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

So they show up with their beloved dog who is “just ball crazy”.  If you have had a chance to communicate with them prior then they have a crate and a dog toy, hopefully some water and a leash.  The dog is probably 5 Lbs overweight and both are totally overwhelmed with all the barking dogs and what appears to them to be chaos.So how to start????

I encourage every member of my team to take some time to greet the new person, meet their dog and attempt to make the person feel comfortable.  People who are comfortable are more open to learning.

As we don’t have “beginners classes” we work their dog into our regular practice.  We give the prospective member the opportunity to come to three practices for free to get a feel for the sport, get a feel for the team and for us to get a feel for them. From this we can see if the dog has potential and if the people have the self-discipline to show up three weeks in a row.  After three weeks and all is going well we ask them to join as an associate member… which has dues attached.

The first few practice we will introduce the dog to the jumps, work on prey drive and teach how to teach conditioning training.  I tell the prospect that most of what they will be doing in the beginning will be in their homework.  I try to identify the dog’s strong points and set the person up to feel proud of their dog, but know what they need to work on.

I have found that dog owners need as much reinforcement as their dogs do and in the beginning you are really doing human training… training the human to train their dog.

A few things I’ve learned over the years…  After they’ve attended a few practices give the prospect a copy of your bylaws or some other information on what your expectations are.  (They may be intimidated to touch the equipment… unless you’ve told them that setting up/ tearing down equipment is expected of every teammate.)  If you’ve told them your expectations and they are still sitting on their camp chair while everyone else works around them and/or they have an excuse every time there is money due you will be in a position to recommend they find a different team with whom to play flyball. Everyone knowing what is expected of them leads to a more harmonious team.

I try to get an associate member to attend a tournament in the area.  They get a feel for what they are working for and what all is involved in the sport.  There is always so much to do at a tournament and they can find themselves a contributing member of the team.  With new folks you must always be VERY specific on what you want done in order to set them up for success.  You can’t say “set the jump heights”.  You must say “add one of those one inch boards lying on the ground next to the jumps to the top of the jump board on each jump and do it fast!”.  For those of us with years of experience it’s hard to remember how basic you must be.

We let the associate member know what our criteria are for becoming full members and every full member has a say in whether an associate member is accepted.  I find this gets associate members in to the habit of contributing to the team and reduces the propensity for personality conflicts.

When that new teammate finally gets into the ring for the first time and lets their dog go and the dog races the course successfully it is a moment they never forget.  I always say that the first title is the hardest title to earn.  It is reason for an entire team to celebrate.

Connie

As previously mentioned in this blog the greatest thing and the worst thing about flyball is that it is a team sport. There is no playing flyball unless you have a team. On occasion you can trip through a tournament with a few borrowed handlers and a boxloader, but really to function you need a minimum of five humans and four dogs.The perfect teammate would be:

• Someone with one or more high energy, high drive dogs.
• A bit of an adrenaline junkie, that “gets” the thrill of the sport
• A “team player”. Contributes to the work of setting up, practice and other team chores.
• Is realistic about their dog’s abilities and that there are times that their dog might not race because the faster dog on the team must race in their place for the team to win.
• Has the financial means to play the sport and pays his/her bills on time.
• Has the ability to commit an entire weekend to participate in a tournament.
• Has the ability and self discipline to attend practice weekly
• Has the ability to listen, learn and understand the role the handler plays in safe flyball racing.
• Loves their dogs immensely and want to spend wonderful, fun quality time with them.

With all the thousands of dog owners in America it is amazing such a small percentage play this game. There have to be more folks out there… just how to find them.

So what works, what doesn’t.

Demos

This is great for educating the public that the sport exists, but I have yet to recruit a solid teammate from a demo. Usually the “gestation” stage for someone to go from seeing a demo to joining a team is so long as to not be able to make the connection.

TV Coverage

Again, good for educating the public on the sport, but the TV watcher’s usual reaction is “hmm.. that’s cool” and that’s the end of it.

Print Articles

A bit better than TV as far as bringing out the interested.. especially when the article lists contact info or practice times

Referrals from Vets or Obedience trainers

This has worked for us and brought in great dogs. Folks are usually having a conversation with their Vet or Obedience trainer about their dog’s boundless energy and need for an outlet which leads to the suggestion to try flyball.

Word of mouth

At dog parks, at work, in social gatherings. This has brought great people with trainable if not outstanding dogs. Sometimes “great people” is more important to a positive flyball experience than “outstanding dogs”. Of course “great people” and “outstanding dogs” is the jackpot.

Beginner Classes

Many teams have great luck with this… others have burnt out their trainer with so many students that come and then give up when they realize dog training takes hard work.

Website

A good website is the final step to bring someone to your team. Up to date information, action photos, photos of fun times and most important a reliable contact link that you respond to when they email you. Folks that have heard of the sport start searching for a team in their area. Make sure you are listed on all the search links with your proper website and contact info

Have you found any other methods that have brought you success?

Connie