Entries from February 2008 ↓

They are a sight to behold and a joy to handle.  Some of them are not the fastest out there but they are amazing in their own right.  They are the dogs that can run the flyball race themselves… they only have a handler out there because that’s the rules.They are the dogs that you can say “line up” to and they position themselves for a recall from the box.  They will hold their spot till you get to the back of the lane and call them. As their handler it doesn’t matter when you release… if you are early they will adjust their own pass, if you are late they are jumping out of your hands when the outbound dog is at the “right” hurdle.

As you hold them in the back of the lane you feel their energy build.  They press up against you trembling with excitement.  They know the judge’s whistle when there is an early start and you can tell because they relax, only to wind up again as the lights start their countdown again.

At the back of the lane they do their little routine with you, a few tugs and a few spins, then they turn themselves around, position themselves and focus for the next race.

They see the crates go in the car and know that practice or a tournament is on the way.  On the way to practice they lean into the turns before you’ve made them. They know they are tournament bound when you hit the freeway and they settle into a nice nap.

They train the new handlers and the green dogs.  They just love the sport and are happiest when they are out flying over the jumps being part of the action.

Connie

A flyball practice can look like total chaos to the uninitiated. The energy level is so high that it rattles some folks… others thrive in it. For me I just love seeing happy dogs using their minds and physicality … being allowed to be rowdy, loud and strong. I love to see all that animal energy focused on a task. Our modern, mostly suburban dogs don’t get to hunt or work as a pack, or even round up some sheep, but all that desire is still there in their genes. I find flyball a great outlet for them. Their teammates become their pack and they are hunting tennis balls.

So what is the best way to organize a practice so all dogs get a good workout, the humans learn stuff towards maximizing their performance and everyone makes some progress. There are probably as many opinions on this as there are flyball teams, but here is what I do:

• Identify what your goals are for that practice. Specific things that a particular dog needs to work on, or a training technique you want to use. It may be a particular dog is drawn off their lane when in a particular lane, or maybe you want to tighten a pass between two dogs.
• Gather your team before each practice to discuss team business and practice goals. I find folks do best when you let them know what is coming next.
• Practice the most mentally challenging for the canine first, before they are tired. Many folks feel this is box work. I work my trained dogs first, attempting to finesse their body placement and keep them from getting lazy about their turn. While the trained dogs rest I work my green dogs at learning their box turn.
• Full runs and passing for tournament ready dogs is next. Here we address desensitizing a dog that is intimidated by another, tightening passes till both are running with confidence, then fine tuning and taking notes on release points.
• While the tournament ready dogs rest I bring out my green dogs for hurdle running. Here is where you spend time training handlers to get the most speed out of their dogs. Also laying the foundation for the handlers on traffic flow in the ring. You also work for a clean release for the dog… where they have all their energy poised and are listening for that “ready, set, GO”
• We finish up with assorted training techniques depending on the need. It might be the “passing game” for a green dog or “eight hurdle power runs” for trained dogs or flat recalls for the puppies.

Connie

How to know when you are hooked on Flyball

• You call and email friends and family to let them know how your dog did at their first tournament.
• You are thrilled to get photos from your teammates of your dog in action and you email those photos to all your friends and family.
• You start asking for vacation days from work around flyball tournaments so you can travel there on Friday and spend Monday recovering.
• You spend hours braiding just the right kind of tug with just the right toy attached.
• You are contemplating purchasing a new vehicle so you can haul yourself, all your tournament stuff and the dogs.
• You work flyball expenses into your family budget.
• You revise your dogs’ nutrition to maximize their energy and stamina.
• You carry vetwrap and animax in your car’s first aid kit
• The above mentioned vetwrap is in your team’s colors
• You are drawn to purchase athletic wear for yourself in your team’s colors.
• You take down some pictures in your house to create an “I love My Dog Wall” with their title certificates framed and photos of the dogs in action.
• You have to move the garbage cans out of the garage to accommodate the flyball equipment you are storing.
• If you say the word “readddyyyy” your dogs get really wound up. Sometimes you do this just for a giggle.
• When you are procrastinating doing chores because you are watching videos of dogs racing on Youtube and/or surfing websites and blogs about flyball

How to know when you are REALLY hooked on Flyball

• You are considering adding a new dog to your family, but you want it to be a height dog so your first flyball dogs can race into their senior years.
• As you name your dog you contemplate how that name will sound when shouted in the flyball ring.
• You get a vanity license plate for the above mentioned vehicle that references flyball.
• You purchase the RV/trailer/toy-hauler in order to travel in comfort to tournaments.
• You teach yourself how to create a website so your team has something cool and fun.
• You move the car out of garage to accommodate the flyball practice area you set up.
• You take up running again… not for yourself but because you want to condition the dog.
• You know the names of all the height dogs in your region, their breed and their approximate speed.
• You hang out with your flyball buddies thinking through different lineups and how fast each would run.
• You are subscribed to all the flyball email lists and actually read all the letters…. Even the ones thanking teams for tournaments in states a thousand miles away.

Connie