Entries from September 2007 ↓

Since I am not an expert, or even a novice for that matter, in this field, I sought out someone that could write just a couple articles on this subject. Well, I came up empty handed. For example, I emailed:

• Auburn Veterinary College – No response
• Christine Zink DVM, PhD – She is the author of the book, Peak Performance, Coaching the Canine Athlete, and the only one to respond. She said that she was away on business right now but would get back with me when she returned. I waited a month and emailed her again with no reply.
• Robert L. Gillette, DVM – I met this doctor at Auburn University, where he teaches. We had our Lab there when she was being checked out for hip dysplasia and I spoke to Dr. Gillette at some length about flyball. He has a website called Sportvet.com. He never responded.
• Carol Helfer, DVM – I got her name from Christine Davis of Inside Flyball. Christine told me that she had done some writing for her for an article on Inside Flyball. She never responded.

I emailed maybe a half a dozen other people as well and the response was not much better.

Robbie Barton, of Sure Shot Flyball (the article on the Sure Shot Flyball blog is no longer available) gave me some good information about what he does for conditioning. One of his suggestions was power jumping with up to 12 jumps. This sounds like something that I could put into practice because I do have a lot of space in my yard.

I have heard that some people have treadmills for their dogs because they live in cold climate areas and cannot exercise their dogs outside during the winter months. I would like to learn more about this because even though it is very mild in the winter where I live, it is usually dark when I arrive home after work so any outside activities after work are out of the question.

I know that this is not very much information and was the reason for my search for experts in canine conditioning. I would love to hear your inputs on this subject. What do you do to keep your dogs in shape? I have purchased Christine Zink’s book and it is very informative, but as a practical matter, I would like to know what everyone else does.

If there is an expert out there that would like to write a couple articles on this subject please contact me. I am sure that any information on this subject would be of benefit to our canine athletes.

Larry

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NRSV)

This Bible passage appropriately tells us that groups can accomplish more than any one Individual can. However, working within the group is so much harder than individual work. Bringing together more than one individual and forming them into a cohesive group that functions as one, is a difficult challenge.

The military forms a cohesive group by completely breaking the individual down during the first few weeks of basic training. All civilian attire and personal possessions are removed from the individual, everyone gets a haircut, facial hair is removed, and uniforms are issued. Once everyone has lost their individuality, they start molding the group together by employing a cause and effect method of training; the “Dirtying Dozen” approach. Anything that any one individual does affects the group as a whole. Over time, the individual is gone and the group emerges as a team working together as one.

The difference between the military and a flyball team is that individuals stay individuals; the breaking down of the individual never takes place and the molding of the group is too loosely woven and eventually breaks apart.

How can teams stay together?

This question has been on my mind a lot lately and I am sure that others have thought of it too. I have read and studied Team Dynamics and Group Dynamics and have concluded that harmony within a team or group will never be completely achieved. There are too many factors at play and the individuals on the team are constantly changing and evolving. However, things can be done to move the “I” to the “we.”

Effective teamwork starts when each individual on the team understands the ways he or she is different from the others on the team and everyone should know his or her own value to the team. It is only through this awareness that we can be in a better position to value and capitalize on the contributions of those who are different from us. Additionally, we will be better able to think in terms of the team, instead of individual interest.

Developing a Winning Team

• Know the Goal of the Team – Each member should know the mission and goal of the team and should have a sense of ownership and belonging. The leader of the team should define the mission but allow the members to have freedom in how the goal is reached.

• Know Where the Team is Going – Team goal and individual goals should be blended together to ensure that everyone on the team is moving in the same direction. If the team goal and the individual goals are not compatible, the team will pull itself apart.

• Assign Roles and Responsibilities – In order to show each individual how they contribute to achieving the goal, the role of each team member needs to be clearly defined. Additionally, clear areas of responsibility should be developed and each person should know that they are accountable for their actions. If the team leader decides who does what, the team members should know the reason behind the decision. Members need to feel that their personalities are appreciated and well utilized.

• Effective communication - Interpersonal relationships only work through effective communication. It is common for people to bury problems and this can be very destructive if these issues are not resolved. Issues that lie buried slowly build into something that is blown way out of proportion. In order to safeguard the team from this, it is important to have periodic meetings where people have a chance to discuss potential problems.

Each member should share equally and proudly in the success of the team.

Good Teamwork and Good Racing!

Larry

I know from experience that it is very hard starting new teams in areas where no other teams exist. Being from a flyball growth area like Alabama, I have seen my share of all green teams. As I have mentioned before on other posts, when I started in flyball there was only one team within 250 miles of my home. It is quite a bit better now, but back in 1999, we had to travel for help and training. Having an all green team has many drawbacks, for one, just trying to put together four dogs that can complete the course can be a problem.

Of the six dogs on our all green team, we only had four dogs that could complete the course. Additionally, we had a severe shortage of height dogs, so if the height dog decided not to run or some other problem occurred with the height dog our team was not able to run. Back then, with 16-inch jump heights our large dogs would just go around the jumps if they were too high, so without a height dog, we did not run.

Ready to run

As with many all green teams, you are going to have your share of problems. Things that were not a problem in practice will be a problem in a tournament situation. It is very important that you do everything possible to test your dogs before entering them in a tournament. Finding a team that you can practice with is probably the most helpful. Even if you need to travel a distance to the closest team, testing your green team in a tournament like environment will tell you if you are ready for a real tournament.

Crossovers are the main concern and other teams running in your division will not look too kindly on your team if they are crossed over on. If you know that crossovers are going to be a problem with a dog(s) on your team, you should tell the team you are running that you will be warming-up a green dog(s) that may have a crossover problem. That way they will be prepared and may let you have the lane. If they have green dogs too, it would be common courtesy to share your warm-up time with them.

Other things to consider

It may actually be a little easier now for the all green teams to get started with the advent of the Open Class and Pickup team. Another option is Singles and Pairs in U-FLI. If you do not have a complete team that can run together, Singles and Pairs are a great way to give your green dogs some lane time. Additionally, if you know that you cannot field a complete team entering your team as an Open Class or Pickup team may be the answer. Query teams in your area or put something out on the Flyball Email List and ask if there are dogs that would like to run on your Open Class or Pickup team. Conversely, you may be able to add a couple of your green dogs to an Open Class or Pickup team. Either way, the experience you gain by doing so will be invaluable.

If anyone has other suggestions for the all green teams out there just starting in the sport, please post your comments. I am sure that any information you provide will be helpful in expanding our sport.

Larry

How do you run an all green team? I received this question from someone and I want to thank everyone that has written to me; your questions and suggestions for future post are greatly appreciated. Without your continued support, it would be hard for me to continue writing on these diverse subjects. If you would like to make suggestions or if you have a question please use the Contact form.

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