jumps - one dog and handler for each set of jumps.

Exercise: Recall the dogs over the jumps releasing them at different times. Try releasing the experienced dog first then the training dog and vise versa.

Problems: If the training dog jumps out of the lane, i.e. goes around the jumps or tries to jump the gating, move the lanes closer together. You can also station people between the lanes to stop the dog from crossing. Continue this exercise until the training dog stays in its own lane.

Training Manual Information

This is a series of articles that I will post about Flyball training. I would ask that you please try to keep your comments to the specific topic of the each article, for there will be many others. You can see a high level outline of the topic to be covered in future post by viewing the Training Manual. Keeping the comments specific to each article will help future readers.

Please keep in mind that there are numerous methods in use but these are the ones that I use and they are some that work for me. If you have others that you would like to share, please post your comments.

The flyball championships for NAFA and U-FLI will both be held in November and the focus of each is a little different and worth a look.

NAFA Champion System

NAFA regional champions are based on points earned by placement during NAFA tournaments and the team with the most points earned in the region at the end of the racing season is named the regional champions. It really does come down to the fastest team in the region. With regions with very few fast teams or maybe only one fast team, the regional champion is really a given. In our region we pretty much know who the regional champions will be before the start of the season. In other regions it may not be that way but it usually comes down to the fastest couple of teams and the amount of tournaments attended.

The NAFA champions are picked almost the same way. The 6 fastest times from the club’s best placement are averaged and the team with the lowest average time is named the champions. Co-champions are named if there is a tie.

The World Cynosport® Flyball Championship that NAFA just started in 2006 is not much different from how the regional champions and champions are picked. All of the teams entered run each other until elimination elevates the fastest team to the top to be named Cynosports World Champions. For more information on the World Cynosport® Flyball Championship please see the NAFA website.

When looked at this way, it’s pretty easy to see where the focus is - speed. In my eyes this is not a bad thing because after all that’s what flyball is all about. However, teams that are in the lower divisions will never be recognized within this system. Lower division teams will never be regional champions, champions, or Cynosports World champions.

U-FLI Champion System

Since U-FLI is not broken up into regions, there are no regional champions. However, for teams that want to compete for division championship they just need to complete in one of the U-FLI qualifiers held in different parts of the country. Teams placing first or second in their division at one of the qualifiers has a place in the championship tournament. For more information on the U-FLI tournament please see the U-FLI website.

Speed is still the main focus, but in this system lower division teams have a chance to be recognized.

The Focus

I think this is an interesting comparison because it shows the old and the new. Sometimes you just need to step back for a minute to have a fresher look. I’m not saying that either system is bad, just that one recognizes a segment of the flyball community that until now has been somewhat overlooked. What do you think?

Larry

I know that we have all gone though it, but it is never easy. The hardest part is watching and knowing that there is nothing you can do. They start sleeping more, it’s harder for them to get around, they look lost and confused, and all you can do is watch. When is the right time to say good bye?

For me I hold them in higher regard than even humans. “They are pure of heart, honest, and the best loyal friends ever. They love us no matter what. They are the perfect companion. And they help us learn and grow every day,” Cynthia Blue.

I have one that we will be saying good bye to very soon. She didn’t have a single title, never ran a race, and never had any training. She was just a dog, a friend to my children, she watched them grow into adults, she was just a Pal.

Larry

Traffic flow is probably the most important aspect of Flyball in the ring. Good traffic flow will go a long way toward keeping you and your dog injury free and it is something that must be practiced. Without good traffic flow, dogs will be running into you or each other.

All dogs must enter the lane from the right side and exit on the left. Unless your dog is running start, you should line your dog up just off to the right side of the lane close to your mark and facing the box. This allows your teammates free access to the lane until it is your turn. When it is your turn, move into the lane and position yourself at your starting mark. After you release your dog you can run up the lane toward the start line and yell to your dog as they hit the box, but then move to the opposite side of the lane when running back. This will insure that you don’t run into a teammate coming up the lane after you. Make sure that you continue to run far enough back off the lane to collect your dog in the run-back away from the other dogs.

When running faster dogs, you may not be able to run up in the lane after you release your dog. You may just have time enough to get up and exit the lane to your right and run back into the run-back area. Between the time the next dog is released and when the proceeding dog hits the box, you only have about 2 seconds, which is not enough time to get out of the lane. If you are running in the lane, you could unintentionally block the view of your teammate and cause a late release.

Practice the traffic flow pattern during practice both with and without a dog to make sure that your team is moving cohesively. If you are aware of where everybody is supposed to be, you won’t have a traffic jam during that important race!

Training Manual Information

This is a series of articles that I will post about Flyball training. I would ask that you please try to keep your comments to the specific topic of the each article, for there will be many others. You can see a high level outline of the topic to be covered in future post by viewing the Training Manual. Keeping the comments specific to each article will help future readers.

Please keep in mind that there are numerous methods in use but these are the ones that I use and they are some that work for me. If you have others that you would like to share, please post your comments.