Entries from August 2008 ↓

You see it all the time, Great Flyball Prospect in need of home.  So what is a Great Flyball Prospect?  Just recently on the Flyball Forum there was an excellent discussion about this very topic.  The initial questions were related to how someone working in a shelter would know a good Flyball prospect if they saw one and what shelters/rescuers can do to help place dogs that may do better in a Flyball homes.   What followed were some great answers and I just touch on them here but I invite you to the Flyball Forum to see the complete topic.

Most people outside of Flyball have the mistaken attitude that Flyball is “not exactly a challenge for the dog” and many hyper dogs that are not good enough for anything else get labeled as a “Flyball prospect.”

New people and other outsiders think that Flyball is easy.  After all, all the dogs need to do is like tennis balls, run over a few jumps, and retrieve a ball.  How hard can that be?  This is one that I encounter all the time.  Others think that just because the dog is hyper they will do well in Flyball.  Well, some do and some don’t.  I think Laura from Heads or Tails hit it right on the nose when she said, “I truly believe that the best Flyball candidate is not so much the dog as the owner.”  I couldn’t agree more.

I invite you all to the Flyball Forum and welcome your views on this intriguing topic.  You will find it under Flyball in the Flyball Forum section.

Larry

Can Open class (NAFA) and Pickup teams (U-FLI) cause some unintended consequences?   Do these types of these entries cause the waiting period for changing teams to become a rule that’s no longer required?  I would like to explore these questions and ask you for your thoughts.

Open and Pickup

The first time I was exposed to this type of entry was at a U-FLI tournament and I thought it was great.  I had a young dog that was very close to running and I wanted to do some run backs with her.  Unfortunately at the time, I had a very small team and had no place for her to run.  I guess I could have had someone hold the dog I’d be running while I did a couple warm up runs with my new dog, but that is always difficult.  So the Pickup team was just what I needed.  I could run my new dog on a Pickup team and not have to worry about switching teams or a waiting period.  My new dog even got a chance to run in a few heats so her first time running was on a Pickup team.

This experience made me a believer of the Pickup team concept and I was a real proponent for NAFA to put this concept into practice also.  Since NAFA started the Open class during a trial period, I have run my dogs many times in that class and on Pickup teams and still do.

Unintended Consequences

Before these types of entries were created, if there were problems on the team like an argument or disagreement, the majority of the time it was worked out and the team stayed together.  Granted, at times, working out a difficult argument or disagreement may not have been possible but from my experience you were more likely to stick it out and try to get over the problem.  After all, most people would try to avoid the waiting time required to run on a new team so they were more likely to give it one or more chances before switching teams.

The unintended consequences of these new entries are to allow people to jump ship at any time.  If you have a problem, there is no need to work it out, just switch teams by running in Open class or a Pickup team.  If you have enough people willing to jump ship, just create a new team and enter your new team in Open class or run as a Pickup team and there’s no wait required.

Why Have a Waiting Rule?

I really have no answers because I’m torn between my likes and dislikes.  I like being able to run dogs from other teams together but I also hate the fact that my whole team can dessert me over a minor disagreement.

In October, one of my dogs will be running in Memphis on a Pickup team with her littermates (all from other teams) and her sire.  How neat is that?  Without a Pickup team or Open class this would not be possible.  However, having six people just leave your team over a stupid disagreement, not even try to work out a compromise, and be running the next weekend is hurtful!  Why have a waiting rule at all?

I would like to hear what you all think of this?  Do you have any solutions?  Should we just press on from here and do away with the waiting rule?

Larry

Based on the usage of the Flyball Forum I can only conclude that Flyballers prefer email lists to forums.  It’s very strange indeed because I’ve visited Agility forums and Pet and Dog related forums and they are all very active.  I certainly would like to hear your pros and cons to each.  I’ve tried to come up with a list on my own.

Pros of a Forum

• Can be viewed on your schedule
• More permanent than some email list unless you save each email
• You can send private messages
• You can post attachments i.e. photos, tournament schedules, etc
• Little or no annoying email clogging up your email application
• Real time discussion

Cons of a Forum

• It can be viewed by everyone

Pros of Email List

• Private and closed

Cons of Email List

• Closed and private
• Messages are not permanent unless saved privately
• Same questions are asked again and again
• Most do not allow attachments
• Email traffic builds up in your email account unless you are on digest
• If you are on digest you sometimes miss important discussions when they are happening

So what are your thoughts on this subject?  Why do most prefer email over forums?  Why are Flyballers different than all of the other canine activities that have forums?   I can see no good reason to continue maintaining a forum that very few people are using.

Please pass the word to your friends and teammates about the Flyball Forum.  I’m sure that we Flyballers can do better.

Larry

In a private email I was told, “Take it slow and focus on the things that you love about the sport.”  So this is a post about the best thing about the sport, the dogs.  And since I have firsthand knowledge of two special dogs, I’ve decided to write about my dog Casey and Paul Ferlitto’s dog, Cody.  They are both nearing the end of their Flyball careers and have made a big impact on the sport in the southeast. This post could have been named “Two Flyball Ambassadors in a Fledgling Region.”

Over the last 10 years the state of Alabama has been positioned in several different NAFA regions and currently resides in Region 14. Back in 1999 and early 2000 there was only one team in Alabama, Manners in Motion, and all credit needs to go to Barbara Skalka for her vision and support of the sport and for bringing it to Alabama.  The team was later renamed the Birmingham Bandits after the death of Barbara’s dog, Bandit.

I know that there are many such stories throughout the course of Flyball history in North America.  Additionally, there have been many first going back many years ago and the dogs like Onyx, Hobbes and many others are well documented.  You just need only look on the NAFA website to see the Clyde Moore Memorial Hall of Fame dogs and their accomplishments.

Cody and Casey

Cody and Casey

Cody and Casey started their racing careers together on December 2, 2000 in Talladega, Alabama. They were very green dogs back then and only able to muster 38 and 42 points respectively over a two day tournament with a team best time of 25.870 seconds. Their team took last place in division 2 of a two division tournament. However, their next tournament in Tampa, Florida went much better and their team actually had a best time of 23.120 seconds on Sunday, and it was only their third tournament running together. They were off and running after that third tournament racking up points and titles quickly. And being a relatively new area for the sport, they both shared many first titles in our Region and Alabama as you can see by the follow table:

Cody was the voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) for 2005 in Region 14, and that third tournament team also included two other MVP winners, Paige in 2004 and Snap in 2006.

Since tournaments in an upcoming region where far and few, travel was a necessity.

Travels

Over the last 8 years Cody and Casey have traveled and attended many NAFA tournaments, and I know of a few humans that haven’t traveled as much.  Here is list of the States and Cities:

Alabama:
Autaugaville, Bessemer, Calera, Columbiana, Hoover, Huntsville, Irondale, and Talladega

Florida:
Deerfield Beach, Deland, Lakeland, Orlando, Pensacola, Sunrise, Tampa, and West Palm Beach

Georgia:
Athens and Perry

Illinois:
Springfield

Missouri:
St Louis

North Carolina:
Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, and Yadkinville

South Carolina:
Charleston

Tennessee:
Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville

Texas:
Houston and San Antonio

Era Coming to an End

Both Cody and Casey are still racing but it’s obvious that their careers are winding down.  The State and Region has grown tremendously over the last 8 years, and they have been great Ambassadors for the sport and its growth throughout the southeast. They both still love the game and give everything they have when playing.  They truly are two of the greats in our sport.

Larry

If you have or know of a special dog, and would like to have him or her recognized, please contact us using the Contact form.